Americans for a Safe Israel

Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI) was founded in 1971 by Americans who believed that a peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israel conflict would only occur by reducing Palestinians to permanent serf status. According to the organization's website peace was achievable: "when the Arabs realized once and for all that Israel could not be defeated militarily or in any other way." Source

Ideology

Removing Arabs from Israel and Israel retaining possession of the Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967.

Noted For

Opposing the current peace process for the Middle East and even coming up with its own controversial road map which would have all Palestinians relocated.

Key Leaders

Eric Isaac
Herbert Zweibon, Chairman
Helen Freedman, Executive Director

Funding

Funds obtained from Irving Moskowitz's Bingo: $585,036 between 1987 and 2001.

More Information

The Northern California Jewish Bulletin reported in 1994 that Herbert Zweibon, AFSI's national chair, so completely rejects the terms of the current Mideast peace process that he cannot even fathom Israel surviving alongside a Palestinian state. "I don't see a best-case scenario. It's not possible," he said.

Helene Klein, president of the Northern California chapter, said in 1995, "The peace process isn't going to lead to peace. It's leading to more and more murder."

The group has circulated its own "2 state solution," which calls for Palestinian refugees and the residents of territory occupied by Israel to be declared Jordanian citizens and relocated at international expense. If Palestinians refuse to resettle, the flier stated, they should be "declared citizens of Jordan with the appropriate legal steps taken so that they remain within Israel and loyal to Israel (sic) law." This is according to a 2003 article in Mother Jones.

In their own words

The founders of Americans for a Safe Israel were convinced that Israel must retain possession and control of the Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967 – the West Bank and Gaza and the Syrian Golan Heights. The group's website says: "To abandon territory won in wars forced on it would make [Israel] vulnerable once again to renewed subversion and attack, not only by hostile Arabs in Judea and Samaria [anti-peace rhetoric for the West Bank] but unstable Arab regimes. AFSI believes that a strong Israel is essential to U.S. security and that the Jewish towns in these areas are the best guarantee against strategic vulnerability. Most importantly, the pioneering efforts of the residents in these areas have the potential of rejuvenating a dormant Zionism and igniting a second Zionist revolution."

Rabbi Julian White, a close associate of Mozkowitz's and regional president of Americans for a Safe Israel, has made public statements against a two-state solution and in support of Moskowtiz's actions in Jerusalem. White wrote about a Palestinian state on the Pro Israel website in 2003: "A two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict would be no solution at all…. It is time that PM Ariel Sharon (and President George W. Bush) realize that the real fact is that any consideration today of giving up land for a 22nd Arab state is not only moot but suicidal!"

On OurJerusalem.com (a website maintained by Moskowitz) White negatively depicted Arabs, writing: "Let us look now at the Arab Americans, growing in number and influence, who are exploiting every opportunity to promote their cause in America, their cause seemingly being the depreciation and dismantling of Israel. They project themselves into U.S. prisons, into high school curricula (particularly since 9/11), and onto college campuses where their efforts to downgrade Israel have achieved frightening results."

Articles about Americans for a Safe Israel

Michael Scherer, "Daniel Pipes, Peacemaker?", Mother Jones, May 26, 2003
Suzanna Spiro, "Americans for a Safe Israel panel denounces accords", Jewish Journal, May 26, 1994.

AFSI website

Website: www.afsi.org (Website not active as of September 2007)