=======================
for the period of
January 21-31, 2012
=======================
1. Bills, Resolutions
& Letters
2. Odds & Ends
Apologies
for the belated and abbreviated Round-Up this week (and the
absent Round-Up
this coming Friday) -- both are due mainly to the visit to the
U.S. of Jerusalem
expert Danny Seidemann, who is in the U.S. discussing current
developments/trends in East Jerusalem settlement construction,
and the imminent
threat they pose to the viability of the two-state solution. His visit coincides with
the publication of a
new map presentation laying out these current
developments/trends and
projecting (conservatively) what the map of Jerusalem will
look like at the end
of 2013, assuming these trends continue unchecked. That presentation can be
viewed/downloaded here.
1. Bills, Resolutions
& Letters
(IRAN
SANCTIONS) S. XXX: On 1/27/12 Senate Banking
Committee Chairman
Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) announced
that the committee would mark up "the Iran Sanctions,
Accountability and Human
Rights Act of 2012" on 2/2/12.
A copy of
the draft bill can be read/downloaded here
(NOTE: this is not necessarily the final text).
A copy of the section-by-section summary of the bill
can be
read/downloaded here.
New reports on the
legislation: AFP,
the
Telegraph, AP,
YNet.
(CLOSE
PLO OFFICE IN DC) H.RES.524:
Introduced 1/24/12 by Rep. McCarthy (D-NY) and having 5
cosponsors, "Expressing
the sense of the House of Representatives that the Palestine
Liberation
Organization should not be allowed to maintain an official
office in
Washington, D.C." Referred
to the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
For
background on attacks in the current Congress on the PLO
office in DC, see item
#9 in "APN's
Top
10 Wackiest Congressional Actions on the Middle East of 2011."
(TUNISIA’S
REVOLUTION) H.RES.527: Introduced
1/25/12 by Rep. Murphy
(D-CT) and three cosponsors, "expressing the sense of the
House of
Representatives regarding Tunisia's peaceful Jasmine
Revolution." The
resolution commends the people of Tunisia and the Tunisian
independent
electoral commission, as well as expressing US interest in
Tunisia’s economic
prosperity and development.
2. Odds & Ends
Hearings/Events:
2/1/12,
Hill briefing hosted by the "Bipartisan Policy Center"
entitled Stopping
the
Clock on Iran's Nuclear Development. Featuring Sen. Coats
(R-IN), Rep. Engel
(D-NY), former Senator Chuck Robb (D-VA), former Senator John
Tanner (D-TN),
Larry Goldstein (BPC), and Michael
Makovsky (Director of BPC’s "National Security Project",
brother of WINEP’s
David Makovsky)
2/2/12, House
Committee on Foreign Affairs Hearing: Ahmadinejad’s
Tour
of Tyrants and Iran’s Agenda in the Western Hemisphere,
Witnesses:
Norman Bailey, Michael Braun, and Jose Azel.
Members on the
Record:
Sen.
Hoeven
(R-ND) 1/30/12: Arguing that Iran’s threat to close the
Straits of Hormuz
are one of the reasons why people should support his bill to
approve the Keystone
XL pipeline project.
Berman
(D-CA) 1/26/12: Congressman Berman Denounces Sermon by
Palestinian
Authority’s Top Cleric
Rep.
Ellison
(D-MN) 1/25/12: One-Year Anniversary of Egyptian
Revolution
Rep.
King
(R-IO) 1/25/12: In support of the Keystone XL pipeline
project (bashing
Obama on Iran)
Rep.
Ros-Lehtinen
(R-FL) 1/25/12: Response to President’s State of the
Union Address (bashing
Obama on Iran and Israel)
Rep.
Kelly
(R-PA) 1/23/12: Op-ed in the Hill: We must lead charge
against Iran
Rep.
Jackson-Lee
(D-TX) 1/23/12: "Words Matter" (Criticism of Atlanta
journalist’s
statements on Iran, Israel, and US President)
Rep.
Poe (R-TX)
1/23/12: Iran is bad, opposing Keystone Pipeline XL project is
un-American…
Rep.
Ellison
(D-MN)
1/24/12: Return "Sesame Street" to Palestinian Airwaves
(release aid to Palestinians)
From the News:
The Cable
1/30/12: Egyptian
Embassy: We fired our Washington lobbyists for budgetary
reasons
Staten
Island Live.com 1/29/12: New
allegations
question Grimm's campaign financing
The Cable
1/28/12: Egypt
gets dumped by its
Washington lobbyists
CNN
1/27/12: Will
Egypt;s crackdown end
U.S. gravy train?
Fox
1/27/12: US
Seeks More Powerful Bomb To Combat Iran's Underground
Facilities
Washington
Post 1/27/12: Clinton
sidesteps dispute between Turkey and France over genocide
legislation
Foreign
Policy 1/27/12: Hard Times in Hebron
NOLA.com
1/27/12: Louisiana
congressional
delegation and their staffers take more privately funded
trips
([including to Israel)
Politico
1/27/12: Livingston,
Moffett, Podesta Egyptian lobbying contact ended
NYT
1/27/12: Rabbi’s
Followers
Cast Doubts on Congressman’s Fund-Raising (Grimm, R-NY)
The Cable
1/27/12: Obama
administration using loophole to quietly sell arms package
to Bahrain
JTA
1/26/12: House
GOPers
urge Obama to enforce Iran sanctions
Time
1/26/12: To
Confront
Iran, Will the U.S. Risk Relations with India?
NYT
1/26/12: Pentagon
Cuts Would Affect Raises, Insurance and Base Closings
LAT
1/25/12: Obama to
recommend extending loan guarantees for Israel
The
Atlantic 1/25/12: How
the
U.S. and Iran Keep Failing To Find a Peace They Both Want
The Cable
1/25/12: Clinton’s
policy
planning director on 2012 foreign policy priorities
Haartez
1/24/12: U.S.
to
grant three-year extension of loan guarantees to Israel
The Cable
1/24/12: Kerry:
Syria
getting very close to civil war
Al
Jazeera 1/24/12: Israel,
Iran
and the US: Axis of Instability
JTA
1/24/12: Amid
Iran
concerns, top U.S. and Israeli officials meet
CNN
1/24/12: Iran
sanctions
will hit its economy, but not kill it
The Cable
1/23/12: US
sanctions
another big Iranian bank
Wall
Street Journal 1/23/12: Congress
Could
Exempt Key BP Project from New Iran Sanctions
========================================
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about issues related to Israel, the Middle East, and the Hill.
Past
editions of the Round-Up are archived and available online.
For more
information, contact Lara
Friedman,