DOCSLIB.ORG

The Israel Lobby and the Left: Uneasy Questions How and Serving Two Flags: Neo-Cons, Israel and the Bush Political Support That the U.S

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Israel Lobby and the Left: Uneasy Questions How and Serving Two Flags: Neo-Cons, Israel and the Bush Political Support That the U.S The Israel Lobby and the Left: Uneasy Quest i o n s “Make no mistake. The votes and bows have nothing The Israel Lobby and the Left to do with the legislators’ love for Israel. They have Uneasy Quest i o n s everything to do with the money that is fed into their campaigns by members of the Israeli lobby. My esti - mate is that at least $6 billion flows from the American Treasury to Israel each year. That money, plus the political support the US gives Israel at the United Nations, is what allows Israel to conduct crim - inal operations in Palestine with impunity.” - Senator James Abourezk (D-South Dakota) About Jeff rey Blankfo r t Jeffrey Blankfort was raised in a Jewish non-Zionist family. He pro- duces radio programs on three stations and has written extensively on the Middle East. He was formerly the editor of the Middle East Labor Bulletin and co-founder of the Labor Committee of the Middle East. His photographs of the Anti-Vietnam War and Black Panthers Movements have appeared in numerous books and magazines. In February 2002, he won a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which was found to have had a vast spying operation Jeffrey Blankfort directed against American citizens opposed to Israel’s policies in the Photojournalist and Middle East Analyst Occupied West Bank and Gaza and to the apartheid policies of the government of South Africa and passing on information to both gov- ernments. www.IfAmericansKnew.org [email protected] • 202-631-4060 Published by If Americans Knew I F A M E R I C A N S K N E W f there is one event that exposed [the M I S S I O N S TA T E M E N T Zionist] influence over of the [peace] Imovement, it is what occurred in the streets of New York on June 12, 1982, when 800,000 people gathered in front of In a democracy, the ultimate responsibility for a nation's actions rests with its the United Nations to call for a ban on citizens.The top rung of government - the entity with the ultimate power of governance - is the asserted will of the people.Therefore, in any democracy, nuclear weapons. Six days earlier, on June it is essential that its citizens be fully and accurately informed. 6th, Israel had launched a devastating inva- sion of Lebanon. Its goal was to destroy In the United States, currently the most powerful nation on earth, it is even the Palestine Liberation Organization, then more essential that its citizens receive complete and undistorted information on topics of importance, so that they may wield their extraordinary power based in that country. Eighty thousand sol- with wisdom and intelligence. diers, backed by massive bombing from the air and from the sea were creating a level Unfortunately, such information is not always forthcoming. of death and destruction that dwarfed what Iraq would later do in Kuwait.Within The mission of If Americans Knew is to inform and educate the American public on issues of major significance that are unreported, underreported, or a year there would be 20,000 Palestinians misreported in the American media. and Lebanese dead and tens of thousands more wounded. It is our belief that when Americans know the facts on a subject, they will, in the final analysis, act in accordance with morality, justice, and the best inter- ests of their nation, and of the world.With insufficient information,or distort- And what was the response that day in ed information, they may do the precise opposite. New York? In recognition of the suffering then taking place in his homeland, a It is the mission of If Americans Knew to ensure that this does not happen - Lebanese man was allowed to sit on the that the information on which Americans base their actions is complete, stage, but he would not be introduced; not accurate, and undistorted by conscious or unconscious bias, by lies of either commission or omission, or by pressures exerted by powerful special inter- allowed to say a word. Nor was the sub- est groups. It is our goal to supply the information essential to those respon- ject mentioned by any of the speakers. sible for the actions of the strongest nation on earth - the American people. Israel and its lobby couldn’t have asked for anything more. Jeffrey Blankfort Booklets Available From If Americans Knew THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND THE LEFT: A Rose by Another Name: The Bush Administration’s Dual Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel A description of Jewish Loyalties The neocons who pushed us into war – who they are, supremacist groups in Israel, first published in The Nation. By UNEASY QUESTIONS what they want, and where they came from. By former CIA ana- Israeli author David Hirst. lyst Kathleen Cristison. Christians Discriminated Against by Israel A report on Israeli by Jeffrey Blankfort A War for Israel A detailed analysis of why the US invaded Iraq. policies and actions regarding Christians. By former Ti m e By journalist and Mideast commentator Jeffrey Blankfort. Magazine Senior Editor and Jerusalem Bureau Chief Donald Neff Israeli Attacks on the US Navy and Marines Do Palestinians Teach Their Children to Hate? A scholarly The Attack on the USS Liberty – Israel’s attack on a US Navy study of Palestinian textbooks and curricula. By George t was 1991 and Noam Chomsky had just J e ff rey Blankfort was ship, in which 34 American servicemen were killed and 172 Washington Professor Nathan Brown. (The quick answer: no.) injured. By Ambassador James Akins, Admiral Thomas Moorer, finished a lecture in Berkeley on the raised in a Jewish non- and Captain Ward Boston. Einstein’s Letter to the New York Times A 1948 letter signed by Zionist family. He is the ‘Israel Charged with Systematic Harassment of U.S. Marines’ Einstein, Hannah Arendt and other prominent thinkers opposing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was taking – The Marines in Lebanon. By Donald Neff, former Senior Editor Menachem Begin’s “terrorism.” Begin later became Prime I former editor of the and Mideast bureau chief for Time Magazine. Minister of Israel. questions from the audience. An A r a b - Middle East Labor Being a Target: Reports from Gaza & ‘Close your organiza - The Information Blockade: The Prism Between Middle American asked him to explain his position tion or die…’ Two letters home from freelance journalist Alison Eastern Reality and Americans A first-hand account of the per- Bulletin and has written Weir, describing, among other things, what it’s like to be shot at. ils of filming – and trying to air – an honest documentary on Israel. regarding the influence of America’s Israel extensively on the Israel- Following this trip, Weir founded If Americans Knew. The last By prize-winning filmmaker and Ohio State Professor Tom Hayes piece is on a death threat received by the organization. lobby. Palestine conflict. His Iraq, Palestine, and the Israel Lobby “Connecting the dots,” by photographs of the Anti- Rachel’s Letters / Las Cartas de Raquel 23-year-old Rachel Former Yale Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh; and “The Debate that Chomsky replied that its reputation was Corrie’s correspondence with her parents before she was killed by Never Happened,” by Mideast analyst Jeffrey Blankfort, co- Vietnam War and Black Israeli forces. Also available in Spanish. founder of the Labor Committee on the Middle East. generally exaggerated and, like other lobbies, Panthers Movements Let Us Rethink Our ‘Special Relationship’ with Israel A lumi- Jewish Defense League Unleashes Campaign of Violence in nous explication of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By Charles America A report on a terrorist organization in the United States it only appears to be powerful when its posi- have appeared in numer - Black, Sterling Professor of Law Emeritus at Yale University (the responsible for killing and intimidation, by former Time Magazine ous books and magazines. school’s highest teaching post). Senior Editor Donald Neff. tion lines up with that of the “elites” who Living With the Holocaust: The journey of a Child of Off the Charts: Network Coverage of Israel/Palestine A two- determine policy in Washington. Earlier in the Holocaust Survivors A moving essay By Sara Roy, a Senior year statistical study of the primetime news on ABC, CBS, and Research Scholar at Harvard University. NBC. The results are highly disturbing. evening, he had asserted that Israel received support from the United States Palestinian Right to Return and Repatriation The core issue of Off the Charts: New York Times Coverage of Israel/Palestine as a reward for the services it provides as the US’s “cop-on-the-beat” in the the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, author of A two-year statistical study of The New York Times revealing con- Sharing the Land of Canaan. sistent patterns of bias. Middle East. Special Report: Israel’s Treatment of Americans An expose on The Origin of the Israel-Palestine Conflict A clear, thoroughly Chomsky’s response drew a warm round of applause from members of Israeli torture of US citizens, originally published in Foreign referenced history of the conflict, by Jews for Justice in Palestine. Service Journal. By Jerri Bird, founder of Partners for Peace. the audience who were no doubt pleased to have American Jews absolved Reflecting on our Relationship with Israel A former 11-term The Cost of Israel to U.S. Taxpayers A full accounting of the Republican Congressman provides a hard-hitting assessment of from any blame for Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians, then in the fourth total amount of money Israel costs Americans – approximately the consequences of US policies.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Views Or Conclusions
    The American Public and Israel in the Twenty-First Century Eytan Gilboa Mideast Security and Policy Studies No. 181 THE BEGIN-SADAT CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY Mideast Security and Policy Studies No. 181 The American Public and Israel in the Twenty-First Century Eytan Gilboa The American Public and Israel in the Twenty-First Century Eytan Gilboa © The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan 5290002 Israel Tel. 972-3-5318959 Fax. 972-3-5359195 [email protected] www.besacenter.org ISSN 0793-1042 October 2020 Cover image: Sheri Hooley via Unsplash The Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies is an independent, non-partisan think tank conducting policy-relevant research on Middle Eastern and global strategic affairs, particularly as they relate to the national security and foreign policy of Israel and regional peace and stability. It is named in memory of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, whose efforts in pursuing peace laid the cornerstone for conflict resolution in the Middle East. Mideast Security and Policy Studies serve as a forum for publication or re-publication of research conducted by BESA associates. Publication of a work by BESA signifies that it is deemed worthy of public consideration but does not imply endorsement of the author’s views or conclusions. Colloquia on Strategy and Diplomacy summarize the papers delivered at conferences and seminars held by the Center for the academic, military, official and general publics. In sponsoring these discussions, the BESA Center aims to stimulate public debate on, and consideration of, contending approaches to problems of peace and war in the Middle East.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Background Information on Israel and the US the U.S.-Israel
    Special background information on Israel and the US From TUC Radio: http://www.tucradio.org/new.html TUC Radio is a regular weekly program on over 60 radio stations and can be heard in many rural communities as well as in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Cleveland, Houston, Taos, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Vancouver and many other cities - as far as Cape Town, South Africa and into North Africa via Milano, Italy. The U.S.-Israel Special Relationship HERE ARE ALL FOUR PROGRAMS OF THIS MINI-SERIES - BEGINNING WITH PART ONE AND STEPHEN WALT - SCROLL DOWN FOR THE MOST RECENTLY PRODUCED PART FOUR WITH MEMBERS OF THE CIA The U.S.-Israel Special Relationship-Part ONE Keynote: Stephen Walt 30 second Preview/Promo for Part ONE The National Summit to Reassess the U.S.-Israel “Special Relationship,” was held March 7, 2014 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. It was the most high profile, public response and critique to-date of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel’s foremost US Lobby, whose mission is to quote “urge(s) all members of Congress to support Israel through foreign aid, government partnerships, (and) joint anti-terrorism efforts.” Just days earlier, from March 1st through 3rd, AIPAC had held its annual policy conference in our nation’s capital, celebrating the US Special Relationship with Israel. According to AIPAC’s web site more than half of the Senate, a third of the House of Representatives and countless Israeli and American policymakers were among the 14,000 attendees. In face of that long established relationship granted by the US to no other country, the organizers of the “The National Summit to Reassess the U.S.-Israel ‘Special Relationship’” hoped to open the door to an informed and inclusive national discussion about what they consider the pitfalls of this “special relationship” with Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Staggering Cost of Israel to Americans
    If Americans Knew The Staggering Cost of Israel to Americans An If Americans Knew Report The US has given more aid to Israel than it has to all the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean combined— . The Staggering Cost which have a total population of over a billion people. Surprisingly this aid does not serve American economic, strate- of Israel to Americans gic, or moral interests. Instead, the costs are tremendous – in dollars, jobs, lives, and moral standing – and the benefits are largely nonexist- ent. Given these costs, it is critical to reconsider our lavish aid to Israel, and whether it is worth Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. Israel’s Economy Doing Better than U.S. Economy Israel United States Population 7.7 million 316.7 million Health Insurance Universal Coverage 49 million uninsured Unemployment Rate 6.3% 8.2% Life Expectancy 18th in world 51st in world Maternal Mortality Rate* 7 deaths 21 deaths GDP Growth Rate** 4.4% 2.1% Budget Deficit 3.8% of GDP 7.6% of GDP Account Balance 146th in world 193rd in world * Per 100,000 live births Source: CIA World Factbook This If Americans Knew Report updates the ** 2009-2012, average March 2013 groundbreaking research of retired Foreign Service Officer Richard Curtiss in his 1998 analysis, “The Cost of Israel to U.S. Taxpayers.” Updated, Direct US disbursements to Israel are higher than to any researched, and written by Pamela Olson. other country, even though Israelis only make up 0.1% of the world’s population. On average, Israelis receive 7,000 times more US foreign aid per capita than other people throughout the world, despite the fact that Israel is one of the world’s more affluent nations.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Do They Hate Us?--Geography of the Palestine-Israel Conflict And
    “Why Do They Hate Us/U.S.?” and “Why Do We Hate Them?” Is It Because Of “Their” Islam Or Because Of “Our” Support For Israel? Geography of the Palestine-Israel Conflict Presentation to the Association of American Geographers, Boston, MA, April 2008, and Bloomington, IN, November 2008 Mohamed Elyassini, PhD, Associate Professor of Geography, Indiana State University 1. “The bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable and the commitment of the United States to the security of Israel is ironclad… I and my administration have made the security of Israel a priority. It’s why we’ve increased cooperation between our militaries to unprecedented levels. It’s why we’re making our most advanced technologies available to our Israeli allies. It’s why, despite tough fiscal times, we’ve increased foreign military financing to record levels. And that includes additional support –- beyond regular military aid -– for the Iron Dome anti-rocket system… So make no mistake, we will maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge… You also see our commitment to our shared security in our determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Here in the United States, we’ve imposed the toughest sanctions ever on the Iranian regime… You also see our commitment to Israel’s security in our steadfast opposition to any attempt to de-legitimize the State of Israel. As I said at the United Nations last year, ‘Israel’s existence must not be a subject for debate,’ and ‘efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States.’ So when the Durban Review Conference advanced anti-Israel sentiment, we withdrew.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Israel-Palestine by * the New York Times * Associated Press * Los Angeles Times * San Francisco Chronicle * NPR * ABC * CBS * NBC
    Published by Americans for The Link Middle East Understanding, Inc. Volume 38, Issue 3 Link Archives: www.ameu.org July-August 2005 The Coverage — and Non-Coverage — of Israel-Palestine by * The New York Times * Associated Press * Los Angeles Times * San Francisco Chronicle * NPR * ABC * CBS * NBC By Alison Weir the fall of 2004, we visited the Palestinian Territories. Such a simple statement, and such a complicated reality. Let me try again… In the fall of 2004, we visited a large, open-air prison. A prison whose guards keep people out, when they choose to, as well as in, humiliating and violating those they dislike; a prison into which the jailers periodically shoot and send regiments of destruction; a prison full of mini-prisons and convoluted rules that change with the wind. A complicated, teeming prison in which there are wedding festivals and dancing; where babies laugh and the tea is flavored with mint and sage; and where desperation silently waits. The Link Page 2 AMEU’s (Continued from Page 1.) Board of Directors In fall, 2004, my daughter and I trav- Jane Adas (Vice President) Alison Weir and Daniel Okrent were eled to Palestine—to the West Bank. And friends and student journalists in Ann Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr. the Israeli guards let us in. But then we Atwater, Bradley & Partners, Inc. Arbor, Michigan. Up until the end of May, Okrent was ombudsman for The went to Nablus, a historic and ancient Edward Dillon New York Times; Weir is executive direc- city in the northern sector of the West Henry G.
    [Show full text]
  • A Palestinian Refugee Camp:The West Bank
    L i fe in a Pa l e stinian Re f u gee Camp exc e pted from J o u rney to Jeru s a l e m Life in a Palestinian “The vignettes of personalities in Israel, the West Bank, and the Refugee Camp Gaza Strip give substance and veracity to complex and sensitive personal and political relations... The book is worth a thousand polemics, and Americans should thoughtfully ponder its implica - tions as we reshape our policies toward the Middle East.” - George W. Ball, former Under Secretary of State and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations “This is a splendid book. It presents an appealing, accurate, and sophisticated treatment of the tangled and intricate problems of the Middle East.” - Clark M. Clifford, former Secretary of Defense Grace Halsell “The sympathetic and understanding approach is commendable... Award-Winning Journalist and Author An excellent work.” - Philip M. Klutznick, President Emeritus of the World Jewish t is predawn, and Sameetha has overslept. Bashir, her husband, calls her. Congress and Honorary President of B’nai B’rith International He speaks in Arabic... I do not understand the Arabic words, yet I under- Istand his tone, gestures, and the diurnal pattern: Bashir rises early; About Grace Halsell Sameetha wants to sleep. Bashir, forty-eight, thinks his job important. For three decades he has Grace Halsell covered both Korea and Vietnam as a journalist, was a White lived in the refugee camp, and he has been out of work as often as not. Now, House speech-writer under Lyndon Johnson, and wrote eleven books, among them the well-received Soul Sister.
    [Show full text]
  • The Second Palestinian Intifada a Chronicle of a People’S Struggle
    The Second Palestinian Intifada A Chronicle of a People’s Struggle RAMZY BAROUD Foreword by Kathleen and Bill Christison Introduction by Jennifer Loewenstein Photographs by Mahfouz Abu Turk and Matthew Cassel Pluto P Press LONDON • ANN ARBOR, MI BBaroudaroud 0000 pprere iiiiii 226/4/066/4/06 008:05:128:05:12 First published 2006 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 www.plutobooks.com Copyright © Ramzy Baroud 2006 The right of Ramzy Baroud to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7453 2548 3 hardback ISBN 0 7453 2547 5 paperback Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Publishing Services Ltd, Fortescue, Sidmouth, EX10 9QG, England Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England Printed and bound in the United States of America by Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group BBaroudaroud 0000 pprere iivv 226/4/066/4/06 008:05:128:05:12 To Zarefah, Iman, and Sammy, my life’s inspiration BBaroudaroud 0000 pprere v 226/4/066/4/06 008:05:128:05:12 Contents Foreword by Kathleen and Bill Christison viii Preface xiii Acknowledgements xvii Introduction by Jennifer Loewenstein 1 1 The Intifada Takes Off (2000–01) 16 2 Intifada International (2002) 36 3 Calls for Reform (2003) 53 4 Profound
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Changing Narratives on American Public Opinion Toward the U.S.-Israel Relationship
    Wright State University CORE Scholar Browse all Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2014 The Impact of Changing Narratives on American Public Opinion Toward the U.S.-Israel Relationship Rana Kamal Odeh Wright State University Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all Part of the International Relations Commons Repository Citation Odeh, Rana Kamal, "The Impact of Changing Narratives on American Public Opinion Toward the U.S.-Israel Relationship" (2014). Browse all Theses and Dissertations. 1371. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all/1371 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Browse all Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE IMPACT OF CHANGING NARRATIVES ON AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION TOWARD THE U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts By RANA ODEH B.A. English, University of Dayton, 2009 2014 Wright State University WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL April 30, 2014 I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY Rana Odeh ENTITLED The Impact of Changing Narratives on American Public Opinion Toward the U.S.-Israel Relationship BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts. ______________________________ Vaughn Shannon, Ph.D. Thesis Director ______________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Director, Master of Arts Program in International and Comparative Politics Committee on Final Examination: ___________________________________ Vaughn Shannon, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Connecting the Dots.Qxd
    Iraq, Palestine, and the Israel Lobby “The most interesting misinformation is that US foreign Iraq, Palestine, and policy in Iraq and in supporting Israel’s destruction of the Israel Lobby Palestine is in the US ‘strategic interest.’” - Mazin Qumsiyeh “The reason that the pro-Israel lobby has to give so much more money to the politicians than the other lobbies, is that supporting Israel is not in the US interest, and the contri- butions are necessary to buy the politicians’ cooperation.” - Jeffrey Blankfort About the Authors Mazin Qumsiyeh, an Associate Professor at Yale University School of Medicine, is widely acknowledged as one of the top experts on Palestinian refugee rights. He is author of Sharing the Land of Canaan: a vision based on human rights for Israelis and Palestinians, which explores the history and current efforts towards creating a pluralistic democracy in Israel/Palestine. Jeffrey Blankfort was raised in a Jewish non-Zionist family. INSIDE: He produces radio programs on three stations and has writ- Connecting the Dots: Iraq & Palestine: The Israeli Lobby and the Iraq War ten extensively on the Middle East. In February 2002, he won by Mazin Qumsiyeh a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL),which was found to have had a vast spying operation directed against The Debate that never Happened: Blankfort vs. Plitnick on the Israel Lobby American citizens opposed to Israel’s policies in the Occupied A Plitnick article annotated by Jeffrey Blankfort West Bank and Gaza and to South African apartheid. www.IfAmericansKnew.org 914 Westwood Blvd., #235, Los Angeles, CA 90024 • [email protected] • 310.441.8580 Published by If Americans Knew If Americans Knew Mission Statement In a democracy, the ultimate responsibility for a nation's actions rests with its citizens.The top rung of government - the entity with the ulti- mate power of governance - is the asserted will of the people.
    [Show full text]
  • Genesis and Prospect of the Palestine-Israel Conflict: from the Jewish Question in Europe to the Jewish State in Palestine and the Jewish Lobby in America
    Book Draft in Progress Genesis and Prospect of the Palestine-Israel Conflict: From the Jewish Question in Europe to the Jewish State in Palestine and the Jewish Lobby in America Dr. Mohamed Elmey Elyassini U.S. Fulbright Scholar 2011-2012 Associate Professor of Geography Department of Earth & Environmental Systems Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, USA Email: [email protected] URL: https://www.indstate.edu/cas/faculty/melyassini 1 Book Draft in Progress To all dead, living, and unborn victims of Zionism and the State of Israel 2 Book Draft in Progress Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface The Jewish Question in Europe 1. Introduction to the Jewish Question 2. The Non-Jewish Origin of Zionism 3. The Non-Herzlian Genesis of Herzlian Zionism The Jewish State in Palestine 4. The Non-Semitic Origins of Contemporary Jews 5. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Jewish Settlers since 1948 6. The Non-Zionist Future of Palestine The Jewish Lobby in America 7. What is the Jewish Lobby in the United States? 8. Branches of the Jewish Lobby in the United States 9. The Jewish Lobby at Work 10. Why Does America Support Israeli Jews who do not believe in Jesus against Palestinian Muslims and Christians who do believe in Jesus? Endnotes Chronology of Key Dates Maps Bibliography Index 3 Book Draft in Progress Acknowledgements While the acknowledgements section of a book praises the efforts of those who contributed to the work, it sometimes ought to denounce the efforts of those who tried to undermine the work. The central argument of this book was outlined in six conference presentations to the annual meetings of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) between 2002 and 2008.
    [Show full text]
  • Speaking Truth to Power
    1 SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER By Ceil Lavan, Blauvelt Dominican Justice Promoter Speaking Truth to Power is a prophetic action my Blauvelt Congregation has chosen to put into practice. Speaking Truth to Power is a challenge for each and every one of us. The first Dominican community in the Americas offers us a helpful model. Their behavior makes us proud to be Dominican, which feels really good, and at the same time it inspires us to speak truth to the powers of our day, which makes us a little nervous. The courage of Father Anton Montesinos to speak out in defense of the indigenous people of Hispaniola against the ‘powers that be’ (European royalty, the Vatican, local conquistadors and settlers/parishioners) was a result of communal action. Speaking out alone is more difficult and less effective than speaking out as a group. It was the collective study of the issue of the cruel treatment of the indigenous at the hands of the Spanish explorers and settlers that empowered the Dominicans to compose their prophetic sermon. Just as the Dominican community collectively writing the sermon empowered the preaching of Montesinos, collective commitment empowers us to speak truth to power. One way this is happening today is through the Corporate Stances many Dominican Congregations have taken on issues such as the Death Penalty, Nuclear Weapons, and Immigration Rights. Corporate stances empower congregations to speak publicly as a body; they also allow individual members, congregational groups and leaders to speak out in the name of the congregation. Speaking out on some issues gets more public support than others, though it is never easy to speak prophetically.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq, Palestine, and the Israel Lobby
    If Americans Knew Iraq, Palestine, and the Israel Lobby “The most interesting misinformation is that US foreign policy Iraq, Palestine, and in Iraq and in supporting Israel’s destruction of Palestine is in the US ‘strategic interest.’” the Israel Lobby - Mazin Qumsiyeh “The reason that the pro-Israel lobby has to give so much more money to the politicians than the other lobbies, is that support- ing Israel is not in the US interest, and the contributions are nec- essary to buy the politicians’ cooperation.” Inside: - Jeffrey Blankfort Connecting the Dots: Iraq & Palestine: The Israel Lobby and the Iraq War by Mazin Qumsiyeh Mazin Qumsiyeh, a former professor at Yale University School of Medicine, is widely acknowledged as an experts on The Debate that never Happened: Palestinian refugee rights. He is author of Sharing the Land of Blankfort vs. Plitnick on the Israel Lobby Canaan: a vision based on human rights for Israelis and A Plitnick article annotated by Jeffrey Blankfort Palestinians, which explores the history and current efforts towards creating a pluralistic democracy in Israel/Palestine. Jeffrey Blankfort was raised in a Jewish non-Zionist family. He produces radio programs on three stations and has written extensively on the Middle East. In February 2002, he won a law- suit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which was found to have had a vast spying operation directed against American citizens opposed to Israel’s policies in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza and to South African apartheid. www.IfAmericansKnew.org • 202.631.4060 [email protected] I f A m e r i c a n s K n e w M i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t In a democracy, the ultimate responsibility for a nation's actions rests with its citizens.The top rung of government - the entity with the ulti- mate power of governance - is the asserted will of the people.
    [Show full text]