CALL TO ACTION: Urge your senators to reject Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Israel

TAKE ACTION: Call your senators and urge them to reject Friedman. Call (202) 224-3121 to be connected directly to your sentator's office.

YOU CAN USE THE FOLLOWING SCRIPT AS A GUIDE FOR YOUR CALL:"I am calling to urge you as a member of the U.S. Senate to stand against the appointment of David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Israel.He represents the most extreme factions within Israel and their supporters in the U.S., rather than the wide spectrum of views on Israeli politics. Furthermore, his appointment would be to the detriment of a two state solution.We need an ambassador to Israel who will prioritize a two-state solution and re-invigorate the peace process, not one who will further impede it through support for the expansion of settlements and outposts beyond the Green Line. As a supporter of a two-state negotiated solution, I am calling to say that David Friedman will not further the peace process -- and I urge you to reject his appointment."

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JLC Opposes the Nomination of David M. Friedman to be the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Israel

The Jewish Labor Committee opposes the nomination of David M. Friedman to be the United States Ambassador to the State of Israel, proposed by President Trump. His many statements and actions over the years make it clear that he will not help, but rather impede, any meaningful progress towards a fair and just negotiated resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.Mr. Friedman has no experience in foreign policy or in diplomacy, and he doesn't even seem to believe in diplomacy. He is an active supporter of the West Bank settlement movement and has stated in very clear terms that he does not believe in a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people. The Jewish Daily Forward has reported that he is president of American Friends of Beit El Institutions, which raises over $1 million in tax-deductible donations each year from supporters of the settlement movement in the U.S. for institutions in and associated with Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, one of the oldest West Bank settlements.Last fall, we learned that he described the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as "morons," as reported in The Forward, "for raising questions about a pre-election ad in which Trump spoke about secretive international banking conspiracies while featuring images of Jews that Trump associated with his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. He has slandered the liberal J Street and its supporters, and other groups that believe in a two-state solution and even went so far as to condemn them as "worse than kapos" (Jews who were forced to collaborate with the Nazis in concentration camps.)These positions are a departure for U.S. ambassadors to Israel, who have represented the U.S. policy in favor of a two-state solution and who have traditionally been open to meeting with a wide spectrum of the American Jewish community. Indeed, five former U.S. ambassadors to Israel - Thomas Pickering, William Harrop, Edward Walker, Daniel Kurtzer and James Cunningham - have stated that Mr. Friedman is unqualified for the position. 

Jewish Labor Committee Opposes Israel's Settlement Expansion, Calls on Government, NGOs, to halt Expansion of Current and Establishment of New Settlements

January 31, 2017: New York, NY

The Jewish Labor Committee opposes the expansion of Jewish settlements within the West Bank and East Jerusalem, particularly the most recently-announced Israeli Government's authorization of the construction of 2,500 new housing units in West Bank settlement.  We also oppose the so-called settlements bill, now under consideration in the Knesset, which would retroactively legalize close to 4,000 settler homes that are on private Palestinian property in Area C of the West Bank.

The entire enterprise of enlarging existing and creating new settlements beyond the borders of the State of Israel is unwise, and harmful to the best interests of Israel and its Palestinian neighbors. Such actions make a peacefully negotiated end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict harder to achieve. It is with alarm that we note that it is increasingly clear that elements within and outside Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition, including the Prime Minister himself, are emboldened by the emerging shape and policies of President Trump's new administration to expand Israel's presence and assert its dominance in these areas.

We call on the Government of the State of Israel to halt the expansion of current settlements beyond the Green Line, and the establishment of new settlements there, and ask non-governmental agencies, from the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization to the Jewish National Fund / Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael to end their cooperation with the government's settlement activity.

President Trump has indicated his openness to expanding Israeli settlements by naming David M. Friedman as United States ambassador to the State of Israel and in suggesting that the U.S. should move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mr. Friedman has headed an American fundraising organization for a West Bank settlement and communicated his hostility to even the idea of a negotiated two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Two announcements have been made in the past several days for the building of over 3,000 new housing units for Israelis in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Although 2,500 are being planned for what Israel regards as "settlement blocs," land contiguous with Israel's pre-1967 border that most Israelis expect to annex even if a peace agreement is reached with the Palestinians, there is no agreement with the Palestinian Authority defining those blocs, and none that currently permits Israel to build there.

Particularly contentious are the 900 units slated for the Ariel bloc, the narrow sliver of land outside of the State of Israel leading to and including the settlement town of Ariel, which has a population of 20,000 Israelis. Most Israelis expect Ariel to eventually be incorporated into Israel, while Palestinians view its location as especially problematic, because it projects deep into Palestinian-populated territory, virtually cutting the West Bank into two non-contiguous segments.

The Jewish Labor Committee reiterates its strong belief that only a freely negotiated two-state solution between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority can guarantee Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic, and secure country. While we understand that there will probably need to be mutually-agreed-upon exchanges of territory agreed upon by the two parties in a final peace accord, Israel's unilaterally creating new facts on the ground is making negotiating a two-state peace all the more difficult.

The Jewish Labor Committee expresses its solidarity with Israel's peace camp, and its efforts to bring that country's elected leadership to meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians, and salutes the majority of Israel's population that continues to aspire to a peaceful two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinian people.

Jewish Labor Committee Opposes Israel’s Settlement Expansion, Calls on Government, NGOs, to halt Expansion of Current and Establishment of New Settlements

 January 31, 2017: New York, NY

The Jewish Labor Committee opposes the expansion of Jewish settlements within the West Bank and East Jerusalem, particularly the most recently-announced Israeli Government's authorization of the construction of 2,500 new housing units in West Bank settlement.  We also oppose the so-called settlements bill, now under consideration in the Knesset, which would retroactively legalize close to 4,000 settler homes that are on private Palestinian property in Area C of the West Bank.

The entire enterprise of enlarging existing and creating new settlements beyond the borders of the State of Israel is unwise, and harmful to the best interests of Israel and its Palestinian neighbors. Such actions make a peacefully negotiated end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict harder to achieve. It is with alarm that we note that it is increasingly clear that elements within and outside Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition, including the Prime Minister himself, are emboldened by the emerging shape and policies of President Trump's new administration to expand Israel's presence and assert its dominance in these areas.

We call on the Government of the State of Israel to halt the expansion of current settlements beyond the Green Line, and the establishment of new settlements there, and ask non-governmental agencies, from the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization to the Jewish National Fund / Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael to end their cooperation with the government's settlement activity.

President Trump has indicated his openness to expanding Israeli settlements by naming David M. Friedman as United States ambassador to the State of Israel and in suggesting that the U.S. should move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mr. Friedman has headed an American fundraising organization for a West Bank settlement and communicated his hostility to even the idea of a negotiated two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Two announcements have been made in the past several days for the building of over 3,000 new housing units for Israelis in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Although 2,500 are being planned for what Israel regards as "settlement blocs," land contiguous with Israel's pre-1967 border that most Israelis expect to annex even if a peace agreement is reached with the Palestinians, there is no agreement with the Palestinian Authority defining those blocs, and none that currently permits Israel to build there.

Particularly contentious are the 900 units slated for the Ariel bloc, the narrow sliver of land outside of the State of Israel leading to and including the settlement town of Ariel, which has a population of 20,000 Israelis. Most Israelis expect Ariel to eventually be incorporated into Israel, while Palestinians view its location as especially problematic, because it projects deep into Palestinian-populated territory, virtually cutting the West Bank into two non-contiguous segments.

The Jewish Labor Committee reiterates its strong belief that only a freely negotiated two-state solution between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority can guarantee Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic, and secure country. While we understand that there will probably need to be mutually-agreed-upon exchanges of territory agreed upon by the two parties in a final peace accord, Israel's unilaterally creating new facts on the ground is making negotiating a two-state peace all the more difficult.

The Jewish Labor Committee expresses its solidarity with Israel's peace camp, and its efforts to bring that country's elected leadership to meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians, and salutes the majority of Israel's population that continues to aspire to a peaceful two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinian people.

JLC Statement on Friedman Appointment for Ambassador to the State of Israel

Jewish Labor Committee Opposes the Nomination of David M. Friedman to be the United States Ambassador to the State of Israel

December 21, 2016, New York, NY

The Jewish Labor Committee opposes the nomination of David M. Friedman to be the United States Ambassador to the State of Israel, as proposed by President-elect Donald Trump.  His many statements and actions over the years make it clear that he will not help, but rather impede, any meaningful progress towards a fair and just negotiated resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The Jewish Labor Committee opposes Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, whether the establishment of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements. We support the consensus desire of most Israelis and Palestinians (long confirmed by polling data) for a reasonably negotiated, fair and secure two-state solution for Israel and its Palestinian neighbors. It is essential that any U.S.ambassador to Israel be supportive of a two-state solution.

The nomination of David M. Friedman, President-elect Donald Trump's bankruptcy attorney, to the sensitive post of United States Ambassador to the State of Israel is a serious mistake for several reasons.  First and foremost, because Friedman is an active supporter of the West Bank settlement movement and has stated in very clear terms that he does not believe in a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people, we believe he is not an appropriate nominee for this crucial post.

Mr. Friedman has no experience in foreign policy or in diplomacy, and he doesn't even seem to believe in diplomacy.  This is best exemplified by his condemnation of the liberal pro-Israel organization J Street as "worse than Kapos" (Jews who were forced to collaborate with the Nazis in concentration camps) within the context of his refusal in advance to meet with J Street or other groups that believe in a two-state solution.  This alone is a departure for American ambassadors to Israel, who traditionally are open to meeting with a wide spectrum of the American Jewish community.

We are deeply concerned that the incoming U.S. Administration apparently wants to go on record as endorsing the views of a supporter of the settlement enterprise who opposes a two-state solution This will communicate to Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab world and the entire international community that the US is no longer interested in using its good offices to promote a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And we cannot see how the status quo will move forward without at least the supportive involvement of the United States.

Friedman's attitudes and positions are contrary to what have been the bi-partisan policies of the United States for decades. Rejecting a two-state solution would doom Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state.

If the incoming United States Senate effectively repudiates a peaceful two-state solution by confirming Mr. Friedman's unwise appointment, this would dangerously and unnecessarily inflame extremist passions against both the United States and Israel.  We would not want to see the incoming administration get off to such a bad start, in one fell swoop endangering our national security and that of the State of Israel, and undermining efforts toward Mideast stability.

For all of these reasons, we oppose the nomination of David M. Friedman to be the United States Ambassador to the State of Israel, and ask the United States Senate to reject this nomination when it is asked to deliberate on it early in 2017.

A Step Back for Palestinian Workers' Rights and for Israeli Democracy

Statement from Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Jewish Labor Committee:

A new regulation instituted by Justice Minister Shaked undermines Palestinians' rights to sue Israeli employers over abusive and unlawful labor practices. It also further entrenches two unequal sets of laws for Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel's justice minister has recently instituted a new regulation that will undermine the right of Palestinians living in the West Bank who are employed by Israelis - in Israel or the West Bank - to seek legal redress for abusive and unlawful labor practices.

The Jewish Labor Committee opposes this new regulation, explicitly designed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli, both of the right-wing, pro-settler Habayit Hayehudi party, to prevent Palestinian employees of Israeli businesses from benefiting from Israel's progressive labor laws. We call on the Knesset and Israel's Supreme Court to act forthrightly to defend these workers' just rights to fair labor practices, and nullify the new regulation.

Under the new requirement, non-citizens will be obligated to make a monetary deposit before submitting a lawsuit against an employer in Israeli labor court, unless they can immediately present evidence proving their claim. If they cannot do so, the deposit will be forfeited. Such a measure would primarily affect Palestinians living in the West Bank - most notably those who work on Israeli-owned farms in the Jordan Valley, who will greatly suffer the consequences - by placing a heavy financial burden on those who seek to sue their Israeli employers for labor-law violations. Israeli farmers in the valley, who in the past have been sued for labor law violations, have applauded this new measure.

As an organization that cares about Israel's future as a democratic and progressive society, this matters to us, and should matter to others as well.

In 2007, Israel's Supreme Court ruled in the interest of 30,000 West Bank Palestinians who work for Israeli businesses in the West Bank. Most Palestinians employed by Israelis in settlements became entitled to the protection of Israeli labor law. But this protection is threatened by the new regulation being promulgated by Minister Shaked. Israel's Knesset and/or Supreme Court must act immediately to overturn this regulation, and allow these workers continued access to the same legal protections as their Israeli counterparts.

Two years ago, an investigative report in TheMarker on Palestinian workers in the Jordan Valley revealed that they are denied such basic rights as a pay slip, minimum wage, vacation time and sick days. Also, since there are no written labor contracts, farmers can fire employees at will. Workers who realized that these conditions violate Israeli labor laws have hired lawyers and sued for their rights in Israeli labor courts.

According to MK Moalem-Refaeli, the new regulation will help Jordan Valley farmers combat this "unjust" development.

Justice Minister Shaked, meanwhile, claims that this measure does not require a Knesset review, but it is possible that the Supreme Court will subject this matter to further legal scrutiny.

We strongly oppose this special new regulation. Forcing Palestinian employees of Israeli businesses to jump through hoops to benefit from Israel's generally progressive labor laws is contrary to these workers' basic rights. It will only embitter their lives, providing yet another obstacle to rapprochement between Palestinians and Israelis, and the possibility of serious negotiations toward a viable two-state solution to the conflict.

To do otherwise would be contrary to the fundamental humanitarian needs of these Palestinian workers, and contrary as well to the best traditions of Israel's proud history of advancing the rights of working people - both Jewish and Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel - through its legacy of trade unionism and labor-oriented political parties.

To do otherwise would reinforce a social and political regime in the West Bank that enforces one set of laws for Israelis and another, inferior, set of regulations for Palestinians living in the West Bank.

To do otherwise would further undermine Israel's standing as a democracy and a progressive society, and erode support for Israel in general in the international court of public opinion.

Palestinians working at a grove of date palms in the Jordan Valley. Photo Credit: Michal Fattal

 

Article available at Haaretz.com.