The Washington JCRC retracted an action alert urging constituents to back a U.S. Senate resolution arguing for a more assertive U.S. posture in bringing about peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
“This document was distributed without the approval of either our professional or lay leadership, and therefore is not the authorized position of our agency,” said a statement Wednesday by Ronald Halber, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s executive director. “We apologize for any misunderstanding or inconvenience this may have caused.”
Halber would not elaborate.
The JCRC alert Tuesday backed a resolution by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) that “calls on President Bush to pursue a robust diplomatic effort to engage the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, begin negotiations, and make a 2-state settlement a top priority” and “urges President Bush to consider appointing as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace an individual who has held cabinet rank or someone equally qualified.”
The JCRC alert was unusual because mainstream pro-Israel groups have shied away from pressing the Bush administration to increase its peace-brokering profile. Such appeals have come mostly from dovish groups like Americans for Peace Now.
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