To: Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress and Tom Caiazza, Associate Director, Media Relations, Center for American Progress
.@amprog: Open Netanyahu Meeting to the Public
Just Foreign Policy
The Center for American Progress should open its planned Nov. 10 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to interested journalists and members of the public.
Why is this important?
On November 10, the Center for American Progress [CAP] plans to host a “conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a range of issues, including Iran, Israeli-Palestinian relations, regional concerns, and ways to strengthen the partnership between Israel and the United States.” [1]
Huffington Post reported that the Israeli government and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee successfully pressured CAP to invite Netanyahu to speak, despite Netanyahu’s disavowal of the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which CAP has supported. CAP has “long been seen as a mouthpiece of the Democratic Party,” the article noted, adding that CAP founder John Podesta was once chief of staff to President Clinton and is now chair of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. [2]
CAP’s Netanyahu event as planned is closed to the public; only “invited” media outlets and reporters will be allowed to attend. [3] Given CAP’s relationship to the Democratic Party, the “conversation” between Netanyahu and CAP is obviously a matter of public interest.
Urge the Center for American Progress to open its planned meeting with Netanyahu to all media outlets and reporters and to members of the public by signing our petition.
References:
1. https://www.americanprogress.org/press/advisory/2015/10/27/124317/advisory-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-joins-cap-for-discussion-on-israeli-foreign-and-domestic-issues-u-s-relationship/
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/netanyahu-center-for-american-progress_56301482e4b0631799100532
3. https://www.americanprogress.org/press/advisory/2015/10/27/124317/advisory-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-joins-cap-for-discussion-on-israeli-foreign-and-domestic-issues-u-s-relationship/
Huffington Post reported that the Israeli government and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee successfully pressured CAP to invite Netanyahu to speak, despite Netanyahu’s disavowal of the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which CAP has supported. CAP has “long been seen as a mouthpiece of the Democratic Party,” the article noted, adding that CAP founder John Podesta was once chief of staff to President Clinton and is now chair of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. [2]
CAP’s Netanyahu event as planned is closed to the public; only “invited” media outlets and reporters will be allowed to attend. [3] Given CAP’s relationship to the Democratic Party, the “conversation” between Netanyahu and CAP is obviously a matter of public interest.
Urge the Center for American Progress to open its planned meeting with Netanyahu to all media outlets and reporters and to members of the public by signing our petition.
References:
1. https://www.americanprogress.org/press/advisory/2015/10/27/124317/advisory-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-joins-cap-for-discussion-on-israeli-foreign-and-domestic-issues-u-s-relationship/
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/netanyahu-center-for-american-progress_56301482e4b0631799100532
3. https://www.americanprogress.org/press/advisory/2015/10/27/124317/advisory-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-joins-cap-for-discussion-on-israeli-foreign-and-domestic-issues-u-s-relationship/