Earlier this month Jack Justice published a letter to the editor in the Santa Fe New Mexican digging up old votes by Ben Ray Lujan to try to discredit him with anti-Israel Santa Feans in his race for Senate. This is the second letter against our Congressman, in what may be a concerted effort to defeat his race for senate to replace retiring senator Tom Udall.
SFMEW is a non-partisan organization. We think it is important that individuals, whether Republicans or Democrats, appreciate those legislators who are pro-Israel, whether they are R or D. Ben Ray Lujan’s position has been stellar supporting a strong US-Israel relationship. Further, once you read the correspondence below and understand the issue you’ll recognize that it takes a lot of courage for a Member of Congress to condemn a president of his own party when he takes a wrong turn, especially when he is in the leadership of the House.
Jack Justice from Santa Fe wrote in the New Mexican on June 5 (https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/potholes-aren-t-funny-or-safe/article_e298b642-b323-5457-a2b1-9f44dd4c945e.html):
As Democrats consider the 2020 U.S. Senate race, I hope they remember that in 2017, U.S. Rep.Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., voted in favor of a congressional resolution objecting to the Obama administration’s failure to veto a U.N. resolution criticizing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling them a violation of international law.
Mr. Luján explained his vote by saying: “The special relationship the United States has with Israel means we have a critical role to play in the negotiation of a lasting peace settlement, and we must remain firm in our commitment to the safety and security of Israel.” That makes no sense to me. How would a veto of the Security Council resolution have aided in the pursuit of peace or the security of Israel?
As he runs for the Senate, Mr. Luján should tell us where he now stands with respect to these issues. Does he support the continuing expansion of Israeli settlements? Does he support President Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights?
Here’s Kristina’s rebuttal to Justice’s letter on June 17 (https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/jon-stewart-right-on-responders/article_68d79859-9db3-536c-b606-901351dfddeb.html):
Jack Justice (“Campaign and explain,” Letters to the Editor, June 6), writes that House Resolution 11, supported by Rep. Ben Ray Luján, “makes no sense to” him. Perhaps he did not read the resolution. H.R. 11 condemned U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, because it went against long-standing U.S. policy, which supports a two-state solution negotiated by the parties involved, rather than imposed by the U.N. If Justice had read H.R. 11, he would also have understood that the United Nations resolution endorsed the boycott, divest and sanction mob. BDS harms the people it purports to protect, i.e., Palestinians living on the West Bank. One of its signal “achievements” was the closing of the Soda Stream plant in the West Bank, thus causing 950 Arab employees to lose good jobs. If Justice believes that BDS is the way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East, he is welcome to his fantasy, but his screed against Luján’s firm grasp of reality is meritless.
Yashar koach to Kristina. If you see something that both mis-states a position, or calls into question someone’s integrity, we urge you to write a letter to the editor. At the same time we urge you to get involved politically. Go to candidate fora and see what they say. Counter misinformation or poorly considered answers when it influences the candidate or the audience regarding the facts of the history of Israel, the Jewish state, and the 70+ year conflict that the Arabs have had with Israel.
Further, we urge you to contribute to candidates who have strong Israel positions. Participating in the election process is important to maintaining our strong democracy.
Want to be a political activist? Here’s a note from our Chairman, Halley Faust, writing today from Washington, DC:
I’m emailing you from Washington, D.C. where I’m attending an AIPAC National Council meeting with hundreds of AIPAC leaders. Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill to meet with our Members of Congress and express the importance of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship directly to our elected leaders.
I hope you will join me this spring when I return to Washington, D.C. for the 2020 AIPAC Policy Conference, March 1-3. At the AIPAC Policy Conference – a powerful event showcasing the need for an enduring U.S.- Israel alliance – you can join me and 18,000 other pro-Israel citizen activists from across the United States as we engage our representatives and tell them why we care about America’s relationship with Israel.
Click here to register today and take a $100 discount off the registration price.
I look forward to seeing you at the 2020 AIPAC Policy Conference!
SFMEW is a beneficiary organization of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. Please support the Federation.