2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

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Israel Establishes Peace with Jordan Jordan’s King Hussein and Israel’s Yitzhak Rabin sign a peace treaty, making Jordan the second Arab state to recognize Israel. Israel Removes All Soldiers, Citizens from Gaza With U.S. support, Israel takes a historic step and unilaterally withdraws from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, providing the Palestinians with an unprecedented chance to prove their intention to fight terrorism and govern effectively. Israel Extends Hand in Peace at Annapolis Conference At the U.S.-sponsored Annapolis conference, Israel reiterates its commitment to peaceful negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab states. Israel Endorses Demilitarized Palestinian State; Implements Settlement Moratorium Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally endorses the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state and implements a 10-month moratorium on the construction of new homes in the West Bank. Palestinians refuse to hold serious talks despite these gestures. 1994 2005 2007 2009–2010 2000 2011–2012 2008 Israel Unilaterally Withdraws from Lebanon With backing from the United States, Israel unilaterally withdraws from southern Lebanon after 18 years of maintaining a security zone to prevent attacks on its northern communities. Israel’s step is met with a massive military buildup by Hizballah. Israel Makes Historic Offer for Peace Israel agrees to President Clinton’s proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinians: Israel would cede all of Gaza, 96 percent of the West Bank and additional territory from within pre-1967 Israel, recognize an independent Palestinian state and cede parts of eastern Jerusalem to serve as the Palestinian capital. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat rejects the offer and launches the worst wave of terrorism in Israel’s history. Israel Continues to Seek Peace Despite Daily Attacks Despite daily Hamas rocket fire and other terrorist attacks against its civilians during the year, Israel holds intensive negotiations with the Palestinian Authority to reach an agreement covering all remaining issues. Israel Repeatedly Calls for Direct Talks with Palestinians Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly calls for the Palestinians to return to direct peace talks. Palestinian leaders rebuff Israeli entreaties, set preconditions for talks and turn to the United Nations for recognition of statehood. 147
PEACE PROCESS What Congress Has Done to Support the Peace Process Opposed a Unilateral Declaration of Palestinian Statehood. In mid-2011, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed resolutions that called on the administration to lead opposition to the Palestinian statehood gambit at the United Nations. The sentiment in the resolutions echoes a law passed by Congress 11 years earlier. The law, the Peace Through Negotiations Act of 2000, expressed U.S. opposition to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, arguing that such an action would violate the underlying principles of the Oslo Accords and the Middle East peace process. Congress sent a strong message as part of the 2012 foreign aid appropriations bill, mandating that aid to the Palestinians would be cut and the PLO office closed if they achieved statehood status at the U.N. or any specialized agencies. Also, Congress continued its support for current law that would cut off U.S. funding to any U.N. agency that admitted “Palestine” as a member state. Pressed Palestinians to Make Fundamental Changes. An overwhelming majority of the House and Senate signed letters in 2003 to then-President George W. Bush backing his demands that to restart negotiations the Palestinians must take the following steps: Elect new leaders not tainted by terrorism; implement security, economic and political reforms; and end violence against Israelis. Supported Key U.S. Peace Commitments to Israel. The House and Senate overwhelmingly passed resolutions in 2004 strongly endorsing key commitments that President George W. Bush made in an April 14, 2004, letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon supporting the Israeli leader’s plan to withdraw from Gaza. The resolutions strongly backed the president’s support for defensible borders that reflect demographic realities and opposition to the Palestinian refugees’ so-called right of return to Israel. Restricted U.S. Aid to Hamas-Led Palestinian Authority. With Hamas joining a national unity government with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction, Congress passed in 2006 the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, which strengthened the ban on direct U.S. aid to the Palestinians as long as the terrorist organization was part of the government. The law permitted humanitarian assistance to continue through non-governmental organizations. 148
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1 1 3 T H C O N G R E S S • 1 S T
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREIGN AID 102 F
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INTRODUCTION What AIPAC Supports Th
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Why Israel Matte
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS The Jewish Conne
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THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL’S BORDERS L
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS massacres, prese
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS An Ancient Capit
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Israel. However,
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS What Congress Di
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Israel Shares Am
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Israel Respects
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS prime minister.
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS What Congress Ha
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Israel Provides
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Israeli agricult
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WHY ISRAEL MATTERS Israeli High-Tec
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RELATIONSHIP Relationship—Key Pri
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RELATIONSHIP The United States Has
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RELATIONSHIP that providing militar
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RELATIONSHIP What Congress Has Done
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RELATIONSHIP Israel Is America’s
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RELATIONSHIP boosting Israel’s ro
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RELATIONSHIP cooperation between th
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RELATIONSHIP State, Local Officials
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RELATIONSHIP America’s Oil Depend
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RELATIONSHIP The United States and
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RELATIONSHIP oil through the deploy
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RELATIONSHIP The U.S.-Israel Econom
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RELATIONSHIP Apple, Google, Intel a
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RELATIONSHIP Israeli companies have
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RELATIONSHIP What Congress Has Done
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ISRAEL AT RISK Why Israel Is at Ris
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ISRAEL AT RISK Iran: The Leading St
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TERRORIST BUILDUP IN GAZA Ashkelon
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ISRAEL AT RISK U.N. Security Counci
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ISRAEL AT RISK The Missile Threat I
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THE IRANIAN MISSILE THREAT BEL LARU
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ISRAEL AT RISK Syrian Weapons Arsen
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ISRAEL AT RISK What Congress Has Do
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ISRAEL AT RISK Iran Pursues Nukes,
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ISRAEL AT RISK What Congress Has Do
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ISRAEL AT RISK A Region in Flux The
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ISRAEL AT RISK The Egyptian militar
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ISRAEL AT RISK From Double Standard
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Page 101 and 102: ISRAEL AT RISK What Congress Has Do
Page 103 and 104: FOREIGN AID Foreign Aid—Key Princ
Page 105 and 106: FOREIGN AID U.S.-Israel Agreement A
Page 107 and 108: FOREIGN AID The most recent U.S.-pr
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Page 111 and 112: FOREIGN AID Keeping America Safe, S
Page 113 and 114: FOREIGN AID Securing America, Stren
Page 115 and 116: FOREIGN AID Foreign aid plays a cri
Page 117 and 118: FOREIGN AID What Congress Has Done
Page 119 and 120: IRAN Iran—Key Principles PREVENT
Page 121 and 122: IRAN How a Nuclear Iran Would Under
Page 123 and 124: IRAN UNDERMINE AMERICA’S CREDIBIL
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Page 127 and 128: IRAN In 2012, the Obama administrat
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Page 131 and 132: IRAN The Islamic Revolutionary Guar
Page 133 and 134: IRAN What Congress Has Done to Coun
Page 135 and 136: IRAN The Regime Has a Long History
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Page 139 and 140: PEACE PROCESS The Peace Process—K
Page 141 and 142: PEACE PROCESS United States, Israel
Page 143 and 144: PEACE PROCESS a state in other U.N.
Page 145 and 146: PEACE PROCESS THE UNITED STATES SHO
Page 147: ISRAEL’S QUEST FOR PEACE Even bef
Page 151 and 152: PEACE PROCESS Hamas: 25 Years of Te
Page 153 and 154: PEACE PROCESS right and real way to
Page 155 and 156: PEACE PROCESS What Congress Has Don
Page 157 and 158: SYRIA-LEBANON Syria and Lebanon—K
Page 159 and 160: SYRIA-LEBANON The Syrian Regime Has
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Page 163 and 164: SYRIA-LEBANON ASSAD REJECTED U.S. O
Page 165 and 166: SYRIA-LEBANON What Congress Has Don
Page 167 and 168: SYRIA-LEBANON Hizballah Serves as I
Page 169: SYRIA-LEBANON What Congress Has Don
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