[WCUSP] Witness the Israel Lobby in Action (NYObserver)

[KATHARLOW at aol.com]

WITNESS THE ISRAEL LOBBY IN ACTION 
Phil Weis, New York Observer,  12/26/06
_http://mondoweiss.observer.com/2006/12/i-witness-the-israel-lobby-in-action.h
tml_ 
(http://mondoweiss.observer.com/2006/12/i-witness-the-israel-lobby-in-action.html)   

A few weeks back at Columbia, I watched with amazement as the former  Israeli 
soldier Yehuda Shaul, who started the group Breaking the Silence, gave  his 
presentation on the horrors of the occupation to about 75 students in a  
darkened hall. My amazement had to do with the fact that Shaul's visit was  
sponsored by a largely-Jewish group at Columbia-Pro-Israel Progressives-and was  
attended by members of the Hillel chapter at the school. Kudos to  them.

After Shaul's speech, representing "my comrades and not just  myself," he was 
bombarded by hostile questions from Israel supporters in the  audience. Shaul 
handled them with strength and ease. (Q. "Do you know of a  counterpart 
organization where Palestinians question their moral decisions?" A.  "I really 
don't care-I am an Israeli who has to raise his children in  Israel...")

Just as gripping to me was the discussion that took place  after the event 
between Rachel Glaser, the campus coordinator of the rightwing  Zionist 
Organization of America, and the students who had organized the  event.

"What did this accomplish? What did it accomplish?" Glaser barked  at the 
organizers. . .

It was one thing to have Yehuda Shaul give a talk  inside Israel, Glaser 
said. "Outside of Israel, you're playing with  fire."

This chilling statement was a candid expression of the goals of  the Israel 
lobby. A member of a Jewish organization was saying that it's OK to  have a 
wide-open discussion of these issues in Israel, but it's dangerous to  have such 
a discussion here. Why? Because America is the mainstay of support  allowing 
Israel to continue its policies in the Occupied Territories. The Israel  lobby 
fears that Americans, if left to their own devices, will abandon Israel,  out 
of indifference, or antisemitism. So Americans must be influenced-in this  
case by having the information they get about Israel/Palestine vetted, and by  
pressuring Jews on campus to toe the party line.
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