This video has to be seen to be believed. Although it has long been known that AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee and other pro-Netanyahu groups have ties to groups promoting anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate, this video represents a new low.
The ad encourages Americans who have emigrated to Israel from the United States to work from Israel to counter the effects of voting by Americans who live here, Arab-Americans.
The ad is the logical extension of what the American Jewish Committee’s president, David Harris has done for years, trying to limit the influence of the growing Arab-American population.
Under his leadership, the American Jewish Committee issued a study “proving” that, contrary to the commonly used estimate of six million American Muslims, the correct number is 2.8 million.
And why is Harris worried about Muslim population estimates?
“Six million has a special resonance,” Harris wrote in a May 21, 2010 article in Jerusalem Report magazine. ”It would mean that Muslims outnumber Jews in the U.S. and it would buttress calls for a redefinition of America’s heritage as ‘Judeo-Christian-Muslim,’ a stated goal of some Muslim leaders.”
That is some scary “stated goal.”
Even more, Harris is worried that the perception that there are as many Muslims as Jews would give Muslims additional political clout, leading Congress to occasionally actually pay attention to them. (Unfortunately, that is not how it works.)
This ad is the next ugly step. First GOP suppression of the black vote. Now neoconservative suppression of Arab-American votes.
Pretty damn ugly.
This post originally appeared on mjayrosenberg.com.
The Establishment will listen as soon as there is a loud, self-confident movement to boycott Israel.
Until then, the sound of occasional whining won’t be enough to change anything.
Haven’t you noticed that both our print and broadcast media has been doing just that for years? Isn’t that the purpose of the Israel Lobby or, if you prefer, Israel’s fifth column?
It’s wonderful to see the bots so freaked out by divestment, delegitimisation and accusations of apartheid that they put them in their videos.
“Think Congress will always be reliably pro Israel”?
They got a great run with 6 million people out of 300 million but it can’t go on indefinitely.
RE: “Pro-Israel activists break new ground — an anti-Arab hate video”
ALSO SEE: “The Sugar Mama of Anti-Muslim Hate”, by Max Blumenthal, The Nation, 6/13/12
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://www.thenation.com/article/168374/sugar-mama-anti-muslim-hate
P.S. Speaking of trust fund babies, I have read that the infamous, neocon Pajamas Media was begun by one of the Levi’s heirs. You may recall that Pajamas Media sent “Joe the Plumber” to Israel during ’08-’09 assault on Gaza. What an awesome commitment to real journalism!
How mind-numbingly un self-aware to encourage and advertise the use of the very same tactic that you’re complaining about.
There’s probably three kinds of responses to this ad: a) Incredulity and mocking laughter, b) Total acceptance and quaking,”existential” fear, and c) What’s wrong with normal people of any political stripe exercising their rights, who is this group, and why are they so afraid of people exercising their rights?
That’s, speculatively, a 25%-15%-60% mix. If they, or the opposition, showed this video on TV during the campaign, it would more invite a lot of questions (with very uncertain answers) from a big pool of agnostics on this issue than it would shore up any support base.
I say show it (but focus group it first). Invite the questions.