Donna Nevel in Haaretz, on Tuesday’s protest at the Waldorf of the Israeli army fundraiser (details here), tells of her own progress on the issue:
Why am I protesting the $1,000-a-plate Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dinner honoring Chief of the IDF Staff Gabi Ashkenazi at the Waldorf on March 9?
…As a college student in the 1970s, I defined myself as a socialist Zionist and attended Israeli consulate-sponsored "hasbara" workshops.
The literal translation of hasbara is "explanation," but specifically refers to Israel’s campaign to promote its public image. These sessions taught a simple strategy for "dealing with" Israel’s critics on college campuses.
Begin by speaking about Israel as having the most moral army in the world. Never address the content of your opponents’ allegations.
Reference the Holocaust repeatedly, emphasizing the need for a Jewish homeland with a strong army so that those who hate the Jews will "never again" prevail.
And be sure to question the integrity of Israel’s critics, insinuating that they are anti-Semitic (or, in some cases, self-hating Jews). Those of us in the room who supported a Palestinian state (and there were a few) recognized ourselves in their descriptions of who to watch out for.
I remained active on Palestine-Israel but left my identity as a Zionist far behind, recognizing the incompatibility of Zionism (and the reality of what it was) with my support for justice for the Palestinian people.
How about the “incompatibility of Zionism” with honesty, since they were basically teaching you to lie, to obfuscate, and to falsely accuse?
Didn’t the same God who allegedly gave Palestine to the Israelites also command them not to bear false witness?
ot:
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came home with sweaty palms from his mid-February visit to Israel. He has been worrying aloud that Israel will mousetrap the U.S. into war with Iran.
…
We learned from the Israeli press that Mullen went so far as to warn the Israelis not to even think about another incident at sea like the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967, which left 34 American crew killed and more than 170 wounded. With Bush’s full support, Mullen told the Israelis to disabuse themselves of the notion that U.S. military support would be knee-jerk automatic if Israel somehow provoked open hostilities with Iran.
from Mullen Wary of Israeli Attack on Iran
Does Adm. Mullen enjoy the same level of support from Pres. Obama that he did from Pres. Bush?
Obama is waiting to hear from Rahm Emanuel on how to neutralize Admiral Mullen.