Adam Shapiro at Huffpo demonstrates real intellectual honesty here. You cannot look at American policy in the Middle East, even as a leftist who finds fault with much of U.S. policy in the Third World, and not accept the special role of the Israel lobby in granting Israel immunity from any decent standard of international behavior. This piece is all about his friend Tom Perriello, a Democrat who unseated a Republican in a Virginia cong’l district a year ago. Shapiro puts Perriello in the category of politicians who have sold out "core beliefs." I want to agree with him, but — and this goes for Obama too– I don’t know many pols with core beliefs, and I think they have little choice. It’s the system. What will it take to break it? Well, good journalism, to begin with. Open discussion. Shapiro:
[In 2006], I met Tom in Afghanistan when he arrived as a consultant with the United Nations to explore transitional justice possibilities for the country. I was already working for a human rights organization, promoting rule of law, women’s rights and transitional justice. Tom had done similar work in Liberia helping launch a truth and reconciliation commission.
We quickly saw eye to eye on the work and became friends over discussions about the role of law in achieving justice in extremely difficult conflict and post-conflict circumstances. I took Tom hiking in the hills overlooking Kabul and we strategized on how to strengthen the justice sector in Afghanistan. Of course, my work on Palestine came up and Tom usually brought the discussion to the role of international law and the need for accountability on all sides – considerations that clearly help protect civilians, particularly Palestinians living under occupation.
…Fast forward… to the present, and I have been shocked and disappointed to learn that my friend Tom – a staunch supporter of international law, human rights and equality for all – has voted as a Congressman in favor of apartheid. On the face of it, House Resolution 867 "Calling on the President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the ‘Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’ in multilateral fora" was a typical AIPAC-inspired (or even written) resolution to push the US Congress to support Israel when it got into hot water internationally. Already the White House and State Department have rejected the Goldstone Report, named for preeminent South African justice Richard Goldstone, a well-known Zionist and staunch supporter of Israel. Human rights organizations around the world support the report, and the credentials of the commission were outstanding. Judge Goldstone himself has repeatedly pointed out that the report also calls to task Hamas for violations of international law.
So why did Tom vote in favor of H.Res. 867 and how is this apartheid?
I believe Congressman Perriello’s vote resulted from the almost-obligatory fealty to AIPAC displayed by members of Congress – and perhaps his desire to get reelected.
Incumbents have learned over the years not to cross AIPAC if re-election is important to them. This is not a tangential correlation – ask former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, former Senator Charles Percy and former President George H.W. Bush what happened to them when they took stands helpful to securing Palestinian rights. So the logic behind his vote is pretty simple…
When my friend Tom told me he was trying to become a Congressman, he assured me that he would maintain who he was. The man I knew was someone who fought for justice, who worked tirelessly to promote international law and human rights, and who was aware of the reality of Congress but determined to be different. Congressman Perriello, I am afraid, has become like so many of his colleagues, a mere tool of a hard-right AIPAC agenda that has no business dictating American policy. He has become part of an American dog wagged by an Israeli and AIPAC tail.
Our entire government is under foreign occupation.
The same mechanism which is corrupting American foreign policy and commitment to international justice is also having a corrosive effect on our domestic agenda. Just like at “Democratic” Senator Joe Lieberman and health care reform. Certainly not the only factor that’s weighing down and destroying health care reform, but it’s foolish to deny that it is not a factor.
I guess, as an addendum, I’m mildly surprised to see this even make it to Huff Po but we’ll see how long Mr. Shapiro lasts as a commentator there after this moment of truth-telling.
For Adam Shapiro to include George Bush the first on the list of those who lost their offices because of the Israel lobby is silly. George Bush the first was a mediocre, out of touch politician who chose Dan Quayle as his vice president and he was voted out of office after 12 years of Republican rule by the dynamic Bill Clinton who won by over 5% of the vote and played and replayed, “No new taxes” as the words that condemend Bush senior.
I continue to wonder why antiZionists include gratuitous charges against Israel and the Israel lobby. If your case is so strong, why do you weaken it with such silliness?
Apparently you are totally unfamiliar with the pressure put on Bush the First by the neoconservative Israeli-aligned establishment to completely topple and occupy Iraq — a mistake he might have been unwilling to make, but whose son could apparently be goaded into taking up the fool’s errand.
I don’t think we need to hear about “gratuitous charges” from any Zionist — the same people who brought you the directed attacks against civilians with overwhelming military force, cluster bombs, human shields (yes, we know which side is really using those now), white phosphorous as an incendiary weapon, etc — ostensibly because Palestinians were digging in the ground in Gaza.
Bush the First riled the Zionists personally when he demanded, in 1991
” that the Israelis stop building new settlements in Palestinian-controlled territories. Unlike previous presidents, Bush sounded serious, threatening to block millions in loan guarantees if Israel disobeyed. (Later, when his re-election was in doubt in 1992, Bush promised to press Congress for the loan guarantees unconditionally.)
Just as damaging was the elder Bush’s knack for seeming as out of touch with Jewish voters as he did with everyone else. Once, during a 1991 White House press conference, Bush Sr. complained about the strength of the Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill—the implication being that “Jews work insidiously behind the scenes,” as David J. Forman wrote in the Jerusalem Post. On another occasion, Bush reminded his critics that the United States gives “Israel the equivalent of $1,000 for every Israeli citizen,” a remark that detractors took as an allusion to the stereotype of Jews as money-obsessed and greedy.”
link to slate.com
His son did not make the same mistake, and was rewarded with two terms.
“I continue to wonder why antiZionists include gratuitous charges against Israel and the Israel lobby.”
Wondering, I have a possible answer to that, but you may not like it. But you must admit it has a lot of validity. Do you think that anti-Zionists make “gratuitous charges” against Israel because Israel is mostly made up of Jews, and their anti-Zionism is only a flimsy pretext for their anti-Semitism?
I know that isn’t the kind of charge you would make, but you have got to consider it. As you well know, anti-Semitism is on the rise. Why just yesterday, I was down on the south end of Seattle, where all the train-yards are, and there was miles of box-cars just waiting there. What else could they be for?
Chaos- Apparently you are under the impression that a discussion resembles a ping pong game, where the object is to return the ball to the other side of the net. Oh, I forgot. You aren’t interested in discussion, only in unanimity.
And this here is your idea of “discussion,” huh? No wonder Israeli society is falling apart.
Nonviolent resistance is no less noble than carrying out a suicide operation.
-Adam Shapiro
That’s your “intellectually honest” Adam Shapiro.
As intellectually honest as maybe providing a sourced quote? Or did you just dig that up from your friends who are currently attacking him in Huff Po’s comment section?