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05-31-2011, 12:08 PM
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/05/congressman_justin_amash_of_pa.html
Congressman Justin Amash, of Palestinian roots, says President Obama should not try to dictate Middle East negotiations (video)
Published: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 12:16 PM Updated: Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 1:54 PM
Ursula Zerilli | The Grand Rapids Press By Ursula Zerilli | The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press
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IMG_0040.JPGRepublican Rep. Justin Amash and Democratic Rep. Hansen Clarke, of Detroit, join together to hold a town meeting on Saturday, May 21.
UPDATED: 05/22/2011
GRAND RAPIDS -- Congressman Justin Amash declared that he did not support President Obama's stand on Israel accepting the pre-1967 borders for Middle East peace negotiations at a town hall meeting on Saturday.
“Only the two countries can negotiate,” Amash said. “(The president) is making it seem like the United States is dictating to Israel what the borders should be.”
Amash on Israeli Borders Amash on Israeli Borders Congressman Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, said that he doesn't agree with President Obama's stand on Israeli-Palestinian borders. Watch video
Amash made his remarks Saturday at a town hall meeting at the Gerald R. Ford Museum that included Rep. Hansen Clarke, a Democrat from Detroit.
Amash, R-Cascade Township, comes from Palestinian roots. His father migrated to Muskegon from a refugee camp near Bethlehem in 1956.
Despite his heritage, Amash, 31, said his stance on the issue is the same as it always has been and that America needs to scale back its military spending and presence in foreign countries.
“I don’t have anything against Israelis or Palestinians, I hope they have peace in that part of the world,” Amash said. “But I don’t think the president should dictate the outcome.”
Obama is urging that a Palestinian state be based on 1967 borders — before the Six Day War in which Israel occupied east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza — a significant shift in the U.S. approach to Israel.
Peace in the Middle East was briefly discussed during the hourlong meeting, but Clarke, 54, agreed with Amash that Israel and Palestine need to draw the map.
The lawmakers primarily focused on setting a new tone of bipartisanship in politics. Both representatives acknowledged their political differences, but they spent more time exchanging compliments and focusing on issues on which they could agree.
One point of accordance: The taxpayer is in charge.
“Working for the government in Detroit, I noticed that people would run for office to be served by the taxpayer — and that is ridiculous and the opposite of what this government was founded on,” Clarke said. “The commitment to serve the people is paramount.”
They also agreed some of their colleagues have “lost touch with their communities and reality,” perpetuating the power-grabbing attitudes often seen in party politics.
But they were not completely in agreement.
Amash rallied for substantial military cuts and expressed his support for GOP Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan. Clarke pushed for a better health care plan and said Obama’s reform could bring down costs.
“We never see (members from different parties complimenting one another) and I think we could use more of it,” said David Somerville, who attended the event. “We have to get past this left-right thing.”
Congressman Justin Amash, of Palestinian roots, says President Obama should not try to dictate Middle East negotiations (video)
Published: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 12:16 PM Updated: Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 1:54 PM
Ursula Zerilli | The Grand Rapids Press By Ursula Zerilli | The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press
Follow
76
Share close
Google Buzz Digg Stumble Upon Fark
Share Email Print
IMG_0040.JPGRepublican Rep. Justin Amash and Democratic Rep. Hansen Clarke, of Detroit, join together to hold a town meeting on Saturday, May 21.
UPDATED: 05/22/2011
GRAND RAPIDS -- Congressman Justin Amash declared that he did not support President Obama's stand on Israel accepting the pre-1967 borders for Middle East peace negotiations at a town hall meeting on Saturday.
“Only the two countries can negotiate,” Amash said. “(The president) is making it seem like the United States is dictating to Israel what the borders should be.”
Amash on Israeli Borders Amash on Israeli Borders Congressman Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, said that he doesn't agree with President Obama's stand on Israeli-Palestinian borders. Watch video
Amash made his remarks Saturday at a town hall meeting at the Gerald R. Ford Museum that included Rep. Hansen Clarke, a Democrat from Detroit.
Amash, R-Cascade Township, comes from Palestinian roots. His father migrated to Muskegon from a refugee camp near Bethlehem in 1956.
Despite his heritage, Amash, 31, said his stance on the issue is the same as it always has been and that America needs to scale back its military spending and presence in foreign countries.
“I don’t have anything against Israelis or Palestinians, I hope they have peace in that part of the world,” Amash said. “But I don’t think the president should dictate the outcome.”
Obama is urging that a Palestinian state be based on 1967 borders — before the Six Day War in which Israel occupied east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza — a significant shift in the U.S. approach to Israel.
Peace in the Middle East was briefly discussed during the hourlong meeting, but Clarke, 54, agreed with Amash that Israel and Palestine need to draw the map.
The lawmakers primarily focused on setting a new tone of bipartisanship in politics. Both representatives acknowledged their political differences, but they spent more time exchanging compliments and focusing on issues on which they could agree.
One point of accordance: The taxpayer is in charge.
“Working for the government in Detroit, I noticed that people would run for office to be served by the taxpayer — and that is ridiculous and the opposite of what this government was founded on,” Clarke said. “The commitment to serve the people is paramount.”
They also agreed some of their colleagues have “lost touch with their communities and reality,” perpetuating the power-grabbing attitudes often seen in party politics.
But they were not completely in agreement.
Amash rallied for substantial military cuts and expressed his support for GOP Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan. Clarke pushed for a better health care plan and said Obama’s reform could bring down costs.
“We never see (members from different parties complimenting one another) and I think we could use more of it,” said David Somerville, who attended the event. “We have to get past this left-right thing.”