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John Kerry: Two years left to reach two-state solution in Middle East peace process

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Written by Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
Published: 18 April 2013 18 April 2013


US secretary of state tells House foreign affairs committee that 'window for a two-state solution is shutting' after 'years of failure'


John Kerry, US secretary of state, testifies on Capitol Hill. 'They’re all worried about the timing,' he told the foreign affairs committee. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

The chance to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel will be lost within one to two years, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said following his third visit to the region as part of a mission to revive the defunct peace process.

The high-level acknowledgement that the prospects of a "two-state solution" to the 65-year conflict are rapidly diminishing came in evidence to the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee on Wednesday.

"I believe the window for a two-state solution is shutting," the secretary of state said. "I think we have some period of time – a year to year-and-a-half to two years, or it's over."

He added: "Everybody I talk to in the region and all of the supporters globally who care … want us to move forward on a peace effort. They're all worried about the timing here. So there's an urgency to this, in my mind, and I intend, on behalf of the president's instructions, to honour that urgency and see what we can do to move forward."

Read more: John Kerry: Two years left to reach two-state solution in Middle East peace process

Call Your Senator to Oppose the U.S. Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013

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Written by US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Published: 16 April 2013 16 April 2013

Call Your Senator to Oppose the U.S. Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013

If passed, the Senate version of the US Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 would codify Israel's discrimination against U.S. citizens, particularly Arab-Americans and people who work in support of Palestinian human rights.  It would also give Israel additional access to weapons stockpiles and designate Israel a 'major strategic partner,'  Sen. Wyden is currently 1 of 20 co-sponsors of this legislation - please call his office and urge him to withdraw his co-sponsorship.  Please also call Sen. Merkley and thank him for not cosponsoring.

Sen. Merkley DC Office # -- 202-224-3753  -- Message: Thank you for not co-sponsoring the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 (S. 462).  I urge you to publicly oppose any effort to codify Israel's discriminatory practic es into U.S. law.

Sen. Wyden DC Office  # -- 202-224-5244 -- Talking points below. 

Talking points for Sen. Wyden:

1.  American citizens deserve to travel without fear of being turned away based on their race, religion, or the countries they've visited.

2.  I strongly oppose any legislation that would codify Israel's systematic discrimination against Arab Americans and Americans working for Palestinian human rights. 

3.  This legislation could violate U.S. laws barring discrimination based on race, religion and ethnicity, and it would fundamentally undermine the U.S. government's call for the protection of all its citizens traveling abroad.

Letters to the editor and op-eds mentioning the Senator Wyden's name will also get the office's add pressure to withdraw support and be a shot acr oss the bow for Merkley and other senators in case they're considering co-sponrship.

The Guardian article is the best resource for people interested in more information: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/13/barbara-boxer-aipac-israel-discrimination

Here is a link to the action alert we sent when the legislation was introduced in case people also want to send emails: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12849

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Uri Avnery on Obama in Palestine: In Their Shoes

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Written by Uri Avnery Uri Avnery
Published: 06 April 2013 06 April 2013



In Their Shoes

OBAMA IN ISRAEL: Every word right. Every gesture genuine. Every detail in its place. Perfect.

Obama in Palestine: Every word wrong. Every gesture inappropriate. Every single detail misplaced. Perfect.


IT STARTED from the first moment. The President of the United States came to Ramallah. He visited the Mukata’a, the “compound” which serves as the office of the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

One cannot enter the Mukata’a without noticing the grave of Yasser Arafat, just a few paces from the entrance.

It is quite impossible to ignore this landmark while passing it. However, Obama succeeded in doing just that.

Read more: Uri Avnery on Obama in Palestine: In Their Shoes

How to move forward from Obama’s Jerusalem Speech: Three Proposals for Renewed Work

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Written by Gilbert Schramm Gilbert Schramm
Published: 26 March 2013 26 March 2013

How to move forward from Obama’s Jerusalem Speech: Three Proposals for Renewed Work

(An action link to a “signon” petition appears at the end of this article and here: http://signon.org/sign/a-petition-to-president?source=c.em.mt&r_by=5439069)

By Gilbert Schramm, March 24, 2013

This week saw a courageous speech by President Obama in Israel. In it he said many things that, as a historian and a longtime student of the problem of Palestine, I take serious issue with. These issues are important and will doubtless be revisited along the way, but now is not the time to get sidetracked by them. Now is a time for renewed action.

Leaving all of its faults aside, I believe that Obama’s speech can be a new starting point towards  a just and comprehensive peace in Palestine. I believe that all of us who are concerned with US security, with Israeli security and with security, human rights, and peace and justice for the people of Palestine, should now come together and use this moment (that President Obama has taken great political risk to create) to rethink our strategy and try to re-energize ourselves to help finally achieve a viable Palestinian state. To simply attack the weak points of his presentation would be immature and a waste of time. Let’s try to see what we can build on.

The point is not so much that Obama took the risk of bringing the imperatives of peace and justice up in such a pointed way and before such an unpredictable audience. The real point is the overwhelmingly positive response he received from the Israeli audience—an audience that has lived with the obsolete, confrontational, dead-end rhetoric of Benjamin Netanyahu and other “hardliners” for so long. Clearly these people are tired of the policies of Likud and their allies. So, Obama’s speech clearly suggests that there is an opening for rebuilding a seriously viable Israeli peace movement. We, in America, should try to open channels through which can communicate our support for them.

Read more: How to move forward from Obama’s Jerusalem Speech: Three Proposals for Renewed Work

Ramzy Baroud and Phyllis Bennis speaking in Olympia for the 10th anniversary of Rachel Corrie's death

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Written by Peter Miller Peter Miller
Published: 19 March 2013 19 March 2013

Here are links to the audio of Ramzy Baroud and Phyllis Bennis speaking in Olympia for the 10th anniversary of Rachel Corrie's death. Both talks are excellent.

The audio starts part way into Ramzy's talk.  The second audio is the Q&A session.

RamzyBaroud-PhyllisBennis-Talks-2013-03-16.wav (69 Meg)

RamzyBaroud-PhyllisBennis-QA-2013-03-16.wav (52 Meg)

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  5. 'Israel lobby' to push for aid despite sequestration cuts
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