US House of Representatives Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who led a delegation of 31 Republicans to Israel this week, echoed such realism, telling Jewish News Syndicate that he believes it's not his job to "pick a solution for the conflict."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"The world is constantly changing. Look at Lebanon. Look at Syria. Things are always in flux in these areas, so how can we choose a solution now without knowing what's going to happen in a few years?" he posed.

McCarthy's comments come amid a larger push to re-evaluate the long-standing policy of a two-state solution. The Trump administration, which has not yet unveiled its own peace plan, has broken with the consensus and so far has not endorsed a two-state solution. This past week also saw 21 right-wing Israeli Knesset members, including two deputy ministers, tell Congress that they view the establishment of a Palestinian state as "far more dangerous to Israel than BDS."

McCarthy pointed to the 2005 disengagement from Gaza as an example of how solutions that look promising at one moment can turn dangerous very quickly.

"The idea looked good at the time, but then Hamas took over, and now we have missiles falling in Israel," he said. "I would not tell Israel, 'Here is the solution,' but would rather give Israel whatever it needs for its security."

Other Republicans in the delegation echoed the minority leader's stance.

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.) said that "all we should do is help Israel negotiate from a position of strength."

Similarly, Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), who has a background in air force intelligence, said "it's up to Israel and [the Palestinians] to find the solutions to the conflict. The United States must step back and simply support Israel's right to exist and to secure itself."

He continued, by saying "there is no easy fix" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and asked rhetorically, "Who am I to tell Israel what to do?"

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said the issues of the conflict run deeper than just borders.

"I would never suggest dividing Chicago to end the troubles stemming from cultural differences and economic disparities in different parts of the city," he said. "No matter where you draw the map, someone will be ticked off."

Issues related to the land and the conflict, he said, run deeper than anything that can be solved "in a political solution drawn up in a map room."

'There is no trust between the two sides'

Not all Republican members of the delegation are ready to give up on a two-state solution.

Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) said the situation in Gaza is preventing progress on a two-state solution and not enabling negotiations to move forward.

He explained that while he was disappointed that Abbas did not agree to meet with the Republican delegation, after meeting with PA Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, he supports President's Trump effort to reach the ultimate deal.

"We are most certainly further away from resolving the conflict than ever before, and there is no trust between the two sides," said Timmons. "But it is still a worthy effort."

Similarly, Ron Estes (R-Kan.) related to JNS that the Palestinian leadership the delegation met with in Ramallah seems to "adamantly want peace," and he believes that the two-state plan "is the correct one."

Estes acknowledged that "there are thousands of years of complicated history that needs to be sorted through," and that it "will take time."

Israel also hosted a Democratic delegation of 41 congressional members, led by US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), which arrived on Aug. 9, which overlapped earlier this week for a couple of days with the Republican contingent, bringing nearly 16% of the House together in Israel this summer.

For their part, Democratic lawmakers have been divided on a resolution in the House to reaffirm a two-state solution.

Despite the bipartisan support for Israel expressed by this symbolic act, there does seem to be growing disparity between the parties regarding the best way for the United States to approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the Democrats staunchly support the two-state solution, it is now clear that many in the Republican Party, including its leadership, are beginning to question the relevance of that plan.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post House Republicans indicate openness to alternatives to 2-state solution appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

                                          Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

International exchanges also occur among this set of legislators that don't often get prime-time headlines. Just recently, in fact, a bipartisan delegation of US mayors – four Democrats and one Republican – visited Israel with the American Jewish Committee's Project Interchange as part of an effort to enhance US-Israel relations and learn practical tools at the municipal level.

Led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the trip included the following mayors: Shane Bemis of Gresham, Ore., Michelle De La Isla of Topeka, Kan., Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Kathy Sheehan of Albany, NY.

"Los Angeles and Israel share so much – vibrant cultures, beautiful landscapes, diverse communities, ties of family and friends, our experiences as dreamers and our common belief in democracy," said Garcetti in a statement by AJC. "Our delegation is showing how cities lead on the world stage, how mayors get things done and how urban centers can tackle everything from innovation and climate change to immigration and economic growth."

According to AJC, the visit is intended to provide these local policymakers with a firsthand understanding of Israel, and its economic and social entrepreneurship. AJC said that the goal is for these mayors to observe Israel's democracy, diverse society, and regional challenges.

During the visit, the mayors met with their Israeli counterparts to discuss best practices for their home communities on smart-city development, economic growth technology startups, urban revitalization and city administration. They also spoke with an executive from Intel in Israel.

"Part of the reason I travel outside of not only my city and state but our country is we see our city as an opportunity, especially in the technology area, wherein Israel it is a startup capital of the world, really, in the largest hub of tech outside of Silicon Valley," said Kriseman. "We think there are opportunities for companies that may have started in Israel to locate a branch of their business, their US location, in our city, so we're going to continue to look for opportunities."

Kriseman mentioned meeting several times in the past with the Florida-Israel Business Alliance and an Israeli business called ECOncrete, which uses environmentally friendly concrete methods and first started in St. Petersburg.

Sheehan told JNS about a meeting with one Israeli startup that could help them better connect with their constituents.

This startup has "a new product that is focused solely on municipalities and helping us to better understand public sentiment, so that's something that's of interest to me to follow up on," he said.

"AJC has worked closely with mayors and municipal leaders for decades on issues of mutual concern," said Melanie Maron Pell, AJC managing director of regional offices, who joined the delegation in Israel. "The mayors learn a great deal about high-tech and economic development, immigration absorption, diversity and emergency services that will assist them in their governance of their respective cities."

In addition to visiting significant historical and cultural sites, the delegation visited Tel Aviv; Haifa; Israel's borders, including up north near Lebanon; and Jerusalem, including the Old City. The delegation also met with Palestinian civic and business leaders in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Several sessions dealing with Israel's strategic environment, diversity and coexistence, and interreligious cooperation were discussed, according to AJC.

Sheehan mentioned hearing about "some of the approaches around workforce development and workforce issues," adding that while Israel currently has a low unemployment rate, the West Bank and Gaza exhibit the opposite.

On the trip, she did observe efforts in the West Bank to recruit engineers in improving the area's technology sector and universities "to ensure that they're accessing the full workforce that is available."

The mayors also met with top leaders across the political and social spectrum, including President Reuven Rivlin, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, high-ranking government officials, leaders of Israel's minority communities, and Jewish and Arab civil society leaders. They also received a briefing from Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel regarding the security situation in neighborhoods near the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.

Bemis recalled that one of the most memorable moments of the trip was going to an event at a small community school in Kiryat Shmona.

"It felt exactly like I was in my own city. The parents were the same, videotaping … the kids. Parents had smiles on their face. The kids were singing the same way, albeit in a different language," he described. "And the grandparents were there."

He continued, saying "it was just so familiar to the mayors because it was like, 'Kids are all the same, no matter where they are. Obviously, parents are still the same, no matter where they are."

City issues are comparable

The delegation also observed how Israel balances the preservation of its heritage with modern municipal management and the provision of social services.

Sheehan said that Haifa, like Albany, is a diverse city, specifically in terms of religion.

"In looking at the differences even among communities we visited in Israel, it also sort of resonated because I look at New York State, for example, and you have New York City with its own issues," she said. "And then you have the rest of New York State, which is very different."

"You sort of see the same thing in Israel," she continued. "There's Tel Aviv, which is a very different place than some of the cities we visited that were clearly different from the cities we visited in the West Bank, but also different from some of the northern cities we visited."

While the mayors saw many of the aspects that make Israel special, one of the biggest takeaways was that no matter whether they are in small-town America or in the Middle East, many of the daily challenges remain comparable.

"The issues of a mayor are not that dissimilar, no matter where they are in the world," said Bemis, who cited garbage pickup and potholes as examples. "One of the other big takeaways that the mayors felt was that a mayor is a mayor, no matter where they're at. The issues are almost always the same."

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post 'All politics is local': US mayors travel to Israel to enhance relations on municipal level appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree wrote in his decision that the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the "First Amendment protects the right to participate in a boycott like the one punished by the Kansas law."

Several states have enacted laws in recent years to counter an increasingly visible movement protesting Israel's policies toward Palestinians. Backers of boycotting Israeli companies argue they are defending Palestinian human rights, while boycott critics contend the goal is to destroy the Jewish state.

The judge granted the request from the American Civil Liberties Union to block enforcement of the Kansas law while the case proceeds, saying it is "highly likely" the Kansas law is invalid.

"A desire to prevent discrimination against Israeli businesses is an insufficient public interest to overcome the public's interest in protecting a constitutional right," Crabtree wrote.

The ACLU brought the lawsuit on behalf of Esther Koontz, a math and science curriculum coach at a Wichita public school, who is seeking to overturn the Kansas state law that took effect in July and prohibits the state from entering into contracts with individuals or companies participating in a boycott of Israel.

Twenty-four U.S. states, including California, Alabama and Texas, have such policies, according to Palestine Legal, a nonprofit advocacy group that describes itself as aiming to protect the rights of Americans who speak out for Palestinian freedom. The measure received strong bipartisan support in Kansas.

ACLU attorney Brian Hauss said the court recognized the harms imposed by the "misguided law," which imposes "an unconstitutional ideological litmus wwww."

"This ruling should serve as a warning to government officials around the country that the First Amendment prohibits the government from suppressing participation in political boycotts," Hauss said.

The ACLU has also filed a legal challenge to a similar law in Arizona prohibiting contractors from boycotting Israel, but this is the first court ruling in the country dealing with such laws, said ACLU attorney Doug Bonney.

Departing Republican Governor Sam Brownback, who signed the policy into law, said he thinks the ACLU will ultimately lose the case.

Brownback said the federal government has passed such laws for years, including laws against trade with Iran and limits on investments in South Africa during apartheid.

Brownback is stepping down as governor Wednesday to become U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

State officials have described Israel as an important trading partner, with Kansas exporting $56 million worth of products there in 2016 while buying $83 million worth of products. Brownback made an unpublicized visit to Israel last summer and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Crabtree wrote that he was not persuaded by the state's argument that enjoining the Kansas law will cause Israeli companies to refuse to do business in Kansas, or with Kansas companies, and thus harm the Kansas economy.

The lawsuit said Koontz, who lives about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Wichita in Newton, is a Mennonite and the wife of a pastor. She decided to boycott Israeli products and services to "support the Palestinians' struggle for equality."

A Kansas State Education Department official told Koontz in August that she could not be paid as a teacher trainer because she refused to certify that she was not participating in a boycott of Israel. The lawsuit names state Education Commissioner Randy Watson as the defendant.

In his ruling, Crabtree wrote that Koontz and other members of the Mennonite Church have "banded together" to express collectively their dissatisfaction with Israel and influence governmental action.

The law's legislative history reveals that its goal is to undermine the message of those participating in a boycott of Israel, the judge wrote. This is either viewpoint discrimination against the opinion that Israel mistreats Palestinians, or subject matter discrimination on the topic of Israel, both impermissible goals under the First Amendment, Crabtree said.

State Rep. Randy Powell, a conservative Olathe Republican who pushed for the law, said he remains confident that it is constitutional.

"It still allows for freedom of speech. It still allows individuals to boycott," he said. "But any state can choose to do business with who they wish."

The post Court rules Kansas law barring Israel boycotts violates free speech appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.