Who did not sign the Hoyt-Cantor Letter?

Save this for November. It is a list of congresspersons who did not sign the Hoyt-Cantor letter in support of Israel. It is a fairly moderate letter in fact and just calls attention to the need to maintain the alliance between the United States and Israel. But about 100 congresspersons did not sign it. Whatever your political beliefs or positions about Israel, this should be of interest to you.

Is your congressperson on this list? Isn't it interesting that Nancy Pelosi did not sign it, for example?

 

Congressman Brian Baird, who wants the US to break the Gaza blockade, is not on the list, which makes me suspect the list may not be quite accurate. Charles Boustany is not on the list either, and that's a bit suspicious.

 

James Moran, who is on the list, will be remembered as the fellow who said the Jews were responsible for the Iraq war.

 

 

Rep. Charles Boustany (R, LA-07), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D, OR-03) ,Rep. Michael Capuano (D, MA-8), Rep. Lois Capps (D, CA-23), Rep. Russ Carnahan (D, MO-3), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D, VA-11), Rep. Jim Cooper (D, TN-5), Rep. Susan Davis (D, CA-53), Sen. Russ Feingold (D, WI) - Senate, Rep. Bob Filner (D, CA-51), Rep. Barney Frank (D, MA-4), Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D, TX-20), Rep. Deborah Halvorson (D, IL-11), Rep. Jim Himes (D, CT-4), Rep. Rush Holt (D, NJ-12), Rep. Mike Honda (D, CA-15), Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D, OH-15), Rep. Hank Johnson (D, GA-4), Rep. Ron Kind (D, WI-3), Rep. Dan Maffei (D, NY-25), Rep. Jim McGovern (D, MA-3), Rep. Scott Murphy (D, NY-20), Rep. Donald Payne (D, NJ-10), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D, ME-1), Steve Pougnet (D, CA-45), Rep. David Price (D, NC-4), Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D, IL-9)

Either there are some errors in the list, or congresspersons who get bribed do not always stay bribed. J Street endorsees who did sign the letter are shown in red and marked #.

I do not know who prepared the list below and cannot vouch for its accuracy.

 

Ami  Isseroff

 April 1, 2010

 

Republican names below show up bolded [and asterisked - A.I.]. All others are Democrats. [Endorsees of J Street shown in red and with # - A.I.]

                                    Did Not Sign Hoyer-Cantor Letter                                                                             

Abercrombie, Neil		Hinojosa, Ruben		Paul, Ron*
Becerra, Xavier		Hirono, Mazie K.		Payne, Donald M.#
Berry, Marion		Inslee, Jay#		Pelosi, Nancy
Bishop, Timothy		Issa, Darrell*		Perriello, Tom#
Boucher, Rick		Jackson Lee, Sheila		Peterson, Collin C.
Butterfield, G.K.		Johnson, Eddie Bernice		Petri, Thomas*
Buyer, Steve*		Jones, Walter B.*		Polis, Jared#
Capps, Lois		Kanjorski, Paul E.		Pomeroy, Earl
Capuano, Michael E.		Kaptur, Marcy		Rahall, Nick
Carson, Andre		Kennedy, Patrick		Rangel, Charles B.#
Clay Jr., William "Lacy"		Kildee, Dale		Rush, Bobby L.
Cleaver, Emanuel		Kilpatrick, Carolyn		Ryan, Tim
Cohen, Steve		Kucinich, Dennis J.		Serrano, JoseE.
Conyers Jr., John		Larsen, Rick		Sestak, Joe
Costello, Jerry		Larson, John B.		Shea-Porter, Carol
Cuellar, Henry		Lee, Barbara		Slaughter, Louise
Dahlkemper, Kathy		Loebsack, David		Smith, Adam
Davis, Danny K.		Lofgren, Zoe		Snyder, Vic
DeFazio, Peter		Markey, Betsy#		Tanner, John
DeGette, Diana		Markey, Ed		Taylor, Gene
Delahunt, William#		Massa, Eric J. J.		Thompson, Bennie G.
DeLauro, Rosa L.		McCollum, Betty#		Thompson, Mike
Dicks, Norman D.		McDermott, Jim		Tierney, John
Dingell, John		Meeks, Gregory W.		VanHollen, Chris
Doggett, Lloyd		Miller, George#		Walz, Timothy J.
Edwards, Donna F.#		Mollohan, Alan B.		Waters, Maxine
Ehlers, Vernon J.*		Moore, Gwen		Watson, Diane E.
Ellison, Keith#		Moran, Jim		Watt, Mel
Eshoo, Anna G.		Murphy, Christopher S.#		Welch Peter#
Farr, Sam		Neal, Richard E.		Whitfield, Ed*
Fortenberry, Jeff*		Obey, David R.		Wilson, Charles A.
Grijalva, Raul		Olver, John		Woolsey, Lynn
Gutierrez, Luis		Ortiz, Solomon P.		Wu, David
Hinchey, Maurice#		Pastor, Ed		Yarmuth, John A.#

   

327 Representatives were signatories to the letter.

102 were non-signers: 94 were Democrats and 8 were Republican.

Dear Secretary Clinton:
 

We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to the unbreakable bond that exists between our country and the State of Israel and to express to you our deep concern over recent tension. In every important relationship, there will be occasional misunderstandings and conflicts. The announcement during Vice President Biden's visit was, as Israel's Prime Minister said in an apology to the United States, "a regrettable incident that was done in all innocence and was hurtful, and which certainly should not have occurred." We are reassured that Prime Minister Netanyahu's commitment to put in place new procedures will ensure that such surprises, however unintended, will not recur.

The United States and Israel are close allies whose people share a deep and abiding friendship based on a shared commitment to core values including democracy, human rights and freedom of the press and religion. Our two countries are partners in the fight against terrorism and share an important strategic relationship. A strong Israel is an asset to the national security of the United States and brings stability to the Middle East. We are concerned that the highly publicized tensions in the relationship will not advance the interests the U.S. and Israel share. Above all, we must remain focused on the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear weapons program to Middle East peace and stability.

From the moment of Israel's creation, successive U.S. administrations have appreciated the special bond between the U.S. and Israel. For decades, strong, bipartisan Congressional support for Israel, including security assistance and other important measures, have been eloquent testimony to our commitment to Israel's security, which remains unswerving. It is the very strength of this relationship that has, in fact, made Arab-Israeli peace agreements possible, both because it convinced those who sought Israel's destruction to abandon any such hope and because it gave successive Israeli governments the confidence to take calculated risks for peace.

In its declaration of independence 62 years ago, Israel declared: "We extend our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land." In the decades since, despite constantly having to defend itself from attack, Israel has repeatedly made good on that pledge by offering to undertake painful risks to reach peace with its neighbors.

Our valuable bilateral relationship with Israel needs and deserves constant reinforcement. As the Vice-President said during his recent visit to Israel: "Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the U.S. and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space." Steadfast American backing has helped lead to Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. And American involvement continues to be critical to the effort to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

We recognize that, despite the extraordinary closeness between our country and Israel, there will be differences over issues both large and small. Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits longstanding strategic allies. We hope and expect that, with mutual effort and good faith, the United States and Israel will move beyond this disruption quickly, to the lasting benefit of both nations. We believe, as President Obama said, that "Israel's security is paramount" in our Middle East policy and that "it is in U.S. national security interests to assure that Israel's security as an independent Jewish state is maintained." In that spirit, we look forward to working with you to achieve the common objectives of the U.S. and Israel, especially regional security and peace.


Sincerely,

STENY HOYER
Majority Leader

ERIC CANTOR
Republican Whip

HOWARD L. BERMAN
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN
Ranking Republican Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs

GARY ACKERMAN
Chairman, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia

DAN BURTON
Ranking Republican Member, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia