March 13, 2007
It is sheer oxymoronic for the US congress to engage in the fable called "non binding resolution' expressing the sense of Congress without necessarily requiring the President to act upon the statements continued in the resolution. Pro- Israel non binding resolutions outnumber any other category enacted by Congress. Besides their supposed moral value, such frequent resolutions have, undeniably fostered the cumulative effect of maintaining a pro Israel stand by members of Congress. Take for example a just introduced resolution to equate the fate of the Palestinian refugees with the Jews who left for Israel after its forced creation in 1948. We all know of how these Arab Jews were forced to leave their homes not by the Arab but by a systematic clandestine regime of threat, bombings and scare tactics. The plan was to quickly and massively populate Palestine with world Jewry. The result I am sure you all know.
I read the resolution and its argument is clear: forget about the Palestinian refugees and Israel would not demand the return or repatriation for property or economic losses by the thousands of Jews who were forced to flee.
To ensure more obstacles are thrown at any attempt to reconcile the refugee problem, Congress is currently considering bipartisan resolutions that urge the president to make sure that any Mideast peace deal addresses the situation of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. The non-binding resolutions introduced last week were sponsored, in the U.S. House of Representatives, by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-NJ), and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY).

In the Senate, they were sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).

According to the House version, U.S. diplomats should “make clear that the United States government supports the position that, as an integral part of any comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, the issue of refugees from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf must be resolved in a manner that includes recognition of the legitimate rights of and losses incurred by all refugees displaced from Arab countries including Jews, Christians, and other minority groups.”
We hope leaders of the NJ Arab Caucus in both political parties will raise the matter with the cosponsoring Congressman and Senator. We would be happy to provide talking points if requested.