Dissident Veteran For Peace

From a July 21, 2006, article in The Forward--"a legendary name in American journalism and a revered institution in American Jewish life"--entitled "Bush Urged To Give Israel More Time for Attacks: Groups Launch Lobbying Blitz In Washington" by Ori Nir:

WASHINGTON — Bucking calls in the international community for a cease-fire in the Middle East, Jewish organizations launched a major lobbying offensive in the nation's capital this week to give Israel more time to deal a decisive blow to Islamist militants in Lebanon and Gaza.

With the civilian death toll in Lebanon surpassing 200 early in the week, international calls were increasing for a cease-fire and the deployment of an international force to Lebanon, and the United States signaled that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would arrive in the region Sunday. Israeli military officials, however, were saying that they would need up to two more weeks to decimate Hezbollah's operational capabilities.

In an effort to head off calls in Washington for a quick cease-fire, some officials with Jewish groups have spent the past few days urging policymakers to make sure that Israel is given ample time and freedom of action to inflict as much damage as possible on Hezbollah's infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

About 50 leaders of the Jewish community from across the country were scheduled to meet Thursday with Bush administration officials and congressional leaders. Pro-Israel advocates said that they would be asking the administration to slap more sanctions on Syria and to push the European Union to follow America's lead by labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

In a particularly unusual move, one top Jewish communal leader, Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman, visited the Saudi ambassador in Washington, Prince Turki al-Faisal, to thank him for his country's condemnation of Hezbollah for igniting the crisis by launching a cross-border raid against Israel and abducting two of its soldiers.

"We told the ambassador that this could be a new moment in the relationship, that the neighborhood is changing because the threats that face the Jewish people are also facing moderate Arab states," Foxman said. ...

Many Jewish organizations, including the ADL, were also praising President Bush for repeatedly defending Israel's right to defend itself. But their most important goal appeared to be to keep America from shutting down Israel's military operations prematurely.

...

Jewish communities in several major American cities — including New York, Washington, Miami, St. Louis, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia — have organized rallies in support of Israel. Jewish activists are also scheduling meetings with diplomats stationed in foreign embassies in Washington and consulates across America to encourage foreign governments to support Israel's campaigns against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Two organizations, the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America, called for a nationwide night of prayer and Torah study July 19. ...

Jewish communal leaders expressed particular appreciation for the administration's early public support of Israel's position that it was pointless to push for a cease-fire before Hezbollah was significantly weakened.

...

Jewish groups said that they were quite happy with the response of several Arab countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah last week endorsed an official Saudi statement blaming Hezbollah — which strongly benefits from Iranian financial and military support — for the deterioration across the Israeli-Lebanese border. ...

See also "Evangelical Christians plead for Israel" from BBC News.