Republican presidential frontrunner Rick Perry embraces former terrorist group leader Dov Hikind
Republican presidential frontrunner Rick Perry embraces former terrorist group leader Dov HikindYesterday, I attended Rick Perry’s press conference at the W Hotel in New York City, where the Texas Governor and Republican presidential frontrunner denounced President Barack Obama for supposedly “appeasing” America’s enemies in the Middle East and failing to sufficiently support Israel. The Perry appearance was timed to pre-empt Obama’s speech at the UN in which the President would reject Palestinian demands for statehood.
The most remarkable aspect of Perry’s press conference was the cast of characters that assembled behind the Governor while he spoke. To Perry’s immediate right was Assemblyman Dov Hikind, the former leader of the Jewish Defense League, a terrorist group responsible for bombing attacks on numerous Arab-American targets and a conspiracy to murder Republican Rep. Darrell Issa. While Hikind’s collaborator Victor Vancier spent ten years in jail for firebomb attacks, Hikind was suspected by the FBI of numerous terror attacks of his own. After issuing numerous stentorian condemnations of terror, Perry handed the mic over to Hikind, who exclaimed, “I heard the Governor’s speeches and I said to myself, ‘He sounds like me!'” The two engaged in a sustained hug before a giant media gaggle.
To Perry’s left was Dr. Solomon “Joe” Frager, who was listed on official Perry press material as the organizer of the press conference. Frager is the Chairman of the Jerusalem Reclamation Project, a front group for the Ateret Cohanim organization that steals Palestinian property in East Jerusalem and hands it over to fanatically religious Jewish families. They are the spearhead of Israel’s slow motion ethnic cleansing of Silwan and the Old City. For a glimpse at the zealotry, racism and sheer sleaziness behind Ateret Cohanim’s operation, watch Louis Theroux’s excellent BBC documentary, “The Ultra-Zionists,” which follows Ateret Cohanim’s man-on-the-ground Daniel Luria as he personally orchestrates the theft of Palestinian homes.
Surrounding Perry was a sundry assortment of Jewish Israeli extremists, from Knesset Deputy Speaker Danny Danon, who advocates annexing the West Bank to punish the Palestinian Authority for pursuing statehood, to Member of Knesset Nissim Zeev, a settler from the Shas Party who has proposed “rehab centers” for homosexuals.
None of the reporters I talked to afterwards seemed to know who any of Perry’s “pro-Israel” supporters were, and very few even cared. And nothing I have read so far about the event in the mainstream American media noted that it was planned by a key orchestrator of Palestinian home seizures in occupied territory, or that Perry embraced the former leader of a group listed by the FBI as a terrorist organization. To get a sense of the kind of coverage Perry earned from the mainstream press, read Politico’s Ben Smith, who described Perry’s speech as “moderate” and “centrist.” Meanwhile, the liberal groups that howled in protest when Perry hosted a prayer rally in Houston with Christian right leaders have virtually ignored Perry’s embrace of the Jewish extreme right.
It goes without saying that if an American politician meets with any Muslim or Arab leader, they will invite vehement denunciations from their opponents and face intense scrutiny from the mainstream press. This is why Obama has not visited a single mosque during his entire term as President (former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Obama was avoiding Muslims “out of sensitivity to the Jewish vote”). When a politician like Perry who surrounds himself with violent Jewish extremists before the national press corps, however, he is lauded as a “centrist” and treated as a serious contender.
This post originally appeared on Max Blumenthal’s blog for Al Akhbar English.
Max
“None of the reporters I talked to afterwards seemed to know who any of Perry’s “pro-Israel” supporters were, and very few even cared. And nothing I have read so far about the event in the mainstream American media noted that it was planned by a key orchestrator of Palestinian home seizures in occupied territory, or that Perry embraced the former leader of a group listed by the FBI as a terrorist organization. To get a sense of the kind of coverage Perry earned from the mainstream press, read Politico’s Ben Smith, who described Perry’s speech as “moderate” and “centrist.” Meanwhile, the liberal groups that howled in protest when Perry hosted a prayer rally in Houston with Christian right leaders have virtually ignored Perry’s embrace of the Jewish extreme right.”
As is always the case Max digs down. Thanks
Perry did take a beating last night on MSNBC for attempting to trump and undermine President Obama’s speech at the UN.
Were Douglas Feith and William Luti there collecting checks? Over at Race for Iran awhile back Flynt Leverett stated that Perry’s foreign policy team is being led by Feith and Luti.
Flynt Levertt references Foreign Policy.com
“ForeignPolicy.com reports, see here, say that Perry’s foreign policy and national security briefings are being organized by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and feature such Iraq war masterminds as Doug Feith and Bill Luti. ”
http://www.raceforiran.com/can-rep-ron-paul-influence-america%E2%80%99s-iran-debate
One of President Obama’s lines during his UN speech was a very dangerous and false statement about Iran.
Obama at the UN “Israel is a small country of less than 8 million people look at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe them off the map”
This is the clip that Chris Matthews or his producers chose to play during his segment with Howard Fineman and Joan Walsh from Salon. Not one of these well informed savvy individuals chose to bring any attention to this debunked and false statement. Again allowing this inflammatory and false statement about Iran”s President to be repeated once again. This is dangerous dangerous.
The segment on Hardball “Perry attacks Obama on Middle East Peace”
Obama’s false statement about the Iranian President’s statements about Israel
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/#44601030
Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment debunked this false statement that has endlessly been repeated in our MSM by Reps, Obama, Clinton etc long ago.
http://www.juancole.com/2006/05/hitchens-hacker-and-hitchens.html
“Whatever this quotation from a decades-old speech of Khomeini may have meant, Ahmadinejad did not say that “Israel must be wiped off the map” with the implication that phrase has of Nazi-style extermination of a people. He said that the occupation regime over Jerusalem must be erased from the page of time. ”
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Then this morning on Cspan’s Washington Journal the host of the program allowed Ohio Republican Rep Chabot to repeat more inflammatory and false statements about Iran. Repeating the debunked “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” and then repeating unsubstantiated and very dangerous claims that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. The host did not interrupt or challenge.
The 45 minute segment that Rep Chabot was on focused on the I/P conflict, the UN bid. Anyone think Washington Journal will have a guest on with an opposing view about this issue?
The clip of Chabot is not up. Rep Chabot has legislation up cutting Palestinian aide
“Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East & South Asia – Chairman, discusses his non-binding resolution calling for the withholding of the United States’ U.N. funding if the General Assembly recognizes a Palestinian state.”
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Washington-Journal-for-Thursday-September-22/10737424305/
Camera has a watch CSpan effort going on at their site where they document every comment about Israel, Iran that they do not like. Many people call in with facts. Camera defines almost every caller as anti semitic.
Camera has had to hammer Washington Journal so much that almost every host interrupts anyone stating any comment about Israel with “where do you get your information” Now if the host of Washington Journal would just apply those same questions to those who repeat unsubstantiated claims about Iran.
Camera’s CSpan watch site
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=35&x_article=1778
Phil, Annie, Adam etc really think you are going to want to listen to what Rep Chabot had to say about the UN vote etc. Anyone think Washington Journal will have a guest on with an opposing or fact based views?
“Then this morning on Cspan’s Washington Journal the host of the program allowed Ohio Republican Rep Chabot to repeat more inflammatory and false statements about Iran. Repeating the debunked “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” and then repeating unsubstantiated and very dangerous claims that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. The host did not interrupt or challenge.
The 45 minute segment that Rep Chabot was on focused on the I/P conflict, the UN bid. Anyone think Washington Journal will have a guest on with an opposing view about this issue?
The clip of Chabot is not up. Rep Chabot has legislation up cutting Palestinian aide
“Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East & South Asia – Chairman, discusses his non-binding resolution calling for the withholding of the United States’ U.N. funding if the General Assembly recognizes a Palestinian state.”
link to c-span.org ”
Rep Chabot repeated all of Israel and the I lobbies talking points
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Washington-Journal-for-Thursday-September-22/10737424305/
“Israel is our strongest ally”
“Arafat walked away from middle east talks” Dennis Ross’s work in our media
go get Iran bad bad Iran
Hey Max, great news. Aliyah to Israel up 20%
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=239114
Perry screwed his chances at the debate in Orlando–on the illegal immigration issue and on SS issue. Lots of Repubs will switch to Romney. Perry sure is rough around the edges for a long time governor. I keep thinking he just stepped out of the cow pasture or coal mine.