Letter

Coalition Letter to Congressional Leadership Regarding Anti-BDS Resolution and Two-State Solution

March 26, 2019

In a letter to Congressional leaders, ADL, along with coalition partners, expressed support for a recently introduced bipartisan resolution opposing the BDS movement and reaffirming support for a two-state solution.

March 26, 2019

Senator Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader
S-230, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Charles E. Schumer
Senate Minority Leader
S-221, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510

Representative Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H-232, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515

Representative Kevin McCarthy
House Minority Leader
H-204, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy:

We the undersigned organizations strongly encourage you to help pass the important bipartisan resolution recently introduced in the House by Reps. Schneider, Nadler, Zeldin, and Wagner and in the Senate by Sens. Portman and Cardin expressing Congress’s overwhelming opposition on both sides of the aisle to the international movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction America’s crucial ally, the State of Israel.  This resolution also expresses timely Congressional support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would result in two states – a democratic Jewish State of Israel, and a viable, democratic Palestinian state – living side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recognition.

BDS is the most common tactic today for efforts around the world to delegitimize the Jewish state and in the process, undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.  Many founders and leaders of the BDS movement have made anti-Semitic statements and even reject Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

The BDS movement has sought to exploit economic, social, political, religious, academic, and cultural platforms to unfairly isolate Israel within the international community.  In particular, the movement’s approach on campuses is fundamentally contrary to the principle of academic freedom as well as to the crucial task of building tolerance through constructive people-to-people interactions.  The movement also provides an incentive for the Palestinian Authority to avoid engaging in timely and direct negotiations and undercuts those Israelis who seek a negotiated resolution to the conflict.

This resolution is an opportunity for Congress to make clear its opposition to the goals of the BDS movement and its commitment to a sustainable two-state solution.

Sincerely,

ADL (Anti-Defamation League)

AJC (American Jewish Committee)

B’nai B’rith International

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.

Israel Action Network

Israel Policy Forum

The Israel Project

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs

The Jewish Federations of North America

JWI (Jewish Women International)

Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice

MERCAZ USA

National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry

National Council of Jewish Women

StandWithUs

Union for Reform Judaism

World Jewish Congress United States