[AUPHR recently received this new Position Paper from Steve Novick’s campaign staff – Editor] 

Novick for Senate
The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process Position Paper, April 2008

My father is Jewish and I am a supporter of the state of Israel and its right to security. I am also a believer in the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign, viable state of their own, living side-by-side with Israel in peace.  The United States carries a unique responsibility for seeing a successful conclusion to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and an end to this conflict that has contributed to the suffering of both peoples for decades.

I’ve had the pleasure in my campaign of meeting with many Oregonians who are strong advocates for a Palestinian state and for Israel and the discussions have enriched my perspective on the challenges and opportunities that face us. I’ve found that all sides appreciate my honesty and straightforwardness. I believe that only on that basis can we have a constructive dialogue about what our nation can do to bring about peace between the two peoples.

The Peace Process

Like many Americans, I feel for the suffering of the Palestinian people, and hope for the creation of a Palestinian state that can live next to Israel in peace. It had been my hope that the negotiations launched last November with President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would be the final chapter in the peace process outlined in the Oslo Accords and the Quartet Roadmap. Although I believe that most Israelis and Palestinians are still committed to the peace process, the deteriorating situation in recent months has made progress very difficult.

Although I recognize the concerns of some that with the internal Palestinian conflict between Fatah and Hamas “there is not a partner for peace”, I do not share that view. The United States should continue to urge further negotiations between Abbas’ Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. If we are to bolster the moderate Palestinian leadership and turn the people away from Hamas’ extremism, we cannot afford another collapse of the peace process.

At the same time, given the current levels of violence and the lack of significant progress with peace negotiations, I recognize that the opportunities for a final agreement in the near future are limited. If the current process can be kept intact, I believe that a new Democratic administration in 2009 will offer a real opportunity to bring both sides to the table and to find a lasting solution to this deadly conflict. In the meantime, we should continue to foster dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, ensure commitment to Roadmap obligations by both sides, and encourage all parties not to take steps that would prejudge a final settlement agreement.

— The Barrier in the West Bank. The Israeli government’s continued construction of a barrier in the West Bank, to my mind, is a symptom of the underlying challenges we face with the current state of affairs. The Israelis are correct to want to protect civilians from violent attacks. The Palestinians are correct that, in many places, this creates a substantial impediment to economic development and real personal hardship for many. Neither the existence or non-existence, nor the precise nature of the barrier, will end the use of violence by Palestinian groups or remedy the economic challenges facing the Palestinian territories; only a successful peace process can achieve that. Although I fully respect the desire of Israel to protect her people, I would publicly urge them not to use the installation and its construction in parts of the West Bank to prejudge the territorial negotiations of the peace process. (In other words, the barrier should not be assumed to be an outline of final borders still to be negotiated.)

— Settlement Construction. New Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories will only complicate achieving a final peace agreement and undermine moderate Palestinian leadership. I believe that as a friend of Israel, the United States should urge the Israeli government to freeze all settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as the physical expansion of existing settlements, in accordance with Israel’s commitments to the U.S.-backed Roadmap to Peace.

The West Bank & Fatah

I believe that President Abbas can be a credible partner for peace,
though it is vital that he have the support of the Palestinian people
if he is to act as that partner. The success of Hamas in the 2006
election and the ensuing intra-Palestinian conflict shows us the danger
of the Palestinians losing faith in the peace process and turning
towards extremist leaders. Until Abbas can restore order in the West
Bank and restore the faith of the Palestinian people in the peace
process, we know that progress will be limited. I support efforts to
assist Abbas as he works to reestablish law and order, as well as lay
the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous Palestinian state. U.S.
assistance to build legal institutions within the Palestinian Authority
and rebuild the local economy is a good investment and must be
continued.

Gaza & Hamas

I do not see how there can be a single, unified  Palestinian state as
long as Hamas remains in control of Gaza, and committed to terrorism
and the elimination of Israel.  The United States should continue to
join Israel in isolating Hamas and making clear that until they reject
violence and accept the right of Israel to exist there can be no formal
negotiations.

At the same time, it is important that we encourage the Palestinian
people – particularly those in the Gaza – to reject the extremism of
Hamas. Israel must provide the Palestinians in Gaza with fuel,
electricity, water, medical services, food and medicine, as the
escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza only increases popular support
for extremism.  I realize that it might not seem “fair” to many
Israelis to provide services to people who are firing rockets at them.
But most Palestinians in Gaza are not firing rockets. I believe it is
in Israel’s best interests to err on the side of providing humanitarian
aid. The people of Gaza remain among those most critical and skeptical
of Israeli promises for peace. Unless we can convince them that there
is a path to peace through rejecting violence and reconciling the
government in the West Bank, the prospects for building a stable,
secure Palestinian state appear remote.