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For
the organized American Jewish community the security and survival
of Israel, as well as the strength of the relationship between the
United States and Israel, are of the utmost importance. The international
agenda of the Jewish community relations field also involves the
NJCRAC in efforts responding to the needs of other Jewish communities
around the world that are in difficulty or danger. Over the years,
the NJCRAC has exercised a leadership role in securing freedom for
Jews in the Soviet Union, and in Ethiopia and Syria. The NJCRAC's
concerns for human rights always have been much broader, reflecting
the deep concern of American Jews for the protection of the rights
of individuals throughout the world. The Jewish community relations
field therefore supports the vigorous application human rights principles
as a cornerstone stone of American foreign policy.
Arab-Israeli
Peace Process
A new
era in Arab-Israeli peacemaking was born in Oslo last year and of
officially launched on the White House lawn on September 13, 1993,
when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser
Arafat signed the Israel-PLO mutual recognition agreement and the
Declaration of Principles (DOP), the framework for further negotiations
regarding the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Israeli-Palestinian
relations. As expected this process since September has experienced
periodic crises and setbacks, including violence by Arab and Jewish
extremists intent on derailing the talks. Such violence can never
be tolerated and must be soundly condemned by all responsible parties
whenever it occurs.
As Israel
and the PLO proceed with the implementation of the first step of
the DOP, self-rule in Gaza and Jericho, and continue their negotiations
on extending self-rule throughout the West Bank, it is important
to bear in mind that both Israel and the PLO had agreed that several
issues, including Israeli settlements and the status of Jerusalem,
would not be discussed until deliberations on the permanent status
of the territories commence in 1996. The organized Jewish community
reemphasizes the unified commitment of world Jewry to maintain the
city of Jerusalem as the eternal undivided capital of Israel, a
position that is supported by both houses of the U.S. Congress.
The conflict
between Israel and the Palestinians has been only part of a broader
Arab-Israeli conflict. Hopefully, progress in the Israeli-Palestinian
relationship will lead to full normalization of relations between
Israel and her Arab neighbors. It is imperative that Syria, a country
that remains one of the most threatening to Israel in strategic
terms, be encouraged to conclude a peace treaty with Israel. We
hope that Jordan and Lebanon also will conclude peace treaties.
With
diplomatic relations now established with more than 140 of the 185
member states of the United Nations, Israel's position in the international
community has improved dramatically. Nevertheless, the ultimate
success of the peace process requires the continued involvement
of the United States as an active facilitator of negotiations. The
U.S. also has a key role in organizing international economic support
for peace, including development in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
The NJCRAC endorses the effort fostered by Vice President Al Gore
to bring together Arab American and American Jewish leaders in a
joint effort to promote economic development in the territories.
Real improvements in the lives of the Palestinians in those areas
will be an important confidence-building measure that will contribute
to the psychological adjustments necessary for building cooperative
and peaceful Israeli-Palestinian relations.
The Arab
League's persistence in maintaining its economic boycott is an affront
to the United States and to the international system of free trade.
Its continuation also is an obstacle to Palestinian economic development.
The Clinton Administration has characterized correctly the secondary
boycott of American and other foreign firms doing business with
Israel as unacceptable discrimination against U.S. companies. Legislative
action and international pressure designed to bring the Arab boycott
to a timely end is vigorously supported by the organized Jewish
community.
Dramatic
and rapid developments in the peace process have challenged the
Jewish community relations field to engage in intensive interpretive
efforts both within the Jewish community and among non-Jewish leaders.
The overwhelming majority of American Jews has given support to
the initiatives pursued by Prime Minister Rabin and has sought to
broaden support for the peace process among the American public.
Among a minority within the Jewish community, however, debate on
the peace process has been shrill and on occasion has crossed the
bounds of civility. The Jewish community relations field encourages
open discussion of issues within an atmosphere of mutual respect.
The arms
race in the Middle East and the actions of radical states such as
Iraq and Iran, as well as terrorist and extremist fundamentalist
groups, continue to pose dangers to Israel, to moderate Arab states
and parties, and to western interests in the region. For the foreseeable
future, the U.S. will need to ensure that Israel's qualitative military
edge is maintained, and the Congress will need to continue to evaluate
carefully every arms sale proposal to any Middle East nation, particularly
those that are not yet at peace with Israel.
At the
same time, significant progress in the peace process has allowed
U.S. and Israeli policy-makers to look beyond the political and
security dimensions of the bilateral relationship. The U.S.-Israel
relationship is founded fundamentally upon a strong and firm foundation
of shared values, of common democratic political systems and societies
that face common challenges and can offer each other expertise in
meeting those challenges. Cooperation is expanding in the areas
of education, environment, science and technology, and social services.
Soviet
Jews and Other Endangered Jewish Communities
Events
in Russia and the other former republics of the Soviet Union raise
questions about timeliness and even the ability of these new countries
to make the transition to political democracies and market economies.
Within the atmosphere of continuing economic and political instability,
marked by raging inter-ethnic conflicts in several new countries
in the former Soviet Union, the precariousness of those Jewish communities
is an uppermost concern of the organized American Jewish community.
We are committed to ensuring that freedom to emigrate continues
and that programs are expanded to strengthen Jewish life for those
remaining and awaiting emigration and aliyah.
The rescue
of other imperiled Jewish communities remains a priority. Virtually
all Ethiopian Jews have been brought to Israel and are successfully
becoming part of Israeli society. At this writing, it appears that
all Syrian Jews finally are being allowed to leave if they choose
to do so. However, the fate of other Jewish communities in the Middle
East, particularly the 25,000 Jews in Iran and the tiny community
in Yemen, is of deep concern, requiring close monitoring.
International
Human Rights: Bosnia-Herzegovina
In addition
to the organized Jewish community's commitment to protect endangered
Jewish communities, the NJCRAC has an obligation to combat genocide
and other major violations of international human rights. Thus,
the NJCRAC, for more than two years, has spearheaded the organized
Jewish community's efforts on behalf of beleaguered Bosnia-Herzegovina.
While once again there appear to be the makings of peace in Bosnia
the continuing efforts by Serbia to persist in its "ethnic cleansing"
campaign call for the lifting of the discriminatory arms embargo
so that Bosnia may properly defend itself, and for the U.S. to work
with the U.N. and NATO to more directly and swiftly bring an end
to this tragedy.
Foreign
Aid
The struggle
to build democracy in Russia and to resolve ethnic war in Bosnia
are indicative of the broad challenges facing the United States
in the post cold war era. In seeking to develop policies that will
define the approach of the only superpower in the world into the
21st century, the Clinton Administration, together with the Congress,
is exploring options for revamping our nation's foreign aid program.
The Jewish community relations field supports foreign aid reform
that will enable the U.S. more effectively to support emerging democracies,
address humanitarian needs, and promote peace and security. At the
same time, the organized Jewish community has some concerns about
how any reform of the foreign aid program affects U.S. aid to Israel.
The NJCRAC will continue to press for maintaining current levels
of aid to Israel, an invaluable ally of the United States that continues
to face serious security threats. What will be required for the
U.S. to meet more fully its international obligations is an expansion
over time of the overall foreign aid budget. The organized Jewish
community will be taking a lead in forming coalitions that will
work to foster broader public understanding of the value of foreign
aid to American national interests and to build support for an increase
in total foreign aid.
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