‘Two of America's top scholars
have published a searing attack on the role and power of Washington's
pro-Israel lobby in a British journal, warning that its "decisive"
role in fomenting the Iraq war is now being repeated with the threat of action
against Iran. And they say that the Lobby is so strong that they doubt their
article would be accepted in any U.S.-based publication.
Professor John Mearsheimer of the
University of Chicago, author of "The Tragedy of Great Power
Politics" and Professor Stephen Walt of Harvard's Kenney School, and
author of "Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S.
Primacy," are leading figures American in academic life.
They claim that the Israel lobby
has distorted American policy and operates against American interests, that it
has organized the funneling of more than $140 billion dollars to Israel and
"has a stranglehold" on the U.S. Congress, and its ability to raise
large campaign funds gives its vast influence over Republican and Democratic administrations,
while its role in Washington think tanks on the Middle East dominates the
policy debate.
And they say that the Lobby works
ruthlessly to suppress questioning of its role, to blacken its critics and to
crush serious debate about the wisdom of supporting Israel in U.S. public
life.’
Pro-Israel
Lobby In US Under Attack
Read the full report
written by Mearsheimer & Walt here - "The
Israel Lobby & US Foreign Policy"
in quieter moments .....
Prime Minister John Howard will be presented the prestigious B'nai
B'rith international Presidential Gold Medal for his "outstanding"
support of Israel and the Jewish people at a ceremony in Washington on Tuesday, May
16. B'nai
B'rith Australia / NZ
A spokesperson for the prime minister told the AJN that Howard was
"deeply honoured" by the award, and that "Australia's consistent support for
the State of Israel is based on principle and a profound respect for the courage
and achievements of the Jewish people".
B'nai B'rith Australia/New Zealand president James Altman said:
"In a world where many countries are demonising Israel, which is leading to antisemitism in those countries, John Howard and his government have been a beacon of light against that trend."
Howard's commitment to Israel and the Jewish community was also the
topic of an address last week to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), in which he praised Australian Jewry's "invaluable contribution" to the broader
community, and reiterated the government's "steadfast" commitment to a "safe
and secure Israel".
In a congratulatory video message screened at the AJC's 100th annual meeting in Washington, Howard said the Australian Jewish community "plays a major
role in strengthening the friendship between Australia and Israel and in bringing us closer to our allies".
Congratulating the AJC for its accomplishments on human-rights issues
and the advancement of inter-faith relations, the PM stated: "The
international Jewish community and the state of Israel have no closer friends than Australia
and the United States."
Howard, who last visited Israel in 2000, is tipped to return to the
Jewish
State as early as July, following an invitation from Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert.
Last year, Howard completed a rare trifecta by receiving awards from
three organisations in recognition of his support for Jewish causes: Sydney's Jewish Communal Appeal, the AJC and the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
A strong Australian delegation at the AJC conference included Mark
Leibler, who is national chairman of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), an AJC affiliate; AIJAC executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein, who presented a session on opportunities for strengthening ties with South-East
Asia; and former Executive Council of Australian Jewry president and current AIJAC
director of international affairs Jeremy Jones, who gave a presentation on antisemitism.
Six representatives of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students were
also present.
whilst this is happening, it
seems somewhat ironic that …..
‘Israel’s Rabbis for Human Rights, which has built up a
reputation for battling abuses by soldiers and settlers in the Palestinian
territories, was honoured in Japan with a leading peace prize.
The Jerusalem-based
organisation's chairman Rabbi Maayan Turner collected the Niwano Peace
Foundation award at a ceremony in Tokyo attended by government ministers and
diplomats.
RHR has developed into a bete
noire of the Israeli right for its work in trying to stop settlement activity,
land appropriation and destruction of farmland in the West Bank since its foundation in
1988.
But Turner told the ceremony that
it was vital for religious leaders to be prepared to speak out.
"If we do not decry the
abuses of power and the injustices of our country, then they will remain with
us, destroying our society from within much more effectively than any enemy
without," he said in Tokyo.
Israeli
Rabbis Awarded Japan Peace Prize
Of course, our little "beacon of light" is yet
to receive any Awards for his "steadfast commitment" to the human
& legal rights of the peoples of Palestine, Iraq & Afghanistan.