ASUC Israel Bill: Important Support or Gloss-Over?

Bill Affirms Strong Relationship Between Two Countries, Highlights Ideals

I commend the ASUC Senate for recently passing a bill affirming the strong and positive relationship between the United States and Israel. The issue before the Senate was an important one for all Americans. It’s unfortunate that the ASUC president, in vetoing the bill, let his own personal politics and lack of understanding about the bill stand in the way of the will of the senators and the students who elected them. That one person trumped the collective decision of the Senate is unsettling, but at the same time draws attention to a meaningful bill that deserves

recognition.

The bill highlights a multitude of shared ideals on which the two countries are based, including freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and press, as well as equality and tolerance for all people. Israel is a beacon of liberty, a country where women’s rights, gay rights, civil rights and political rights flourish. Israel is the only country in the region with legal protection for gays from discrimination, uncensored media and full freedom of speech and assembly. Additionally, 45 percent of women are in the workforce, the same as in the United States.

Together, the United States and Israel have taken many strides and made many sacrifices toward peace, including treaties with Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, and the Palestinians in 1993.

The bill also illustrates the longstanding historical context of a positive United States-Israel relationship: Since Israel’s independence, every U.S. President has supported a strong relationship between the two democracies. Jimmy Carter articulated that “The survival of Israel ... is a moral imperative. That is my deeply held belief ... a strong secure Israel is not just in Israel’s interest. It’s in the interest of the United States and in the interest of the entire free world.” Both the Democratic and Republican parties consistently champion the benefits of the relationship. And most importantly, both the American and Israeli governments are echoing the sentiments of their people, as the overwhelming majority of Americans and Israelis back the relationship.

The bill before the ASUC was about affirming core values and a desire for peace between two nations who share a natural bond. To see my student government take a stand on an issue of international significance makes me proud to be a UC Berkeley student. It’s reassuring to know that at a school once in the spotlight for its political and social activism, students are still speaking and their voices are still being heard. Despite an attempt by the ASUC president to conceal the merits of the bill behind a veil of personal politics and misinformation, the Senate made it clear that the bill stands on its own.

John Moghtader

Bill Did Not Adequately Address Relevant Issues, And Meeting Did Allow for Honest Discussion

Let’s say you were concerned about the 6.5 million Californians who lack medical insurance. You try and raise awareness about this issue. You start discussions with those around you. And here are some of the answers you get: “What you really want to do is to destroy California!” “But California has produced some of the world’s best music, and also has great beaches;” “We don’t oppose health care for Californians—we just don’t have a position on it.” Anything but the reaction you were hoping for, which would be to admit there is a problem, and to try and discuss ways of

fixing it.

Two ASUC senators brought up a resolution concerning the present relationship between the US and Israel. Since I am Israeli, I wanted to attend the meeting. I wanted to explain to the senators that the current relationship is problematic, that American weapons are being used for human rights abuses, like shooting and wounding journalists in the occupied territories or demolishing thousands of homes.

I wanted to tell them that blind (de facto) U.S. support for building Jewish settlements in these Palestinian areas was ultimately harming both Israelis and Palestinians.

Several other activists showed up and made similar points: Some were Arabs, others were Jews, still others were neither. In careful, conciliatory language, all tried to simply open up an honest discussion of this important issue.

But any discussion of the actual effects of the current United States-Israel relationship on Israelis and Palestinians was deemed irrelevant by the proposers. We were lectured about the “ideals” that motivate the US and Israel, and heard some “positive” statistics about the participation of Israeli women in the labor force, to balance the “negative” problems we were raising. We were accused of wanting to destroy Israel—someone referenced the Holocaust-denying Ahmadinejad. Finally, the resolution was passed, Israel’s positive image was saved and none of the problems that we raised received any mention.

How can we fix this? When will discussion of this issue move from such extreme defensiveness to a more constructive note? How will these issues ever be solved if the mere mention of them is seen as “negative” and “destructive?” Walking home from the ASUC meeting I was feeling quite pessimistic.

Tom Pessah

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