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August 22, 2003/Av 24 5763, Vol. 55, No. 52
AIPAC ups congressional Israel trips
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - The next time Rep. Jim Langevin steps into the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on a matter concerning Israel, no background briefing will be as valuable as what he experienced earlier this month.
Visiting Israeli towns that border the West Bank, the second-term Democrat from Rhode Island said he saw for himself how the controversial security fence Israel is building will prevent suicide bombers and other terrorists from entering Israel, making the country safer.
"It gave me a better understanding of why things like the fence are necessary - and a rational response to the terrorist threats Israel faces," Langevin told JTA.
Even without the visit, he probably would have voted for pro-Israel measures, Langevin said, but now he is more sympathetic to Israel's plight.
That's just what the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the main pro-Israel lobby in Washington, likes to hear.
Through its affiliate organization, the American Israel Education Foundation, AIPAC sent Langevin and 28 other congressional Democrats on a one-week trip to Israel earlier this month, the largest congressional contingent ever to visit the Jewish state. Next week it plans to send 19 Republicans on a similar tour.
AIPAC officials say optimism over the "road map," coupled with a somewhat reduced threat of violence, has made Israel a top destination for lawmakers this summer.
The trips also give representatives an oppor-tunity to show their support for Israel - which can be critical to winning political backing from Jews and conservative Christians - ahead of elections.
Critics argue that the AIPAC trips present a monolithic view and don't show all sides of the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
First-term Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), part of the Democratic delegation, said he was disappointed that no time was scheduled for meetings with regular Palestinians, but he said he was not put off by the "uniform" position speakers took on hot-button issues such as the fence.
"AIPAC is sophisticated enough to know that I am sophisticated enough to know there is more than one side to every story," he said, pointing out that he was free to ask probing questions.
AIPAC spokeswoman Rebecca Dinar said the organization tries to show all sides of the issues, noting that the Democratic group met not only with Israeli government officials but also with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Labor Party leader Shimon Peres.
In addition to the AIPAC trips, several congressional delegations have gone on taxpayer-funded travel, including a contingent led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and a visit last month by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who made headlines for a strongly pro-Israel speech he gave to the Knesset.
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