Steve Walt says the Obama meeting with Jewish leaders proves the Israel lobby theory. I know this is obvious, but I have to quote it:
First, although a few individuals in the Israel lobby continue to downplay its influence, the very fact that this meeting was held is additional testimony to its important role in shaping U.S. Middle East policy. Why was Barack Obama taking time from his busy schedule to meet with the heads of groups like AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, J Street, Hadassah, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (among others)? Simple: he knows that these groups have a lot of political power.
And he's generally more positive about the meeting than Ali Abunimah was. Sees real progress. And has this incisive bit:
You know a country is in trouble when it routinely attacks respected human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, or when a group of its own soldiers releases damning personal testimony about their own misconduct in Gaza. (The courage and candor of these Israeli dissidents remains a redeeming feature of Israel’s otherwise troubled democracy).
Related posts:
- ‘Human Rights Watch’ tries to get past identity politics
- Human Rights Watch says burning phosphorus used in civilian areas
- Canadian human rights org is swallowed by the Israel lobby
- When will ‘Rabbis for Human Rights’ speak out for human rights in Gaza?
- ‘Human Rights Watch’ provides searing evidence of the targeting of civilians in Gaza
{ 11 comments }
HRW is a joke
yes…to Israelis and their disgusting, Nazi sympathizers, human rights for any non-Jew are "a joke."
RE: "The courage and candor of these Israeli dissidents remains a redeeming feature" MY COMMENT: Very true. And also Haaretz and Ynet.
According to you is there any international human rights organization left in the entire world that's isn't biased against poor Israel?
I don't know, you could look at the Obama Jewish meeting several ways. No doubt he was giving a nod to the Jewish groups….Campign contributions reasons and etc? Yea. Maybe. But was it any more than a nod? Was it the we love Israel but trucking right on with his program. Just the old Israeli we want peace but trucking right on with settlements? Did the meeting influence Obama? Remains to be seen.
Everyone hates Jews! It's Germany all over again! Islam is Nazism! They want to push us in the sea! They want to exterminate us! Obama is a secret Muslim! Bagellllllllllllssssssss!
Human rights organizations are inherently biased toward the underdogs, regardless of the reasons for the war. They all are worried about the suffering of the people involved and never consider the context. In domestic terms, they would be like people complaining how rough it is for convicted criminals families that they don't get to live with their loved one, without considering that there is a good reason that the criminal is locked up. For example, Hamas stored weapons in the house of Hamas terrorist leader Nazir Rayan. Pretend this doesn't involve Israel so your own bias doesn't get in the way. Does anyone here think that a weapon storage facility is not a legitimate military target? Does anyone think that a terrorist group or even a legitimate army should be able to prevent attacks on its legitimate military targets by using civilian human shields? Does anyone here think that after the civilians have been warned to evacuate and choose not to that a weapon storage facility is not a legitimate military target? Amnesty International does. They said that bombing a weapon storage facility after warning civilians to get out was a war crime because the Palestinians chose to keep the civilians in it. Basically, their philosophy is that civilized nations should let barbarians destroy them rather than harming the civilians that the barbarians use as human shields. They probably produce similar reports about every other victorious military power, but you just don't hear about it because nobody cares when it isn't Israel being criticized.
Ah I see so those pesky human rights organizations are not only biased against Israel they also unfairly target other victorious military powers like Russia, China etc.
Actually, AI tries (a little bit) to be fair. AI is critical of the USA, UK, etc, not just Israel. However they don't have enough free information to criticize countries like North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Saddam's Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan (Darfur), etc. So AI reports make it sound like Israel, USA, UK, etc are HORRID societies and the despotic Arabs are not really that bad. AI seem to be simple-minded idealists who want a better world but can't really deal with true evil, so they attack 'soft targets' like Israel. Whether they are simpletons or evil antisemites is probably best answered individually among their activists. If you're looking for the truth and the whole truth, Amnesty International is not the place to find it.
Human Rights Watch Criticizes Israel, Roth at Harvard
Walt’s analysis of the meeting is seriously flawed: [Stephen Walt] Obama meets the Lobby.
Comments on this entry are closed.