by DA-Israel Vice Chair Hillel Schenker, Oct. 2, 2008

Debate between Mr. Hillel Schenker, Vice Chair Democrats Abroad-Israel and Adv. Marc Zell, Co-Chair Republicans in Israel

Hosted by IPCRI, the Israel-Palestine Center for Research & Information at the Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 24th, 2008

The following is the outline of my presentation at the debate, and some of the exchange which followed.  The Republican spokesperson Adv. Marc Zell was very much on the defensive, feeling (correctly) that the audience would be more empathetic to my views, and asked me to speak first.  I begin with an outline of my introductory remarks.

•1)     HONEST, CREDIBLE BROKER

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's plan to secure America and restore its standing. America is incapable of promoting peace without restoring its standing in the region. Post 9/11 reaction included:

• Unjustified regime-change war in Iraq
• Unwillingness to diplomatically engage Iran and Syria
• 7 years of avoiding serious involvement in Israeli-Palestinian process until Annapolis; Bush-Cheney and now McCain policy is arrogant, based on refusal to talk with leaders - saber-rattling
• Obama-Biden will pursue aggressive diplomacy, backed by military option as a last resort

•2)     IRAN

• Iran's quest for nuclear weapons endangers stability in the region
• 5 former Secretaries of State - Kissinger, Baker, Albright, Christopher, Powell, agree with Obama-Biden that Iran must be engaged diplomatically. Even Bush sent Assistant Sec. of State Burns to talks
• Obama supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy
• Offer Iran a comprehensive deal to give up quest for nuclear weapons, a combination of sanctions and inducements
• McCain refuses to engage Iran diplomatically

•3)     IRAQ

• Wrong to launch war in Iraq
• Iran was the greatest beneficiary of the war
• Goal is to end war and American involvement in Iraq - create clear exit strategy. Even Bush tends to agree
• More than 4,000 Americans died, 60,000 wounded, $2.7 trillion spend on war and its aftermath
• Forces to be removed by summer of 2010
• Encourage political solution for future of Iraq
• McCain refuses to create exit strategy

•4)     SYRIA

• Engage Syria, encourage Israeli-Syrian peace talks
• Remove Syria from the "axis of evil", from an alliance with Iran and the backing of Hezbollah and Hamas
• McCain refuses to engage Syria

•5)     NUCLEAR WEAPONS

• Nuclear proliferation is major danger to world stability
• Strengthen nuclear non-proliferation treaty
• Prevent spread of nuclear weapons to terrorists
• Obama's stated long-term goal is a "nuclear-free-world"
• McCain opposes this goal

•6)     ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

• Obama supports security of Israel, right to self-defense, continued foreign assistance
• Supports the Palestinian right to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.
• Will make progress in the quest for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a key priority
• Obama and Biden "will make a sustained push - working with Israelis and Palestinians - to achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security"
• McCain has not made a commitment to make this a priority
• Obama visited both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders. McCain did not, demonstrating that he has no interest in serving as a facilitator of the process

•7)     JERUSALEM

• "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided" (statement made at AIPAC)
• Clarification - "Jerusalem is a final status issue, which means it has to be negotiated between the two parties as part of an agreement that both can live with. Two principles should apply to any outcome: Jerusalem remains Israel's capital, and it's not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was between 1948 and 1967. Beyond those principles, all other aspects are for the two parties to agree at final status negotiations." This does not rule out the city also serving as a capital for a Palestinian state and Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods.
• McCain does not understand these nuances, and makes an empty commitment to move American embassy to Jerusalem

•8)     DENNIS ROSS

• Veteran diplomat and head of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute abandoned neutral position and called on American Jews to support Obama
• "The United States can't afford, and Israel can't afford a continuation of the Bush policies over the past 8 years"
• Implication is that McCain is a continuation of disastrous Bush policies, until proven otherwise
• I quoted from joint summary letter of Ross and Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer following Obama's visit to Israel

•9)     PALIN FACTOR

• Sarah Palin is a frightening prospect when it comes to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace
• Like George W. Bush, her public experience is based on a term as governor of a state, with virtually no international experience. As a Christian fundamentalist, like Bush she says that God is her guide, and that American policy is the carrying out of God's will.
• Not a prescription for effective mediation in the conflict, or wise foreign policy in general
• The fact that she only took out a passport for the first time last year reflects a frightening lack of curiosity and interest in world affairs

•10)  THE AUDACITY OF HOPE

• In his book, Obama presented a policy vision for hope for the future for America. Both America and the Middle East need the audacity of hope

BELOW IS A SUMMARY OF THE EXCHANGE THAT FOLLOWED BETWEEN DA-ISRAEL VICE CHAIR HILLEL SCHENKER AND ADV. MARC ZELL, CO-CHAIR OF REPUBLICANS IN ISRAEL:

• 1. Zell began his presentation by defensively asking the audience how many were American citizens and how many intended to vote for Obama. This angered the audience, and some said they came to hear him, and not describe their views.

• 2. Zell said that, like Bush, McCain would be a staunch supporter of Israel. He claimed that the war in Iraq is a tremendous success, everything is stabilizing and the economy is flourishing. He knows because he has done business both in Baghdad and Kurdistan.

• 3. He also emphasized the threat emanating from Iran, and called Ahmadinejad a dangerous anti-Semite.

• 4. He claimed that foreign leaders have great admiration for McCain (?), and concluded the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not the cause of conflict between America and the Islamic world, but rather Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. He said that a McCain administration would not make the Israeli-Palestinian peace process a top priority, and would wait until the Israelis and Palestinians were ready to move forward.

• 5. Zell noted that he has 8 children and has lived in Israel for 22 years. To which I commented that I only have 2 children, but I have 45 years of experience living in Israel, which makes me more in tune with the genuine needs of the Israeli people.

• 6. In my response to him and to audience questions, I questioned foreign leaders' so-called admiration for McCain, and said on the contrary, they have expressed great admiration and confidence in Obama.

• 7. I noted that according to the Peace Index poll carried out monthly at Tel Aviv University, a majority of the Israeli public consistently supports American 3rd party mediation in the peace process, and looks forward to it. An Obama administration will provide it, and a McCain administration won't.

• 8. On the question of the importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I quoted from Obama's interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic.

• 9. In response to a question from one of the ambassadors in the audience about a possible European role - the Slovenian and El Salvador ambassadors where there, along with Canadian, Italian and perhaps other diplomats - I noted that in the last Peace Index poll, for the first time Israeli public opinion also expressed a readiness for a greater European role in promoting the peace process. I also emphasized that Obama/Biden believe in multilateral activity with allies, while McCain will tend to be more unilateral, like Bush.

• 10. As for Ahmadinajad, I agreed that he was an anti-Semitic demagogue, but also noted that he doesn't have the real power in Iran, the religious authorities led by Kameini do, and they tend to be relatively more pragmatic.

• 11. When Zell claimed that all Obama ever did at his young age was to prematurely write two memoirs, this drew protest from the audience - that "The Audacity of Hope" is not a memoir, but a strong and impressive policy vision. A Rabbi Weinberg said that the book was inspiring, and that Palin as VP is a frightening choice compared to the experienced and solid Biden.

• 12. I asked Zell if as a religious Jew he wasn't at least a little concerned about Palin's evangelical fundamentalist end of days/rapture approach to life. He claimed he wasn't, and that anyone who believed in the scriptures was alright in his book, which drew more protests from the audience.

• 13. A Spanish journalist asked what will happen after Annapolis. I responded that an Obama administration would immediately build on what ever has been achieved so far, and continue the momentum, which is very much in the interest of the Israeli people, while a McCain administration would not.

• 14. Moderator Hana Siniora, a noted Palestinian (Christian) journalist couldn't contain himself when Zell described the wonders of the Iraq War, and he noted that Ahmadinajad was welcomed with open arms by the now dominant Iraqi Shiite leaders, created a dangerous alliance in the area. Zell had no response to that.

• 15. Zell said that according to public opinion polls he has seen, a majority of the Israelis would prefer McCain to Obama as president. My response was that many Israelis may be more familiar with McCain's military-type background than Obama's unique background, but the Israeli leaders who met with Obama were very impressed by him. Obama has been a victim of a slanderous e-mail campaign, claiming that he is a Moslem, etc., which has had an impact on people. As Israelis become more familiar with Obama and his positions, support for him increases. In addition, there are many Israelis, and Israelis of American origin that are genuinely enthusiastic about the possibility of an Obama presidency.

• 16. When Zell quoted author Michael Oren that Bush was the most pro-Israeli president ever, I noted that Oren works for the right-wing Shalem Institute, which is close to Netanyahu and the Likud. Wasting 7 years not promoting the peace process was not being pro-Israel. I noted that Obama has said that to be pro-Israel doesn't mean that you have to support the Likud platform.

• 17. I concluded by saying that being pro-Israel is being proactive for peace, which is the key to Israel's long-term security.