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Diverse Group of Pro-Middle East Peace Organizations Co-Sponsor Capitol Hill Briefing

More than 200 people attended APN's policy briefing on Capitol Hill "Digesting Annapolis: What Happened, What It Means, and What Happens Next?"

Photo by Rob Levy of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29, 2007
CONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 728-1893

Washington, D.C - Earlier today more than 200 people, including Congressional staff, diplomats, journalists, and members of the general public, turned up for a policy briefing on Capitol Hill entitled "Digesting Annapolis: What Happened, What It Means, and What Happens Next?" The event was cosponsored by: Americans for Peace Now (APN), Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Israel Policy Forum, the Arab American Institute, Churches for Middle East Peace, the American Task Force on Palestine, and the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Commenting on today's event, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee said : "Americans for Peace Now is proud to be working together with other supporters of peace and security for the Middle East from the Jewish community, the Arab American community, and the Christian community. For too long there have been those organizations and leaders from of each of our communities who have sought to dominate the discourse, setting out positions that are not representative of their communities and inconsistent with the best interests of Israel, the U.S., and the Palestinians alike."

She added, "By working together we are amplifying an important message to Congress, the Administration, and the American people: American Jews, Arab Americans, and American Christians yearn for peace in the Middle East, and they want to see the U.S. Administration take an active role in achieving an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, they support an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement along the lines that have already been explored in the Clinton parameters and the Geneva Initiative, and articulated broadly by President Bush: two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and with security. Together we are leading the way for a more constructive, pro-Israel debate, and ultimately, for policies that are genuinely pro-Israel, pro-U.S. interests, and therefore, pro-peace. APN is proud to be part of this effort."

Today's event comes on the heels of a number of important and highly successful joint efforts over the past year by this same constellation of organizations. These efforts include recent activism to mobilize support for a letter initiated by Representatives Ackerman (D-NY) and Boustany (R-LA) to Secretary Rice, urging greater U.S. engagement in, and support for, Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. These joint efforts yielded an impressive 135 cosigners on the letter. In addition, these same groups coordinated efforts to mobilize cosponsors for S. Res. 321, a resolution introduced by Senators Feinstein (D-CA) and Lugar (R-IN) calling for increased U.S. engagement in Middle East peacemaking and for the appointment of a Middle East envoy (the resolution currently has 37 cosponsors). These same groups strongly opposed non-constructive provisions in the House version of last year's Palestinian Anti- Terrorism Act (HR 4681) - opposition which yielded much-improved legislation (in the form of the Senate version of the bill, as eventually passed into law).

The event consisted of a roundtable discussion featuring:

  • former Israel negotiator and government advisor Daniel Levy
  • ATFP Advocacy Director & former Palestinian negotiator and government advisor Ghaith al Omari
  • Acting Vice President of the U.S. Institute of Peace's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Scott Lasensky
  • Longtime Israeli journalist and current APN spokesman Ori Nir
  • PLO negotiations affairs department advisor Greg Khalil
  • Former senior U.S. State Department official and current President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, Ambassador Phil Wilcox.