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Darling of American Jewry
January 4, 2001
ABRAHAM OF ISRAEL
DARLING OF AMERICAN JEWRY
"Over the years, most of the strongest
advocates of Israel have usually been
people who are not Jewish....[I] look
forward to working with him..."
Malcolm Hoenlein
One of top Israeli/Jewish lobby officials
The U.S. Arabs -- in their organized context -- are...well...so screwed up.
They should be protesting the token appointment of an Israel-endorsed "Arab
American" to the Bush Cabinet but instead they are applauding. When it comes
to political sophistication the Arab Americans remain...well...primative. Indeed,
Senator Abraham, soon to be Secretary of Energy in the George W Administration
-- a department he by the way advocating terminating just two years ago -- should
actually be considered something of embarrassment to Arab Americans. But then
of course all the retarded Arab American "client organizations" are light years
behind when it comes to being sufficiently powerful to be taken seriously by
anyone other than themselves anyway.
For years Abraham has played both sides of the fence and no one has said boo.
That self-appointed and much-hated "spokesman" for Arab Americans, Jim Zogby,
has worked very closely with Abraham who helped establish the "Arab-American
Institute" (AAI) and has served as one of its Chairman. On the other hand, and
far more importantly, in his years in the Senate Abraham has had a very "solid
pro-Israel voting record" according to representatives of the Israeli-Jewish
lobby.
With guys like Zogby and Abraham representing them -- not to mention the lesser
second-tier crowd in Washington including Maksoud, Sharabi, and Rahman -- it
should be no wonder why the Arabs are always used, abused, laughed at, and disregarded.
And of course all this translates into the serious tilt the U.S. always has toward
the Israelis -- no matter how outrageous the Israelis behave.
In the American context -- and of course Washington these days is in many
ways the modern-day Rome, the capital of the world -- the six-million Arab Americans
(now more numerous actually than Jewish Americans) are at least as badly represented
as are the peoples of the Middle East itself who continue to have their wealth
and heritage plundered and sullied by Kings and Tyrants who in most cases trace
their origins and staying power back to London, Washington, and Paris.
JEWS WELCOME ABRAHAM APPOINTMENT
By Janine Zacharia
WASHINGTON - Jerusalem Post - 4 Jan:
Jewish leaders yesterday
welcomed the nomination of former Michigan senator
Spencer Abraham as energy secretary, a key position
when it comes to US interests in the Middle East, and
said they are not concerned that president-elect George
W. Bush wrapped up his cabinet selections without
appointing any Jews.
Abraham, 48, who is of Lebanese heritage, had a solid
pro-Israel voting record during his six years in the Senate
before he was defeated by Democratic challenger
Debbie Stabenow by a slim margin in the November
election. He enjoys strong ties with the Jewish and
Arab-American communities.
Among his strongest supporters in Michigan is the
92-year-old Max Fisher, one of the most well-known
Republican Jewish leaders in the US. Fisher told The
Jerusalem Post in September that he thinks "very highly"
of Abraham, whom he has supported financially in his
election bids.
In 1999, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which has
provided essential lifesaving services to world Jewry,
honored Abraham with an award for furtherance of
peace and freedom.
"I think it is a testament to the special place that America
is that the grandson of four Lebanese immigrants can
have the opportunity to serve in the Cabinet of the
president of the United States. I'm very proud to have
been given this opportunity," Abraham said after Bush
announced the nomination on Tuesday.
Sen. Carl Levin, a Jewish Democratic senator from
Michigan, called Abraham's selection an "excellent
nomination" and said he looked forward to working with
him on energy issues.
"Sen. Abraham had a close relationship with the Jewish
community and was generally supportive on
Israel-related issues," said Ken Bricker, spokesman for
the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. Pro-Israel
lobbyists said he was especially helpful on foreign aid,
sanctions on Iraq, and initiatives aimed at limiting the
spread of weapons of mass destruction to states
unfriendly to Israel.
He parted from the pro-Israel line when he declined to
sign on to a letter urging President Bill Clinton to relocate
the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in
compliance with the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act. He
was also one of only two senators not to recently sign a
letter to Clinton condemning Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat for not doing enough to curb the
violence in Israel and the territories.
Malcolm Hoenlein, executive director of the Conference
of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations,
said the Jewish community "looks forward to working
with him in the position."
"We have never judged people because of their race or
ethnicity. He enjoyed support from the Jewish
community even in his last race. I don't think you will find
anyone in the community raising objections to the
appointment," Hoenlein said.
Asked how he feels about no Jews being appointed to
Bush's cabinet, Hoenlein said: "It's happened before...
The fact is that over the years, most of the strongest
advocates of Israel have usually been people who are
not Jewish. It's a question of what kinds of policies they
adopt, not who is adopting them."
Bush has nominated several Jews to positions in the
White House, including Josh Bolten as deputy chief of
staff and Ari Fleischer as press secretary.
Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish
Democratic Council, a Democratic Jewish partisan group
in Washington, believes the appointment signals
environmental doom but acknowledged that on Israel
Abraham has had an"adequate" record.
"I think that it reconfirms what Bush was saying in the
campaign. His energy policy is going to be drilling in
environmentally-sensitive areas," Forman said. Abraham
consistency supported legislation that would allow oil and
natural gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge in order to help reduce US dependence on
foreign oil, a cornerstone of Bush's campaign.
Forman, who is completing a book on Jews in American
politics, says that Republican presidents Ronald Reagan
and George Bush did not have Jewish cabinet members
either. "There's nothing evil about this. There just don't
appear to be a lot of Jewish people in the [Dick]
Cheney-Bush circle of close friends" from which Bush
has drawn many of the appointments, Forman said.
One possible Jewish appointment could be Paul
Wolfowitz, dean of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced
International Studies. Wolfowitz had hoped to be chosen
for secretary of defense but was edged out by Donald
Rumsfeld. He is still being considered for CIA director
or US ambassador to the UN, both positions Bush is
considering elevating to Cabinet level.
Also appointed Tuesday was Linda Chavez, president of
the Center for Equal Opportunity, as labor secretary.
Chavez, who is of Hispanic heritage, is married to Chris
Gersten, who is Jewish, and worked as political director
of AIPAC in the 1980s.
Overall, Bush's 14-member Cabinet is a wide mix,
including six white men, two black men, three white
women, one Asian-American man, a Hispanic man, and
a Hispanic woman.
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January 2001
Leila Khalid - refugee from Haifa, fighter for Palestine (January 31, 2001) When Palestinian liberation fighter Leila Khaled
hijacked her first plane in 1969, she became
the international pin-up of armed struggle.
Then she underwent cosmetic surgery so she could
do it again. Thirty years on, she talks to
Katharine Viner about being a woman at war.
The end of Israel? (January 30, 2001) At a time with rampant current events breaking daily, often hourly,
there is much need to remember the importance of sometimes taking time
for reflection, of sometimes stepping back to contemplate both the past
and the future.
Sharon - the REAL legacy of Clinton and Barak (January 30, 2001) As the Barak era fades from view -- more short-lived than anyone predicted
just a long year and a half ago -- his epitaph is already being written
and Ariel Sharon's government and policies are already being debated.
Looming civil war in Palestine (January 29, 2001) Fears are growing in the international
community that Yasser Arafat's
Palestinian Authority (PA) is heading
for collapse.
Arafat blasts, Peres maneuvers, Barak sinks (January 29, 2001) For all practical purposes Ehud Barak is gone and Yasser Arafat is now
desperately trying to save his own skin.
Barak's 3 no's, and Bush's 7 minute call (January 28, 2001) The Americans leaked it, a 7-minute Saturday call from the new U.S.
Pres to the sinking Israeli PM -- leaked its brevity that is.
The Bomb and Iraq (January 28, 2001) As war clouds gather in the Middle East public opinion is being prepared
for a possible regional war that could likely include a combined Western/Israeli
effort to take out the weapons of mass destruction in Syria, Iraq and Iran.
The "nuts" in the next room (January 27, 2001) In recent years Israel's most important and serious newspaper, Ha'aretz, has
taken to not only reporting Palestinian affairs much more deeply but to interviewing
major Palestinian personalities abroad.
Get ready for Prime Minister Sharon (January 27, 2001) The new Ma'ariv-Gallop poll
questioned a particularly large sample of 1,100 people, putting special emphasis
on the Arab population and new immigrants.
Panic in the Barak camp (January 27, 2001) All the tricks and lies of the Israeli Labor Party have now come back to haunt
it. Barak, never a politician, bears the brunt of popular blame for all the
political deceptions and tricks that have for so long accumulated.
War alert in Europe and Middle East (January 27, 2001) We've noted the "war fever" growing in the region for some months now. There's considerable anxiety about who may now strike first.
Israeli and Jewish soul-searching (January 26, 2001) The Intifada, coupled with Israeli brutality and recognition that the term
"Apartheid Peace" is in fact applicable after all, are having an effect on at
least some Israelis and some Jews; even while Ariel Sharon marches to the Prime
Minister's office in Jerusalem (and maybe because of this).
"Disastrous" American intervention (January 26, 2001) ou've got to wonder about these Palestinian "negotiators". What others saw
decades ago those who have been most involved are apparently beginning to see
only now.
Sharon marches on, Barak stumbles on (January 25, 2001) The 554,000 Arabs eligible to vote represent 12.3
percent of the electorate. The Arab turnout in 1999
was 76%, and 95% voted for Barak.
An alliance of the outcasts? Iran, Iraq and Syria (January 24, 2001) So the Israelis are going to elect war-criminal tough-guy General Ariel Sharon
to be Prime Minister. This after the most top-heavy military-intelligence government
in peacetime history for Israel -- that of General Ehud Barak.
General Powell says no to sanctions on behalf of Corporate America (January 23, 2001) Hamas has struck again and the "negotiations" are "suspended"
again.
Two Israelis were assassinated by masked men while eating at a restaurant
in Tulkarm. Though this time it was Israelis who were killed it was another
warning to Yasser Arafat. Last week similarly masked men in Gaza killed
a
close Arafat friend, the head of Palestinian TV in Gaza, just as it was rumored
Arafat was about to sign some kind of new deal with the Israelis.
EyeWitness Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa (January 23, 2001) The depressing element of this entire struggle
is that the Arafat regime survives and...will
be the one to ultimately determine the fate
of the Palestinian people.
War Fever - Israel and Syria (January 23, 2001) Tensions continue to grow in the Middle East region, armies continue to prepare,
public opinion continues to be manipulated. Though Ehud Barak too is a militarist
-- a former commando, General, and Chief of Staff of the Army -- Ariel Sharon
brings with him historical baggage and war-criminal image which could easily
contribute to a clash of armies sooner rather than later, even if not fully intended
by either side.
EyeWitness Gaza (January 22, 2001) A year or so ago, I visited the Mouwasi area in Gaza. It was a green paradise,
on top, and in the midst, of white sand dunes. I particularly remember this Guava
grove, where the guavas hanging from the trees were the
size of large oranges; I hadn't seen anything like that ever before.
Reaping what they have sown (January 22, 2001) Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak abruptly cut short
a radio interview on Sunday after being asked about
his poor showing in opinion polls, prompting speculation
he was buckling under pressure of a February 6 election.
Israel's president departs (January 21, 2001) There has never been, and there probably
never will be, a president who had such
fantastic relations with the State of
Israel. It's unbelievable.
Ross officially join Israeli lobby (January 19, 2001) During the Lebanon War of 1982 -- some think of it as Sharon's war -- the
Israelis and their American Jewish friends felt they had a difficult time when
it came to public relations. And when the American Marines pulled out, symbolizing
the failure of the Israelis to force Lebanon into the American-Israeli orbit
and out of the Syrian-Arab one, the Israelis realized that they had much power
in Washington on Capitol Hill, but not enough power with the media, intellectuals,
and think-tanks.
War preparations in Israel (January 19, 2001) It's always called "The Peace Process" but more behind-the-scenes the whole Middle
East region continues to be an arms bazaar with more weapons being sold to the
countries in the area than ever before, most by American arms merchants and allies.
Palestinian TV Head killed (January 17, 2001) It may have been a warning to Arafat not to dare sign any new agreements, as
has been rumored in the past few days he was planning to do tomorrow in fact.
It may have been another Israeli assassination - though usually they don't
take such risks and use such methods, strongly preferring instead to use high-technology
and long-distance means.
Iraq, Saddam and the Gulf War (January 17, 2001) It was 10 years ago yesterday that the U.S. unleashed the power of the Empire
against the country of Iraq after created the regional conditions that lead to
the Iraq-Iran and then the Iraq-Kuwait-Saudi wars. In that period of time somewhere
in the number of 1.5 million Iraqis have been killed, the history of the Middle
East altered, the future of the region more uncertain and dangerous than ever.
Last night in Gaza ghetto (January 16, 2001) It's quite a game of international political brinkmanship. At the same time
that Yasser Arafat is being tremendously pressured, and quite possibly further
tricked, to sign some kind of "framework agreement" with Clinton and Barak before
it is too late -- his regime is also being threatened with extinction both from
within and without.
Generals Sharon and Barak as politicians (January 16, 2001) With Jan 20 (Clinton leaves office) and Feb 6 (Barak likely to be defeated by
Sharon) fast approaching, desperation and near panic are evident in the traditional
power centers, including various Arab capitals.
"Unilateral separation" one way or another (January 15, 2001) The separation plan would go into effect...in
the event of one of the following three scenarios:
as a response to a unilateral declaration of
statehood on the part of the Palestinians; under
a severe security threat; or as part of an
agreement with the Palestinian Authority
Up in arms against Apartheid (January 13, 2001) At the end of the second millennium, three million Palestinians are imprisoned
in ghettoes by the very man whom the Palestinian leadership hailed as the saviour
of peace. Netanyahu had driven the peace ship off course. Barak scuttled it.
Locking in Oslo (January 12, 2001) The Americans and the Israelis continue to try to twist the screws. Their
minimum goal now is to "lock in" the "Oslo Peace Process" approach to the conflict.
It may be an "Apartheid Peace", and it may have resulted in considerable bloodshed,
but even so it is leading to a form of "Palestinian Statehood" and "separation"
that the Israelis strongly desire as the best alternative for themselves.
Sharon charges on (January 12, 2001) he long-serving (now recalled to Cairo) Egyptian Ambassador to Israel was quoted
saying last week that if an Israeli-Palestinian agreement isn't reached in the
next two weeks there won't be an agreement for the next two decades.
"Sharon leads to peace" (January 11, 2001) The last time the Israeli "Arab vote" was pushed toward Shimon Peres for Prime
Minister -- back in 1996 -- there was much resistance. Then Peres was acting
Prime Minister after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Army had
just committed the Qana massacre in Southern Lebanon, and Peres was busy trying
to cover it up.
Grandfather Sharon (January 10, 2001) If the polls remain as disastrous as they now are for Ehud Barak, expect him
to be pushed out and Shimon Peres substituted. Barak has no chance; Peres has
some, especially with the "Arab vote".
The Dangerous weeks, months ahead (January 10, 2001) Guys like Commando-General-Prime Minster Ehud Barak don't go easily from the
scene. Barak's daring-do was lavishly praised just a few years ago; now it has
even the military types fretting. No telling just what Barak and friends might
try in the next few weeks.
Assissination, siege and war crimes (January 9, 2001) The Israeli government, both as a group and
as individuals, bears full responsibility for
the crimes that were committed. We will do
everything possible, including declaring
members of this government war criminals who
are eligible for trial by the world tribunal."
Palestinian Authority "Minister"
Soul-searching Israelis (January 9, 2001) The "liberals" among them, the most cosmopolitan and internationally-oriented
of the Israelis, are now getting extra nervous. Not only is Ariel Sharon coming
to power, not only is regional war possible, not only are the cold treaties with
Egypt and Jordan in jeopardy, but even Israel's future has come into question
Israel acts while Arafat talks (January 8, 2001) srael continues to take major steps designed to shrink, isolate and control
the Palestinian areas forever. The policy is termed "unilateral separation"
and it is linked to bringing about a so-called "Palestinian State" that serves
Israeli interests, making everything worse than ever for the Palestinian "natives".
Clinton's Israel speech (January 8, 2001) On his way out the Presidential door Bill Clinton went to New York City to speak
to his American Jewish supporters and further grease his way toward his future.
This is the Bill Clinton that turned the U.S. government over to the Israeli/Jewish
lobby in his years in office; of course pretending otherwise.
Specter of an "ugly future" (January 5, 2001) Lofty, humanitarian goals like 'peace
and democracy'? No, America's primary
interest in the Middle East is effective
control of the world's most important
energy reserves, Noam Chomsky tells
Ha'aretz
Prime Minister Sharon (January 5, 2001) Did President Hindenburg and the German intelligentsia feel this way in 1930s
when they saw that Adolf Hitler, and his brownshirt thugs, were about to be elected
to power?
Barak and Sharon (January 5, 2001) While the Labor "Doves" are busy running ads in Arab papers showing dismembered
corpses in Palestinian Refugee Camps -- with the caption "Sharon" -- the reality
is that Generals Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon are more two of a kind than anything
else.
Arab nations add their voices to the chorus of despair (January 4, 2001) All chance of a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians in the near
future is vanishing, destroyed by hardening opinions on both sides,
continuing violence, the precarious position of the political leaders
involved and disagreements over key issues.
Darling of American Jewry (January 4, 2001) Over the years, most of the strongest
advocates of Israel have usually been
people who are not Jewish....[I] look
forward to working with him...
Barak publicly warns of regional war (January 4, 2001) Amid veiled threats from the Israelis to start targeting even more senior Arafat
Regime persons, and even to bring the Arafat "Palestinian Authority" to an end,
Ehud Barak has also started publicly talking about the possibility of regional
war.
No deal for Arafat (January 3, 2001) In particular, the Palestinians are concerned that
the proposed settlement would create Palestinian
territorial islands separated from each other by
Israeli territory and therefore not viable as a nation.
They object to a proposed land swap that would allow
some Israeli settlers to remain on the West Bank in
exchange for land that the Palestinians claim is
desert and a toxic waste dump.
Arafat rushes to Washington (January 2, 2001) Clinton and the Israelis have set the stage for the last act of their multi-year
drama attempting to trap the Palestinians on controlled reservations and calling
it "an end to the conflict". But like a modern-day computer game the users can
interact and change the outcome to various scenarios.
Top Palestinian Leader in the Arafat Regime (January 2, 2001) The whole house of political quicksand built by Bill Clinton at the behest of the Israelis (and popularly known as the "Peace Process") is bubbling, steaming, and swallowing many of its key participants.
Arafat hangs up on threatening Clinton (January 1, 2001) The coming issue of TIME magazine reports that Arafat hung up the phone receiver
on Clinton a few days ago, turning to an aide and saying: "He's threatening me!
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