The video and from our 72nd Capitol Hill Conference is now available for on-demand streaming. The discussion, which took place on April 25th, 2013 in the Rayburn House Office Building, tackles the problem of expanding the space in U.S. media for a more frank public debate on U.S. foreign policy toward Israel. A press recap with synopsis is available below. To receive invitations to future events, click here, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. To view our other Capitol Hill Conferences, click here.

April 25, 2013. 9:30am - Noon — Rayburn House Office Building, Room B339/340

Full Transcript





Speakers:

Stephen Walt Professor of International Affairs,

John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Philip Weiss Founder and Co-Editor, Mondoweiss.net

Henry Siegman President, U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP);

Former Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations



Moderator: Omar Kader Chairman of the Board,

Middle East Policy Council

Discussant: Thomas R. Mattair Executive Director,

Middle East Policy Council

PRESS RECAP

Can the Debate on Israel & Palestine Ever Expand?

Broadening Discussion in U.S. Media, Congress and the Jewish Community

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2013 – Panelists at the Middle East Policy Council’s 72nd Capitol Hill Conference titled “The Future of Israel and Palestine: Expanding the Debate,” offered different perspectives on why debate of this topic in the U.S. media and Congress is so narrow and what, if any, strategies exist for broadening it.

The event was part of the Middle East Policy Council’s quarterly Capitol Hill Conference Series where experts convene at the U.S. Capitol to address timely policy debates related to U.S. national interests in the Middle East. The event was live-streamed to a global audience on the Council web site and for the first time through www.youtube/live.

The three distinguished panelists at the event — Stephen Walt (Harvard University Kennedy School of Government), Philip Weiss (Mondoweiss.net) and Henry Siegman (U.S./Middle East Project) — are well-established critics of U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine. In the context of this shared critique, they each targeted different areas of debate, suggesting ways that the topic can be discussed more openly and constructively in the future:

• Stephen Walt blamed the “illegitimate” actions of the Israel lobby for stifling debate by repeatedly labeling critics of Israel as anti-Semitic and isolating them in the realm of politics, academia and the media. Despite the continued effectiveness of this strategy, Dr. Walt sees encouraging signs in the emergence of J Street and the Jewish Voice for Peace, and the confirmation of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel despite efforts to smear him.

• Philip Weiss also expressed cautious optimism that the U.S. media was covering the conflict in a more balanced way. Mr. Weiss emphasized the role of the grassroots in reshaping the discussion in the future, and the need for a “recovery movement” within the American Jewish community in order to move beyond Zionism.

• Henry Siegman described the Middle East peace process as “the biggest scam in U.S. diplomatic history,” and asserted that no Israeli leader since 1967 has seriously considered allowing a state for the Palestinians. In noting that Americans are generally uninformed about the nuances of U.S. foreign policy, he hoped that by exposing the actual lack of shared values between the U.S. and Israel and the growing non-violent calls for Palestinian dignity, the terms of the debate could shift rapidly in the years ahead.

An edited video by speaker, including a full transcript from the event, will be posted in a few days online at www.mepc.org and published in the next issue of our journal Middle East Policy.



Contacts:

In Washington Rebecca Anderson – (202) 296 6767 – RAnderson@mepc.org