The government of Israel, acting through its Consul General here, Asher Naim, has declined to participate in the upcoming conference on the Middle East sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), it was reported today in the Jewish Exponent by staff writer David Gross.
The weekend session, entitled “The New Imperative for Israeli-Palestinian Peace: A Learning and Organizing Conference on the U.S. and the Middle East,” is slated Feb. 11-14 in Chevy Chase Md., a Washington suburb. Featured speakers will be Gen. Matti Peled of the Israel Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and Sabri Jiryis, of the Palestine National Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Naim, in citing his reasons for declining the invitation, stated emphatically that Israel believes the sole purpose of the conference is to provide the PLO a U.S. platform from which to speak. He also described the conference as “one-sided,” adding that “all the cards are stacked against Israel.” The invitation to participate in the conference was contained in a letter from Gail Pressberg, coordinator of Middle East Peace Education Programs for AFSC, to the local consulate. It stated:
“We are conducting this conference in the spirit of bringing a wide range of points of view to the audience. In this spirit, we are committed to having respondents to both Mr. Peled and Mr. Jiryis who can provide a point of view which is consistent with that of the Israeli government. As I mentioned over the telephone, either an official Israeli governmental spokesperson or an Israeli citizen living in this country, whom you recommend, would meet our needs.”
REASONS FOR REFUSING
Naim, after checking with the Israel Consulate in New York and the Israel Embassy in Washington, telephoned Louis W. Schneider, executive secretary of the AFSC. He declined the invitation on behalf of the Israeli government and explained his reasons to Schneider.
Naim, theorized that he, rather than the Israeli Embassy, was contacted by the AFSC because AFSC’s headquarters are in Philadelphia. Moreover, Naim said, he had met several times previously with various AFSC officials in his capacity as consul.
Asked to comment on Israel’s refusal to participate, Ms. Pressberg told the Exponent, “We are absolutely committed to having respondents from the Jewish community to both Peled and Jiryis. While it is true that we have been refused by the Consulate and by a number of individuals we contacted, we will continue trying.
“We fully expect any respondent to represent himself and not any organization to which he might belong,” Ms. Pressberg added. She also pointed out that Jiryis had been invited as an individual, not as a representative of the PLO. Naim noted, however, that Jiryis had been expelled from the U.S. last year for entry with a fraudulent passport. His purpose, the Consul maintained, is to open a Washington office for the PLO.
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