Ask your Rep. to Sign Letter in Support of Strong American Peacemaking Leadership

President Barack Obama is preparing for a flurry of Middle East diplomacy in the coming weeks, including a series of White House meetings with Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders followed by a major speech to the Muslim world in Egypt on June 4. At this critical time, three House Members have begun circulating a sign-on letter in support of "strong American leadership to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian and broader Arab-Israeli conflicts."

View the full text of the letter here.

Urge your Representative to sign the Cohen-Boustany-Carnahan letter to President Obama in support of strong American leadership on Middle East peace. As the President lays out his Administration's Middle East peace policy in more detail in the coming weeks, it is vital that Congress support serious U.S. diplomatic engagement. A new bi-partisan House letter, lead by Reps. Stephen Cohen (D-TN), Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO), states clearly that "American leadership is essential to achieving meaningful progress."

The letter stresses the importance of implementing a two-state solution for American interests in the Middle East and cites "demographic trends, continued violence, settlements, escalating tensions in Jerusalem, and other changes on the ground" as all threatening "the window of opportunity" for a two-state peace.

Send an email to your Representative today in support of robust diplomacy to establish a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel as an urgent imperative for the United States.

Supporters of the status quo continue to advocate an incremental peace process with a limited U.S. role. In contrast, this Congressional letter rightly points out that an "American helping hand" is needed now and emphasizes that while building Palestinian capacity is an important goal it "should not be a precondition for negotiating a final status agreement..."

The letter also recognizes the importance of a regional, comprehensive approach, citing the Arab Peace Initiative as guaranteeing "normal relations between Israel and the Arab and Muslim countries - from Indonesia to Morocco..."

Tell your Representative that the status quo is unsustainable. A just and lasting two-state peace is needed now for the sake of the U.S., Israel, the Palestinians and the broader region!

TAKE ACTION!

View the full text of House letter here.