US Secretary of State John Kerry has repeatedly requested the support of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans - especially Jewish Americans - in reviving the moribund Israel/Palestine peace process. Negotiations began again July 29 after being shelved for nearly three years.

With the Middle East in the throes of upheaval from Syria to Egypt, this step toward stabilization has become even more urgent.

"Kerry views an Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement as a vital American national interest, and many Israelis view a stable two-state solution as a vital Israeli national interest," says Michael J. Cooper, (michaeljcooper.net), author of the award-winning history-adventure novel "Foxes in the Vineyard," set in 1940s Israel. Cooper, an Israel-educated physician, regularly returns to that country for volunteer medical missions in Palestine.

The two-state solution - establishing an independent Palestine -- has been the focus of negations since Israel and the Palestine Authority agreed on it in principle in 2007. Now, there is growing support for what is called the "one state solution."

Those who support ongoing settlement by Israelis in Palestine and oppose the current peace process prefer a single bi-national state between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, Cooper says.

Cooper offers a brief analysis of the problems associated with this solution.

• With the "single-state," solution Israel has a stark choice: to grant or not to grant citizenship to the Arabs of the West Bank at the same level enjoyed by Israeli Arabs.

"If Israel were to incorporate the West Bank, it would become approximately 56 percent Jewish and 44 percent Arab," Cooper says. "With the higher birth rate among Palestinians and the rate of Jewish emigration from Israel, there would be a demographic shift in the future that would find Israel without a Jewish majority.

"Simply put, Israel would cease to be 'Jewish.' "

• If Israel were to incorporate the West Bank without granting the basic rights of citizenship to Palestinians?

"Israel would cease to be a democracy," he says.

The only viable option is the two states, Cooper says: an independent Palestine and an independent Israel.

"There is no middle ground - one is either for the process or against it," Cooper says. "One is either for the ever-expanding settlement enterprise throughout the West Bank or against it."

About Michael Cooper

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel after graduating high school in Oakland, Calif. Living in Israel for more than a decade, he studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School. Now a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and a practicing pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he returns to Israel several times a year, volunteering on medical missions under the auspices of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Cooper's novel, "Foxes in the Vineyard," historical fiction set in 1948 Israel, was the 2011 grand prize winner of the Indie Publishing Contest. A second novel, "The Rabbi's Knight," is due out soon.

Iowa lenders recognized for outstanding efforts in advancing homeownership

(Des Moines, Iowa) - The Iowa Finance Authority recently recognized 27 outstanding lenders from throughout the state for their efforts in advancing affordable homeownership through the Iowa Finance Authority's programs in calendar year 2012.

"I want to commend the effort of our hard-working local lender partners, and their success in making the dream of homeownership a reality for more than 1,200 Iowa families last year through Iowa Finance Authority programming," said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison.

The Leading Lender awards recognize Iowa Finance Authority Participating Lenders who have excelled in the number of Iowa Finance Authority loans generated and/or the dollar amount of loans closed. Iowa Bankers Mortgage Corporation was named Top Lender, and Wells Fargo was named Outstanding Lender for 2012.

The following institutions were recognized as Leading Lenders:

The Iowa Legislature created the Iowa Finance Authority, the state's housing finance agency, in 1975 to undertake programs to assist in the attainment of housing for low- and moderate-income Iowans. Since then, the Iowa Finance Authority's role has grown to include nearly 40 affordable housing and water quality programs. The Iowa Finance Authority is a self-supporting public agency whose mission is to finance, administer, advance and preserve affordable housing and to promote community and economic development for Iowans. 

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Monday, September 23, 2013

Senate Judiciary Committee Members Call for IG Review of Surveillance Authorities

Senators Request "a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community"

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of nine Senate Judiciary Committee members, led by Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley of Iowa, sent a letter Monday calling for the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to conduct a full-scale review of the use of surveillance authorities and make public the findings.

Specifically, the senators are asking for detailed information on the surveillance of Americans under FISA and Patriot Act authorities and any misuse of these authorities over the last three years. Other Senators who joined the letter include : Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona.

"We urge you to conduct comprehensive reviews of these authorities and provide a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community," the senators wrote. "The IC Inspector General was created in 2010 for this very purpose.  Providing a publicly available summary of the findings and conclusions of these reviews will help promote greater oversight, transparency, and public accountability."

The bipartisan letter is part of the Judiciary Committee's continuing oversight in this area.  The committee held a high-profile hearing in July featuring testimony from top administration officials. The committee will hold an additional hearing next week featuring testimony from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency.

A copy of the September 23 letter to the IG of the Intelligence Community is below.

September 23, 2013

The Honorable I. Charles McCullough III

Inspector General of the Intelligence Community

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Washington, DC 20511

Dear Inspector General McCullough:

Recent disclosures about classified government surveillance activities have generated significant public discussion about the breadth of these programs, many of which are conducted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and the need for appropriate oversight and checks and balances.

In particular, concerns have arisen about activities conducted under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of FISA, which was enacted as part of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.  Recently declassified documents appear to reveal numerous violations of law and policy in the implementation of these authorities, including what the FISA Court characterized as three "substantial misrepresentation[s]" to the Court.  These declassified documents also demonstrate that the implementation of these authorities involves several components of the Intelligence Community (IC), including the National Security Agency, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, among others.

We urge you to conduct comprehensive reviews of these authorities and provide a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community.  The IC Inspector General was created in 2010 for this very purpose.  Comprehensive and independent reviews by your office of the implementation of Sections 215 and 702 will fulfill a critical oversight role.  Providing a publicly available summary of the findings and conclusions of these reviews will help promote greater oversight, transparency, and public accountability.

In conducting such reviews, we encourage you to draw on the excellent work already done by the Inspectors General of several agencies, including the Department of Justice, in reviewing these authorities.  But only your office can bring to bear an IC-wide perspective that is critical to effective oversight of these programs.  The reviews previously conducted have been more narrowly focused - as might be expected - on a specific agency.

In particular, we urge you to review for calendar years 2010 through 2013:

·         the use and implementation of Section 215 and Section 702 authorities, including the manner in which information - and in particular, information about U.S. persons - is collected, retained, analyzed and disseminated;

·         applicable minimization procedures and other relevant procedures and guidelines, including whether they are consistent across agencies and the extent to which they protect the privacy rights of U.S. persons;

·         any improper or illegal use of the authorities or information collected pursuant to them; and

·         an examination of the effectiveness of the authorities as investigative and intelligence tools.

We have urged appropriate oversight of these activities long before the problems with the implementation of these FISA authorities became public.  We believe it is important for your office to begin this review without further delay.

Please proceed to administratively perform reviews of the implementation of Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of FISA, and submit the reports no later than December 31, 2014.  Thank you in advance for your efforts to ensure a full accounting of the implementation of these surveillance authorities across the Intelligence Community.

Sincerely,

The Senate Judiciary Committee has oversight jurisdiction over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the intelligence courts that fall under the act's authority.

"The American people are questioning the NSA and the FISA court system.  Accountability for those who intentionally abused surveillance authorities and greater transparency can help rebuild that trust and ensure that both national security and the Constitution are protected," Grassley said.

The text of Grassley's letter is below.

August 27, 2013

Dr. George Ellard, Inspector General

National Security Agency

Office of the Inspector General

9800 Savage Road, Suite 6247

Fort Meade, MD 20755

Dear Dr. Ellard:

I write in response to media reports that your office has documented instances in which NSA personnel intentionally and willfully abused their surveillance authorities.

For each of these instances, I request that you provide the following information:

(1)               The specific details of the conduct committed by the NSA employee;

(2)               The job title and attendant duties and responsibilities of the NSA employee at the time;

(3)               How the conduct was discovered by NSA management and/or your office;

(4)               The law or other legal authority - whether it be a statute, executive order, or regulation - that your office concluded was intentionally and willfully violated;

(5)               The reasons your office concluded that the conduct was intentional and willful;

(6)               The specifics of any internal administrative or disciplinary action that was taken against the employee, including whether the employee was terminated; and

(7)               Whether your office referred any of these instances for criminal prosecution, and if not, why not?

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important request.  I would appreciate a response by September 11, 2013.  I also request that you respond in an unclassified manner to the extent possible.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley, Ranking Member

cc:  Honorable Patrick Leahy, Chairman