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CAPITOL HILL STRUMPETS OFF TO PROMISED LAND
More US Lawmakers Visiting Israel This Summer
Than Ever Before By JULIE STAHL, Jerusalem Bureau Chief JERUSALEM—More members of the U.S. Congress are visiting Israel this summer than ever have before, said a spokesman for one of the groups organizing the lawmakers' tours. During the month of August alone, more than 10 percent of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives will have visited here, said David Kreizelman, a foreign policy associate in Jerusalem of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC is associated with the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), which sponsors fact-finding trips for many members of Congress. Senators and representatives often take advantage of the summer recess to visit Israel, but "this year is especially big," said Kreizelman. "It's a good way for them to get a handle on the issues," Kreizelman told CNS News. They're not only meeting with leaders, but economists [and they see] the military situation [and] really have a feel for what they're dealing with," he added. Currently, a bi-partisan delegation of lawmakers, led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is visiting Israel. The delegation includes Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), John Sununu (R-N.H.), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Tex.), and Reps. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) and Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.). A delegation of New York Democrats, including Reps. Eliot Engel, Gregory Meeks and Anthony Weiner is also visiting Israel this week. Neither delegation came through AIEF, but two weeks ago, 29 Democratic lawmakers visited Israel for a one-week fact-finding tour. It was the largest group ever to visit at one time. Next week, a delegation of Republican congressmen of similar size will visit Israel through the AIEF, Kreizelman said. At the end of July, U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) also visited Israel with Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL). One Israeli official suggested that perhaps Israel is a popular destination this year because "things are moving forward in Israel" regarding the peace process. He noted that some of the U.S. lawmakers are also combining their trips with stops in Afghanistan and Iraq. There could be a bigger push to come to the Middle East this year because upcoming elections would maker it harder to get away next year, Kreizelman said. But he said he didn't know what part a visit to Israel would play in their campaigns. Some lawmakers don't want their visits publicized, while others express their support for Israel, he added. McCAIN FAVORS SECURITY FENCE Speaking after a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Sen. John McCain said he backed the idea of Israel's security fence. He also said he would oppose penalizing Israel for building the barrier, which Israel says will help stop terrorists from infiltrating. Palestinians object to the barrier, which they say cuts across farmlands and separates Palestinians from their communities. "There are many of us in the Congress who feel the fence is an important contributor to reduction in acts of terror," McCain said. "And it's pretty clear the Oslo Accords failed because they were based on the premise that Palestinians and Israeli could live peacefully together. The fence is an effort to see if Israelis and Palestinians can live peacefully apart, at least for a period of time," he added. Engel, whose delegation met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday, also voiced backing for the security fence.
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