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Will Congress Support Israel-Palestine Peace? Complete Withdrawal from Iraq? (February 13, 2009)

As the bipartisan Iraq Study Group concluded in December 2006, "To put it simply, all key issues in the Middle East-the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq, Iran, the need for political and economic reforms, and extremism and terrorism-are inextricably linked." President Barack Obama expressed a similar view in an interview last month: "It is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what's happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan. These things are interrelated." Assessing how well the Obama administration and the 111th Congress fashion and support U.S. diplomatic initiatives that address the region's interrelated conflicts will be the main purpose of FCNL's Greater Middle East Diplomacy Update.

Today's issue includes reports on congressional support for Israel-Palestine diplomacy and congressional interest in preserving the results of the Bush administration's last diplomatic action on Iraq.

I. Israel-Palestine: Do the Senate and House Really Support a Two-State Solution?

On January 9, in the midst of the Gaza fighting, the Senate and the House overwhelmingly passed one-sided resolutions that placed all blame on the Palestinian Hamas movement and, by failing to call for an immediate cease-fire, supported the continuation of Israel's assault.

Advocates of peace could find some encouragement in the two resolutions, however: both included unprecedented endorsements of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Senate version (S. Res. 10) went farther, urging U.S. diplomacy to broker an agreement. In its resolution, the Senate "reiterate[d] its strong support for United States Government efforts to promote a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a serious and sustained peace process that leads to the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside a secure State of Israel." FCNL has written to both the Senate and the House to thank them for endorsing a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel, but also to note that the resolutions and many of the floor statements reflected understandings so flawed and incomplete, and an orientation so one-sided, that they prevent Congress from advancing the two-state goal it has endorsed. FCNL is urging Congress to take the following steps.

Encourage administration diplomacy to conclude a durable cease-fire agreement that will bring a definitive end to rocket fire into southern Israel and a full restoration of the normal movement of people and goods through the Gaza border crossings. Urge the administration to make receipt of adequate relief aid by Gaza's civilians an immediate and unconditional objective.

Encourage the administration to end Hamas violence by ending the group's isolation and engaging it in a political process leading to intra-Palestinian reconciliation and peace negotiations with Israel.

Support administration efforts to enhance respect for international humanitarian law, as reflected in Ambassador Susan Rice's January 29 statement to the U.N. Security Council, and urge investigations of Hamas and Israeli violations of the law of war in the Gaza fighting.

Urge the administration to press Israel and the Palestinians to implement the recommendations of the May 2001 Mitchell Report, which nearly eight years later remains a sound prescription of measures essential to achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace.

(Read FCNL's Gaza letters here.)

S. Res. 10 and the House resolution, H. Res. 34, despite their negative impact during the Gaza fighting, could lend important political support to the Obama administration's Middle East peace efforts, especially if the next Israeli government is headed by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes creation of a Palestinian state and has vowed not to give up any of Israel's settlements.

FCNL will be working to hold Congress to its word to support U.S. diplomacy to achieve an equitable two-state solution. Right now that work is focused on persuading representatives to cosponsor a resolution offered by Rep. William Delahunt (MA) and 32 original cosponsors who include Christian, Jewish, and Muslim members of the House. H. Res. 130 welcomes the appointment of former Sen. George Mitchell (ME) as special envoy for Middle East peace. Much more important, however, it also affirms that the United States has an essential and constructive national security interest in ending the Israel-Palestine conflict, and it reaffirms the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living together in peace. See "Take Action," below, for a link to urge your representative to cosponsor H. Res. 130.

II. Iraq: Is the Obama Administration Committed to a Complete Withdrawal?

The U.S.-Iraq withdrawal agreement, signed in the last days of the Bush administration, requires the United States to withdraw all of its armed forces from Iraq no later than December 31, 2011. On the campaign trail candidate Obama pledged to withdraw all U.S. combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, that is, by May 2010.

Although no clear definition of "combat forces" has been formulated, estimates place them at between half and two-thirds of the 140,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq. If the administration meets both the campaign promise and the binding obligation of the U.S.-Iraq agreement, 40,000 to 70,000 U.S. troops might remain in Iraq a little more than a year from now and none would be left in three years time. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates raised doubts about the Obama administration's commitment to a complete withdrawal, however, when he told TV interviewer Charlie Rose that he expected "several tens of thousands" of U.S. troops to remain in Iraq after 2011. That would not be inconsistent with the "combat forces" campaign pledge, but it would violate the terms of the agreement the Bush administration negotiated with Iraq.

FCNL has learned that some members of Congress are interested in bringing the U.S.-Iraq withdrawal agreement up for approval, despite tacit opposition from the administration, and we will be working to build support for congressional action. Congressional approval of the agreement is important to restoring the constitutional balance between president and Congress. It is also important to pre-empt any administration effort to keep U.S. forces in Iraq after 2011 without congressional approval.

III. Take Action

Rep. William Delahunt (MA) and a group of 32 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim members of the House introduced H. Res. 130 on February 4, endorsing vigorous U.S. pursuit of a diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts. The resolution gives a compelling reason for pursuing diplomacy by asserting that ending these conflicts is an essential national security interest of the United States. The context for the resolution's key provisions is a statement of congratulations to former Sen. George Mitchell (ME) on his appointment as special envoy for Middle East peace and an expression of appreciation to those involved in Middle East peacemaking. In its assertion that Middle East peace is an essential U.S. interest, the resolution is a virtual declaration of independence for U.S. regional diplomacy. Urge your representative to cosponsor H. Res. 130 to provide vital support for constructive U.S. diplomacy in the greater Middle East.