Does Hillel’s Hosting of J Street Subvert Their Mission?

Esther Levens – Jan 28, 2010

UC4I.org

I am gravely concerned regarding a forthcoming event by Hillel and J Street on the Pennsylvania University campus. On Feb. 4, J Street will broadcast live from the university to 24 U.S. colleges across the country, as well as synagogues and Jewish community centers.

It is a travesty that such a strong anti-Israel message should be received by a vulnerable group of Hillel Jewish youth who may be uninformed about Middle East issues. This could not happen if national Jewish organizations were providing a strong factually accurate educational hasbara program. It is past time for them to begin. And B’nai B’rith should be the first to accomplish this mission.

I am often asked, “Where are the Jewish voices that are expected to be heard loud and clear explaining and supporting Israel’s positions?” How disheartening to learn that instead of supporting Israel the venerable B’nai-B’rith-sponsored Hillel has actually agreed to provide a platform for the new controversial J Street organization to “launch a new grassroots campaign in the Philadelphia area” on February 4.

The Unity Coalition for Israel (UCI) joins forces with the American Israel Action Coalition (AIAC) an issue-oriented organization based in Israel where 250,000 Americans live. UCI joins AIAC in calling for Hillel’s “Foundation for Jewish Campus Life” to rescind their invitation extended to Jeremy Ben Ami, Executive Director of J Street, to speak at and broadcast from the University of Pennsylvania campus next week.

The event is to take place in Steinhardt Hall, the Hillel building at the University of Pennsylvania, thereby subtly lending a Hillel stamp of approval on their policies. The J Street announcement is promoting the event as a “call to action” for their agenda. This showcase will turn around B’nai B’rith’s pro-Israel Zionist history and defy common sense by encouraging Jewish students to hear and absorb the J Street doctrine that mirrors Palestinian propaganda.

J Street backs negotiations with the Hamas terrorist organization and endorses the Goldstone Report accusing Israel of war crimes in the war against Hamas terror last year. It has supported the PA’s demand for a total, unlimited building freeze in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and supports dividing Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, including the neighborhoods containing Judaism’s holiest sites, the Western Wall (Kotel) and the Temple Mount. On its website It openly refers to the 300,000 Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria as “an obstacle to peace” and refers to the “disputed” territories as the “occupied territories.” During the defensive Operation Cast Lead which Israel finally waged as a response to the 10,000 Hamas rocket attacks launched from Gaza on Israeli civilians, J Street called for an immediate end to Israel’s defensive action.

Ambassador to the US from Israel, Michael Oren, the brilliant historian, refused to speak at the lobby group’s convention late last year. He explained that “J Street constantly opposes the Israeli government and calls for strong American pressure on Israel… without the real attention to the terrorist policies of both Hamas and Fatah that we all need to more squarely confront if there is ever to be any real progress made in the Middle East.”

Hillel will be doing a great disservice to the Jewish community as a whole, which is trying desperately to promote the positive cause of Israel against an array of 22 well-financed Arab states. Jewish university students should not become “the enemy within” and should not be encouraged to spread anti-Israel propaganda by aligning themselves with J Street.

It will be a perversion of the message that should be received by young Jewish students, who represent both Israel’s and America’s best hopes for the future survival of Israel, and indeed of all western civilization.

Esther Levens is Founder and CEO of the Unity Coalition for Israel.

Defining the Problem to Reach a Viable Solution
Warren Manison
Washington DC UCI Representative

UCI Press Release, January 14, 2010

It is time to recognize that all this thrashing around to “negotiate” a peaceful resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict can never succeed without resolution of the underlying cause – namely, the refusal of Palestinians and the Arab world to recognize and accept a Jewish state in what they believe to be a total Muslim region. There are 22 Arab states and only 1 Jewish state. Yet this one Jewish state is being denied an opportunity to exist despite more than 3,000 years of history in its own land and despite clear verses in the Koran that “Jews should dwell securely in the land of promise” (Surah 17:104); and again in Surah 7:137 that “We made a people, considered weak (i.e. the children of Israel), inheritors of the lands in both east and west, lands whereon We sent down Our blessings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel…”

The fallout from this refusal has been an Arab sense of shame and jealousy that they have not been able to eliminate an Israel that has achieved the highest standard of living and shown the greatest economic progress of any nation in the entire Middle East. Tragically, the Arab nations have been the losers, unable to benefit from an Israel willing to share its technology and economic know-how with their Arab neighbors.

Many, including in the American government, seem to think that if only there was a settlement of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, there would be peace in the Middle East. Nothing could be further from the truth. The history of the continuing refusal is replete with failed opportunities on the part of the Palestinians to achieve peace. Like the famous Abba Eban said – “The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”. The list of missed opportunities includes:

1) Refusal to accept the League of Nations’s British Mandate that created a Jewish area and an Arab area carved out of the old Ottoman Empire

2) Rejection of the United Nations partition plan of 1948.

3) Rejection of the Oslo Peace Initiative in the 1990s.

4) Refusal to abide by the Road Map in 2002 to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and cease incitement to violence

5) Refusal to reciprocate Israel’s abandonment of the Security Zone in Lebanon.

6) Refusal to demonstrate peace with Israel is possible following the Israeli evacuation of Gaza.

How can peace be achieved in the face of these missed opportunities, the failure to change both the PLO Charter (adopted by the PA) and the Hamas Charter calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, and continuing incitement to violence in mosques, schools, TVs, newspapers and radio stations? More recently, demands have been made on Israel to cease construction of homes in its capital, Jerusalem, because, as the Palestinians keep saying “We demand East Jerusalem as our Capitol”. It is as if they have a legitimate right to this city, no different from their false claims for areas of the West Bank. In fact, Jerusalem has never been the Capital of any Muslim entity, even during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran while the Jewish connection dates back 3,000 years. In fact, there has never been a Palestinian Arab state. The vast majority of Palestinians are offspring of huge waves of Arab immigrants into the area from neighboring Arab states during the 1920s and the 1930s.

What does all this mean? Clearly, no concessions, no agreements, no treaties, nothing will satisfy the aspirations of the Palestinians save the elimination of the state of Israel as codified in their Charters. Adoption of the so-called Saudi Peace plan is now being touted as a solution to the conflict, implying recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. This plan requires that Israel accept Palestinian “refugees”, retreat to the indefensible 1967 border, and surrender East Jerusalem to Palestinians to be their capital. It is obvious that implementation of this plan would place Israel in jeopardy demographically, leave Israel with no defensible borders and the nightmare of a divided Capitol. A close examination of the plan raises the specter whether Arabs are practicing an Arab technique known as “Taqiyya”, which permits deception of perceived enemies of Islam in order to further Muslim goals.

It is obvious from history alone that peace will remain elusive under the circumstances elaborated previously. Perhaps it is time to examine another alternative that might bring an end to the continuous confrontation – a total separation of the two people. As difficult as this appears to be, the only resolution has to be resettlement of Palestinians to the homelands from whence their forebears came in the 1920s and 1930s. This has to coincide with acceptance and recognition of a Jewish State of Israel in the region followed by perhaps years of verification through action, not words. Palestinians and their Arab brothers must cease their incessant world wide political attacks on Israel, their incitement to violence and hate, and their constant efforts to delegitimize the state of Israel.

Warren A. Manison

UCI Representative,
Washington D.C.

(Kansas City) There is renewed interest in Benjamin Netanyahu`s first term as Prime Minister of Israel during the late 1990s, as many seek indications of how he will react during his current term in office. The following are personal recollections of two significant events when I was honored to host the Prime Minister.

Similarly difficult circumstances prevailed in those days, and, then as now, he was under great pressure from the United States. However, as forceful as was the pressure from President Bill Clinton, Netanyahu is in an even more vulnerable position now, with the new U.S. administration determined to establish a two-state solution immediately.

During “Bibi’s” first term as prime minister, I was fortunate to have some “insider” knowledge of what was transpiring. It was fascinating how it evolved. It began when I was asked by my mentor and close friend, David Bar-Illan, the former editor of the Jerusalem Post who was then Director of Policy and Communication for Netanyahu, to feature the prime minister at an event hosted by the Unity Coalition for Israel on April 7, 1997, in Washington DC. It was attended by about 3,000 people, both Christians and Jews, who filled two ballrooms at the J.W. Marriott Hotel. The event was called “Israel at the Crossroads – How Can We Work Together?” Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas was master of ceremonies, and Netanyahu delivered an inspiring speech before the enthusiastic crowd.

As a result of the success of that event, David Bar-Ilan called me in January 1998 and asked that I host a similar event, this time at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel. He said he would provide the ballroom if I would organize it. Only this time it had to be accomplished in just nine days. Apparently, it was timed to take place just before Netanyahu was to meet with President Bill Clinton on January 22, 1998. Bar-Illan felt that a very supportive group would bring public attention to Israel’s concerns and give encouragement to the prime minister at a difficult time.

Netanyahu had not been invited to stay at Blair House, as heads of state normally were. Instead, he and his entourage occupied the l0th floor of the Mayflower. It appeared he was being snubbed by the White House.

At our Mayflower meeting, Netanyahu was greeted by 1,500 cheering admirers, who spontaneously rose to their feet and began to loudly chant, “Not one inch! Not one inch!” When Bibi spoke, he was so touched that he had tears in his eyes, saying, ”This must have been ordered by G-d.” It was, to say the least, a very emotional experience.

My friend Kay Arthur co-chaired the event with me. She is the author of over 100 books, including “Israel, My Beloved,” and founder of Precept Ministries that has study groups in more than 7,000 churches. She hosts “Precepts for Life,” a radio and television program that reaches a worldwide viewing audience of over 94 million. Also in attendance were many leaders of the Christian and Jewish communities, including the Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Dore Gold; activist Charles Jacobs; Lenny Ben-David, Counselor for Political Affairs, Embassy of Israel; Janet Parshall, a lawyer and daily talk show host for Salem Broadcasting Network; Elwood McQuaid and Bill Sutter, directors of Friends of Israel; Jerry Falwell, the noted Christian TV personality; Susan Michael, U.S. director of the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem; George Will, the syndicated columnist; JoAnn Magnuson, interfaith relations director for Bridges for Peace; and many others. The day after the Mayflower meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu went to the White House to meet with President Clinton, definitely buoyed by the rousing reception he had just received.

One can only wonder if there wouldn’t be an even larger and more supportive crowd today to greet Netanyahu in the U.S., lending him encouragement and cheering him on. Fortunately, the sizable Christian and Jewish Zionist communities remain staunchly supportive. They share his view of maintaining a strong Israel as the only means of survival. As his country faces a nuclear threat from Iran and is surrounded by anti-American and anti-Israel Arab countries, mostly proponents of radical Islam, he will need all the support here in the U.S. that we can muster.

There were many memorable incidents surrounding the two events that we held. Those were interesting times when there was so much tension on the world scene. Who could predict that today conditions would be far worse!

Esther Levens of Prairie Village, Kan., founded the Unity Coalition for Israel in 1991. She remains its CEO. The coalition brings together Jewish and Christian groups in support of Israel; thus its original name: Voices United for Israel.

Anti-Israel Propaganda Battle Heats Up

Esther Levens – Apr 21, 2006
Unity Coalition for Israel

UCI Office Opens in Israel

Unity Coalition for Israel – Feb 28, 2006

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

Shawnee Mission, Kansas – Celebrating its fifteenth year, Unity Coalition for Israel’s CEO/Founder Esther Levens announced today the opening of a new office in Israel. “This is a culmination of years of hard work with so many great people by our side,” Levens said.

Levens’ purpose of opening an office in Israel “is to give our membership a direct pulse of what is going on in the country. We can’t just simply rely on what is reported in the media to direct our course of action. We need to be ahead of the curve ball. We can no longer be reactive, but proactive to help Israel’s future.”

Former Director of Community and Christian Relations for Consulate General of Israel in New York, David Nekrutman, will head this office. Nekrutman was instrumental in enhancing the relations between Christians and the State of Israel during his 2000-2004 tenure with the Israeli government. He has worked extensively with the major leaders in the Christian world and was instrumental in creating such initiatives as the International Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and The Israel Experience, a Christian college student ambassador program for the State of Israel.

“It is an honor an a privilege to advance UCI’s work,” Nekrutman said. Eight months ago, Nekrutman and his family made Aliyah and now they reside in Netanya. Nekrutman pointed out that UCI is a very unique organization, whereby, Christians and Jews are proactively working together to advocate on Israel’s behalf. Nekrutman remarked that “As an Orthodox Jew, faith is an important subject in my life. To see members from both faiths coming together to help support and advocate for Israel is truly a historical moment. I want to play an active role in enhancing this remarkable relationship.”

Nekrutman will partner with Judith Nusbaum and Chana Givon in the Israel office. Nusbaum and Givon are long time volunteers for UCI and have worked extensively with the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus. For those interested in contacting the Israel office you may reach the UCI’s Israel team by phone at 011-972-52-591-7901 or by e-mail at israelpulse@israelunitycoalition.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact UCI’s Department of Communications at 913-648-0022.

Thursday night, August 18, 2005, at the Kotel

By Arlene Kushner

Tonight the families of Netzer Hazani left their community. Not having a place to go and insisting they had to remain together, they demanded to be brought to the Kotel – The Wailing Wall in the Old City, Jerusalem.

Word went out then to come down to the Kotel to greet them and let them know they are not alone.

It was midnight when we gathered. Thousands came. Before the community arrived there was fervent singing on the plaza before the Kotel. Then they were there, and our crowd — singing still — parted to let them come into our midst. They moved single file, with faces pained, some weeping. I was grateful that as the crowd had parted I was at the front edge of the gathering, so that the residents of Netzer Hazani came directly past me. Weeping myself, I reached out to kiss and hug the women, as I saw the need in their faces. One woman broke down and sobbed on my shoulder.

I will not forget.

What has been done to these people is a sin. Not less. And I pray that Sharon and company will be held accountable, finally.

But all is hardly lost. As I looked out into the large gathering, many weeping, many singing, I knew that this was the strength of Israel. And I was moved, and proud.

One of the people I embraced tonight was Anita, the spokeswoman for the group, whom I quoted the other day. A most incredible human being and an inspiration. She smiled at me after I kissed her, and said, “Don’t worry, we brought our ruach (spirit) with us.”

I stand as witness to that ruach.

The residents of Netzer Hazani will sleep tonight (for whatever is left of the night) in the Yeshivat Hakotel. (A place of study near the Kotel.) Matresses were brought for them from all over. We’re talking about perhaps 200 or 300 people — young, old, babies. Tomorrow they are being bussed to the Golan; I have no information on exactly where they will be staying.

“Don’t worry, we brought our ruach with us…” A pity and a crime that the world labels people who speak thus as “fanatics” and “militants.” The world little understands.

What I say here, then, as I write this at 3:00 AM, is that all the good people of Israel must call upon our ruach. We have much work to do. What has happened here, which should not have happened and is very much inexplicable, must serve to strengthen us, to make us wiser and better Jews. With faith and humanity, we must focus on the tasks ahead, so that there is no repeat of Gush Katif and so that the land can be strong.

We must not fall into the trap of despair. Make no mistake about it. Our bond to this land is eternal. We are an eternal people.

Arlene Kushner

An Uncommon Man

- Apr 20, 2005

An Op-Ed by Esther Levens, UCI

His name is Phil and he hails from somewhere in Pennsylvania.

You will find him every Wednesday morning standing in front of the White House after traveling two hours from his home. He comes to Washington to make a statement that sends a strong message of support to the 9,000 beleaguered, soon to be homeless, residents of Gaza, Israel. By his very presence, he transcends many barriers and delivers a firm rebuke to our president.

I first met Phil on April 11 in Crawford, Texas when he approached me after I had delivered a speech to the throng of more than 3,000 people who had gathered from all over the U.S. While President Bush and PM Sharon met at the ranch, Phil was among those who had come from great distances to protest the expulsion of more than 9,000 people threatened with dispossession of their homes, businesses, places of worship, schools, and even cemeteries. Some of these families have lived in Gush Katif, the Jewish section of Gaza, for several generations, in a beautiful community overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

In July, their homes are to be turned over to the same Palestinian terrorists who have repeatedly attacked their community with the purpose of driving them out. And now, after they have stood strong against the terrorists, they are being forced to leave, not by their attackers, but by their own government in collusion with the President of the U.S.

By some illogical thought process, George W. Bush has concluded that the victims of Palestinian jihad, whose families have been killed and maimed by vicious murderers wanting to steal their land, must be forced out of their homes. Their houses will then be turned over to the terrorists. He intends to finish their criminal work. This places the U.S. squarely on the side of the terrorists. It makes the U.S. complicit in dividing up the spoils of the war of terror instigated by the Palestinians and sponsored by radical Islamists.

To make matters worse, President Bush wants to sweeten the pot by giving them two million additional U.S. taxpayer dollars, on top of the billions already handed the Palestinians. A fortune in previous aid has not been accounted for. We do know that many millions of dollars have been wasted on rockets, weapons and palaces for cronies of Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.

And what do the Israelis get in return for appeasing the terrorists and agreeing to sacrifice the residences and wellbeing of 9,000 residents of Gush Katif? You guessed it. Absolutely nothing.

At this point in time, the people who are being tossed out of their homes have no place to go. The Israeli government has not even made plans for them. All IDF reports predict an escalation of violence. The new Palestinian leader, Abu Abbas, has publicly said he will invite the terrorist leaders leaving Lebanon to move into Gaza once the Jews are removed. He has even officially taken Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations (on the State Dept. terrorist list) into his new government, and they are stockpiling weapons to renew their jihad war as soon as the Israelis are out of Gaza. Such a deal!

Meanwhile, back at the White House, our friend Phil is staging a one-man protest against this outrage. Phil is well aware of the injustice taking place in Israel and wants President Bush to know that Americans do not want to be part of it. Whether intentional or not – we are becoming allies with the very terrorists we have been fighting since 9-11 when we give them land and financial assistance.

Phil believes that terrorism should not win, and that it is obscene for American taxpayers to foot the bill to pay off the Middle East neighborhood bullies. He understands that the Arab world, with 23 countries, does not need one more country to foster international terrorism.

If you want to meet a true American who is willing to stand up for his convictions, honk your horn and tip your hat to Phil, as you drive by the White House any Wednesday morning. Let him know that you support him and if you would like – join him in his vigil. He is the Christian who is willing to not only complain about injustice but is willing to do something about it. He is the person wearing the orange t-shirt, the orange cap and carrying the orange sign – the color that signifies solidarity with the residents of Gush Katif. It is the color they are identified with.

And Phil is the man who speaks volumes for hundreds of thousands of Americans who don’t want the courageous pioneers of Gush Katif to be betrayed by our government. And he represents these same Americans who are particularly opposed to wasting hard earned tax dollars to pay for this betrayal.
___________

Esther Levens is CEO and Founder of the Unity Coalition for Israel (UCI), an alliance of more than 200 Jewish and Christian organizations representing millions of Americans. The groups support the safety and security of Israel.

The Road Map will lead to Road Kill

For Immediate Release – February 18, 2005 – Contact: Esther Levens
Ph. 913 648 0022

The above headline quotes a statement made February 14 by Israeli MK Benny Elon at a Press Conference in Anaheim, CA, sponsored by the Unity Coalition for Israel and Christian Friends of Israeli Communities. MK Elon further stated: “ There is no positive element for Israel in the entire Road Map document.”

The statements were made at the Annual National Religious Broadcasters Convention during what has become a UCI media event tradition. Always featuring prominent speakers, the Press Conference spotlights issues that are of special current interest. This year the focus was on the controversial Road Map and the Disengagement Plan that is being promoted by PM Ariel Sharon in cooperation with the UN, the EU, Russia and the US State Department.

The unilateral evacuation plans have met with widespread opposition within Israel because they would displace 8,000 long-time residents of Gaza, plus four Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. No such reciprocal concessions are required on the part of the Palestinians. Opponents fear that this looks like a retreat, signaling more concessions if the PA is encouraged to follow up with more brutal acts of terrorism. It means that the 4 years of the Palestinian intifada has paid off as the weapon of choice.

Esther Levens, CEO and Founder of the UCI coalition that hosted the Press Conference, also presented a strong case against the Road Map and the Disengagement Plan in the form of a Declaration of Concerns. It represented the views of more than 200 member Christian and Jewish organizations, who oppose the land giveaway. Based on inconsistent statements and no track record as yet by the newly elected Palestinian official, Abu Mazen, there is much skepticism and fear that the new plan is simply a rehash of the previous Oslo Accord, which collapsed when Arafat walked away from the Camp David meetings.

Key elements of the UCI Declaration of Concerns follow:

Features of the Road Map that fail to provide a climate for peace:

Israel is expected to evacuate territory twice used by Arab nations as launching pads to attack and annihilate Israel.

Israel is expected to release hundreds of mass murderers into its population as a sign of good will.

Israel is expected to evacuate 8,500 Jewish citizens from their homes, schools, and established communities.

Israel is expected to accept an edict that would prohibit Jews from living in their 3,000-year homeland and birthplace of their sacred religious heritage.

Israel is expected to believe that Hamas, Hizbullah, and other terrorist groups supported by Syria and Iran, will simply lay down their guns and hand held missiles and forever stop the senseless murder and maiming of innocent Israelis.

Unresolved issues:

The Palestine National Council’s 1964 Charter has never been revoked. It calls for Israel’s annihilation.

The Arab League and the Palestinian Authority have never acknowledged Israel’s right to exist.
Proposed borders would leave Israel indefensible with an 8 mile distance at one point from the border to the Mediterranean sea.

Arab Palestinian children continue to be indoctrinated into a culture that teaches them to hate Jews and turn themselves into human bombs to kill as many Israeli Jews as possible.

Families of Palestinian suicide bombers continue to receive thousands of dollars from Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The “Right of Return” claim for Arab Palestinians fails to acknowledge the “Right of Return” claim of an equal number (800,000) Jews forced to flee their homes in Arab countries when the UN declared Israel a nation in 1948. This issue must be addressed.

Israel absorbed Jewish refugees into their tiny nation – the size of New Jersey – in less than a generation while the UN exacerbated the Arab refugee problem by funding their long-term encampment rather than integrating them into the Arab Middle East – the size of the entire North American continent.

The return of three generations of Arab Palestinian refugees to the West Bank and Gaza poses an exponential threat to the survival of Israel.

The Israeli people are calling for a referendum on the disengagement plan. Prime Minister Sharon should acquiesce to this request, and take the opportunity to legitimize his controversial plan.

Additional US funding for the Palestinians must be contingent upon a strict system of financial accountability and a clear record of progress in accomplishing the above listed conditions.

Members of the Unity Coalition for Israel maintain that before there can be any movement for peace under the terms of the Road Map, the prerequisites listed below must prevail, in reality, not just on paper:

The Arab world must acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. They must formally and officially give up their declared purpose of driving Israel into the sea. They must sign peace treaties and normalize relations with Israel, rather than making perennial empty promises.

Acknowledging Israel’s right to exist is a two-step process. 1) The Palestinians must formally and officially vote to revoke their National Charter and with it their declared purpose of eradicating Israel. 2) The Charter itself must be replaced with a document declaring their intent for peace and demilitarized co-existence with Israel.

All school books and TV must be examined and all hate and incitement to violence and suicide must be eradicated.

Funding of suicide bombers and payments to their families by Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia must be investigated and legally stopped.

The “Right of Return” of Arab Palestinians has no place in the negotiation process.

U.S. Rallies Against Terrorism

Esther Levens – Jan 17, 2005
Unity Coalition for Israel

Unity Coalition for Israel Supports Netanyahu’s Call for a Disengagement Referendum in Israel

September 15, 2004 (Shawnee Mission, KS) – The Unity Coalition for Israel (UCI), the largest worldwide coalition of Jewish and Christian organizations, issued a resolution today backing Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for a referendum on Israel’s unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements.

In an interview on September 13, 2004, Finance Minister Netanyahu suggested the Knesset draft legislation to enable such a referendum and expressed concerns over a possible outbreak of a civil war in the country.

“The members of the Unity Coalition for Israel are extremely concerned that the disengagement plan proposed by Prime Minister Sharon might escalate the wave of deadly terrorist attacks on Israelis and might even embolden a major military strike on Israel by its radical Islamist adversaries, such as Iran, “said Esther Levens, CEO and Founder of UCI.

The UCI works to strengthen the continued support the American public has shown to the State of Israel for decades in light of Israel’s role in fighting radical Islamist terrorism and its strategic position as the only true democracy in the Middle East.

“A national referendum on a political and military plan that might endanger the very existence of the State of Israel, is considered by the UCI to be an appropriate and essential expression of democracy,” said Dr. Michael Anbar, Prof. Emeritus, NYU, Buffalo and UCI Advisor on Middle East Affairs. “Recent developments point to the erosion of democracy in the State of Israel. Israel’s Prime Minister has fired Cabinet members who disagreed with his disengagement policies and has rejected a recent proposal for a national referendum on the disengagement plan that was requested by a large segment of the Israeli citizenry, including senior members in his reshuffled Cabinet,” stressed Dr. Anbar.

“We are deeply concerned that the rejection of the proposed referendum, following the previous non-democratic actions of Israel’s Prime Minister, might be used by Israel’s political enemies in the US as evidence that Israel is no longer a genuine democracy,” said Levens.

The UCI has repeatedly expressed its position against the disengagement plan.

Contact:
Esther Levens
CEO & Founder, Unity Coalition for Israel
Phone: 913-648-0022
Fax: 913-648-7997
E-mail: esther@israelunitycoalition.org

Founded in 1991, the Unity Coalition for Israel, is the largest worldwide coalition of Jewish and Christian organizations, with more than 200 groups representing millions of people dedicated to Israel. Though its members have many different backgrounds, they share one common goal: A Safe and Secure Israel.