Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

I recently was on a call co-led by two organizations — T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and J Street, an organization committed to peace between Israel and Palestinians via a two-state solution. While the discussion generally addressed our desire for peace and the end to violent conflict, the more specific focus was on a bill introduced in Congress.

The bill, H.R. 5344, seeks to increase the chance for effective diplomacy toward a two-state solution (Israeli and Palestinian) by making U.S. aid more evenly distributed between the parties, and prohibiting aid for any purpose that diminishes opportunities to work toward a two-state solution. The reality is that Israel will not, and should not, conquer the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank. An understanding of this reality leads to an attendant understanding that without giving the Palestinian people some sense of hope for the future, there will never be peace.

The envisioned two-state solution would both ensure a secure Israel and give the Palestinian people the right to self-determination within their own state. I am urging my elected officials in Congress to support/sponsor H.R. 5344. While prospects for passage look pretty dim in the near term, advocating for the bill now will put forth a needed discussion that will ultimately lead to its passage.  

The cycle of violence that occurs every few years leads to a repetition of the same accusations and defenses. This repeated narrative has never led us out of the cycle of violence. To break the cycle, we must change our narrative and our approach to seeking peace. This bill is a needed start to changing the narrative.