Religious leaders call on Congress to reevaulate military aid to Israel
JTA, Oct 9 2012

Fifteen leaders of US churches and other faith-based organizations have asked Congress to reevaluate US military aid to Israel. The religious leaders sent a letter to Congress members on Monday, calling for an investigation into possible violations by Israel of the US Foreign Assistance Act and the US Arms Export Control Act, which would make Israel ineligible for US military aid. The letter, signed by leaders of the Lutheran, Methodist, UCC churches, and the National Council of Churches, said:

We write to you as Christian leaders representing US churches and religious organizations committed to seeking a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians, who have worked alongside our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers to help build a peaceful and resilient Palestinian civil society. We wish to express our grave concern about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Unfortunately, unconditional US military assistance to Israel has contributed to this deterioration, sustaining the conflict and undermining the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians, as reported by the 2011 State Dept Country Report on Human Rights Practices covering Israel and the Occupied Territories. As Christian leaders in the US, it is our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional US financial assistance to the government of Israel.We are concerned by a troubling and consistent pattern of disregard by the government of Israel for US policies that support a just and lasting peace, as witness Israel’s failure to halt settlement activity despite repeated US government requests. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued US military assistance to Israel, offered without conditions or accountability, will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories. We request, therefore, that Congress hold Israel accountable to these standards by making the disbursement of US military assistance to Israel contingent on the Israeli government’s compliance with applicable US laws and policies. We request Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel’s compliance, and we request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance.

The letter was criticized by Jewish groups. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs rejected the call to reevaluate foreign aid to Israel. JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow said:

US aid to Israel is not ‘unconditional,’ as the letter claims. It reflects the shared values of USAia and Israel and furthers our shared goals for peace and security and is vital to advance the security of both peoples.

The Rabbinical Assembly, the international umbrella organization of Conservative rabbis, called for a reevaluation of the interfaith partnerships between the assembly and the denominations represented in the letter. It said in a statement:

The letter calling for hearings and reassessment was issued without outreach to longtime partners in public advocacy within the Jewish community. It was released on the eve of Shabbat, just before a long weekend of Jewish and US holidays. And it was distributed at a time when Congress is out of session, in the midst of the general election campaign. We find these tactics to be disrespectful of channels of communication that have been constructed over decades, and an essential declaration of separation from the endeavor of interfaith consultation on matters of deep concern to the Jewish community. Indeed, we find this breach of trust to be so egregious that we wonder if it may not warrant an examination on the part of the Jewish community at large of these partnerships and relationships that we understood ourselves to be working diligently to preserve and protect.

The AJC said it was outraged by the Christian leaders’ call. Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, said:

When the world currently is focused on the Iranian nuclear threat to the entire Middle East and the world, Christian leaders have chosen to mount another political attack on Israel. When religious liberty and safety of Christians across the Middle East are threatened by the repercussions of the Arab Spring, these Christian leaders have chosen to initiate a polemic against Israel, a country that protects religious freedom and expression for Christians, Muslims and others.

[ED NOTES: American military aid to Israel has been illegal ever since theSymington Amendment of 1976 (34 years now). - the Symington Amendment Cutting aid to Israel is quickly becoming conventional wisdom ...  Hold Israel accountable with Leahy law - The Hill's Congress Blog  U.S. Senator seeks to cut aid to elite IDF units operating in West ... Israeli Nukes, US Foreign Aid, and the Symington Amendment Christians Discriminated Against by Israel  Israeli people attacking Christians in Israel - YouTube