Congress's Deep Support for Israel May Not Lead to Action
Jessica Rettig

June 1, 2011

Congress's role uncertain in Israeli-Palestinian peace process

Any witness to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's 2011 annual conference could see that, at least in spirit, American leaders in Congress are poised to do what they can to preserve a country whose prime minister describes it as America's "indispensable ally." More than 350 U.S. House members and Senators attended the pro-Israel lobby's annual gala Monday night, among thousands who turned out to show support for the Jewish people around the world and the Jewish state in the Middle East. That show of support culminates this morning when Congress convenes in a rare joint session to hear an address from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the second such appearance of his career.

But when the fanfare of the conference and the prime minister's much hyped visit fades, will Congress still take up the cause of its long-time ally, Israel, in its busy schedule?

Support for Israel has been one of the few bipartisan issues, not to mention one of the most successfully lobbied political interests in recent times. Nevertheless, for as long as Congress has other issues to deal with both domestically and overseas, it's left to be seen whether the broad support for Israel translates into making that nation's peace process with Palestine a real priority.

To be certain, foreign policy has become a major focus in Washington this year, even as the country debates the budget, debt, and unemployment. However, with the pressures posed by the "Arab Spring" uprisings and terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it's uncertain whether Congress will really take the time to debate policy and press President Obama on behalf of Israel's own vision for peace, which includes a departure from the president's call for negotiations starting with Israeli-Palestinian borders from before the Six Day War in 1967. Action is especially important before the Palestinian Authority asks the United Nations General Assembly at its September meeting to vote on a resolution recognizing Palestine as an independent state.

In part, Congress is limited in what it can actually do. In terms of aid, members of Congress have said they intend to continue its support for Israel's security within the region. "In Congress's next budget, I again support giving Israel full funding for security assistance," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said while addressing AIPAC in Washington on Monday night. "We will face an even tougher budget environment this year, but I am committed to defending this critical aid."

Likewise, congressional leadership has also stood with the president in support of strong sanctions against Iran and its nuclear program, a problem that could threaten both the United States and Israel moving forward.

But in terms of really influencing the policies and processes related to building peace between Israel and Palestine, Congress may not be as proactive. First of all, it seems that most lawmakers and the president agree that the peace negotiations need to be conducted directly between the two parties involved, Israel and Palestine. And besides voicing support for these direct negotiations -- even through proposed legislation -- there's little that Congress can do to bring these two to the table, especially after the recent agreement for a unified election between the Palestinian Authority government, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, and the terrorist organization Hamas, which doesn't acknowledge Israel's own right to exist. "Bipartisan support will exist and will result to bolster U.S. support for our only democratic ally in the region and to really sort of set the equation right and say, look, as long as there is no partner for peace in the Middle East, we can't push an ally into a compromising situation," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters on Monday.

With little direct participation in the process, Congress could respond to Israel's request for support by amping up the political messaging and drawing public attention to the issue through hearings and votes. However, if recent hearings on foreign policy are any indication, Israel may not get top billing. Lately, hearings scheduled on foreign policy have seemed to be largely geared toward trade issues or on policy in the rest of the Middle East region, like U.S. intervention in Libya, and on the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Another request from pro-Israel advocates has been for lawmakers try to use their influence internationally to bring leaders in other nations to Israel's side on the upcoming United Nations vote to recognize Palestine as an independent state. To that end, they could promote a public message, recently voiced by Netanyahu, that exonerates Israel for the conflicts in the region. "The problems of the region are not rooted in Israel. The remarkable scenes we are witnessing in town squares across the Middle East and North Africa are occurring for a simple reason. People want freedom. They want progress. They want a better life," he told the conference Sunday night, later adding, "Israel is not what's wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what's right about the Middle East."

With public tension between Obama and Netanyahu over the issue of Israeli-Palestinian borders, Netanyahu will also likely press his friends in Congress to advocate against using pre-1967 borders as a starting point in peace negotiations with Palestine. Leaders like Cantor and Reid have already come out against Obama's recommendation that negotiations should be based on a preset boundary. "Negotiations will not happen -- and their terms will not be set -- through speeches, or in the streets, or in the media," Reid said Monday night. "No one should set premature parameters about borders, about building or about anything else."

So, while groups like AIPAC and speeches by Netanyahu certainly create momentum and buzz, Congress' actual path forward on Israel and Palestine may come down to how the American voting public, as a whole, prioritizes the conflict. Netanyahu can only hope they tune in.

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