The scandal that is never a scandal in the American press. Bill Clinton’s foundation has been given $500,000 by the Jewish National Fund, which has long been involved in taking Palestinian land and giving it to Jews. Is Hillary running for president? Where does she expect to raise her money? Will she ever oppose Jewish colonization in Palestine?
Thanks for the Times of Israel, and Aaron Kalman (and h/t Jeff Klein):
The Jewish National Fund has paid former US president Bill Clinton $500,000 for a 45-minute speech at the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot on June 17 in honor of the Israeli president’s 90th birthday.
Guests were last week sent invitations requiring them to stump up NIS 3,000 (just over $800) apiece to attend the gala dinner, and thus to help cover his fee, but that requirement has now been canceled.
The fee is not destined for Clinton’s personal account, but will rather be paid to the William J. Clinton Foundation, which encourages awareness of environmental protection and public health along with projects promoting those causes…
The cover charge for the gala dinner in Rehovot was canceled after Peres stated he wouldn’t attend the event if it functioned as a fundraiser. “No fundraising will take place that evening, and no payment will be requested from any of its participants,” the Peres Academic Center, which is hosting the event, told the Haaretz daily Sunday.
As a result, the JNF and Peres Academic Center in Rehovot will absorb the costs, Yedioth Ahronoth reported, noting that the sum was transferred to Clinton nearly a year in advance to guarantee his participation.
What to say?
I am beyond disgusted.
It would be useful to build and update a time-series chart of direct, indirect, and delayed payments made to US presidents in furtherance of Israeli objectives, starting with Harry S Truman through Obama.
The (latest) Clinton payment would be “indirect, delayed” since it flows through a foundation and is made after he left office, while bundled payments on Truman’s whistle stop campaign would be “direct, delayed” since it was cash and went into the campaign coffer and could be used for anything, but was made after recognition.
LBJ’s hundreds of thousands in cash from Abraham Feinberg (as detailed in The Samson Option) would also be categorized as “direct, immediate” since it flowed in during favors (ignoring USS Liberty attack, NUMEC diversion, etc).
How desperate is Israel’s isolation.
Peres’ career from senior civil to top politician spans the entire life of the State of Israel. This event is essentially a lifetime award. Even Shimon Peres, the grandfather of the liberal Zionists, has to pay through the nose for international recognition from Israel’s great friend, Bill Clinton.
It’s good to know that a chunk of the change from the JNF blue boxes is not funding the seizure of Palestinian land. It’s actually going to support a good cause.
RE: “Bill Clinton takes a cool half-million from Jewish National Fund for speech in Israel”
MY COMMENT: It should come as no surprise that Clinton accepted $500,000 from a racist institution* like the Jewish National Fund.
While he was a student at Georgetown University, he sent a postcard** to his grandmother (whom he addressed as “Mammaw”) in a nursing home in Hope, Arkansas. To say the least, it was a ‘racially insensitive’ postcard (showing a barefoot black man “polishing” a watermelon).
* SEE: “Jewish National Fund UK faces official questions over racial discrimination”, by Asa Winstanley, Electronic Intifada, 05/21/2013
LINK – http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/jewish-national-fund-uk-faces-official-questions-over-racial-discrimination
** Bill Clinton’s Racist Postcard – http://serr8d.blogspot.com/2007/10/bill-clinton-racist-postcard-buy-it-now.html).
“$500,000 for a 45-minute speech”
I’ll give a full hour for $400,000. (Plus expenses and GST.)
C’mon, JNF. It’s a great offer.