Kuwait Times

Published Date: October 25, 2009
By Ahmad Saeid, Staff writer

KUWAIT: During a recent visit to Kuwait, a pro-Palestinian American activist shared his experience of lobbying for Palestine in the US. The young lawyer of Egyptian origins founded a non-profit organization in the United States to urge the American government, to adopt a more neutral stance in its Middle Eastern policy. George Naggiar founded the American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER) in 2007 to inform the American public about the human and national rights of the Palestinian people and
the role of the US in the Middle East.

The association's activities started at the beginning of this year, with the inauguration of the Obama administration.

31-year-old Naggiar's initial inspiration to establish the organization occurred when he was studying human rights prior to joining the law school, and the second intifada started, "The congress passed a piece of legislation at that time, that did not reflect the values of the American people" he said, so the establishment of the association came about to "provide the other side of the story for the American public.

Nonetheless, Naggiar argues that there are more people in the US, who are more aware about the situation in the Middle East than is commonly believed in this region: "The fact that Jimmy Carter's book was a bestseller, as well as the fact that the book on the influence of the Israeli lobby on US foreign policy was also a bestseller, and the publicity for Palestinian activities in the US, all of this, indicates that there is a market in the US for information about this issue," he said.

The president of the non-profit organization noted that the pro-Israeli lobby in the US is 'not as powerful as we've convinced ourselves," arguing that it's just the absence of any pro-Palestine lobbies in the US that means that the other side has such a significant impact on American foreign policy.

According to Naggiar, the American policy is most effective, and most serves Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans, when it's consistent with American ideals, which are the principles of freedom and equality, "so we believe when the US is perusing a policy, it should incorporate these ideals into this policy, and ensure that the countries who are supportive also respect these policies" he said.

Naggiar is campaigning in the US, to raise awareness among American citizens about how their own tax money can have an influence in bringing peace to the Middle East. "The US now gives Israel three billion dollars of aid every year" he said, "and that aid is given without putting conditions on Israel to treat the Palestinians equally, or provide them with basic freedoms, both of which are fundamental principles of the US society.

In the meantime, the founder of the organization insists that the AAPER doesn't have its own vision for the permanent solution of the conflict in the Middle East, "whether it be a one-state solution or two-state solution, it's not for us to decide, the only thing that concern us as American citizens is for American foreign policy to reflect the values of American society, and stay at the same distance from the parts of the conflict, because we think the final decision about how to end this conflict is up t
o the Israeli and Palestinian people to decide," he explained.

The AAPER is funded only by individual donors; it does not accept donations from governments, and is not affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization or any other organization, the head of the association emphasized.

In addition to informing the American public about American policy in the Middle East, the association also organizes seminars through its volunteers in 26 US states, to increase awareness in their local communities, and to encourage the public to contact their representatives in the Congress to deliver legislation that will reflect the ideals of equality concerning the conflict in the Middle East. However, the organization is still only at the beginning, and Naggiar is promising future expansion in both,
its reach, and activities. AAPER's website is at: www.aaper.org