Unfortunately, Israel is in a state of political chaos at a time when crucial strategic decisions need to be made. The temporary truce on the southern front, the imminent prisoner exchange deal in the north, and the prospect of negotiations with the Syrians all distract attention from the larger issues facing the nation. All these events are occurring at a time when not only is there a lack of faith in Israel’s leaders, but those “leaders” have no strategic plan. Despite the fact that "the two state solution" idea has failed in principle, no group has proposed an alternative plan for a viable future arrangement in the Middle East. Despite the fact that transferring the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians failed, strengthened Hamas and destroyed the way of life of many Israelis within the vicinity of Gaza, the Palestinians have not turned into a worthy partner. Israel is wading through stormy waters that she herself has failed to define, and in a manner lacking in diplomatic creativity. "The Israeli Initiative" has proposed a worthy and rational alternative to this dangerous conduct, but we still have a long road ahead to achieve sufficient recognition for our ideas.

At the end of May, an unprecedented event took place on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Parliamentarians from pro-Israeli caucuses all over the world together with the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, headed by MK Benny Elon, held a two-day conference hosted by the pro-Israeli caucus within the American Congress, headed by Reps. Eliot Engel and Dave Weldon. Participants came from no less than thirteen countries in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

One conference session was devoted to the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with an emphasis on the rehabilitation of the Palestinian refugees as a pre-requisite for the region's stability. Members of the U.S Congress were influenced by the 'Israeli Initiative' – to introduce legislation to reduce UNRWA's mandate and transfer some of the refugees to the care of the UN body responsible for refugees (UNHCR). The goal of such action is to turn the refugee problem from a ticking time-bomb to a humanitarian issue that must be solved in accepted ways, even after decades–long delay. Video clips of conference discussions will be posted on the Israeli Initiative website within the next few days – www.Israelinitiative.com.

As a result of this discussion, members of the Canadian and Japanese parliamentary caucuses, whose countries together with the USA provide UNRWA with the majority of their funding, decided to act within their respective parliaments. They will lobby their governments to reduce the automatic funding of UNRWA and to start propelling the problem towards a realistic and just solution, which will stop the undermining of Israel's legitimate right to exist.

But even in Jerusalem, there is progress: as we reported previously, a caucus built on the strength of the "Israeli Initiative" to solve the Palestinian refugee problem was established. MK Amira Dotan of Kadima joined the group, and during her tenure as Chair of the Secondary Committee for Foreign Affairs and PR of the Foreign and Defence Committee, hosted a meeting that was the first of its kind in the history of the Knesset. The hearing focused for the first time on the question of Israel's policies towards UNRWA and requested clarifications from the Foreign Ministry on this issue.

As is customary within the Knesset, we are unable to publicize the content of this fascinating discussion in which I participated as the "Initiative" representative, alongside MK Benny Elon. But MK Dotan did not stop here: in two weeks time, the first discussion of its kind in the history of the State of Israel on the treatment of the refugees and Israel's stance towards this organization will take place in the Knesset, this time in the plenum of the Foreign and Defence Committee,. On the issue of UNRWA's role--this important discussion will also be attended by UN Commissioner, Karen Abu Zayd as well as senior officials from the bodies working with Israel and the UN. We expect a news conference to take place at the conclusion of the meeting.

This important activity is the result of the caucus established by MK Benny Elon together with MK Amira Dotan, in order to solve the problem of the Palestinian refugees – and to achieve one of the three pillars of the "Israeli Initiative".

While all eyes are turned towards Barack Obama, extremely interesting events are taking place within the arena of the leading Republican candidate: John McCain. According to a Jordanian source, one of McCain's most trusted advisors, the neo-Conservative publicist, Robert Kagan, referred to the concept that "Jordan is Palestine" in a speech at New York University. In his words, the Palestinians - the Israeli Arabs – already have a state where they are a majority, and there is no need to create another Palestinian state. Needless to say, Kagan’s words were not favorably received in Jordan, as they are based on the assumption that the regime in Jordan should be Palestinian, rather than Hashemite. Click the following in order to read an article about: Anger in Jordan following McCain's proposal to settle the Palestinian refugees there "The Israeli Initiative" congratulates Kagan for his courage in extricating himself from the useless formula of dividing the western part of the State of Israel into two countries. It is our belief that it is wiser to strengthen, rather than weaken, the Jordanian regime. The continuation of the Hashemite regime doesn't need to conceal Jordan's existence as the national Palestinian home, on the contrary – according to the Initiative, Jordan must be strengthened at this time, as a regime friendly to the West that possesses a high level of human rights, compared to other Arab countries.

John McCain: A new American concept? Click on the following link in order to read MK Elon's full response: "Jordan is Palestine" Plan is Receiving Attention

The Israeli Initiative's leader, MK Benny Elon, stated this week to journalists, "it is in our interest to strengthen the Jordanian kingdom as a source close to the West and not to permit radical Islam to seize control of it. The very creation of another Palestinian state is what would endanger Jordan’s stability." According to Elon, this fear is also being expressed by Prince Hassan, the uncle of King Abdullah. One can infer from Prince Hassan's words, notes MK Elon, that if the diplomatic initiative has significant security, such as America's guarantee, then Hassan will be very interested in promoting it. As Hamas influence in Jordan increases, Jordanians fear a terror state being established to its west that would place the Hashemite kingdom between two terror states.

King Abdullah's reaction in response to the rumors regarding McCain's position that, "Jordan is Jordan and Palestine is Palestine" contradicts the official position the Jordanian kingdom has maintained over the years. Abdullah’s response testifies to the very real possibility of a reversal of the Jordanian option on the diplomatic level. We at "The Israeli Initiative" are not alarmed by the King's sweeping denial. We are confident that as soon as the plan achieves significant Western support and includes guarantees to the current Jordanian regime, it will be willingly accepted, even in Amman.

Apparently the political system in Israel will continue to burn – but the answers to the long-term, strategic questions will not be found among any of the prominent candidates for the Prime Minister's seat. While they are preoccupied with petty internal political machinations and handing out portfolios, we at "The Israeli Initiative" will continue to strive to build a better future – and to push this vision towards implementation within the Israeli and international political systems.

As always, we would be happy to receive your comments and response.
Yoav Sorek
Israeli Initiative Team