{"id":14342,"date":"2022-07-07T15:03:39","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T19:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&#038;p=14342"},"modified":"2022-07-07T15:03:40","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T19:03:40","slug":"haaretz-sen-ossoff-emerging-as-one-of-the-most-significant-voices-in-washington-on-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/haaretz-sen-ossoff-emerging-as-one-of-the-most-significant-voices-in-washington-on-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"Haaretz: Sen. Ossoff \u201cEmerging as One of the Most Significant Voices in Washington on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Haaretz: \u201cNot only has the Georgia senator crafted lasting relationships with Israeli, Palestinian and political, diplomatic and military officials in the region,&nbsp;he has done something arguably even more notable: spearheaded significant bipartisan efforts aimed at pushing conflict resolution and a political settlement forward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Atlanta, Ga.&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has continued to develop strong working relationships with key political, diplomatic, and military figures in the Middle East and launched high-impact policy initiatives focused on the region, including recent bipartisan efforts with Sens.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sens-ossoff-romney-demand-accountability-for-killing-of-american-journalist-in-west-bank\/\">Romney<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sens-ossoff-graham-lead-bipartisan-push-to-sustain-high-level-u-s-engagement-for-peace-and-stability-in-israel-the-west\/\">Graham<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, Israeli daily newspaper&nbsp;<em>Haaretz&nbsp;<\/em>published an extensive report (full text at bottom) on Sen. Ossoff\u2019s efforts toward peace in the Holy Land \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>\u201cA year and a half into his national political career, he is emerging as one of the most significant voices in Washington on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\u201d<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On Sen. Ossoff\u2019s approach to bridging divides both foreign and domestic \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>\u201cNot only has the Georgia senator crafted lasting relationships with Israeli, Palestinian and political, diplomatic and military officials in the region, he has done something arguably even more notable: spearheaded significant bipartisan efforts aimed at pushing conflict resolution and a political settlement forward.\u201d<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Quoting Sen. Ossoff on his approach \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>\u201cFrom the beginning, my approach has been and remains to build really effective working relationships with key leaders on all sides of these issues. That is an undertaking of years \u2026 On that basis, I can be an effective interlocutor at supporting talks between parties who have difficulty talking, and an effective advocate for U.S. interests in the region.\u201d<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On Sen. Ossoff\u2019s Jewish identity \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>\u201cOssoff\u2019s concerns on Israel are personal. He was raised among Holocaust survivors, and his family came to the United States after fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. He was sworn into Congress with the ship\u2019s manifest documenting their arrivals in his jacket pocket, alongside the Tanakh belonging to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild \u2013 the Atlanta rabbi whose congregation was bombed by white supremacists over his support for civil rights in the South.\u201d<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Quoting Sen. Ossoff on his values \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>\u201cI was raised in the political tradition of my mentor, Congressman John Lewis, who always said we all live in one world house. Congressman Lewis taught me to put the equal dignity of every human being at the core of my public life, and now my endeavors in office.\u201d<\/strong><br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Quoting Sen. Ossoff on the stakes \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>\u201cThe festering conflict in the Holy Land is something that saps humanity\u2019s spirit, and we must be working toward a political settlement. That\u2019s not a two-year project \u2013 it may be a 20-year project \u2013 but it\u2019s essential, and something I want to play a supportive role in realizing.\u201d<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Please find the full&nbsp;<\/u><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/us-news\/2022-07-05\/ty-article\/.highlight\/democrats-rising-jewish-star-has-some-advice-for-biden-ahead-of-israel-trip\/00000181-cf30-d982-abb3-efb702620000\"><strong>article<\/strong><\/a><strong><u>&nbsp;<\/u><\/strong><strong><u>text below:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WASHINGTON \u2013 Jon Ossoff generated headlines worldwide after his 2020 electoral victory made him Georgia\u2019s first-ever Jewish senator, the first Jewish senator to be elected from the South since the 1880s and the youngest Democrat elected to the Senate since Joe Biden in 1973. And a year and a half into his national political career, he is emerging as one of the most significant voices in Washington on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat you\u2019ve seen, not just in the last few months, is that when I act, I intend to act in a way that has impact. And when I speak, I intend to speak in a way that has impact,\u201d he says in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only has the Georgia senator crafted lasting relationships with Israeli, Palestinian and political, diplomatic and military officials in the region, he has done something arguably even more notable: spearheaded significant bipartisan efforts aimed at pushing conflict resolution and a political settlement forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI believe that peace is best built on a foundation of trust, and effective leadership toward peace requires the establishment of trusting working relationships with all parties,\u201d says the 35-year-old Atlanta native.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt the same time,\u201d he adds, \u201cI\u2019ve been building very strong partnerships across the aisle \u2013 with colleagues like Sen. [Mitt] Romney and Sen. [Lindsey] Graham \u2013 to pursue the U.S. national interest and support efforts toward peace and stability in the Holy Land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ossoff\u2019s first act of Mideast public leadership was leading 29 senators in calling for an immediate cease-fire to last year\u2019s war between Israel and Hamas. In the 12 months following that call, he has met repeatedly with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Washington, Jerusalem and the West Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom the beginning, my approach has been and remains to build really effective working relationships with key leaders on all sides of these issues. That is an undertaking of years, and it requires frequent conversations that require the establishment of trust,\u201d he says. \u201cOn that basis, I can be an effective interlocutor at supporting talks between parties who have difficulty talking, and an effective advocate for U.S. interests in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of those leaders is Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, with whom Ossoff is on texting terms after the two met during the senator\u2019s September visit to Israel and Lapid\u2019s October visit to Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As President Biden prepares for his Middle East trip next week, Ossoff hopes he uses the visit as an opportunity to bond with Lapid, who will be Israel\u2019s premier at least until the November 1 Knesset election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI encourage the president and his team to clear the time for [him] to sit down with Prime Minister Lapid for several hours, [have] unstructured conversation, to really build a relationship between the president and the prime minister,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ossoff hopes Biden\u2019s visit will \u201clay the foundations for an improvement of conditions in the region, and reduce the probability of a broad outbreak of conflict in the region. I will be, as I am routinely, in close touch with the White House and the State Department as they prepare for the president\u2019s visit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Deeply personal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past several weeks, Ossoff has led two bipartisan letters to the U.S. administration alongside Romney and Graham \u2013 widely considered two of the strongest supporters of Israel in the history of American politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The letter with Romney called on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to ensure justice over the May killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering an Israel Defense Forces operation in Jenin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue is deeply personal to Ossoff, who served as CEO of an investigative journalism production company that probed war crimes (among other topics) for international news organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy background in journalism has deepened my appreciation for the risks that journalists take in pursuit of the truth and in conveying information to the public,\u201d he says. \u201cMuch of the work that I led at my company involved preparation for and management of operations in hostile environments, areas and active armed conflict and high-risk journalism,\u201d he adds, stressing the risks journalists face in conflict zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNot only was a journalist killed in the course of reporting; she was also a U.S. citizen. The U.S. Congress and the U.S. government has a profound obligation to ensure that justice is served for [Abu Akleh]\u2019s death. We cannot accept the killing of an American journalist killed in the course of reporting without accountability,\u201d says Ossoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was speaking to Haaretz prior to the State Department releasing a statement Monday in which it said gunfire from Israeli positions likely killed the journalist, but said a forensic examination of the bullet proved inconclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other issue Ossoff has shone a spotlight on is the pending downgrade of the U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority from the rank of three-star general to that of colonel. Asked why this issue is so important to him, Ossoff says it is key to step back and survey the broader landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile it is possible that significant progress could be made toward peace in the immediate future, a political settlement of the conflict will likely require the formation of stronger and more durable governing coalitions, and stronger and more capable political leaders among the Israelis, the Palestinians and in the United States,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ossoff says he believes the U.S. security coordinator \u201cperforms a vital function\u201d liaising between Israeli and Palestinian security forces, and also \u201csustaining high-level security engagement not just with Israelis and Palestinians, but also with regional governments and NATO partners who are concerned with peace and stability in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He continues: \u201cThis is one of the few positions in the U.S. government that, despite the general paralysis around the political process, specializes in talking to everybody and engaging in tangible and practical ways to reduce the possibility of collapse, armed conflict and widespread violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is an intervention that can have a substantive impact to support efforts toward peace and stability against a political backdrop that right now is very hostile, generally, to such efforts,\u201d Ossoff adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for working with the likes of Romney and Graham, he says he doesn\u2019t \u201cworry about the domestic politics of the issue. I don\u2019t take my cues on foreign policy from one advocacy group or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Deep ties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ossoff\u2019s concerns on Israel are personal. He was raised among Holocaust survivors, and his family came to the United States after fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. He was sworn into Congress with the ship\u2019s manifest documenting their arrivals in his jacket pocket, alongside the Tanakh belonging to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild \u2013 the Atlanta rabbi whose congregation was bombed by white supremacists over his support for civil rights in the South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGrowing up among Holocaust survivors, steeped in my family\u2019s experience and my community\u2019s experience of antisemitism, I care deeply about the safety and security of the Jewish people,\u201d Ossoff says. \u201cI have family who have made aliyah to Israel. My grandfather played in the Maccabiah Games in the 1950s. My family\u2019s ties to Israel are deep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This commitment extends, he says, to helping to build a world where both Israelis and Palestinians can flourish in peace and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was raised in the political tradition of my mentor, Congressman John Lewis, who always said we all live in one world house. [He] taught me to put the equal dignity of every human being at the core of my public life, and now my endeavors in office. That leads me to a place where I care deeply about this part of the world. I\u2019m committed to peacebuilding, and upholding and protecting the dignity and fundamental human rights\u201d of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe festering conflict in the Holy Land is something that saps humanity\u2019s spirit, and we must be working toward a political settlement. That\u2019s not a two-year project \u2013 it may be a 20-year project \u2013 but it\u2019s essential, and something I want to play a supportive role in realizing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"># # #<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Haaretz: \u201cNot only has the Georgia senator crafted lasting relationships with Israeli, Palestinian and political, diplomatic and military officials in the region,&nbsp;he has done something arguably even more notable: spearheaded significant bipartisan efforts aimed at pushing conflict resolution and a political settlement forward.\u201d Atlanta, Ga.&nbsp;\u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has continued to develop strong working [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14342","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/14342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/14342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14344,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/14342\/revisions\/14344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}