Kucinich Hires Critic of Israel for Hill Panel

[Flabbergasted]

Kucinich Hires Critic of Israel for Hill Panel

By: Daniel W. Reilly and Patrick O'Connor
March 14, 2007 04:54 PM EST

Democratic Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio has hired an avowed critic of Israel to work on his subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), who is Jewish and a staunch supporter of Israel, chairs the full panel.

Kucinich, who is again seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, hired Noura Erakat, a former grass-roots organizer, to work on the domestic policy subcommittee that he chairs.

Before coming to Capitol Hill, Erakat, a Palestinian, served as the national grass-roots organizer and legal advocate for the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a group that seeks "to change those U.S. policies that both sustain Israel's 39-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and deny equal rights for all."

Republicans and Democrats alike maintain hawkish diplomatic and financial support for Israel. But Democratic calls to withdraw from Iraq concern some members of the pro-Israel community.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a mix of boos and applause when she denounced the U.S. invasion of Iraq as a failure during her remarks to the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3128.html

[papau]

1. Kucinich wants to kill Taba/Geneva by pushing " the right of return for Palestinian refugees" ? -

and a 2 state solution is not something he is pushing? - as the group covers its bases with a statement that they do not push a one state solution either.

OK - Dennis - I had thought you were for peace - but it appears you hire staff that would rather have a fight to the death future for the region- granted that is also a far left anti-Israel (what right does a Jewish state have exist where Jews originated being a far-left mantra in the EU) position.

[Flabbergasted]

2. I don't think that's the case at all. nt

[papau]

3. I hope you are correct. n/t

n/t

[The Magistrate]

4. It Would Be Best, Sir, If This Did Not Become An Israel v. Palestine Wrangle

There are other angles to this story.