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‘We Want Peace with Israel,’ Declare Hundreds of Iraqi ‘Civil Peacemakers,’ RevealingPopular Support for Abraham Accords

Four-minute read:

• Background

• Talking Points

• Actions to Consider

• Stories to Watch

• In Other News 

• Term of the Week

• Suggested Social Media Posts

Background:

At great personal risk, more than 300 Iraqi civil society leaders – from former military commanders to religious leaders, Sunni to Shi’ite tribal chiefs, and youth activists to college professors

– demanded their country join the Abraham Accords, the landmark peace agreement between Israel and multiple Arab states. The conference in Iraq’s Kurdistan region – the first initiative of its kind – drew attendees from six Iraqi provinces, as well as a former official from the United Arab Emirates and the son of former Israeli president Shimon Peres.

“We want peace with Israel….We demand our integration into the Abraham Accords,” declared an Iraqi Culture Ministry official. “We demand full diplomatic relations with…Israel…and a new policy of normalization based on people-to-people relations with the citizens of that country,” asserted the commander of Sunni militias aligned with the U.S. to fight al-Qaedaand ISIS. “Israel extends its hand back in peace,” proclaimed Israeli Prime Minister Bennett. “The U.S. [has] a responsibility to support…those who will fight for themselves and embody the…values Americans believe in,” said the former Middle East diplomat for Presidents Clinton and Obama, Amb. Dennis Ross – who serves on the board of the American nonprofit thatorganized the event.

Iraq criminalizes maintaining contact with Israelis, and the Iraqi government declared the conference “illegal.” It issued arrestwarrants for the officials who spoke and threatened to arrest all 312

attendees once their identities were learned. Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias issued death threats, and officials inside Iran criticized the event. The militia commander claimed he was duped into writing his speech and a prominent WSJ op-ed, disowning both. The event organizer provided crucial background of threats made to the commander’s family that explainthe context of his retractions.

Despite these facts, no major human rights organizations issued statements demanding protection for conference attendees, and mainstream media chose to omit context explaining the commander’s retractions.

Talking Points:

1. Why are human rights groups silent on the persecution of Arabs demanding peace with Jews?

More than 300 brave Iraqis are facing death threats, arrest warrants and the loss of jobs because they took a risky public stance pressing their government to make peace with Israel. Yet major human rights groups, such as AmnestyInternational and Human Rights

Watch haven’t said a peep about it. It isn’t that Iraq isn’t on HRW’s radar – the organization has tweeted more than four dozen times the last month about upcoming Iraqi elections. But it has nothing to say about protectingcourageous Iraqis not only demanding peace with Israel

– but also pushing the cause of freedom of expression for all Iraqis. Why no indignation and outrage at the silencing of these voices for peace?

2. Middle Eastern nations face a clear choice: peace and prosperity vs. conflict and despair.

Peace offers them economic development; scientific advancement; food, water and health security; and the betterment of people’s lives. The UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco are shining examples. Conflict cloaked as ‘resistance’ continues failed policies of the past – and a future of poverty, hopelessness and the sacrifice of people’s needs. Look no further than Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Yemen. The Dubai Exporecently debuted an Israeli pavilion, EgyptAir flew to Tel Aviv for the first time since the 1980s, Bahrain inaugurated its Israeli embassy, and Jordanians credited Israeli training with preparing their healthcare system for Covid-19. Meanwhile, the P.A. demanded the cancellation of funding for the descendants of Palestinian refugees – becausethe

financing stipulated that money could not go to anyone affiliated with terror groups. And President Abbas began his recent U.N. speech by calling Israel’s reestablishment in 1948 “a catastrophe.”

3. Peace with Palestinians and other Arab peoples is not binary.

“The peace project that we are adopting does not contradict the interests of the Palestinian people,” said the Iraqi conference keynote speaker. “On the contrary, we see peace as the best and only way to empower the Palestinian people in building state institutions and providing better opportunities for future generations.” It is not too late for Palestinian leadership to return to the negotiating table – instead of denying their people a hopeful and prosperous future. Comprehensive peace proposals were presented to Palestinian leadership three times in the past – once by the United Nations (1947) and twice by Israel (2000, 2008). All three times, Palestinian leadershiprejected them, punishing their own

people, while Israel said yes. Palestinian rejection – anchored in refusal to accept the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state – remains the primary obstacle to peace.

4. Iraq once benefitted from the vibrant, deep history with its Jewish community.

 Iraq had one of the earliest and largest Jewish communities, dating to the first Jewish exile from Jerusalem by Babylonia in 586 B.C.E. During the sixth and seventh centuries C.E., the world’s most prominent Jewish scholars lived there. When Iraq became an independent state in the 20th century, heavily educated Jews played a vital role developing its judicial, financial and postal systems. One third of Baghdad’s population was Jewish. In 1941 aviolent pogrom known as the Farhud led to the murder of 180 Baghdadi Jews and looting more than 1,500 Jewish stores and homes. Within 10 years, more than 124,000 Iraqi Jews would be forcibly displaced – assets frozen or seized – finding refuge in Israel. They were part of the estimated 856,000 Middle Eastern Jews who were expelled or fled under duress from Arab countries immediately after Israel declared its independence in 1948. During the Iraq War in 2003, the U.S. Army discovered a priceless trove of more than 2,700 Jewish books and Torah scrolls and tens of thousands of Jewish documents detailing the 2,600-year-old Iraqi Jewish community. The Iraqi JewishArchive now resides in the U.S., though

Iraq periodically asks the U.S. for their return. Descendants of Iraqi Jews living in the U.S. and Israel vehemently oppose this.

Actions to consider:

1. Urge congress to pass the Israel Normalization Act of 2021. The bipartisan legislation coordinates policy between the Departments of State and Defense and USAID to strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords. Among its provisions is a requirement that the State Dept. report the status of anti-normalization laws in majority-Arab countries. These links help you identify and contact your senators andrepresentatives.

2. Advocate for peace between Israel and more of its neighboring Arab states – in the form of activism, prayer,donations or another
3. In marking the anniversary of the Abraham Accords last month, S. Secretary of

State Blinken declared: “We want to widen the circle of peaceful diplomacy, because it’s in the interests of countries across the region…for Israel to be treated like any other country.” Encourage Secretary Blinken, President Biden and others in the administration to condemn anti-normalization laws and more vigorously promote peace betweenArab states and Israel.

4. Engage human rights organizations about more visibly supporting the normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel. Point out to your audience that the anti-Israel boycott movement recently updated its criteria to advocate boycotts against anyone involved with normalizing ties with Israel and that the radical anti-Israel groupJewish Voice for

Peace condemned the recent peace agreements.

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Stories to watch:

1. Iron Dome funding: The New York Times’ coverage included antisemitic tropes, which U.S. Ritchie Torrescondemned as “casual antisemitism. ”The Times stealth edited it later. Rep. Thomas Massie criticized AIPAC of “foreign interference in our elections” after it denounced him for voting against the funding – even though the ‘A’ in AIPAC stands for ‘American.’ The New Zionist Congress condemned Massie. Sarah Silverman denounced thesquad over their Iron Dome position: “People only really like Jews if they’re suffering.”

2. Iran: The Islamic Republic of Iran declared: “War with Israel has already started.” Iran will soon hold military exercises on its border with Azerbaijan to challenge Israeli presence in the An Iranian major-general said that before his death, Gen. Soleimani said Iran established six armies outside its borders to defend against an attack. Israel accused Iran of attempting to assassinate Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus. The Iranian supreme leader’srepresentative called for “the destruction of Israel,” and the Iranian foreign minister vowed to eliminate Zionism. TheU.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Iran failed to honor an agreement stuck last month to allow the monitoring of itsnuclear equipment. Saudi Arabia’s king told the

U.N. General Assembly that the kingdom supports efforts preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

3. N.: Thirty-eight countries skipped a U.N. conference with a history of antisemitism. Jewish organizationsslammed the event’s resolution to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original event’s antisemitic declaration.A Jerusalem Post op-ed urged Israel to build on its

diplomatic triumph. Israeli Prime Minister Bennett gave his first UNGA address, declaring the Iranian nuclear program at a “critical moment.” Palestinian Authority President Abbas started his speech by calling Israel’s reestablishment in 1948 a “catastrophe,” then demanding the return to Israel of all eight million Palestinian refugees and their descendants. He also defended the P.A. “pay to slay” policy of paying illegal salaries to imprisoned and released terrorists, as well as families of dead terrorists. The UNHRC cut off UN Watch from reading antisemiticposts by UNRWA teachers, calling it an “unacceptable personal attack.”

4. California Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Newsom has until October 10 to sign or veto a bill mandating ethnic studies as a graduation requirement. The chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus spoke about the curriculum in a recent webinar. He explained the new bill is different from one Newsom vetoed last year, because it includes a lesson on Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, and it uses the internationally accepted IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. Hundreds of Holocaust survivors and their

descendants urged Newsom to veto it. They believe if the bill becomes law, most school districts will adopt a version of the rejected antisemitic first draft of the model curriculum. A petition to veto the bill drew 3,000signatures, and 74 Jewish and education groups demanded Newsom reject the bill.

5. Labor unions: A Los Angeles teachers’ union voted to “indefinitely postpone” a resolution thatwould endorse an anti-Israel
6. Ben & Jerry’s: Texas added Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever to its list of companies that boycott Israel. Major media outlets continue to ignore stories about consequences to Unilever from its boycott
7. Jewish institution security: The Secure Community Network opened a 24/7 command center to monitor antisemitism. The Jewish Federations of North America announced a $54 million campaign to help deliver resources and information that helps Jewish institutions secure
8. Poway synagogue shooting: The shooter was sentenced to life in prison.
9. Holocaust comparisons: The mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, apologized for defending the use of Holocaustimagery in comparisons to Covid-19 mask
10. Wiley: K. student groups pressured a nightclub to cancel the rapper Wiley’s performance, saying it, “sends a message that antisemitism is tolerated.” In 2020 the rapper posted dozens of antisemitic remarks on social media,causing him to be permanently banned from

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

In other news:

1. Even more momentum for the countries that normalized relations with Israel – and those leaning in that direction: Sudan seized assets that supported Hamas, and a year- over-year analysis of Saudi textbooks showed a continued trend of removing material that demonizes Jews, Christians and other ‘non-believers.’ The Saudi textbooks also removed units calling for Jihad and advocating violence to spread A+!
2. Spain became the 32nd country to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.
3. ADL launched a Holocaust education program for middle and high school students in partnership withL’Oréal USA.
4. The Seattle City Council voted down a resolution that would have barred police from training with Israeli forces. Combined with the recent postponement on votes endorsing anti-Israel boycotts from an A. teachers’ union and the Burlington City Council (VT), this is the third time a major anti-Israel motion did not pass.
5. Israel’s leading technology school was rated the top AI research institution in Europe. An Israeli was recentlyelected president of Europe’s nuclear research organization.

Term of the week:

A weekly term, designed by a diverse set of organizations for broad use and intended to improve discourse about thePalestinian-Israeli conflict.

• Often heard: ‘cycle of violence’
• More precise and preferable: ‘[Palestinian terror group] violence and Israeli response’ g., Iranian-backed Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, etc.
• Sample sentence: “We received two painful reminders last week of the Hamas violence and Israeli response thatkeeps Palestinians and Israelis locked in a never-ending ”

Suggested social media posts: We invite you to post these captioned images on your social media. Paraphrasing our captions is encouraged.

More than 300 prominent Iraqis – from religious leaders to former military leaders to professors – attended a first-of-its-kind conference and appealed for peace with Israel. Attendees demanded Iraq join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between the countries. Prime Minister Bennett extended Israel’s hand in kind.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-of-iraqi-notables-call-to-join-abraham-accords-make-peace-with-israel/

Iraqis appealing for peace with Israel during a recent conference now face death threats due to Iraq’s laws criminalizing contact with Israelis. Arrest warrants were issued for those who spoke publicly at the event. A militia commander said he was duped and disavowed his speech – though some speculate it was under duress.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/09/26/arrest-warrants-issued-for-three-iraqi-leaders-who-attended-conference-calling-for-peace-with- israel/

Normalizing relations with Israel offers great advantages as seen with Sudan, which seized assets supporting Hamas. Saudi textbooks continue on a positive trend, removingmaterial demonizing Jews, Christians and other ‘non-believers’ and references calling for Jihad. Great work!