Washington notes: AIPAC is all about sanctions

Iran

The annual AIPAC (America's pro-Israel lobby) conference in Washington is now under way, and the main topic at hand is Iran. And no, not war nor military attack are being advocated, not up front and not with a nod and a wink. The activists have gone soft, I guess, because it is all about sanctions now. If you want to blame someone for being a war-monger, you'll have to look someplace else (or wait until next year's convention).

And of course, you can still hear some harsh rhetoric against the danger Iran poses, but enthusiasm for a military strike is quite evidently not there. Most delegates I spoke to - and there were quite a few of them - just want to make you believe that it can actually work. Congressman Gary Ackerman, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, told AIPAC activists, "There is neither time, nor need to continue to wonder about the efficacy of sanctions: they work. We know they work and we know we need more of them." (On the same topic you can read my latest blog on Iran Test your Jewishness: How hopeful are you about Iran?).

Sanctions, not war, is what these activists are going to ask for this Tuesday when they go do some advocacy work on Capitol Hill. Sanctions. They'll ask members of Congress to support legislation introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) aimed at increasing the economic and political pressure on Iran. It is, among other things, supposed to close loopholes in the existing sanctions mechanism.

AIPAC

It was not an easy year for the Jewish lobby. Attacks came both from the outside (Walt-Mersheimer, Carter) and from within the Jewish community (see What happens when U.S. Jews forward the peace process?). The Rosen-Weissman trial is looming large just across the corner.

Many argued this year that AIPAC's policies aren't as balanced as they should have been. Were they correct? The fact of the matter is that yes, the AIPAC delegates are to the right of mainstream American Jewish community. To some, it is s a troubling fact - but a fact nevertheless. Going through the halls of the Washington convention center, listening to conversations and opinions, and taking note of the many questions the attendees ask the panelists, one can't deny that this is a tough to please crowed. They don't care much for nuances of the peace process and hesitation leading to defeat in wars.

Some will probably think it is a reason to denounce AIPAC, but you can also argue that it is a reason to ask: Why weren't the rest coming? Don't they care enough? I saw AIPAC working of behalf of Israel's security yesterday, but am still waiting to see those complaining get their initiative ready to roll).

Palestinians

Listen carefully to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and to what she might have to say about the new life-saving trend of Middle East policy: the Saudi initiative. As reported in Haaretz 10 days ago (by Aluf Benn), Israel wants to see some changes to the Saudi initiative so that it can serve as an agreed basis for the renewal of the diplomatic process. Today, he reported that the Bush administration is holding separate talks with Israel and Saudi Arabia before the Arab League summit in Riyadh late this month. It is a significant development - one that might be the leading subject of discussion in the months to come.

Peretz

Livni will speak today publicly, but her colleague, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, will not. He will meet only a small group of senior AIPAC skeptics, ready to be polite but well aware that his days in the Defense Ministry are probably numbered. Not only these insiders know this, but the rest of the world does as well. If you missed this nugget I reported yesterday, here's a rerun: The new U.S. secretary of defense, Bob Gates, wanted to allot only 20 minutes for his meeting this week with Peretz. That is a short meeting for such a high-level parley, particularly given that the use of a simultaneous translator, as requested by Peretz, effectively halves the conversation time. Pentagon officials agreed to extend the duration of the meeting only after Israeli officials explained that such briefness constituted a slap in Peretz's face.