Molly Ivins: Pro-Israel 'Nutjobs' on the Attack

[norml]

Molly Ivins: Pro-Israel 'Nutjobs' on the Attack


Posted on Apr. 25, 2006
By Molly Ivins

AUSTIN, Texas—One of the consistent deformities in American policy debate has been challenged by a couple of professors, and the reaction proves their point so neatly it’s almost funny.

A working paper by John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt, professor of international affairs at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, called “The Israel Lobby” was printed in the London Review of Books earlier this month. And all hell broke loose in the more excitable reaches of journalism and academe.

For having the sheer effrontery to point out the painfully obvious—that there is an Israel lobby in the United States—Mearsheimer and Walt have been accused of being anti-Semitic, nutty and guilty of “kooky academic work.” Alan Dershowitz, who seems to be easily upset, went totally ballistic over the mild, academic, not to suggest pretty boring article by Mearsheimer and Walt, calling them “liars” and “bigots.”

Of course there is an Israeli lobby in America—its leading working group is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). It calls itself “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby,” and it attempts to influence U.S. legislation and policy.

Several national Jewish organizations lobby from time to time. Big deal—why is anyone pretending this non-news requires falling on the floor and howling? Because of this weird deformity of debate.


snip


http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060424_molly_ivins_pro_israel/

[fknobbit]

1. Right on Molly! nt

[Ms. Clio]

2. She is so terrific

One of the few media voices of sanity on this subject: "the reaction proves their point so neatly it’s almost funny."

[necso]

3. "And I wonder if that doesn't produce the same result:

giving up on the discussion."

Precisely a desired end of those using this tactic (ie, hurling accusations of antisemitism) -- the end of any dispassionate discussion.

[JPZenger]

4. Neocons have a history of leaking classified info to group

There is a history going back over 20 years of the neocons leaking classified material to Israel through this lobbying group.

[ThomCat]

5. Great comentary.

My GF and I get in debates about this all the time. She spent half of her childhood in Israel and her father is rabidly pro-Israel, so that's the perspective she's always known.

I'm nominally Jewish because my Mom is, and I support Israel to the extent that I believe they have a right to exist. However, I strongly believe that what Israel has been doing to the Palestinians is criminal. Israel has provoked the violence.

I don't think there will be peace until Israel recognizes their own responsibility for the ongoing and escallating violence. It's time to retreat to the orignal boarders. It's time to treat Palestinians like people.

[Dudley_DUright]

6. Thanks for posting Molly, norml

I was on a trip to DC and did not have time to do it myself.