American Jews Sacrificing Israel

Here's the latest "letter":


April 3, 2013

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
c/o Ambassador Michael Oren
Embassy of the State of Israel
3514 International Dr., NW
Washington, DC 20008

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:

As Americans deeply committed to Israel’s security, we were heartened by President Obama’s recent historic visit and his unequivocal assertion that “so long as there is a United States of America, Ah-tem lo le-vad.” We also are encouraged by the rapprochement with Turkey, which was achieved in great measure due to your leadership.

We believe that this is a compelling moment for you and your new government to respond to President Obama’s call for peace by taking concrete confidence building steps designed to demonstrate Israel’s commitment to a ‘two-states for two peoples’ solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We urge you, in particular, to work closely with Secretary of State John Kerry to devise pragmatic initiatives, consistent with Israel’s security needs, which would represent Israel’s readiness to make painful territorial sacrifices for the sake of peace.

Your leadership would challenge Palestinian leaders to take similarly constructive steps, including, most importantly, a prompt return to the negotiating table.

We join with President Obama in expressing our steadfast support for your efforts to ensure Israel’s future as the secure and democratic nation state of the Jewish people.

S. Daniel Abraham
James B. Adler
James N. Adler
Karen R. Adler
Michael M. Adler
Harold E. Akselrad
David Avital
Rabbi Andy Bachman
Robert A. Belfer
Jack C. Bendheim
Karyn Bendit
Michael Berenbaum
Howard M. Bernstein
Edward Blank
Herb Blecker
Charles R. Bronfman
Rabbi Sharon Brous
S. Nicholas Bunzl
Steven M. Cohen
Lester Crown
Thomas A. Dine
Rabbi Denise L. Eger
Rabbi David Ellenson
Rabbi Jacqueline Koch-Ellenson
Warren Eisenberg
Edith Everett
Irwin S. Field
Susie Gelman
Stanley P. Gold
E. Robert Goodkind
Robert Gordon
Fredric H. Gould
Lawrence C. Gottlieb
Stephen Greenberg
Laurence Greenwald
Jeffrey R. Gural
David A. Halperin
Harold R. Handler
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
Peter A. Joseph
Nancy K. Kaufman
Peter S. Kolevzon
Robert Kully
Yehuda Kurtzer
Burton Lehman
Marvin Lender
Marion Lev Cohen
Bruce Levenson
Jacqueline Levine
Hon. Mel Levine
Risa A. Levine
Rabbi Robert Levine
Rabbi Joy Levitt
John Levy
Morris S. Levy
Geoffrey H. Lewis
Robert K. Lifton
Deborah Lipstadt
Jonathan Lopatin
Daniel Lubetzky
Theodore R. Mann
Mike Medavoy
Donald Meltzer
Harriet Mouchly-Weiss
Burt Neuborne
Alan J. Patricof
Richard Pearlstone
Debra Pell
Bernard M. Plum
Julie Ratner, Ed.D
Marcia Riklis
Stephen Robert
Edward B. Robin
Daniel Rose
Terry Rosenberg
Henry Rosovsky
Lawrence Ruben
Lenore Ruben
Ted Ruthizer
David Sable
Rabbi David Saperstein
Daniel Schwartz
Jeffrey E. Schwarz
William J. Schwartz
Jeffrey R. Solomon
Joan Spero
Marc R. Stanley
Jeffrey M. Stern
Judith Stern Peck
Joel D. Tauber
Roger Tilles
Bob Unger
Jeane Ungerleider
Samuel E. Vichness
James E. Walker
Melvyn I. Weiss
Robert Weiss
Martin J. Whitman
Musa Yenni
Rabbi Eric Yoffie
Michael D. Young
Hon. Dov S. Zakheim
Larry Zicklin


Those "territorial sacrifices" will be "painful" in the future, when we, once again suffer attacks those borders invite and could have prevented or reduced, even ignoring the fact that these 'territories' are our homeland.


Anyone for sacrificing a few of these American Jews?

 
[just kidding]

________________

UPDATE



ECI's Letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu
April 04, 2013

Yesterday, a group of 100 liberal American Jewish leaders released a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling on him to make "painful territorial sacrifices" to the Palestinians. In response, ECI has written its own letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu:

    Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:

    We know you don’t need our advice on how to handle the peace process – but given the decision by a group of self-described American Jewish leaders to call for you to make “painful territorial sacrifices,” we felt it appropriate to convey our own thoughts on the matter.

    Be assured that they don’t speak for us or for a majority of Americans. We not only question the wisdom of their advice, we question their standing to issue such an admonition to a democratically-elected prime minister whose job is not to assuage the political longings of 100 American Jews, but to represent – and ensure the security of – the Israeli people.

    Indeed, it’s puzzling to us why a small group of American Jews believes it appropriate to demand “painful territorial sacrifices” of Israelis, when those issuing the demand will not experience the pain, or be compelled to sacrifice anything, should their advice prove foolish – as it has so many times in the past. We affirm the words of Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, who recently asked an American Jewish audience to “respect the decisions made by the world’s most resilient democracy.”

    The “American Jewish leaders” who deign to advise you today are largely the same leaders who rarely, if ever, demand “painful sacrifices” of Palestinian leaders – or even demand that they come to the negotiating table, which they have refused to do in any meaningful way since 2008. From the safety of America, in the past they have recommended trusting Yasser Arafat, dividing Jerusalem, surrendering the Golan Heights to Syria, and withdrawing from territory that today is controlled by Iranian-backed terrorist groups.

    Before rushing to issue new recommendations, we suggest that these oracles of bad advice might pause to reflect on the wisdom of the recommendations they’ve already made.

    We, too, have strong opinions on the peace process – but one thing we never presume to do is instruct our friends in Israel on the level of danger to which they should expose themselves.

    We trust, of course, that you are under no misapprehensions about any of this. But we felt it important that you heard from a mainstream voice in addition to the predictable calls from a certain cast of American activists for more Israeli concessions.

    Sincerely,

    William Kristol
    Rachel Abrams
    Gary Bauer
    Noah Pollak
    Michael Goldfarb

_____________

Second UPDATE

The problem is that the language used parallels the misrepresentation of Israel’s situation and positions. By the way it is written, this letter seems to be not about influencing Netanyahu or Israelis but about enhancing the social and political credentials of those involved, Israel’s security and interests be damned.

In addition, the letter accepts the concept that the Palestinian Authority must be paid benefits to be willing to talk in order to receive bigger benefits, that it must be begged--using "painful" and potentially dangerous Israeli concessions to accept a Palestinian state. Since the Palestinians are doing Israel such a big favor by making peace, this concept goes, Israel should make concessions first and hope for some compromise from the other side later.

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