Reform leader calls on U.S. to pressure Israel, Jews to pressure U.S.

[Classical_Liberal]

Reform leader calls on U.S. to pressure Israel, Jews to pressure U.S.

By Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondent



NEW YORK – Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president
of the Union for Reform Judaism (formerly known as
the Union of American Hebrew Congregation), did
not attend the United Jewish Communities’
General Assembly (GA) in Jerusalem last week. It
was not a form of protest of any kind, just a
scheduling problem.



But to the thousands of
American Jews who did attend
the gathering in Israel and
the million and a half
members of his organization,
Rabbi Yoffie sent a sharp and
unequivocal message that may
not necessarily please the
Israeli government or the
American-Jewish

establishment. At the biannual conference of
the Reform movement that took place two weeks
ago in Minneapolis, Yoffie broke the vow of
silence he had taken upon himself since the
beginning of the intifada and sharply attacked
the government’s settlement policy, which
he says endangers the future of Israel as a
Jewish and democratic state.

In an interview with Haaretz in his New York
office, just a few days after the conference,
Rabbi Yoffie did not let up on his call for
Israel to freeze all settlements immediately,
regardless of what the Palestinians are doing.
He is now also calling on American Jews to
exert their political influence in the U.S. in
order to make the American administration
prompt Israel to do what it cannot do on its
own........

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/364514.html

[dfong63]

1. interesting article

too bad Yoffie only called for a freeze on settlements, rather than a pullback to Israel's internationally established borders. the settlements need to be dismantled or turned over to the Palestinians, not just "frozen". besides that, we've heard the promises of "freezing" the settlements for decades now. try telling a Palestinian that there's going to be a "freeze". the term has lost all credibility. rather than being a gesture of good faith, it's a reminder of all the times when Israel has shown bad faith.

[Classical_Liberal]

2. A freeze would be an important step

It has never even happened under Labor governments. He also calls for a pullback from my understanding.

The most important thing he said was this

Criticism of the government also prompts
criticism from American right-wing Orthodox
Jewish activists and from the Israeli right. In
response, Rabbi Yoffie says to them,
“When the State of Israel, or whatever it
will be called then, elects its first Arab
prime minister, they are going to put up a
monument to you in Jerusalem, or whatever
they’ll call it,” in recognition of
the fact that you enabled them to get to this
point. He also argues that while he and his
movement level specific and fair criticisms,
the American Jewish right wing during Prime
Minister Rabin’s tenure did not hesitate
to support the most extreme organizations
active in Israel.

I think it is right and proper that the Israeli right takes the blame for the prospect and eventuality of binationalism.