One of Jimmy Carter’s most powerful points at Brandeis Tuesday was a challenge to Brandeis to organize its own trip to the Occupied Territories to find out whether he was exaggerating the horrible conditions that Palestinians face. “See for yourself.” That’s an important issue. Today’s Christian Science Monitor has a strong piece by former S.D. Sen. James Abourezk talking about the Israel lobby’s use of congressional trips to sway political opinion to the view that one side has the moral high ground in the unending cycle of violence there.
According to the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper, congressional filings
show Israel as the top foreign destination for privately sponsored
trips. Nearly 10 percent of overseas congressional trips taken between
2000 and 2005 were to Israel. Most are paid for by the American Israel
Education Foundation, a sister organization of the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee, the major pro-Israel lobby group.New rules require all trips to be pre-approved by the House Ethics
Committee, but Rep. Barney Frank (D) of Massachusetts says this setup
will guarantee that tours of Israel continue. Ron Kampeas of the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency reported consensus among Jewish groups that “the new
legislation would be an inconvenience, but wouldn’t seriously hamper the
trips to Israel that are considered a critical component of
congressional support for Israel.”These trips are defended as “educational.” In reality, as I know from my
many colleagues in the House and Senate who participated in them, they
offer Israeli propagandists an opportunity to expose members of Congress
to only their side of the story. The Israeli narrative of how the nation
was created, and Israeli justifications for its brutal policies omit
important truths about the Israeli takeover and occupation of the
Palestinian territories.
Abourezk doesn’t know about the journalists. The journos who have taken one-sided junkets to Israel don’t have to declare them…
Why is it not OK to question Carter about donations from Arabs, but OK to question Jewish groups about trips to Israel?
Is there not a double standard at play here?
"Is there not a double standard at play here?"
No. You are comparing donations to indoctrinating trips to Israel.
Apples and oranges.
I'd be pretty surprised if these "educational" trips didn't include learning the many ways that being a "good fella/friend" to the Zionists could benefit them, especially in a tight situation.
~
Came across the following comment today on Larry Johnson's excellent blog No Quarter — thought it would be of interest to MondoWeiss readers –
http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/01/joe_wilson_vind.html
VP Cheney's interview with Wolf Blitzer gave me the creeps.
Here are a few questions which Americans should ask the Bush administration:
–"Is there any light at all between the ME policy of the US and the ME policy of a small radical group of Likud supporters in Israel?"
–"Is it possible to have a reasoned debate about the US support for Israel without bringing up charges of anti-Semitism?" (So far I would have to say the answer is no.)
– "What does the US get out of attacking Iran and protecting Israel?"
–"Why are Christian fundamentalists so willing to put Biblical interpretations of the Old Testament ahead of US interests?"
–What is the difference between Christian fundamentalists, Jewish fundamentalists and Islamic fundamentalists, and why do the rest of us, who just want to get on with our lives, have to get caught in the middle of their brawl?"
Posted by: Aaron Bernstein | Thursday, 25 January 2007 at 13:47
itzikl – Nice addition. Great questions. Thanks.
Greg Mitchell at 'Editor & Publisher' has a nice piece comparing that Cheney-Blitzer interview with some of the pronouncements of 'Baghdad Bob':
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003538598
Rowan,
All due respect, Greg Mitchell is a liar on par with the alleged lies of Aaron Klein. Black proporganda if there ever was.
Greg Mitchell may be a liar (unlikely because of the intense scrutiny visited by US journalists on one another, except when protected by the Jewish mafia, as Klein is) but a comic article like the one I mention would not be a good place to find his lies, since it claims no truths.
Geez Rowan — always the exception for the Jews, how gracious of you.
You sniveling loser. 54, single and living amonst the cockaroaches in some dumpy London flat. No wonder you hate your betters.