J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement following today’s House Appropriations Committee markup of the FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Bill:
J Street applauds the House Appropriations Committee for fully funding the President’s request for aid for Gaza and the Palestinians and for allowing that aid to go to a possible Palestinian unity government. J Street, along with sixty-nine percent of American Jews, believes that the United States should work with a unity government that reconciles the various factions in Palestinian society.
We are pleased that the Obama administration requested flexibility to achieve this goal and that Congress is poised to grant it. We are also pleased that other major Jewish organizations are joining J Street in claiming victory in the passage of a bill that provides much needed aid for Gaza and the Palestinians. This marks an important shift in the political winds in Washington.
The Committee’s action today is a small but important step toward President Obama’s vision of a comprehensive, negotiated regional resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. We look forward to quick passage of this bill next week by the full House and to the President’s continued active leadership in bringing about a two-state solution and peace and security in the Middle East.