U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., discussed U.S. and Israel relations in the context of her trip to Israel last year at UW-Hillel Friday night.
""Countless people really left an impact on me,"" Baldwin said of her experiences in the country.
Baldwin visited Israel as part of a partisan group of female legislators, with one of the focuses of the trip being on women in Israeli society. In Tel Aviv, Baldwin visited with two female attorneys who were working to develop public interest law in the country.
The visit was also around the same time Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had a stroke and slipped into a coma. Baldwin said it was gratifying to see the transfer of power go smoothly in a ""young"" democracy like Israel after Sharon was replaced.
At the hospital where Sharon was being treated, Baldwin spoke with one of Israel's top stem cell researchers. According to Baldwin, Sharon said President Bush's sanctions on federal funding for stem cell research were having an effect on research worldwide, as the U.S. National Institutes of Health were the ""driving force"" behind international research.
Baldwin also met with one of the lead negotiators for the Palestinian Fattah party during the visit. The trip was before the Palestinian political group Hamas beat Fattah in parliamentary elections. Corruption in the Fattah party was one of the reasons the terrorist-linked group Hamas made electoral gains, according to Baldwin.
""Much has changed in Israel since I was last there and much has changed n the U.S.,"" Baldwin said on how the shifts to a Democratic controlled Congress and more power by Hamas affect the Israel-Palestine situation.
The issue of Iraq came up during the discussion and how U.S. actions in Iraq could possibly affect Israel.
""I think it's extremely important we have a dialogue with Syria and Iran,"" Baldwin said on the U.S. being willing to engage other countries near Iraq in diplomacy.
A woman in the audience questioned Baldwin's voting record, accusing her of not taking the issue of Palestinian civilian deaths as important as those of Israeli civilians. Baldwin said the U.S. should support Israel, but the support must be paired with honest discussions of policy.
""We have a special relationship with Israel,"" Baldwin said, ""but that friendship must include frank discussions [about the Israel-Palestine conflict].""
The Madison Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel advocacy group sponsored the event.
