View a three minute video here that shows the amount of foreign aid given to the state of Israel over the past six decades. Yet, over the past four decades all U.S. Presidents have stated their opposition to Israel building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (and Gaza until 2005). However, none of these Presidents have enforced their verbal criticisms with actions that carried consequences to Israel for failing to comply with their forceful statements. Not only has military and economic aid continued unabated to Israel, unconditional diplomatic support for Israel in the United Nations has also continued unabated. The U.S. has exercised its veto in the United Nations Security Council. on behalf of Israel, over 40 times since 1972. Although the official policy of the United States has been against Israel building more settlements, the government of Israel has continued to build settlements and at the same time have continued to receive more military and economic aid that any other country in the world as well as unconditional support in the United Nations. Not surprisingly, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has increased from none before the 1967 war to nearly 500,000 today. Read an article in the Washington Post that includes the statements of six U.S. Presidents about settlements juxtaposed against the Israeli settlement populations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (and Gaza until 2005) here.

Even though the United States is expected to be a fair, balanced and impartial mediator between the Israeli government and the Palestinian government, the overwhelming support given to the state of Israel casts doubt on these expectations. Read the comments of Professor Stephen Walt about U.S. foreign policy in his blog from April 2009 here. Consider how his ideas might be applied to U.S. foreign policy. Consider how the piercing and emotionally charged words of a young Palestinian attorney found here might be applied to U.S. foreign policy.

The Obama administration appears to be taking a similar stance on settlements as the previous eight Presidents. However, the speech that President Obama made in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2009 contained the most critical statements toward Israel and the most empathetic statements toward the Palestinians that have been given by a U.S. President. President Obama's speech can be viewed at this URL www.whitehouse.gov/blog/NewBeginning/ and a copy of his speech can be read at this URL www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09.

An op-ed about the daunting task facing President Obama is captured succinctly by David Ignatius in the Washington Post at the following URL: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/03/AR2009060303241.html. His op-ed links to the Foundation for Middle East Peace report on U.S. Government officials statements about Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Territories from 1968 until 2009. This report can be viewed at the following URL: www.fmep.org/analysis/analysis/israeli-settlements-in-the-occupied-territories.

The U.S. Campaign to End The Israel Occupation has a Congressional Report Card that evaluates the members of the U.S. Senate depending on their support for one letter and one Senate Resolution. The detailed ratings for Illinois Senators can be viewed at this URL: www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2103.

Senator Durbin

Senator Durbin received a -1 on the U.S. Campaign Report Card. He was a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 10 entitled "A resolution recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process." The summary details and a link to the Senate Resolution can be found at this URL: www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2103.

Over the years that Senator Durbin has been in the Senate, he has often adopted positions that are similar to AIPAC's. However, Senator Durbin as been a strong supporter of President Obama. To date, he has supported most of Obama's policies. It is likely that he will support Obama's policies on the Middle east.

Additional comments about Senator Durbin's positions on Israeli/Palestinian issues will be added as they become available.

Senator Burris

Senator Burris received a -1 on the U.S. Campaign Report Card. He signed the Dodd letter that was AIPAC initiated. He was not yet seated as the Senator from Illinois when the vote was taken on Senate Resolution 10. The summary details and a link to the Dodd Letter can be found at this URL: www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2103.

Additional comments about Senator Burris's positions on Israeli/Palestinian issues will be added as they become available.

Additional members of Congress from Illinois will be added to the list as we learn of advocacy groups who are talking with their local representative about justice, security, peace and reconciliation in Israel/Palestine.

The U.S. Campaign to End The Israeli Occupation has a Congressional Report Card that evaluates the members of the U.S. House of Representatives depending on their support for three letters and five resolutions. The detailed ratings for Illinois Representatives can be viewed as this URL: www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2103.

Representative Jan Schakowsky (District 9)

Representative Schakowsky received a -1 score on the U.S. Campaign Congressional Report Card. She received a -1 for being a cosponsor or voting yes on House Resolution 34 and and a -1 for signing the Hoyer letter. She received a +1 for being a cosponsor of House Resolution 130. Details of these resolutions and the Hoyer letter can be found at the following URL: www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2103.

Representative Schakowsky has been an advocate for human rights and justice. She was co-chair of the Obama for President Campaign and a strong Obama supporter in his run for the Senate in 2004. She is identified as part of the Congressional Progressive Congress. She is a strong supporter of President Obama's Middle East policies. Yet, she was a signatory on the Hoyer letter that was AIPAC inspired if not AIPAC written.

She was selected for a petition endorsement pilot program of the Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy that can be reviewed here. Her letter response to the petition that was signed by 1,060 of her constituents can be viewed, downloaded and printed here. There are over 500 people whose emails are part of a Voter Voices Group to Representative Schakowsky on Israeli/Palestinian issues. Click here to read, print and download a PDF file of the emails that have been sent to this Voter Voices Group.

Additional comments about Representative Schakowsky's positions on Israeli/Palestinian issues will be added as they become available.

Representative Mark Kirk (District 10)

Representative Kirk received a -3 score on the U.S. Campaign Congressional Report Card. He received a -1 for being a cosponsor or yea vote on House Resolution 34, a -1 for being a cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 29 and a-1 for signing the Hoyer letter. Details of these resolutions and the Hoyer letter can be found here.

Representative Kirk is a fervent supporter of Israel. He has championed numerous initiatives that are right out of the AIPAC playbook. Some of his statements include:

"Israel is a fellow democracy under attack from terrorists and the dictators who pay them. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, I dedicate much of my service in the Congress to furthering the U.S.-Israel relationship." [Constituent letter dated Marcy 14, 2008]
"As your representative in Washington, I will continue my work to defend the safety and security of the Jewish State from those who seek her destruction." [Constituent letter March 14, 2008]
"Hamas is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Government of Iran." [Constituent letter dated January 22, 2009]
"The State of Israel is the preeminent democracy in the Middle East, offering total freedoms and liberties to its citizens. Unlike in neighboring countries, all Israelis -- Jews, Christians and Muslims -- enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion." [Constituent letter dated January 22, 2009]
"There can be no moral equivalency between a terrorist organization [Hamas] that targets civilians and a democratically elected government [Israel] that acts to defend them."[Constituent letter dated January 22, 2009]
"UNRWA's [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] culture of welfare terrorism has now allowed a franchise of America's number one target in the Global War on Terror to establish a base of operations inside its camps. U.S. taxpayers should not be funding emerging al-Qaeda training camps in Lebanon and Gaza." [Constituent letter dated May 27, 2008]]
"In May, I authored a letter signed by 70 senior Republican and Democratic members of Congress, urging the President to deploy an early warning radar to Israel that is fully integrated with the U.S. Missile Defense System. . . . This would be the single largest commitment to the defense of Israel in history." [Constituent letter dated October 23, 2008]
"...when President Carter released his book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, I was the first member of Congress to condemn the book from the floor of the the U.S. House of Representatives. Once again, when President Carter announced his intention to meet with Hamas terrorist leader Khaled Meshal, I organized the effort to expose the folly of this visit." [Constituent letter dated May 27, 2008]
"To misquote Shakespeare, something is rotten in Gaza and now it's time to take out the trash." [Kirk comments at a rally in early January 2009 that supported Israel's incursion into Gaza.]

Perhaps one of the reasons that he seems to be using an AIPAC playbook is because of the financial support that he has received from AIPAC. AIPAC contributed $91,200 to his re-election in 2008 (the year's top recipient of election funds from AIPAC] and have invested over $221,000 in his career since he replaced Representative Porter in 2000. He reflects the Moebius Strip mentality that Jon Stewart lambasted back in January of 2009. [View here]

Additional comments about Representative Kirk's positions on Israeli/Palestinian issues will be added as they become available.

Representative Bill Foster (District 14)

Representative Foster received a -2 score on the U.S. Campaign Congressional Report Card. He received a -1 for being a cosponsor or voting yes on House Resolution 34, a +1 for being a cosponsor on House Resolution 130 and a -1 for being a cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 111 and and a -1 for being a cosponsor of the Hoyer letter. Details of these resolutions and the Hoyer letter can be found at the following URL: www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2103.

Additional comments about Representative Foster's positions on Israeli/Palestinian issues will be added as they become available.