Under the leadership of Josh Paul and Tariq Habash, a coalition of Americans is ushering in a new chapter for US politics and policy on Israel/Palestine.. A New Policy will work to align our foreign policy with American values of equality, justice, human rights and freedom for all
Washington, DC , 16 Oct— Former U.S. Government officials Josh Paul and Tariq Habash, who resigned from government positions over fundamental disagreements with US policy on Israel/Palestine, announce the launch of A New Policy and A New Policy PAC to represent the majority of Americans who seek change in American policy towards the Middle East.
Leading with American values of governing with fairness and an equal application of the law, A New Policy seeks to build a powerful and diverse American political movement to forge new US policy toward Israel and Palestine and support elected officials whose positions align with these fundamental American values.
A New Policy also announces the addition of two distinguished names to its incoming board of directors: former US Ambassador to Syria and Algeria Robert Ford and corporate executive Jaleh Bisharat. Further board members, representing a broad cross-section of American society and leadership, will be announced.
“The past year has shown us just how deeply damaging our policy in the Middle East is – to the region, and to America,” said Josh Paul, a former Director in the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. “We’ve spent billions of taxpayer dollars while sacrificing national interests and global credibility, the safety of all people in the region has
been compromised while Palestinians, in Gaza in particular, endure immeasurable suffering, and now we’re on the brink of a regional war. More than a policy problem, we have a political problem and until we address the politics, we won’t make significant headway on the policy issues. A New Policy recognises this dynamic, and is designed to address it head-on.”
A New Policy is unique as it focuses on relationship-driven, policy-oriented lobbying, while its partner organisation, A New Policy PAC, will direct financial support to political campaigns. The organisations’ singular focus will be on foreign and domestic policy towards Israel/Palestine, including bolstering civil rights protections in the US. to enable continued debate. A New Policy is not affiliated with any specific political, ethnic or religious identities; as such, it can provide a broad platform through which Americans across all political parties can engage and make their voices heard.
No American complicity in this humanitarian catastrophe
“This past year has brought unimaginable pain and suffering to Palestinians in Gaza. For decades, elected officials have compromised American interests in favour of funding Israel’s continued oppression of Palestinians.” commented Tariq Habash, former Policy Adviser and Political Appointee in the Department of Education’s Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. “American voters are clear: they do not want to be complicit in this humanitarian catastrophe and a majority want an end to the transfer of lethal weapons that are used to kill Palestinian civilians. Elected officials have not kept up with the sea change in public opinion and A New Policy will work to close this gap.”
A New Policy believes that US policy toward Israel and Palestine should:
- Advance American National Security and Foreign Policy Interests in the Middle East, and should contribute to peace and prosperity for all
- Reflect American Values in our policy towards the Middle East, including freedom, equality, and human rights, and should enhance the health, security, welfare, and prosperity of all
- Comply with American and International Law, including laws, regulations and policies governing the transfer of arms equally to all countries in the Middle East, including
In pursuit of a just peace, A New Policy supports Palestinian freedom, equality and human rights, and believes in the Palestinian right to self-determination. A New Policy also supports an end to all forms of US support for illegal settlements and that fundamental to the right of Palestinian freedom is an end to Israel’s occupation. Moreover, the US should ensure its role in any diplomatic or state-building process does not create incentives for the use of violence.
A New Policy believes that the our government should equally apply our laws that restrict
US assistance and arms transfers to countries and units that violate human rights; and, when they occur within those restrictions, A New Policy will push to condition arms transfers on Israeli compliance with human rights laws, as well as use the leverage provided by our security assistance to achieve progress towards a just and lasting peace.
Finally, A New Policy will work to oppose the enactment of laws or issuance of policies that run counter to American domestic interests. Recent efforts to repress free speech, to prevent accountability and to limit Americans’ abilities to exercise their constitutional freedoms undermine prospects for a lasting peace both here and abroad.