Other items in today’s column include
*Airline miles needed for yeshiva students
*Old Globe tells its 2020 summer season lineup
*A tentative list of questions for candidates
*Political bytes
*Coming our way
SAN DIEGO — Three Democratic members of Congress representing portions of San Diego County – Susan Davis, Scott Peters, and Mike Levin – were among 192 cosponsors of a House Resolution approved by a vote of 226-188 on Friday, Dec. 6, that reiterated support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. A fourth San Diego Democrat, Juan Vargas, joined his colleagues in the majority.
Another member of the delegation, Republican Duncan Hunter, was instructed by the House Ethics Committee to refrain from casting votes now that he has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of misappropriation of campaign funds and faces up to five years in prison. He was among 14 members recorded as not voting. Two others voted as “present,’ the equivalent of abstaining. Hunter subsequently said he planned to resign from Congress “after the holidays,” according to Ken Stone of Times of San Diego.
Democratic Rep. Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, principal author of House Resolution 326, said the measure is intended to encourage both the Israelis and the Palestinians to negotiate with each other rather than trying to solve the problem unilaterally, such as by Israel annexing the territory in question, or by seeking to have the international community recognize Palestinian statehood over Israel’s objections. “
“We will never compromise on Israel’s security, and we will not turn our backs on the Palestinian people’s desire for dignity and justice,” he said during the debate.
Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was floor manager for the bill. He called the measure a reiteration of U.S. support for a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and harmony and with Israel remaining a secure, democratic, and Jewish state.
However, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, who led the opposition, said the wording of the resolution, while critical of Israel, says nothing about Palestinian terror in the form of rockets fired from Gaza by Hamas, or the Palestinian Authority paying salaries to jailed terrorists in Israel. He added that the Democrats made the issue of support for Israel a partisan one by praising policies of former Democratic President Barack Obama by name, while criticizing those of Republican President Donald Trump – in particular, Trump’s position that Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank) is not illegal.
On Thursday, a day before the final vote, one amendment to Lowenthal’s resolution called for uninterrupted U.S. military aid to Israel – in clear disagreement with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who suggested some U.S. money for Israel’s defense should be diverted to humanitarian aid to Gaza. Another amendment called for increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, from other sources.
Even though those two amendments were fashioned in an attempt to seek a bipartisan consensus, voting was mainly along partisan lines with most Democrats supporting the resolution and most Republicans opposed.
Among Democrats opposing the measure was Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, daughter of Palestinian immigrants, whose grandmother lives in the territories. She said on Thursday that she favors a single state – not two – in the area. She said the resolution erred in not referring to Israel as an occupying power of the territories. She was joined in voting against the measure by three other members of the Progressive “Squad” — Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar.
In the debate on Friday, Republican Steve Chabot of Ohio said when Palestinians call for a single state solution, they mean a Palestinian state to replace Israel.
Scott Peters subsequently issued a news release, saying: “Lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people will require careful negotiation and long-term security guarantees for both Israel and a future Palestinian state. For decades, Democratic and Republican administrations have agreed that a two-state solution is the only viable pathway. This resolution affirms that a two-state solution, with negotiated concessions on both sides, is the only path to security and stability in the region.”
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Airline miles needed for yeshiva students
Rabbi Mendy Begun of Chabad of Chula Vista has appealed for “about 30,000-40,000 airline miles to bring 2 yeshiva boys to help with our Chanukah programs.” Those willing to donate may contact him via this email.
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Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein says there is something for everyone in the upcoming 2020 summer season line-up, which was just announced. “Passionate and vivid, Hair has one of the great scores in the modern musical theatre, and tells a universal story of young people dreaming of a better world and daring to bring it to life, He said. “James Vásquez brings his special wit and energy to a bold new look at the show.”Thrillers are one of my favorite genres in the theatre, and it’s been a while since the Globe has done one. Dial M for Murder is a masterpiece of the form, and in Jeffrey Hatcher’s new version, it makes for an exhilarating, white-knuckle night at the theatre,” Edelstein added.”Shana Cooper has made the best The Taming of the Shrew I’ve ever seen: funny, smart, and surprising, and with a beguiling modern take that opens up the play in remarkable ways. And Daniel Sullivan, an American master who is arguably the most important Shakespeare director in our country, returns to the Globe to stage a play that is heart-poundingly exciting. Henry V is Shakespeare at his most electrifying.”
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A tentative list of questions for candidates
With thanks to StandWithUs, San Diego Jewish World is preparing a list of questions on issues of concern to Jewish voters that it plans to ask candidates. Before we send these questions out, we’d like readers’ input as to what other questions of specific Jewish interest, you would like candidates to answer at the federal, state, local, and school board levels. Please send your suggestion via this email.
Here is what we have so far:
7) What will you do about BDS, which most of the Jewish community sees as a campaign of hate against Israel?
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Political bytes
*City Councilman Scott Sherman, entering the March 3 contest for San Diego mayor, says he will bring a conservative voice to the race that so far has been dominated by Democrats Todd Gloria, a state assemblyman, and Barbara Bry, a colleague on the City Council. One of the issues he plans to stress is housing. “We’re not building that middle market housing for people to move into, and that just creates more people on the list waiting for subsidized housing,” he told reporter David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
* U.S. Reps. Scott Peters and Susan Davis, both San Diego Democrats, have co-authored legislation to enable the Veteran’s Administration to share certain benefits information about family members and friends who are patients. “Veterans’ families and friends provide invaluable support when service members transition out of the military. When they have more access to information about how to navigate the VA and other resources, they will be able to better support their loved one. This bill aims to strengthen the bonds between veterans and their families and potentially prevent isolation and suicide after they leave the armed forces,” Peters said. Martha Spieker, his spokesperson added: “The bills ensure that the VA and DoD send proactive information like newsletters or other similar resources to friends and families, rather than waiting for them to sign up.”
*San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez, a candidate in the 53rd Congressional District, says her background is prtly responsible for her support of the “Green New Deal.” She said: “Growing up in Barrio Logan, I realized early on that my community was much different from the others. The parks in Barrio Logan where we played were surrounded by freeways. The air I breathed — with its slight metallic flavor — was unlike the air in other parts of San Diego. Whether I knew it at the time or not, my upbringing in Barrio Logan is where my passion for environmental justice was born.”
*Charles Wax, chairman and chief executive officer of Waxie Sanitary Supply, is hosting a fundraiser for Poway Mayor Steve Vaus’s campaign in the 2nd county supervisorial district, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Waxie headquarters at 9353 Waxie Way. Cosponsors of the event are Stephen Cushman, Julian Josephson, Brian Seltzer and Dr. Bob Shillman. Reservations and information via this email.
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Coming our way
*The San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir will concertize at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9, at Congregation Beth Israel. Lou Galper, spokesman for the sponsoring Beth Israel Men’s Club says tickets, at $20 each, include a dessert reception following the concert. Reservations via this website.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
The American Jewish Congress issued the following news release:
he American Jewish Congress greets the passing of House Resolution 326 (H. Res. 326). We applaud the efforts of the House Leadership, especially Speaker Pelosi, to shepherd this resolution through, and we applaud Democrats for reiterating their commitment to the bipartisan consensus on the U.S. – Israel relationship. As movement in some quarters of the democratic party push for changes to the party platform that would condition military aid to Israel, today’s amendments position the House and the democratic party with the overwhelming majority of the American People.
Today’s resolution reaffirms the central role that the two-state solution plays to affirming peace between Israelis and Palestinians. While we do not agree with every provision in the resolution, the amendments brought forth by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL-22), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5), and Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY-23) serve as strong repudiations of the proposal by some elected officials and presidential candidates to condition security aid to Israel. The amendments reiterate the commitment to the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding of 2016 between the United States and Israel, and the continuation of the critical security assistance as signed and without new conditions.
Jack Rosen, President of the American Jewish Congress, greeted today’s vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and emphasized the importance of these amendments: “I want to thank Speaker Pelosi, the 192 democrat co-sponsors, and the 226 bipartisan legislators who voted for this important resolution. I want to also thank Representatives Reed, Gottheimer, and Deutch, for their tireless work in support of the Amendments to the resolution.
“With the heat of the ongoing primary campaign towards the 2020 presidential race, some candidates have espoused radical positions in terms of reshaping the relationship of the United States with Israel, one of its most important allies. Senator Bernie Sanders shockingly embraced the talking points of radical anti-Israel progressives and said that he supported conditioning aid to Israel, going as far as to suggest that part of the security aid to Israel should instead go to Hamas-controlled Gaza. At the same time, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg disturbingly stated that they were open to considering conditioning aid.
“Today’s resolution and particularly the bipartisan amendments show once again that efforts to politicize the alliance with Israel and calls to condition U.S. security assistance to Israel will be met by a bipartisan Congressional response. These calls go against the overwhelming bicameral majority in Congress and the unquestionable bipartisan support for Israel.”
Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY-23), whose leadership was pivotal in the bipartisan effort to reiterate the strong support of the United States towards Israel through the proposed amendments commented:“Israel is an unwavering ally to the United States and a critical partner in our combined effort to ensure Middle East stability. We should not let the dysfunctional state of extremist politics at home get in the way of critical defense funding for Israel. We hope the inclusion of this amendment in the text of this resolution will show both the American people and the world we care about Israel, and we want to ensure they have fair access to the resources they need to defend themselves from the constant barrage of threats they face on a daily basis.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5), a true friend of Israel and whose leadership contributed towards strengthening the resolution with the aid-related amendments stated: “This vote officially puts to rest the splinter view of adding new conditions on aid to Israel and reinforces our historic commitment to preserving a two-state solution. We know that this aid helps save countless lives, and we know the United States is better off when Israel is fully equipped to defend itself.
The American Jewish Congress will continue to work towards strengthening the United States-Israel relationship and will continue to fight against all efforts aiming to question the unbreakable bond between the U.S. and the Jewish state.