Israel Plants Shills at U.S. Events « Tikun Olam-תיקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

Israel Plants Shills at U.S. Events

You are currently browsing comments. If you would like to return to the full story, you can read the full entry here: “Israel Plants Shills at U.S. Events”.

Tags: danny ayalon, hasbara, israeli settlers, j street, michael-oren, tzipi-livni

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 11:58 AM and is filed under Mideast Peace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

14 Responses to “Israel Plants Shills at U.S. Events”

Ilene says:

February 18, 2010 at 1:10 PM

Speaking of ill-considered public relations, Israel just sent this tweet about their tennis player in Dubai:

@israeluk You heard it here first: Israeli tennis player carries out hit on #Dubai target

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/18/israel-dubai-hamas-twitter

Reply
- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  February 18, 2010 at 2:32 PM
  
  Say it ain’t so, Joe! A zoch in vay! Unbelievable.
  
  Reply
Donald says:

February 18, 2010 at 1:23 PM

I don’t know–I like cherry tomatoes. Might have to rethink the whole thing. Ethnic cleansing and indiscriminate firepower used in an urban setting vs. my fondness for juicy vegetables. Apartheid doesn’t so bad when you put it in perspective.

Reply
mary says:

February 18, 2010 at 2:45 PM

I personally hope that Danny Ayalon and Avigdor Lieberman alienate every single member of the US Congress. Nothing would make me happier. Maybe we’ll see this ridiculous and dangerous “special relationship” with Israel come to an end, and we won’t be sending $3 billion a year to this lunatics anymore.

Reply
- Gene Schulman says:
  
  February 18, 2010 at 10:58 PM
  
  What could they do to alienate members of congress other than to stop kicking back (through the lobby) to those members they have bought with part of the 3 billion they get from the U.S.? C’mon, Mary, Israel isn’t doing anything worse that what their U.S. benefactors are doing in Iraq, Afpak, Somalia, Yemen, and soon Iran. It is time everyone realized that Israel and the U.S. are one, and have the same policy goals: Complete hegemony over the Middle East. Peace is not an option for these people.
  
  Reply
  - mary says:
    
    February 19, 2010 at 7:01 AM
    
    You’re right, Gene, especially in light of the fact that the majority of the American people support this “special relationship,” if they even care about it all. The symbiosis of the US and Israel has produced huge industries, with the Palestinians having the honor of being guinea pigs for the development of everything from surveillance equipment to sophisticated weapons technology. The surveillance industry is very lucrative in Israel, which exports the technology to places such as the US which uses it not only in wars but in domestic spying. And we already know the fruits of US weapons industry labors in Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan, don’t we?
    
    Reply
Mary Hughes-Thompson says:

February 19, 2010 at 3:04 PM

If all of the following is true (about J Street) then I’m beginning to agree with Omar Barghouti, who told his audence when he was in Los Angeles recently, that he considers J Street to be “Aipac Lite”

(forwarded by Mazin Qumsiyeh)
Quote of the day: Israeli U.S. Ambassador Michael Oren “The major concern with J Street [US Jewish Zionist lobby but not AIPAC] was their position on security issues, not the peace process. J Street has now come and supported
Congressman [Howard] Berman’s Iran sanction bill; it has condemned the Goldstone report; it has denounced the British court’s decision to try Tzipi Livni for war crimes, which puts J Street much more into the mainstream.”

Reply
- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  February 19, 2010 at 4:03 PM
  
  I have serious problems w. Omar Barghouti which I can into at some time. But calling J Street Aipac lite is rhetorical overkill & typical of the far left anti-Zionists. Denouncing every possible ally fr. the other side except those willing to turn their backs on Israel may make them feel righteous & politically pure, but it does the overall cause no good. I believe in being critical of J Street. But I don’t mistake them for the real political enemy.
  
  Just as an example, Barghouti spurned an invitation to participate in the Sabeel conference happening this weekend in Seattle. Apparently it wasn’t ideologically righteous enough for him. The reasons are complicated & more far reaching than that. But ultimately the entire experience of inviting him & feeling burned & spurned left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
  
  Reply
  - Mary Hughes-Thompson says:
    
    February 19, 2010 at 4:17 PM
    
    Thanks for sharing that piece of information about your experience with Omar Barghouti. I can understand your reaction to his declining your invitation to the Sabeel Conference. Personally I don’t know enough about him to know how much he and I agree on specific issues.
    
    Apart from Barghouti’s opinion of J Street, though, it does give me pause if J Street “condemned the Goldstone report and denounced the British court’s decision to try Tzipi Livni for war crimes.”
    
    Reply
    - Richard Silverstein says:
      
      February 19, 2010 at 4:42 PM
      
      I would never claim that J Street is a perfect organization or THE address for progressive Jews. But just as they find me a useful resource to amplify their message I find them when they are right on the issues to be an important voice worth hearing.
      
      Reply
    - Mary Hughes-Thompson says:
      
      March 13, 2010 at 6:08 PM
      
      Richard, maybe you gave Omar Barghouti food for thought re the Sabeel Conference, since he was a speaker at the Sabeel Conference I attended in San Anselmo, California last weekend.
      
      Reply
      - richards1052 says:
        
        March 14, 2010 at 2:18 AM
        
        You'll notice Neve Gordon wasn't in attendance. Had Neve been speaking Barghouti wouldn't have. He has a bad case of ego I'm afraid & is pissed off at Neve because he's not writing his BDS book w. him & is writing it w. another Palestinian.
Mary Hughes-Thompson says:

February 19, 2010 at 5:17 PM

I agree. I do appreciate the fact that J Street is out there, and I am sure there are issues on which we are of the same mind. It’s important, as you say, to be open to those with whom we agree even part of the time. For instance, I consider myself anti-Zionist (if to be a Zionist means to be against the ROR) although I’m anything but anti-Richard Silverstein

Reply
- mary says:
  
  February 21, 2010 at 6:43 PM
  
  Me, too, Mary. I cannot support Zionism in any way, shape or form from what I know about it. But I love the Jewish people, and Richard is phenomenal; I am one of his biggest fans, I am sure. He does a great service by providing a place for us to discuss what is controversial and important, and he is a compassionate and kind man who is a truly righteous person in the world of human rights. May God bless him and his family.
  
  Reply