- Americans almost made it through the year without being
subjected to yet another boring spiel from the Anti-Defamation League's
chief honcho and know-it-all, Abe Foxman. Unfortunately, on Dec. 27, 2003,
the "Washington Post," opened its Op Ed Page to the old windbag.
If there was any justice left in the world, it should have made Foxman
take out a paid advertisement in order to do his egregious pimping for
Zionist Israel.
-
- Foxman's latest rant is entitled, "Open to Debate
in Israel." I wondered after reading it: Shouldn't he be required
to register with the U.S. Justice Department as an agent for a foreign-based
principal? Huh? Keep in mind, that he makes $450,000 a year for being
a one-man, hot-air propaganda machine. At a minimum, Foxman, a card carrying
Zionist, should have been required by the editors of the "Washington
Post," to come clean, on the record, about all of his Israeli connections,
so that an unsuspecting reading public would have been put on notice about
his biases.
-
- In any event, Foxman was all in a tizzy. No, this time,
it wasn't Mel Gibson's soon-to-be-released movie, "The Passion of
Christ," that was arousing his ire. Foxman was upset because his favorite
country, Israel, was recently criticized at Geneva, by Yossi Beilin, a
former Israeli minister of justice, and Yasser Abed Rabbo, an ex-Palestinian
information minister. They were advocating a peace plan for the Middle
East. Foxman claims their action threatens, "to delegitimize and
isolate the Israeli government." He also whined that they were attacking
"Israel's fundamental legitimacy as a sovereign state." Poor
Israel! Poor Americans, too, who read Foxman's contrived drivel!
-
- The pompous ADL boss thinks this so-called, "Geneva
Accord," (an unofficial framework for Middle East peace), is all part
of a sinister plot to "disrespect Israel's democratic institutions."
Oh, come off it, Foxman! That sounds like classic conspiracy mongering
to me.
-
- Some critics, like Amnesty International, however, have
dared to directly challenge Israel's claim to be a democracy, particularly
for its use of fascist-like death squads. I'm sure even Foxman would agree
there isn't anything "democratic" about Israeli thugs killing
unarmed Palestinians, without a trial or even any semblance of due process
of law. (And, by the way, when, if ever, is Elie Wiesel, who once wrote,
"To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all..."
going to address the Israeli death squads' issue?)
-
- In the last three years alone, over 152 Palestinians
have been targeted for extra judicial assassination by the Tel Aviv-based
operatives (phrmg.org). It would be interesting to know: How exactly do
Sharon's death squads function? Does the Israeli Cabinet have to officially
approve of each designated murder? Is there a written record of the death
squad meetings? Or, is it done, with nods and winks, by a death squad committee?
Who decides in Israel, what Palestinian will be executed and which Palestinian
will live? If an official in the Sharon regime insists that a certain Palestinian
is a "militant," does that unchallenged comment become a death
sentence for the particular Palestinian? And, do Sharon's death squads
plan any targeted hits outside Israel: like say, in Iraq, Europe, or even
in the U.S.? (If it's the latter, I would like to know because my "Hate
Mail" file is growing at an alarming rate since my latest book, accusing
the Israel First Brigade of helping to bring on the Iraq War, was published.)
-
- It is simply amazing to watch Foxman pontificate, in
the media, ad nauseam, ad infinitum, about his beloved Israel, without
once using words, like: "occupation," "bulldozer,"
"Rachel Corrie," "Rafah," "torture," "Sabra
& Shatila," Apartheid Wall," "refugee camps," "displaced
persons," "demolition orders," "UN Security Council
Resolution 242," "Jenin," "collective punishment,"
"human shields," "illegal settlements," "detention
without trial" and "Geneva Convention." How does Foxman
get away with ignoring the truth about the tragic fate of the Palestinians
under Israeli rule? How?
-
- Meanwhile, you will never catch the ADL big shot explaining
his sordid role in that sleazy scandal surrounding then-President Bill
Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a billionaire fugitive from U.S. justice
(Salon.com). Wordsmith Bill Safire, "NY Times," (03/26/01), was
so embarrassed by that shameful episode that he demanded Foxman resign
from the ADL to "demonstrate that ethical blindness has consequences."
Naturally, the reality-challenged Foxman declined to do so.
-
- Foxman swears Israel has a "healthy democracy"
because oppositional figures are heard all of the time. Sure, they are!
Unless, of course, they are protesting its notorious Apartheid Wall, than
they can be shot by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) with live ammunition,
like Israeli activist Gil Naamati was last Friday ("Baltimore Sun,"
12/29/03).
-
- Foxman suffers deeply for his right wing crony Sharon.
He believes the Israeli prime minister has to make "difficult choices,"
and that this peace business at Geneva, led by Beilin-Rabbo, paints an
ugly "government-in-exile syndrome," that makes Israel look like
it doesn't have a "free government." Hey, anybody that subscribes
to the "WRMEA" magazine, ((WRMEA.com), knows that there is nothing
"free" about Israel's government, especially because it has cost
the U.S. taxpayers directly over $100 billion in aid, since 1948, "WRMEA,"
05/03), and $3 trillion in consequential cost, according to Thomas R. Stauffer's
"Cost to American Taxpayers of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,"
06/03, "WRMEA"). The enemies, too, that our subsidizing Israeli
terror has made for the U.S. in the Islamic World is another, continuing
and important story, material to this subject matter, but too long to detail
here.
-
- Well, if the slippery Foxman, whose ADL organization
was caught spying, in the U.S., on politically progressive activists back
in the 90s, is publicly panning the Beilin-Rabbo duo, then it can proves
only one thing: The bold seekers of peace at Geneva must be doing the right
thing!
-
- © William Hughes 2003
-
- William Hughes is the author of "Saying 'No' to
the War Party" (Iuniverse, Inc.). He can be reached at: liamhughes@mindspring.com.
-
-
- By Jonathan Petre Religion Correspondent The Telegraph
- UK 12-30-3
-
- The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Tom Wright, has criticised
Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, saying that it was "asking
for trouble".
-
- In a newspaper interview, the bishop strongly condemned
Ariel Sharon, the country's prime minister. "I agree with the millions
of the Jews around the world, and tens of thousands in Israel who grieve
at what some Jews are doing," the bishop told The Independent.
-
- "I'm not anti-Israeli but when I see what has been
done to the Palestinians over the past 50 years, I say, 'Well, if you put
people behind barbed wire, keep them caged, take their land despite international
resolutions, and bulldoze their homes, you are asking for trouble.' "
-
- The bishop, the fourth most senior in the Church of England,
also joined in criticism of Tony Blair and George W Bush over the war on
Iraq.
-
- "For Bush and Blair to go into Iraq together was
like a bunch of white vigilantes going into Brixton to stop drug dealing,"
he said.
-
- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003.
-
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/30/ndurh
30.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/30/ixnewstop.html
|
