National Campaign Counters ‘Chorus of No,’ Supports Urgent Two-State Resolution of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
WASHINGTON – As Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with President Obama today at the White House, the “Community of Yes” will air a national advertisement in support of bold US leadership in the Middle East to achieve two states.
The ad will kick off the “Community of Yes,” a multi-pronged national campaign that will rally thousands of Americans to raise their voices in support of urgent and immediate action necessary to both secure a Jewish, democratic Israel and ensure a stable Middle East. The campaign will counter the “Chorus of No,” politicians and other public figures who use fear mongering to prop up an untenable status quo as a platform for rejecting efforts to resolve the conflict.
Highlighting growing chaos and violence in the region, including the recent Gaza flotilla tragedy, the ad juxtaposes statements from the “Chorus of No” – Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Rep. Mike Pence, among them – with Obama’s pledge of an unwavering commitment to end the conflict. It concludes, “Say Yes to American leadership. Join the Community of Yes.”
“There is a broad consensus over the outlines of a viable two-state resolution. Yet the vocal opponents of reasonable compromise are growing ever louder – a Chorus of No feeding on fear and insecurity to argue against doing what we know is necessary to end this conflict,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, President of J Street. “This moment is too critical and the stakes are too high to allow further delay.”
The “Community of Yes” will build and engage a broad coalition of Americans from across the faith and political spectrum, on every level from the grassroots to elected federal leadership, who share an urgent concern over the security and future of the state of Israel, the Palestinian people and the Middle East generally without an immediate two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The campaign will feature legislative advocacy, community activism, broadcast and print ads and broader media outreach. A dedicated website, www.communityofyes.org, will track the number of individual actions taken as the campaign unfolds over the coming months.
The “Community of Yes” is a collaborative effort, backed by Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Churches for Middle East Peace, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, Meretz USA, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and YesMEP. It is a project of J Street, the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans.
The ad is available to view on the Community of Yes website here.