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Americans for Peace Now Praises Congressional Gaza Resolutions
[Jan 12, 2009] This week both houses of Congress passed non-binding resolutions regarding the current crisis in Israel and Gaza. Commenting on the resolutions, Americans for Peace Now (APN)President and CEO Debra DeLee said:
Peace Now activist in Jerusalem puts
up poster 'This is the time to stop!'
"Since the beginning of this crisis, APN has been calling for U.S. leadership and engagement to end the hostilities and achieve a ceasefire that will be both durable and sustainable. Unfortunately, to date the Bush Administration's efforts have been lacking.
"Earlier this week, we sent a message to Congress, telling members that what Israel needs now is not just expressions of support and solidarity, but active U.S.-led diplomacy to end the fighting.
"We hope that with the passage of these resolutions, which contain explicit calls for the Administration to work actively to support precisely the kind of ceasefire we have been advocating, the Bush Administration will finally decide to get serious.
"APN this week also urged Congress to recognize that even the most durable, sustainable ceasefire is not an alternative to a diplomatic process that seeks to deal with the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is, at its heart, a political conflict. In the absence of a credible effort to reach a long-term solution that meets the needs and aspirations of both sides, extremists will inevitably draw popular support and will invariably resort, once again, to violence.
"We hope that the strong statement of Congressional support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process contained in these resolutions signals Congress' readiness to support President-elect Barack Obama in launching a new era of sustained, serious, U.S.-led efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace and to establish two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and with security."
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APN is a Jewish, Zionist organization dedicated to enhancing Israel's security through peace and to supporting the Israeli Peace Now movement.
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Click for JTA report on Congressional consultation of APN views on resolutions. Click HERE for Youtube video of Tel Aviv peace demonstration Jan 10, 2009.