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Dear Friend,
I am writing to share some information about Kerry's positions on Israel.
I am organizing a number of political meetings. If there is sufficient interest, I would be happy to organize a meeting focused on Israel and its role in the 2004 US Presidential Election.
Though many people hold the popular belief that Bush must remain in office for Israel to be safe, I feel that Kerry is more likely to support Israel.
Kerry's position on Israel may not be well known to everyone.
You can read a summary of his position on the Kerry website. (After following the link, click on "Working for Peace in the Middle East and Security for Israel".)
Recently Kerry came out with detailed position paper on Israel. (You can read the paper underneath at the end of this page, or go to the review of the paper which appeared last Friday in Haaretz:
Kerry was among the first to support Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Rantisi.
AIPAC (America's Pro-Israel Lobby) has touted Kerry's 100 percent pro-Israel voting record in the Senate.
As far as Bush is concerned, I am not going to suggest that he is an enemy of Israel. Rather Bush is average among US presidents since Truman. He shows a good amount of support for Israel but could do better. In particular,
Kerry supports Israel for all the right reasons. He recognizes the importance of Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East and probably the US's truest ally. Moreover, Kerry recognizes the bombers attacking Israel are terrorists and will treat them as part of the ongoing struggle against terrorism.
In contrast, Bush support for Israel is based in part on the end game Armageddon scenarios of certain fundamentalist Christian groups rather than a fundamental need for a Jewish state to exist.
Many people like to mischaracterize Kerry's view of the fence. He is in support of the fence. You can be in support of an idea and have ideas how to do it better. In fact, the Supreme Court of Israel is actually having part of the fence rebuilt whereas Kerry was merely suggesting a route for part of a section which remained to be built.
On the contrary, every dollar of the construction of the fence has been removed by Bush at his discretion from our Israeli loan guarantees. To me, that can not be construed as supporting the construction of the fence or any variant of the fence.
Yours, Dan Loeb
PS: See my page on the Kerry website. You can read my views about the Iraq war, donate, volunteer and get information about the events I am organizing.
PPS: As promised, here is a copy of John Kerry's position paper.
John Kerry has been at the forefront of the fight for Israel's security during his nineteen years in the US Senate. His pro-Israel voting record is second to none.
John Kerry did not wait until he was running for president of the United States to visit Israel - he has been there on numerous occasions throughout his public life. Through his meetings with Israeli political and military leaders - and especially his interaction with ordinary Israelis - he has experienced the everyday security threat that Israelis face and this has deepened his understanding of Israel's security needs. In short, John Kerry will never do anything to compromise that security.
John Kerry believes that particularly in uncertain times like these we must reaffirm and indeed strengthen our special relationship with Israel, our most steadfast friend and ally in the region. His commitment to a safe, secure, democratic Jewish state of Israel is unwavering. It comes from a personal belief that Israel's cause must be America's cause.
John Kerry understands that anti-Semitism masked in anti-Israel rhetoric is a dangerous trend threatening both Israel and Jewish communities around the world. John Kerry has always fought against anti-Semitism and as president, he will take governments around the world to task for failing to address this escalating threat.
Kerry supports Israel's right of self defense to eliminate threats to its citizens, including actions taken by Israel against Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups in Gaza. In spring 2002, when Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield to root out Palestinian terrorists and dismantle the Palestinian infrastructure, Kerry co-sponsored a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel and called for continued assistance in strengthening Israel's homeland defenses.
John Kerry expressed support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unprecedented plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. He recognizes that in any final settlement for Israel to remain a Jewish State, Palestinians must settle in a future Palestinian State rather than in Israel, and that in light of demographic realities, a number of settlement blocks will likely become a part of Israel.
John Kerry supports the construction of Israel's security fence to stop terrorists from entering Israel. The security fence is a legitimate act of self defense erected in response to the wave of terror attacks against Israeli citizens. He believes the security fence is not a matter for the International Court of Justice.
John Kerry believes that Yasser Arafat is a failed leader and unfit partner for peace and therefore has supported his total isolation. He has demanded a new, responsible Palestinian leadership, committed to ending the violence and fighting terror - in word and in deed - and will work tirelessly to ensure that this new leadership emerges.
John Kerry has always voted to maintain critical foreign aid to our ally Israel, resisting any attempts to cut it over his years in the Senate. In the early 1990s, he fought President Bush when his administration restricted aid to Israel through the loan guarantees program.
John Kerry has always believed the US must stand solidly behind Israel at the UN and other international organizations. He recognizes the UN must establish more credibility on Arab-Israeli matters and would never hesitate to wield a US veto on the Security Council in the face of anti-Israel/anti-Zionist resolutions.
John Kerry has long advocated moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, Israel's indisputable capital. In 1999, he signed a letter taking President Clinton to task for not moving the embassy.
John Kerry understands that America must guarantee Israel's military superiority and supports carefully restricting arms sales to Arab countries in the region. He opposed the sale of Maverick missiles and F-15 fighter planes to Saudi Arabia.
PPPS: Thanks for reading this long message all the way to the end. I look forward to hearing back from you with your reason. By the way, Kerry's grandmother Ida LOEWE is a descendant of the my ancestor Maharal's older brother Sinai LOEW. I guess that makes us "cousins"! Yet another reason to support Kerry! :)
Daniel E. LOEB, eMail: daniel.loeb at verizon.net
