Back from Israel, mayor firm against divestment

GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone returned from the weeklong Jerusalem Conference of Mayors last Sunday with 14 rolls of film and a feeling of resolve.

     In addition to being ''blown away" by the historical significance of the land and being inspired by the 70 mayors from cities in more than 30 countries, he said, he felt good about opposing an initiative last fall to divest public money from Israel and US companies that supply its military.
     ''People recognized where I was from and thanked me for my position, and it was clear to me, even more so, that my stance was absolutely correct on the divestment issue," he said.
     Curtatone said he thinks his position on the issue may have been a factor in his being invited to the 23d annual conference. The only other mayor from New England invited was Robert Baines, mayor of Manchester, N.H.
     The divestment issue has recently resurfaced in Somerville, six months after a resolution made it to the hearing stages at City Hall and was eventually rejected.
     A group called the Somerville Divestment Project, which originally brought the item to the attention of the city, has been campaigning to turn the resolution into a ballot question in the fall.
     Ronald Francis, a spokesman for the group, said the community should be allowed to decide on the matter.
     ''We find it interesting that some of the opposition is opposed to the people deciding directly on this matter," he said.
     ''For a group that is quick to call Israel a democracy, they're a little slow on democracy in Somerville in the one-person/one-vote format."
     Curtatone reiterated his statement that he would veto any such resolution that came across his desk.
     ''I am not an expert on the Middle East, but neither are the advocates of that position," he said.
     ''I don't believe the Israelis are without fault, but we as a government have got to be the ones to promote democracy, freedom, and want to protect human rights, which may have taken a backseat at times, but we need to be as vigilant there as we are in other countries."
     Curtatone said although the divestment issue made him stand out among his colleagues, it was not the focus of his trip.
     The group of mayors met with Israeli President Moshe Ktazav, Katsav, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Industry, Trade and Employment Minister Ehud Olmert, and Housing Minister Isaac Herzog, in addition to participating in daily sessions hosted by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski to discuss issues facing municipalities around the world -- which ranged from natural resources to waste management to transportation issues.
     ''I learned so much from the municipal level and the challenges facing a city like Jerusalem," said Curtatone.
     Jerusalem and Somerville have a lot in common in that they are both densely populated and diverse, without a lot of land area, he said.
     Jerusalem is also endeavoring to build a light rail system that is ''a direct mirror to what we're doing here in Somerville" with the MBTA Green Line extension.
     Rattling off sites the delegation visited, from Nazareth to Tiberias to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Curtatone said the trip made him feel the world has become a smaller place. ''The entire trip had a profound impact on me," he said. ''We're not foreign policy experts as mayors, but people understand that mayors are at the groundswell as to what is happening."
     As far as continuing to think globally, he said in the future he hopes to establish ''sister city relationships" with cities like Gaeta in Italy, his family's birthplace, and he is planning a trip to El Salvador when his schedule permits.
     Curtatone said he also hopes to visit Palestine someday.
     ''All politics are local, and you need to branch out globally to make sure some of those things happen," he said.
     The conference was sponsored by the American Jewish Congress Council for World Jewry.
     It was hosted by the mayor of Jerusalem and held with the cooperation and support of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the US Conference of Mayors.