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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Related Issues Home page  back Print  Send To friend J-Street: Some positive news from Capitol Hill You may not have seen it on the news, but J Street recently scored an important achievement on Capitol Hill. Since the new Congressional session began, most of the attention has understandably been taken up with the Senate’s confirmation hearings of President-elect Trump’s nominees, and with the effort to defund Obamacare. But those who pay close attention to the political conversation around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution noted that something significant took place in the House of Representatives. While a resolution criticizing the Obama administration`s abstention at the UN Security Council did pass, many principled Members of Congress protested and refused to support it. When the bill came up for a vote, 80 Members voted against it, while four abstained. Additionally, over 100 Members co-sponsored an alternative resolution affirming Congress’ commitment to a two-state solution. That resolution reiterated longstanding, bipartisan US policy toward the conflict without misrepresenting the fact that the Obama administration`s actions were completely consistent with five decades of US positions. All in all, over half of the House Democratic Caucus preferred to express their concerns about the UN without criticizing the administration’s recent decision at the Security Council. This is a major shift in the conversation about US policy and what it truly means to be pro-Israel. Before J Street was founded, one-sided, inaccurate and unhelpful resolutions like this one would have passed with near unanimous support. Those days are over. Increasingly, thanks in part to the work of J Street, Members of Congress know that they have the political space and support to engage in honest and substantive debate about what kind of American leadership is best for securing Israel’s future. We saw many Members proudly and confidently argue that they strongly support a two-state solution and oppose settlement expansion because they are pro- Israel -- and are concerned about the dangerous path the current Israeli government is headed down. Soon, the Senate may be asked to vote on a similarly unhelpful and flawed resolution. We’ve asked you to contact your Senators and make sure that if it comes to a vote, they know where the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement stands -- and, like many of their House colleagues, know that they don’t have to adhere to an old, outdated playbook. Let’s be clear -- there’s still a long way to go and a lot more to be done. There are many Members on both sides of the aisle who still hesitate to speak their minds and to do what they know is right when it comes to this issue. But as votes like this one demonstrate, we’re moving firmly in the right direction. Jeremy Ben-Ami Links to the latest articles in this section Poll: Many Democrats want more US support for Palestinians Coalition scrambles for way to extend ban on Palestinian family reunification Families belong together!