Jeff Fisher

U.S. Congress

 

I have not walked the streets of Jerusalem or Tele Aviv, relaxed after a hard day in Eilat, climbed Massada, worked on a Moshav, floated in the Dead Sea, prayed at the Western Wall or walked through the Roman Aqueducts under the Old city of Jerusalem; however my wife did for six weeks during the Summer of 1982. During the next 20 years I have grown attached to Israel and the Middle East through my wife's eyes and wisdom from the people that God has placed in my path. I have a greater and deeper appreciation for the historic relationship between Israel and the United States.

Since 1985, I have been affiliated with a group of Jews, Muslims and Christians that visit Israel, Mecca and the Vatican as a part of a joint humanitarian mission to facilitate a better understanding of the Children of the Book and Israel. I look forward as a U.S. Congressman to one day do the following: Visit the birthplace of Christianity; Participate in the ancient traditional Shabbat services on the steps of the old Temple; Enter the golden Dome of the Rock and pray knowing that my actions have created peace and serenity within the old city. My belief is to continue and strengthen the friendship between the United States, Israel and Palestine. My goal is to incorporate into the world community a Palestinian State that is democratic and unbiased to all its neighbors including Israel.

Since 1948, the United States has maintained a close partnership with the state of Israel based on our shared values of peace, security, freedom, democracy and human rights. Throughout the decades, the relationship has endured the cataclysmic effects of war and terrorism. However, The relationship between Israel and the United States since 2001 has been undergoing a weakening of support due to A Roadmap that George Bush endorsed that was meant for failure. I am proposing a new roadmap that will guarantee peace in the Middle East that has the support of Democrats, Christians, Muslims and Jews in District 16 and throughout the United States and the Middle East. To have a strong foreign policy the United States must again become the bedrock for a stable, strong and vibrant relationship with Israel and Palestine. After I am elected to the United States Congress, I will be a staunch supporter of a U.S.-Israeli relationship with the goal of working towards building a cohesive relationship with Palestine.

Jeff Fisher's statements regarding:

Value System
Promoting Democracy
Strategic Relationship
Foreign Aid
Jerusalem
Attaining the Goal of Peace within the Region
Proliferation
Economic Development

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The Fisher Road Map to Peace

Peace Process

Since Israel inception to the world community, Israel has come to the negotiating table in good faith to achieve a lasting peace with its neighbors. Israel as well as the future State of Palestine deserves to have the right to live in peace and for their citizens to live in freedom from terrorism.

I am a strong supporter of the Middle East Peace Process, however I cannot back the present Road Map that President Bush has endorsed because it is destined for failure. President Clinton and President Carter had better vision regarding a true and honest peace agreement for all of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East.

The interests of Israel in the present Road Map are smoke and mirrors for the Israeli's and the Palestinians alike. I have been spending my time with multiple religious groups and have come up with a road map that will succeed. It is my hope, belief, dream and goal that my efforts will lead to a secure Israel and a Palestinian state.

I believe that the Quartet has left out of the peace process to many important elements.

The missing elements lead to questions for Israel, the United States and the Palestinian Authority.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak pointed to 1967 as the crucial mistake, when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza (and Sinai and the Golan Heights) and, instead of agreeing to immediate withdrawal from all the territories, save East Jerusalem, in exchange for peace, began to settle them. Barak made this remark because he recalled seeing David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founder and first prime minister (1948-1953 and 1955- 1963), on television in June 1967 arguing for the immediate withdrawal from all the territories occupied in the Six- Day War in exchange for peace, save for East Jerusalem. The United States heard these comments and ignored the opportunity to create a working relationship since the 67 War. Today one understands that David Ben-Gurion simply saw more clearly and farther than the leadership at that time.

Ehud Barak came into office vowing to leave no possibility unexplored in the quest for peace and departed from office seeking a renewed mandate to complete the talks begun at Taba. Former President William Jefferson Clinton guided and supported the peace process to that level for the United States until the backlash took place in reference to the intifada that has been ongoing since Ariel Sharon's political visit to the Temple Mount in 2000. The first goal set by Ehud Barak stating the need to aim for a comprehensive settlement must get back on track. The Palestinian Authority, President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon must sit down and start talking instead of doing a lot of political posturing.

In 1978 at Camp David the leaders of Israel, the United States and the Palestinian people did not wait for a consensus [among their people], they decided to lead. In 2000 the consensus among the people was for a peace agreement that answered many questions but left many others ignored. Whether there was a planned intifada, or just a political visit to the Temple Mount by Ariel Sharon does not matter anymore. The people of the United States, Israel, the Palestinians and the world community are demanding that the peace talks resume and violence from all sides cease to exist. Both sides have made grave mistakes and it is the time to set your differences aside and remember that you are only destroying your own families by continuing to ignore that these are your brothers and sisters. The land of Palestine and the State of Israel are not about Islam, Christianity or Judaism; the area is about one faith-the belief in one God.

Anwar Sadat was statesman and a man of peace yet he remained an enemy to many for his religious and political beliefs. Anwar proved this with President Carter at the Camp David Accords that peace can overcome hatred. Yasir Arafat is a terrorist/freedom fighter/ leader who did work with the Clinton Administration until September of 2000. Yasir Arafat made a grave mistake by turning down the concessions that Israel laid out in 2000. By doing so Yasir Arafat is the main individual who is accountable for the non-establishment of the Palestinian State but the Israeli government and the United States government have a moral responsibility when they either engaged in fighting violence without trying to act in diplomatic fashion or just retaliating against individuals who in the majority were innocent from the proponents of the suicide attracts.

I would like to personally ask Yasir Arafat some important questions. The first questions would be; what do you want to ensure peace for both nations? The second question to follow would be; what safety measures would you like in the roadmap for the protection of the Palestinian people and the citizens of Israel? The third question would be, do you want lasting peace for the people and for the region?

These questions are needed for the peace process to begin on a proper footing. This administrations unwillingness to speak to all parties involved only fosters more hatred toward the United States and Israel.

Yasir Arafat has the chance as a leader to end the violence by stopping and supporting an end to all terrorist activities against any nation including Israel. I will work with a peace process that lets him be involved or another capable individual from the Palestinian Authority who will represent the people of Palestine in a fair and unbiased manner.

I will not let the area become destabilized by the continuance of killings to innocent civilians and military personnel. Peace can be achieved through diplomatic channels.

The government infrastructure for the Palestinian state must be Democratic to insure that the people's best interests are in order to achieve economic progress that will provide jobs and hope. I will support economic relief for the State of Palestine for economic and humanitarian care during the peace process, as well as after they become an official country. I will not endorse any military aid for the state of Palestine due to the fact peace among the neighboring nations is the first priority for the primary interests for the United States, Israel and Palestine. The removal of state-sponsored terrorism must take place by Yasir Arafat so it may lead to nationhood and peace within the region.

I cannot praise Prime Minister Sharon's acceptance of the Road Map as a starting point for peace in the region due to his meetings prior to the beginning of the Intifada with members of the Bush Election team in July 2000. Instead I ask humbly for the Prime Minister to look at the road map with open eyes and realize that President Bush did not have Israel's, the Palestinian's or the United States best interest at heart.

To Prime Minister Sharon and Yasir Arafat I am asking each of you to try in a peaceful manner to end the violence and confrontation that have been ongoing since 1948. It is time to include our neighbors, like and foe so honest and responsible negotiations may begin where compromise and order can be accepted from all parties.

Israel must remain and Palestine must become an independent, viable, sovereign and democratic state to ensure peace in the Middle East. It is time to have the United States, Israel and Palestine stand side-by-side promoting the democratic principle of equality for all. I will as a congressman put forth my efforts into translating this vision into reality.

I am asking Prime Minister Sharon to take the needed actions to reverse the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza, which is making life miserable for ordinary Palestinians and fueling extremism. The United States needs to send humanitarian aid to the region for the sole purpose of humanitarian access for the people of the region and to provide security for the humanitarian personnel.

I promise as a U.S. Congressman to be fully involved and aware of the Middle East Peace Process so it becomes a reality in the next twenty years. Peace is a long process that can be achieved openly and honestly for the People of Israel, Palestine, the United States and all nations throughout the Middle East. The Bush roadmap was setup to fail because of its more than likely impossible timetable. It is time for all governments to discard the present roadmap and agree to a cease-fire until the Fisher Peace Plan can be enacted in 2005.

Why the Road Map needs to be fixed

The present roadmap needs to address in a democratic fashion certain inalienable rights for the Palestinian people. These rights need to address succinctly so the process is smooth and non-violent.

1. The inalienable right to their land
2. The inalienable right to peace
3. The inalienable right to justice
4. The inalienable right to live in equality with all people currently in the region

To make the roadmap workable it is necessary to amend it as follows:

1. To provide a clearly defined solution to the problem of the Palestinian refugees.
2. To define the final frontiers of the proposed Palestinian State.
3. To state clearly that the "deportations, attacks on civilians; confiscation and/or demolition of Palestinian homes and property, as a punitive measure or to facilitate Israeli construction; destruction of Palestinian institutions and infrastructure" by the Israelis not only be stopped, but that the consequences of these acts carried out up to the time of their cessation be rectified.
4. To add a provision for release of all the Palestinian prisoners held by the Israelis.
5. To provide a clearly defined solution to the problem of East Jerusalem, and of the religious sites.
6. To define the practical concrete steps to be taken by the parties to implement the above solutions.
7. To set realistic time scales for the implementation of the above steps.
8. To establish, or appoint, a body responsible for implementation of the steps of the roadmap. This body should have sufficient means to be able to force the parties to comply with the provisions of the roadmap.

As a Congressman I will propose a roadmap that uses many principles that were agreed upon by Prime Minister Ehad Baruk and President Clinton in 2000. The road map needs to address four areas that the Quartet left vague or didn't address at all.

The concept of "land for peace" has been the cornerstone of all efforts to negotiate an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict since the 1967 Six Day War. It is the only option. Therefore:

1. Israel should give up Gaza and almost all of the West Bank to the Palestinians in exchange
for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

2. The Palestinians and other Arab countries should at the same time formally end their claims on
The Jewish state and normalize ties.

3. Israel and the Palestinians should swap equal amounts of territory, allowing a majority of Israeli settlers in the West Bank to be brought under Israeli sovereignty (mainly in the large Gush Etzion,
Malle Adumin and Areil communities).

4. The Arab-Israeli communities inside Israel near the border of Palestine could chose to be included
in the new Palestinians state.

5. The Israeli government must allow access to the people of Palestine full water rights that are underground within the proposed boundaries and they must share their water resources that lie within a 10 mile radius within the Israeli border for 20 years with the Palestinians so they may survive and become a leading example for the region and the world that they are a viable and stable democratic state. The United Nations will oversee this and maintain the security so both nations can promote democracy for the next 20 years.

Jerusalem