Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - August/July 2022 - Vol. XLI No. 5

cover1.qxp_August/September 2019 Cover 7/7/22 6:43 PM Page 1

DELUGE OF PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS

DISPLAY UNTIL 9/21/2022

UPA_ad_c2.qxp_UPA Ad Cover 2 7/6/22 1:23 PM Page c2

ON N THE GROOUND Whhere Ch Channge iis Needddedd Most M

Give Toda o ay!

Phone: 202-659-55007 act.upaconnect.org/donate

2022 adverts.indd 5

04/07/2022 9:09 AM

toc_3-4.v2.qxp_August/September 2022 TOC 7/8/22 8:23 AM Page 3

TELLING THE TRUTH SINCE 1982

On Middle East Affairs Volume XLI, No. 5

August/September 2022

INTERPRETING THE MIDDLE EAST FOR NORTH AMERICANS

✮

INTERPRETING NORTH AMERICA FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

THE U.S. ROLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE

8 10

Abu Akleh’s Death Investigation Proves America Will Always Defend Israel—Gideon Levy

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan Crows After His Uncontested “Election”—Ian Williams

12 13

There’s No Hope for Change With Lapid as Prime Minister—Gideon Levy

A Flurry of Letters and the Art of Legislation Through Appropriations—Julia Pitner

24 26 28 32 38

Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World—Walter L. Hixson

The Abraham Accords at Two: Who Is Getting What? To What Result?—Mustafa Fetouri

To Silence Critics of Israel, The Term “Anti-Semitism” Is Being Trivialized—Allan C. Brownfeld

Gaza Still Besieged by Land, Air and Sea—Three Views —Ramzy Baroud, Mohammed Omer, Maram Humaid

The Grand Deception: Israel’s Theft of America’s Common Sense—Dr. M. Reza Behnam

SPECIAL REPORTS

16 30

Pro-Israel PAC Donations Flood 2022 Elections —Delinda C. Hanley and Open Secrets

From Death to Life: Forty Years After the Sabra Shatila Massacre—Dr. Swee Chai Ang

41 44

Campaign Educates and Empowers to End Israeli Apartheid—Candice Bodnaruk

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb: A Century On —John Gee

ON THE COVER: Palestinians flock to the Gaza beach, on June 10, 2022, to cool themselves off on a hot day in Gaza City. Prolonged power outages in Gaza exacerbate the Palestinians’ current distress.

(PHOTO BY ALI JADALLAH/ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES)

toc_3-4.qxp_August/September 2022 TOC 7/7/22 11:46 PM Page 4

(A Supplement to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs available by subscription at $15 per year. To subscribe, call toll-free 1-888-8815861.)

Other Voices

Compiled by Janet McMahon

The Fake Outrage Over Israeli Minister’s Wish to “Disappear” Arabs, Hanin Majadli, Haaretz OV-1

Israeli Officials Furious Over Leak to NYT About Killing IRGC Colonel, Dave DeCamp, www.antiwar.com OV-8

Israeli Settlers Are Acting in Advance of Biden’s Visit and Another Election, Dr. Adnan Abu Amer, www.middleeastmonitor.com

A “Cosmic Stink”: Israel’s Invasion of Lebanon, 40 Years on, Belen Fernandez, www.aljazeera.com OV-9

OV-2

OV-3

In Final Slap to Bush-Era Neoconservatives, Iraq Criminalizes Contact With Israel, Juan Cole, www.juancole.com OV-10

When a Palestinian Film Is Screened at Jewish Film Festivals Fran Zell, www.mondoweiss.net

OV-4

Wait, Is There Really a New U.S.-Led Air Defense Alliance in the Middle East?, Connor Echols, www.responsiblestatecraft.org

OV-11

Between Jamal Khashoggi and Shireen Abu Akleh, Gideon Levy, Haaretz

OV-5

Demolishing Muslim Protesters’ Homes: India Is Taking a Leaf Out of Israel’s Book, Omar Ahmed, www.middleeastmonitor.com

OV-13

OV-14

OV-15

Israel Expected Many U.S. Jews To Make Aliyah This Year. It Was Wrong, Judy Maltz, Haaretz

Connecticut Company Built Gun That Killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh Middle East Crisis Committee,www.mondoweiss.net

OV-6

The Arab Party Experiment Succeeded, Gideon Levy, Haaretz

OV-7

Through War and Decay, Libya’s “Desert Pearl” Tries to Hold On, Malik Traina, www.aljazeera.com

OV-7

Deadline About to Pass for Cairo’s Historic Houseboats, Mohammed Kotb & Toka Omar, www.aljazeera.com

Was the Assassination in Iran Another Israeli Effort to Sabotage JCPOA?, Trita Parsi, www.responsiblestatecraft.org

DEPARTMENTS 5 PUBLISHERS’ PAGE

PHOTO BY MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 46 HUMAN RIGHTS: U.S. Economic Sanctions: “The Silent Killer” 47 WAGING PEACE: Repression Grows in Egypt Amid Growing Economic Concerns 54 ARAB AMERICAN ACTIVISM: Social Media Censorship of Palestinians 58 MIDDLE EAST BOOKS REVIEW 64 THE WORLD LOOKS AT THE MIDDLE EAST—CARTOONS

Palestinian children enjoying an UNRWA summer program. The camp was cancelled until funding arrived. (See story p. 13).

65 OTHER PEOPLE’S MAIL 66 2022 AET CHOIR OF ANGELS

14 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

pubs_5.qxp_Publishers Page 7/7/22 11:17 PM Page 5

Election Season Primary season is in full swing, and the pro-Israel lobby is hard at work spending millions against candidates who advocate for Palestinian rights. Having spent large sums attacking Rep. Marie Newman (DIL), the lobby was pleased to see the freshman lose in her June primary against fellow incumbent Rep. Sean Casten (DIL). The two were forced to square off as a result of redistricting. Elsewhere, Reps.

Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (DMN) are up against millions of dollars in pro-Israel attack ads ahead of their August primaries. This issue includes charts showing how much money congressional candidates have received from pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs). As you will see (p. 16), pro-Israel spending is out of control as the lobby fights off growing global recognition of Israeli apartheid.

In this issue (p. 24), Walter L. Hixson notes, “a handful of super-rich donors continue to fuel the Israel lobby, which prompts Congress to send billions to the apartheid regime even as it uses the money to become ever more militaristic and repressive.” Will these donors again succeed in buying off members of Congress to keep quiet about the reality in Palestine? Will the system ever allow the voices of the people to prevail?

Elections for Israel, Too As the status quo of Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing and besiegement of Palestine continues (p. 32), those with the right to vote in Israeli elections will again head to the polls in November. While the inability of Israel to form a steady government is interesting to observe, it has little material impact on the lives of Palestinians. Gideon Levy (p. 12) notes that regardless of the label given to the various Israeli governments—liberal, conservative, etc.—they all persist in stifling Palestinian prosperity. Of course, the U.S. also maintains steady support for Israel regardless of the ruling regime. As Israelis gear up for another election, perhaps they should consider the millions of PalestiniAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Publishers’ Page ment is just another example of the U.S. putting aside facts, ethics—and even the interests of its citizens—when it comes to its “special relationship” with Israel.

Gideon Levy (p. 8) notes how the Israel and the U.S would have assuredly reacted differently if a noted Israeli journalist had been assassinated by a Palestinian.

PHOTO BY ABBAS MOMANI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

American Educational Trust

Sabra and Shatila 40 Years Later

People walk past a newly‐erected street sign in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank bear‐ ing the name of the late Al Jazeera correspon‐ dent Shireen Abu Akleh. DC recently renamed the street in front of the Saudi Arabian Em‐ bassy after Jamal Khashoggi. We hope the street in front of the Israeli Embassy will be re‐ named in memory of Shireen Abu Akleh. ans under Israeli dominance who have no say over the daily injustices they are forced to endure.

No Accountability for Israel The killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh prompted a rare moment of bipartisan pressure being placed on Israel. As our new congressional columnist Julia Pitner notes (p. 13), multiple congressional letters called on the Biden administration to make sure an independent investigation was conducted into Abu Akleh’s death. On the July 4 holiday, the State Department released a brief statement saying it could not forensically conclude who shot the bullet that killed the Palestinian American. While the statement did say the U.S. believes an Israeli soldier fired the bullet, it attributed the shot to an error made in the midst of fighting with Islamic Jihad. Multiple independent investigations have systematically disproved the notion that the killing could have been accidental. The state-

Forty years ago, militias supported by Israel savagely killed 3,000 people in Beirut’s Sabra neighborhood and the adjacent Shatila refugee camp. In this issue, a witness to the massacre, Dr. Swee Chai Ang (p. 30), recounts what she saw and implores the world not to forget the victims of 1982—as well as those who continue to suffer at the hands of Israel.

“When I talk to Palestinians in Lebanon directly, they rarely complain about being forgotten,” she writes. “Their first concern is about Occupied Palestine. They live for Palestine.”

Calling All Angels Our mid-year donation appeal was mailed in July and we are looking forward to a generous response from our donors.

We have a lot going on: Reporting on the proliferation of pro-Israel money in politics, the resumption of our in-person intern program (see their event recaps beginning on p. 46), hopes to renovate our bookstore and expand programming, the launch of our popular TikTok page, covering the myriad live events that are resuming, etc. However, the reality is that we are stretched thin. When COVID finally hit our office this summer, our small and already overworked staff struggled to keep things functioning. The reality is we need more staff and resources to do the work you have entrusted us with.

Your generous support will ensure the Washington Report can go full-steam ahead in promoting a U.S. foreign policy that all Americans can be proud of.

Make a Difference Today!

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

5

lte_6-7.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7/7/22 8:21 AM Page 6

Executive Editor: Managing Editor: Contributing Editor: Contributing Editor: Other Voices Editor: Middle East Books and More Director: Finance & Admin. Dir.: Assistant Bookstore Dir.: Art Director: Founding Publisher: Founding Exec. Editor: Board of Directors:

DELINDA C. HANLEY DALE SPRUSANSKY WALTER L. HIXSON JULIA PITNER JANET McMAHON NATHANIEL BAILEY CHARLES R. CARTER JANNA ALADDIN RALPH-UWE SCHERER ANDREW I. KILLGORE (1919-2016) RICHARD H. CURTISS (1927-2013) HENRIETTA FANNER JANET McMAHON JANE KILLGORE

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (ISSN 87554917) is published 7 times a year, monthly except Jan./Feb., March/April, June/July, Aug./Sept. and Nov./Dec. combined, at 1902 18th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-1707. Tel. (202) 939-6050. Subscription prices (United States and possessions): one year, $29; two years, $55; three years, $75. For Canadian and Mexican subscriptions, $35 per year; for other foreign subscriptions, $70 per year. Periodicals, postage paid at Washington, DC and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, P.O. Box 292380, Kettering, OH 45429.

Published by the American Educational Trust (AET), a nonprofit foundation incorporated in Washington, DC by retired U.S. foreign service officers to provide the American public with balanced and accurate information concerning U.S. relations with Middle Eastern states. AET’s Foreign Policy Committee has included former U.S. ambassadors, government officials, and members of Congress, including the late Democratic Sen. J. William Fulbright and Republican Sen. Charles Percy, both former chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Members of AET’s Board of Directors and advisory committees receive no fees for their services. The new Board of Advisers includes: Anisa Mehdi, John Gareeb, Dr. Najat Khelil Arafat, William Lightfoot and Susan Abulhawa.

The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs does not take partisan domestic political positions. As a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, it endorses U.N. Security Council Resolution 242’s land-for-peace formula, supported by nine successive U.S. presidents. In general, it supports Middle East solutions which it judges to be consistent with the charter of the United Nations and traditional American support for human rights, self-determination, and fair play.

Material from the Washington Report may be reprinted without charge with attribution to Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Bylined material must also be attributed to the author. This release does not apply to photographs, cartoons or reprints from other publications.

Indexed by ProQuest, Gale, Ebsco Information Services, InfoTrac, LexisNexis, Public Affairs Information Service, Index to Jewish Periodicals, Ethnic News Watch, Periodica Islamica.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Editorial Office and Bookstore: 1902 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009-9062 Phone: (202) 939-6050 • (800) 368-5788 Fax: (202) 265-4574 E-mail: wrmea@wrmea.org bookstore@wrmea.org circulation@wrmea.org advertising@wrmea.org donations@wrmea.org Web sites: http://www.wrmea.org http://www.middleeastbooks.com Subscriptions, sample copies and donations: P.O. Box 292380, Kettering, OH 45429 Phone: (800) 607-4410 • Fax: (937)-890-0221 Printed in the USA

6

LetterstotheEditor FUNDING ISRAELI APARTHEID Those of us who believe in human rights, self-determination and fair play find Israel’s actions against Palestine’s population appalling. With absolutely no conscience whatsoever came the assassination of the brilliant PalestinianAmerican journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and the beating of her pallbearers. Identified as a member of the press, she was shot in the head for being who she was.

Demonstrating against more than 70 years of brutal occupation by the Israeli military government, Palestinians are permitted by international law the right of return—but are not granted this right by Israel.

Israel is not the democracy it claims to be, but is an apartheid state of racial, religious and political discrimination.

When Israel says “never again” does that mean never again to everyone else except Palestinians? The term “anti-Semitic” is a tool used by Israel and its lobbying allies here in America to intimidate any criticism of the state.

By building cookie-cutter new construction for the influx of Jewish-only settlers and by building a separation wall to keep Palestinians out, Israel shows no respect for the ancient land it covets.

Isn’t that one of the Ten Commandments of God to Moses? “Thou shall not covet...anything that is thy neighbor’s?”

Here in the United States, both Republican and Democratic members of Congress and administrations seem to defend and support Israel more than they do America. They enable atrocities such as Abu Akleh’s murder to continue without any negative consequences because of Israel’s undue influence on the American election system. Israel uses the United States government and taxpayers to get its way, so that its military and financial might can pre-empt and/or suppress opposition of any kind. And now, Israel as a foreign state receives $3.8 billion annually. No, the United States was never the honest broker for peace, as her bias for Israel and prejudice against Palestine, are evident. It is

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

time for the American government and taxpayers to stop the financial, military and political spigot to Israel.

For the indigenous Palestinian people, it is long past time to call for civil disobedience that would force both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to come together against Israel’s Zionist form of supremacy and oppression.

Judith Howard, Norwood, MA

RABBI ELMER BERGER AND THE AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR JUDAISM We are pleased we could be a supporter of the March Israel lobby conference and glad that it is back in person. I just received the May edition of the Washington Report and look forward to reading all the presentations.

I thank you for the comments at the gala dinner about the American Council for Judaism (ACJ). It is prophetic that you mentioned Rabbi Elmer Berger in the context of the Council's founding 80 years ago, because Rabbi Berger was also a supporter of promoting peace and interaction among Jews and Palestinians well prior to the debacle of 1948.

It was this proactive approach that brought great derision upon him and the Council as so-called “Arab lovers” and “self-hating Jews,” all of which was orchestrated by the Zionist propaganda machine, which even in those early years was well organized and funded.

Subsequently, the Council was sanctioned by the leadership of the Reform movement which I have always held out as a badge of courage for Rabbi Berger and the ACJ founders. Eventually the Council chose a path of moderation trying to promote Classical Reform Judaism and the founding principles of the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885, and Rabbi Berger created American Jewish Alternatives to Zionism (AJAZ), an organization I also supported prior to Rabbi Berger’s death in 1996.

It is interesting to note that the AntiDefamation League (ADL) is once again calling anti-Zionism anti-Semitism!

Thank you to the Washington Report AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

lte_6-7.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7/7/22 8:21 AM Page 7

and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) again for all you are doing.

Stephen L. Naman, president of the American Council for Judaism

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAYOR OF BERKELEY, CA ON ISRAEL TRIP

Dear Mayor Jesse Arreguín, In accepting being named Poet Laureate of Berkeley, I said: “I [would] not wear my laurels lightly /in honor of the beloved city /to praise when it serves justice /to protest when it does not.”

On your reelection, I wrote a poem of celebration. You have led Berkeley in the pandemic and other crises with much wisdom, with justice, compassion, courage—for which we are all grateful.

Now I must ask about your recent ill-advised trip as mayor of Berkeley to Israel.

I can imagine the temptation of a paid visit to the “holy land,” but in light of the government of Israel’s continuous violations of human rights, its illegal colonizing of Palestinian land and its killing of Palestinians, I must say that your visit to Israel blemishes not only your reputation but betrays the City of Berkeley’s tradition of adhering to justice.

It behooves the Berkeley Mayor’s Office and the City Council to strongly and publicly denounce the Israeli government for the assassination of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces and the attacks on her funeral by Israeli police, and call for an international investigation into her killing. Nothing less will do.

Rafael Jesús González, Poet Laureate of Berkeley, CA

TIME FOR AN END TO ANIMOSITY WITH IRAN

The article “Iran Admits to raiding Greek Oil Tankers” in my June 4 local paper correctly stated that it was the U.S. and Greece that first seized crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker. The U.S. has also continued to apply harsh sanctions against Iranian civilians while assassinating their military officials. Meanwhile, Israel, with U.S. support, has bombed Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria over 1,000 times since 2017 and has also asAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

by the CIA after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to be tortured, using methods based on a list of suggestions drawn up for use on him

by Dr. James Mitchell and Dr. Bruce Jessen, both psychologists. How noble of the good doctors!

Abu Zubaydah was tortured multiple times to force him to confess to crimes he had not committed.

A federal judge granted the government’s motion to block the subpoena, saying that “proceeding with discovery would present an unacceptable risk of disclosing state secrets.”

Abu Zubaydah continues to languish in Guantanamo Bay, costing the U.S. $13 million annually.

Jagjit Singh, Los Altos, CA ■

KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING! Send your letters to the editor to the Washington Report, P.O. Box 53062, Washington, DC 20009 or e-mail <letters@wrmea.org>. sassinated Iranian officials and scientists.

President Joe Biden promised to return to the nuclear peace deal with Iran when elected. The U.S. needs to dialogue and trade with Iran, a country that does not threaten our national interests, and become an honest broker for peace in the Middle East.

Ray Gordon, Venice, FL

A CONTINUING INJUSTICE AT GUANTANAMO BAY

Abu Zubaydah, a prisoner falsely indicted during one the darkest chapters in the war in Af ghanistan, sought to subpoena two CIA operatives in his defense. Abu Zubaydah was brutally tortured at a secret site in Poland. The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

The justices were unconcerned of the merits of the case and Abu Zubaydah’s life-threatening ordeal, but only ensuring that the dark Polish torture site be kept secret.

The location of the CIA’s detention site has been acknowledged by the former Polish president, investigated by the Council of Europe, and proven “beyond reasonable doubt” to the European Court of Human OTHER VOICES is an optional 16-page supRights. plement available only to subscribers of the Abu Zubaydah, whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin MuhamWashington Report on Middle East Affairs. For mad Husayn, was captured in an additional $15 per year (see postcard Pakistan in March 2002 and insert for Washington Report subscription was initially thought to be a rates), subscribers will receive Other Voices high-level member of al-Qaeda. inside each issue of their Washington Report A 2014 report from the Senate on Middle East Affairs.

Select Committee on Intelligence said the CIA later conBack issues of both publications are cluded that Abu Zubaydah was avail able. To subscribe, telephone (800) not a member of al-Qaeda. No 607-4410, e-mail <circulation@wrmea. apologies or reparations were org>, or write to P.O. Box 292380, Ketteroffered for imprisoning and toring, OH 45429. turing an innocent man!

He was the first prisoner held WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

7

levy_8-9r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 10:39 PM Page 8

Special Report

Abu Akleh’s Death Investigation Proves America Will Always Defend Israel

By Gideon Levy

PHOTO BY MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

she was a journalist.

Her murderers—that’s what they’ll be called, of course—intended to murder her. Every Israeli child will understand this.

But Shireen Abu Akleh was a Palestinian war correspondent, infinitely more courageous and determined than Dayan and Levi put together, and she was killed in Jenin.

Israel washed its hands of any respons i b i l i t y, a s u s u a l .

Washed its hands and obfuscated. All of the investigations that Palestinians take part in a demonstration following the death of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh have been published in Gaza City on May 12, 2022. Abu Akleh, who was shot dead on May 11, 2022 while covering a raid in the Israeli‐ occupied West Bank, was among the Arab media’s most prominent figures and widely hailed for her bravery and so far into the circumstances of her killing professionalism. led to a single concluIMAGINE THE UNIMAGINABLE: Ilana Dayan (or Yonit Levi) goes sion: The Israel Defense Forces shot her. But Israel continued out of her comfort zone in order to report on the occupation. She to obfuscate. is caught in an exchange of fire and a bullet hits her in the neck, And then came the forensic analysis, carried out in the presin the area between her helmet and her ballistic vest. She dies. ence of a U.S. military officer. And this is the result: The U.S. What happens then? Israel very quickly captures the Palestinian Department of State, which is concerned about the safety of “cell.” It doesn’t matter who fired, it’s entirely insignificant, all of civilians and is particularly shocked by harm caused to journalits members are killed or sentenced to life in prison. Israel mourns ists, as proved in the Jamal Khashoggi case, announced that the loss of its veteran journalist. while it is impossible to determine with certainty who killed Abu No one even considers forensic tests: There’s no need for Akleh, the gunfire likely came from IDF positions. And the punch them. It’s clear to everyone who killed the journalist. The United line: “The [U.S. Security Coordinator] found no reason to believe States doesn’t think to interfere with the investigation, only to centhat [the gunfire] was intentional but rather the result of tragic sure the Palestinians and participate in the grief of the Jewish circumstances.” The damaged bullet that was removed from nation, and perhaps also to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Abu Akleh’s head whispered to the United States that the Authority over the journalist’s murder. It is obvious to all that the shooter didn’t mean to kill her. It was the most elaborate ballistic Israeli journalist was killed because she was Jewish and because test in history: a test that examines innermost thoughts, that discerns intentions.

Gideon Levy is an Israeli journalist and author. This article was first It’s difficult to imagine a more clumsy, unprofessional, ridicupublished in Haaretz, July 7, 2022 © Haaretz. Reprinted with per‐ mission. lous and even insulting mobilization in the service of Israeli pro8

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

levy_8-9r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 10:39 PM Page 9

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

paganda. Once again it has been proven that America is willing to do anything, absolutely anything, to protect its precious darling; to conceal all its crimes, to make itself an object of ridicule, to disregard moral, legal and professional standards— all to cover up for Israel. America is telling Israel: Keep on killing journalists, as far as we’re concerned it’s fine. We will always say you didn’t mean to, that tragic circumstances killed Abu Akleh and not soldiers in the Duvdevan coun- A mural depicting slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, drawn on Israel's separation wall in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on July 6, 2022. terterrorism unit.

Americans also don’t watch CNN. The network’s investiand distress, / We’ll bear the pall. / Who’ll never know who killed Shireen. But it gation disclosed that three or four addisoon forget? / I, said the Page, beginning seems that we know very well who killed tional bullet holes can be seen on the tree to fade, / I’ll be the first to forget.” her. He walks among us now.

Abu Akleh was standing against when Abu Akleh is dead, and with her the last America is telling Israel: Keep on she was hit—bullets that were fired indiremnants of trusting the United States to killing journalists, as far as we’re convidually, not in a burst. Does this also intell the truth about its ally. Thanks to it, cerned it’s fine. We will always say you dicate that there was no intention to kill Israel can continue to claim that we’ll didn’t mean to. ■ the journalist, who took cover (Advertisement) under the tree?

Could it be that it’s possible to mute, obscure and deceive so much for the sole purpose of making President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel more pleasant? Does the U.S. Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a grassroots consider covering up for a community-based Palestinian health organization, founded in crime an expression of friend1979 by Palestinian doctors, needs your support today. ship toward its perpetrator?

Visit www.pmrs.ps to see our work in action.

“Who killed Norma Jean?”

Pete Seeger asked in the Visit www.friendsofpmrs.org to support our work and donate. wonderful song he composed of Norman Rosten’s poem Mail your U.S. Tax-Deductible check to our American Foundation: about Marilyn Monroe. “Who Friends of PMRS, Inc saw her die / I, said the Night, PO Box 450554 • Atlanta, GA 31145 and a bedroom light, we saw her die. Who’ll bear the pall?

For more information call: (404) 441-2702 or e-mail: fabuakel@gmail.com / We, said the Press, in pain AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

9

williams_10-11r.qxp_UNITED NATIONS REPORT 7/7/22 10:54 PM Page 10

United Nations Report

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan Crows After His Uncontested “Election’’

PHOTO BY SAID KHATIB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

By Ian Williams

Women protest the appointment of Gilad Erdan, Israel’s perma‐ nent representative to the United Nations, as one of the 21 Vice Presidents of the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly, outside the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees center in the Rafah refugee camp on June 9, 2022.

OVER THE YEARS, Israel has sent a tag team of obnoxious racist right-wing ambassadors to the U.N. who shared a publicly expressed disdain for the organization, its Charter and its decisions. Last year, current incumbent Gilad Erdan lived down to his predecessors’ standards by tearing up the U.N. Human Rights report while on the podium from which he will now occasionally preside over the Assembly. Of course, he shared with them a brazen disdain for the Palestinians along with an obsessional need to be recognized and loved by the organization that, after all, had anomalously legitimized their settler state.

Notoriously, a diplomat is someone sent abroad to lie for their country and just like his predecessors, Erdan ostentatiously and consistently lives down to the job description. And like them, he does not blink at disparaging the U.N. while calling down its wrath on others, notably Iran. And oddly, along with the State of Israel, he crows at every tiny positional gain his renegade state makes in the organization.

Other countries think “so what,” but for Israel it is a diplomatic game of Go, where each piece positioned is an incremental gain in the long run. Despite Erdan’s manifest disdain for the Charter, U.N. delegates “allowed” this Goebbels- emulator to become one of 21 Vice Presidents of the General Assembly. Although the press re-

U.N. correspondent Ian Williams is the author of UNtold: the Real Story of the United Nations in Peace and War (available from Middle East Books and More).

10

ported that Israel was “elected,” this is stretching it, since the scofflaw state could only take the seat because of the fix in the “West European and Others Group” (WEOG), which meant no other country from that group dared run against it for fear of being penalized when its “turn” came round.

But as has been said in other contexts, not least the much-invoked Holocaust, for evil to triumph all it needs is inaction from bystanders.

This means that most members of the U.N., and in particular the West European group, just had to acquiesce in Erdan’s “election,” implicitly condoning the countless crimes of the occupiers. Typically insouciant of reality, Erdan crowed that “this triumph sends a clear message to our enemies that they will not prevent us from participating in leading roles at the U.N. and in the international arena.”

The appointment was announced against the background of the U.N. Human Rights Commission’s conclusion that Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by the IDF. The same week The New York Times belatedly reached the same conclusion after almost every other news agency, including Al Jazeera, whose staff were actual witnesses, as well as the Washington Post, CNN, AP and many others, about the shooting.

Along with Bellingcat, oft acclaimed for its work in ferreting out disinformation, the media concluded that it was the Israeli security forces who killed her, the same gang of “the most moral army in the world,” who then trashed her funeral as the world watched.

Indeed, their attempt to hijack the coffin could be seen as a calculated diversion for the settler mob that seized a Palestinian home in Hebron. In any case, shortly afterwards the IDF and police backed up a mob of hard Zionist pogromists ravaging the Old City, so it was indeed an incremental gain for the occupiers, who escaped with little or no public condemnation for their manifestly illegal barbarities.

If the VP vote had gone as a contested election to the whole General Assembly, then almost any other candidate would have won.

Indeed, although the bumptious Erdan represented it as a pioneering triumph, in 2005, backed by brutal U.S. pressure, his predecessor Dan Gillerman had taken the seat when Israel was first admitted to the WEOG ranks. Nevertheless, Erdan’s cynical crowing was supported with hasbara from the state, amplifying his shameless self-promotion through a sycophantic and stenographic media.

The U.N. members know the real situation since they overwhelmingly endorsed the results of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into Israeli practices in the Territories. With typical perversity, the pro-Israeli press headlined their vote as “21 countries lash U.N. report.” The headline writers’ inversion of the subject is indicative. When the numbers were inverted for the General Assembly resolution on the invasion of Ukraine, the headlines talked about the world’s condemnation of Putin, not about the flogging of the U.N. by Zelensky! A small harbinger of conscience was Australia’s new Labour government breaking the Anglo-Israeli axis whip when they refused to join this “lashing!”

Typically, the U.S. ambassador claimed that “the nature of the COI established last May is further demonstration of long-standing, dis-

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

williams_10-11r.qxp_UNITED NATIONS REPORT 7/7/22 10:54 PM Page 11

proportionate attention given to Israel in the Council and must stop…We continue to believe that this long-standing disproportionate scrutiny should end, and that the Council should address all human rights concerns, regardless of country, in an even-handed manner,” she said. “Regrettably, we are concerned that the Commission of Inquiry will further contribute to the polarization of a situation about which so many of us are concerned,” she shamelessly blathered.

Citizens of Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and other countries that supported the resolution are culpable. Imagine the outcry if their delegations to the U.N. had exonerated Putin!

Taking their cue from Washington, the assorted group of 21 client atolls and toadies who voted against the report did not contradict the facts in it, but rather squirmed to suggest that there were too many such reports about Israel.

None of them seriously contested the findings about Palestinian suffering, nor about Israeli crimes, which suggests their protestations of bias had all the ethical substance of Al Capone whining about anti-Italian bias in the FBI.

Perhaps those who look for “bias” should look at Secretary of State Antony Blinken unabashedly not conducting any inquiry into the murder of a U.S. citizen because he is waiting for the results of an inquiry by the murderers, who have made it plain that they had no intention of investigating. First they could nothing without the murder bullet, and then when they got it, their soothsayers concluded from a few battered crumbs of lead that there was no reason to infer murderous intent.

And, speaking of bias, these recidivist whitewashers have repeatedly found themselves innocent of every such charge. The good news is that many Democratic lawmakers have called for an inquiry despite being warned off by AIPAC, which claimed that “the circumstances of Ms. Abu Akleh’s death remain unclear despite the hasty conclusions of various media outlets.” For a reductio ad absurdum this is a bit like refusing to start the Nuremberg trials until we have the full names of all the victims. It is an insulting prevarication and should be denounced as such by the congresspeople to whom it was addressed.

Shireen Abu Akleh can draw some posthumous comfort from the timing, some 55 years after the murder of 34 other U.S. citizens, the sailors on the USS Liberty that Israel tried to sink in 1967, a crime which could have led to charges of a biased inquiry from Washington.

But the Israelis know what they are doing. Like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, they know that pre-emptive complaints about alleged bias, delivered in a bubble wrap of “what about-ery,” go a long way to head off criticism and make liberal and fair-minded critics ignore the substance of the accusation to simply count up the complaints and shout “bias.”

Blinken can at least exonerate himself of anti-Arab bias since he is now shaking the hands of the Crown Prince who ordered Jamal Khashoggi put through a meat grinder—and is refusing to support moves to isolate Putin. It is almost reassuring that there is more than one lobby mesmerizing the administration in Washington. But not really! The overarching message is not “bias” but that it is open season on American journalists across the world! ■

(Advertisement)

PALESTINNE: OUR CHIILDREN, OUR DUTY! .,1'(586$ &$5,1* )25 &+,/'5(1 ,1 3$/(67,1( )25 OVER 16 YEARS

::: .,1'(586$ 25*

3 2 %R[ 'DOODV 7; 7ROO )UHH WHO KIDS IN NEED OF DEVELOPMENTT, EDUCATION AND RELIEF

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

.LQGHU86$ LV D F QRQ IRU SURÀW RUJDQL]DWLRQ <RXU GRQDWLRQ LV WD[ GHGXFWLEOH

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

11

levy_12r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 9:49 PM Page 12

Special Report

PHOTO BY JACK GUEZ/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

There’s No Hope for Change With Lapid as Prime Minister

By Gideon Levy

After the Knesset dissolved the government on June 30, Yair Lapid, a former actor, screenwriter, amateur boxer, journalist, TV news anchor, chairman of the Yesh Atid Party and foreign affairs minister, became caretaker prime minister on July 1. Legislative elections will be held on Nov. 1, 2022. This photo was taken in Tel Aviv on April 14, 2022.

EARLY IN THE MORNING, a burly armed security guard stood at the entrance to the narrow path separating Yair Lapid’s house in Ramat Aviv Gimmel and an adjacent navy base. The guard behind this improvised barrier denied me passage, totally ruining my daily slow-jogging route. This happened just a few hours after Lapid became Israel’s 14th prime minister on July 1, 2022. It was the first change I encountered, and not a very joyous one.

I really would like to wish Lapid my heartfelt best wishes on assuming this role, to feel that something new was happening. I’d like to think that there is a future (in Hebrew, yesh atid) and that

Gideon Levy is an Israeli journalist and author. This article was first published in Haaretz, July 2, 2022 © Haaretz. Reprinted with per‐ mission.

12

there is some hope, to believe that a civilian prime minister, a journalist coming from a totally different background than that of all his predecessors, will bring about the yearned-for change in a “government of change” that has lost its way—if it ever had one.

It could be so good for all of us, at one of the most difficult and despairing junctures the state has found itself in. Hope, for a change. Enthusiasm, for variety’s sake. But then came the armed security guard, blocking the route I’d been taking for years.

Even without this blocked route and even with a hefty dose of good will, it’s very difficult to harbor any expectations of Lapid. A first sign of this was given immediately; during his inaugural week he’s traveling to meet the president of France. What does France Continued on page 37

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

pitner_13-15r.qxp_Congress Watch 7/7/22 10:06 PM Page 13

Congress Watch

A Flurry of Letters and the Art of Legislation Through Appropriations

By Julia Pitner

PHOTO BY MEGHDAD MADADI ATPIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

THE KILLING OF Palestinian American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, and subsequent media reports about the incident, energized several letters to the Biden administration.

Reps. Andre Carson (D-IN) and Lou Correa (D-CA) immediately began circulating a letter calling on the FBI to investigate the killing. That letter was sent on May 19 with a total of 57 signers, all Democrats.

Another letter, with a slightly different tack was sent on June 3, with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) leading the effort and signed by 25 House bipartisan members, embracing the Israeli government’s call for a joint Israeli-Palestinian investigation but then attacking the Palestinian Authority for its “obstinate position” of refusing to turn over to Israel the bullet that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (l) meets with Iranian Foreign killed Abu Akleh.

Minister Hossein Amir‐Abdollahian (r) during his official visit to Tehran, Iran on June 25, 2022. Borrell’s On June 6, Sens. Jon Ossoff visit aimed at reviving the stalled nuclear deal, while members of Congress worked to stymie any deal.

(D-GA) and Mitt Romney (RUT) added their letter to Secreresult of the “investigation” in a press release. It stated that ballistic tary of State Antony Blinken, asserting that “The killing of a U.S. citexperts determined the bullet was “too badly damaged to come to izen and of a journalist engaged in the work of reporting in a conflict a conclusion” about the circumstances. But the U.S. Security Cozone is unacceptable.” The letter concludes forcefully, stating, “We ordinator (USSC) did conclude that while “gunfire from IDF posiinsist that the administration ensure a full and transparent investitions was likely responsible for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh,” gation is completed and that justice is served for Ms. Akleh’s death.” there was no proof that it was intentional. Instead, it was the “result A follow up letter on June 23 to President Joe Biden by Sen. of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), co-signed by 23 Senate colleagues (all factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad on May 11, 2022, in Jenin, Democrats), reiterated the request of the May 19 House letter, while which followed a series of terrorist attacks in Israel.” It remains to noting the lack of significant progress and stating that “the U.S. be seen if Congress will have any further reaction or requests for government has an obligation to ensure that a comprehensive, imthe administration. partial and open investigation into her shooting death is conducted.”

Unfortunately, it is now known what that report will say. On July MORE GIFTS FOR ISRAEL 2, the Palestinian Authority handed the bullet to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and on July 4, the State Department issued the initial Ahead of President Biden’s trip to the region, 12 Senate Republicans sent a letter to the Biden administration on June 10, demanding it cancel “taxpayer funding for groups to investigate alleged Julia Pitner is a contributing editor of the Washington Report. She lives in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. human rights abuses in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

13

pitner_13-15r.qxp_Congress Watch 7/8/22 7:39 AM Page 14

Strip”—an effort that the senators say is fueling a “new anti-Semitism.” They also sent a letter to Secretary of State Blinken, asking to rescind the $1 million in grants the State Department gives to “anti-Israel NGOs,” aka human rights organizations.

On the legislative front of this effort, on June 14, Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), with no other co-sponsors, introduced S. 4389 titled “The Commission of Inquiry (COI) Elimination Act,” which calls for the “abolition of certain United Nations groups.” It was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. The bill—which is similar but not identical to H.R. 7223 (introduced in the House in March currently with 75 bipartisan co-sponsors) would withhold from the U.S. contribution to the UNHRC “25 percent of the amount budgeted for the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, unless the Secretary of State submits to Congress a certification that the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel has been abolished.”

On June 29, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up and adopted the FY23 State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) bill. The language of the abovementioned bill was part of an amendment put forth by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (RPA), which prohibits the use of funds from supporting the U.N. International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Migration & Refugee Assistance (MRA) in the FY23 SFOPS bill stipulates that, “$5,000,000 shall be made available for refugees resettling in Israel.” This is a perennial earmark, although formerly a much larger amount, that started when large numbers of Jews were coming to Israel from the former Soviet Union. The report accompanying the bill notes that the committee recommendation clarified to include funds for refugees from the former Soviet Union, Ukraine and other Eastern European states, and other refugees resettling in Israel.”

14

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) on June 14, with no co-sponsors, introduced S. 4397, “Strengthening Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations (C-UAS) Partnerships Act.” Per Lankford’s press release, this is legislation is “to authorize the Secretary of Defense to bolster our work with our allies and increase training capacity in counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) with partners like Israel who also lead in this area.” There is speculation that it may have been introduced for the purposes of being added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

It’s referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

FURTHER CONSTRAINTS ON THE IRAN NEGOTIATIONS On May 24, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (RTN) and seven Republican cosponsors introduced S. 4290, “The Iran China Accountability Act” similar to H.R. 3465 under the same name with nearly identical text, introduced by Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) on May 21 with seven Republican co-sponsors. Both bills “impose certain requirements relating to the renegotiation or reentry into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or other agreement relating to Iran’s nuclear program, and for other purposes.”

These other purposes include tracking receipt of funds from China to Iran and demanding that any agreement includes the certification of the “destruction of any and

IndextoAdvertisers Alamo Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Al-Mokha Coffee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Capitol Hill Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Kinder USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Land of Canaan Foundation . . . . . 22 Middle East Children’s Alliance . . . 37 Mondoweiss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. . . . 15 Palestinian Medical Relief Society . . . 9 Playgrounds for Palestine. . . . . . . . 40 Unitarian Universalists . . . . . . . . . . 25 United Palestinian Appeal (UPA) . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Zakat Foundation of America . . . . 23

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

all nuclear and missile capabilities of Iran as well as all weapons infrastructure and offensive cyber activity.” It has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

With an eye toward Iran, Republicans in both the House and the Senate are leveraging the relations of the Abraham Accords for another purpose. On June 8, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and five bipartisan co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 7987, followed on June 9 by S. 4366, which was introduced by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and three bipartisan co-sponsors, the “Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022,” aka the “DEFEND Act of 2022.“ It aims to “require the Secretary of Defense to seek cooperation with allies and partners in the Middle East to identify an architecture and develop an acquisition approach for certain countries in the Middle East to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect the people, infrastructure and territory of such countries from cruise and ballistic missiles, manned and unmanned aerial systems and rocket attacks from Iran, and for other purposes.” It has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) proposed an amendment to the FY23 SFOPS bill that, “prohibits the use of funds to implement an agreement with Iran relating to the nuclear program unless such agreement has been submitted to Congress for review. The amendment also prohibits the use of funds to revoke the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.” The amendment was adopted by voice vote following the adoption of the second degree amendment by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

UPDATE ON H.R. 6940 AKA ANTIFIRST AMENDMENT BILL The “Israel Anti-Boycott” bill introduced by Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), has garnered five new co-sponsors, bringing the total number to 59 Republican House members.

As a reminder, this bill prohibits participation by certain entities and individuals in AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

PHOTO BY MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

pitner_13-15r.qxp_Congress Watch 7/7/22 10:06 PM Page 15

peace and coexistence with Palestinians.”

Despite the headwinds against the move, the committee recommended sufficient funds under embassy security, construction and maintenance to support the administration’s plan to reopen the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem and asks the State Department to outline the “extent to which such a diplomatic mission complements the broader strategy of improving relations with the Palestinian people.”

STAY TUNED FOR MORE

As the appropriations work continues in the House and not yet started in the Senate Palestinian children take part in a four‐week summer activities program organized in 83 schools in the for FY23, money is being alGaza Strip by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the located for programs in each of the budget categories for Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza strip, on June 27, 2022. countries throughout the able to maintain the provision of food asregion. Although the Senate has yet to boycotts or requests for boycotts imposed sistance to vulnerable Palestinians in the start, a Senate Republican Study Commitby international governmental organizaWest Bank and Gaza in response to rising tee (the largest conservative caucus in tions (i.e., the U.N. and the EU). Specififood and transport costs.

Congress) has outlined their “wish” list that cally, the bill applies to covered persons With respect to aid for the West Bank could prove to be extremely challenging the prohibition of specified actions in comand Gaza, new language was added to for the process. And as with the few expliance with or in support of a boycott the reporting requirements of the State amples here, it is expected that many of against a country that is friendly to the Department Incitement report. Due 90 the bills and various amendments (133 United States and that is not itself the days after enactment of the Act, the Secsubmitted by July 1, with a July 5 deadline) object of a U.S. boycott. The bill also proretary of State shall submit a report to the will contain language from legislation prehibits the act of furnishing information to appropriate congressional committees to viously highlighted in these pages. The any foreign country or international govinclude “efforts by the government of Washington Report will continue to track ernmental organization that furthers an imIsrael to counter incitement of violence and report on both new legislation and the posed boycott. against Palestinian civilians and promote appropriation of the FY23 budget. ■

A BIT OF POSITIVE NEWS

(Advertisement)

Although the SFOPS will have more amendments when it is presented to the full House for approval, the version passed out of the Appropriations Committee included some positive notes and some surprising language.

Although not back to previous levels, some small relief is provided to UNRWA, despite legislative efforts against the organization in the SFOPS bill headed to the full House. In addition to amounts made available for UNRWA under Migration and Refugee Assistance, the committee recommends $100,000,000 under the Multilateral Assistance heading be made availAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

15

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 16

Election Watch

Pro-Israel PAC Donations Flood 2022 Elections

By Delinda C. Hanley and Open Secrets

Suffice it to say, money is flooding the 2022 election OP AND AREER ECIPIENTS OF cycle. There are mammoth RO SRAEL UNDS sums flowing into American politics, much of it legalized or Compiled Open Secrets enabled by the Supreme HOUSE: CURRENT RACES SENATE: CURRENT RACES Court, according to Ellen L. Brown, Shontel (D-OH) $892,766 Schumer, Charles E (D-NY) $583,343 Weintraub, a commissioner Jeffries, Hakeem (D-NY) $356,600 Lankford, James (R-OK) $251,677 Stevens, Haley (D-MI) $273,410 Rubio, Marco (R-FL) $248,177 on the Federal Election Buchanan, Vernon (R-FL) $253,254 Scott, Tim (R-SC) $206,560 Commission (FEC). “The Levin, Andy (D-MI) $204,970 Hassan, Maggie (D-NH) $213,817 court has equated money with Luria, Elaine (D-VA) $168,599 Warnock, Raphael (D-GA) $195,667 speech, struck down political Gottheimer, Josh (D-NJ) $135,325 Wyden, Ron (D-OR) $165,825 spending limits and empowGranger, Kay (R-TX) $133,800 Masto, Catherine Cortez (D-NV) $163,454 Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) $123,528 Moran, Jerry (R-KS) $157,362 ered corporations,” she says Kim, Andy (D-NJ) $111,792 Boozman, John (R-AR) $144,212 in a Washington Post article.

Slotkin, Elissa (D-MI) $115,695 Kelly, Mark (D-AZ) $130,829 “That is stunningly out of sync Malinowski, Tom (D-NJ) $108,168 Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT) $129,501 with public opinion,” she conSchneider, Brad (D-IL) $89,46 Crapo, Mike (R-ID) $120,470 tinues, citing a 2018 Pew ReDuckworth, Tammy (D-IL) $99,435 search Center poll finding that House: Career Senate: Career Brown, Shontel (D-OH) $1,970,435 77 percent of Americans supSchumer, Charles E (D-NY) $2,346,003 Cheny, Liz (R-WY) $1,530,433 port limits on political donaWyden, Ron (D-OR) $1,418,052 Schneider, Brad (D-IL) $1,021,695 tions. The Supreme Court’s Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) $1,412,175 Zeldin, Lee (R-NY) $937,744 May decision in FEC v. Ted Rubio, Marco (R-FL) $1,143,089 Jeffries, Hakeem (D-NY) $887,051 Cruz for Senate now allows Warnock, Raphael (D-GA) $835,993 Luria, Elaine (D-VA) $802,889 donors to slip money directly Ossoff, Jon (D-GA) $758,402 Gottheimer, Josh (D-NJ) $793,188 Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL) $742,311 Schakowsky, Jan (D-IL) $720,205 into an elected official’s Hassan, Maggie (D-NH) $710,936 Stevens, Haley (D-MI) $636,008 pocket, she opined.

Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) $662,424 Sherman, Brad (D-CA) $630,190 In the 2020 election seaScott, Tim (R-SC) $661,086 Buchanan, Vernon (R-FL) $516,508 son, federal fundraising toLankford, James (R-OK) $613,554 Levin, Andy (D-MI) $492,280 taled more than $14 billion, Murray, Patty (D-WA) $600,606 Slotkin, Elissa (D-MI) $473,549 and those were just the conKim, Andy (D-NJ) $453,541 tributions we know about, according to Weintraub. It is probable the money pouring into port for Palestinian human rights—the real reason Zionists future elections may eclipse those numbers. don’t want her elected and why her AIPAC-endorsed DemocA PAC is a Political Action Committee that raises and spends ratic opponent Glenn Ivey is getting the big bucks. You don’t money to elect or defeat candidates. In the first six months of see Ivey or Edwards on the charts in the next pages because its existence, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee neither is a House member—yet.

(AIPAC)’s new PAC, delivered $6 million to 326 candidates The following pages list pro-Israel PAC donations given to and endorsed 120 candidates, some 37 of them Republicans candidates during the 2021-2022 election cycle. These numwho voted against certifying Biden. bers were released by the FEC on May 23, 2022 and compiled from reports on the Open Secrets website. The FEC Like AIPAC’s new Super PAC, the United Democracy Proupdates their reports once a month and finalizes their numject can raise money without any legal limit on donation size. bers after the election. The Open Secrets report, updated The United Democracy Project is pouring money into ads aton June 22, came in too late for us to re-tabulate. We’d like tacking Donna Edwards, who is running in Maryland’s 4th Conto thank Open Secrets for their close attention to the pro-Israel gressional District. Those attack ads never mention her supdonations funding our democracy. Our interns, finance director and webmaster all pooled their talents to help me compile this Delinda Hanley is executive editor of the Washington Report on report. Visit <www.opensecrets.org> for the latest figures. ■ Middle East Affairs.

T

16

2022 P -I

C

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

R PAC F

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 17

PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2022 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State Alabama

Alaska Arizona

Arkansas

California

Office District H H H H H S S H H H H H H S H H H S H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

3 4 2 5 1 9 1 7 6 4 3 4 3 2 33 10 39 49 17 45 51 53 31 38 13 37 48 25 19 15 36 9 23 14 21 29 12 42 35 30 44 28 16 20 27 4 41 7 18 5 52 11

Candidate Rogers, Mike D (R-AL) Aderholt, Robert B (R-AL) Moore, Barry (R-AL) Brooks, Mo (R-AL) Carl, Jerry (R-AL) Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) Kelly, Mark (D-AZ) Stanton, Greg (D-AZ) O’Halleran, Tom (D-AZ) Gallego, Ruben (D-AZ) Schweikert, David (R-AZ) Gosar, Paul (R-AZ) Grijalva, Raul M (D-AZ) Boozman, John (R-AR) Westerman, Bruce (R-AR) Womack, Steve (R-AR) Hill, French (R-AR) Padilla, Alex (D-CA) Lieu, Ted (D-CA) Harder, Josh (D-CA) Kim, Young (R-CA) Levin, Mike (D-CA) Khanna, Ro (D-CA) Porter, Katie (D-CA) Vargas, Juan (D-CA) Jacobs, Sara (D-CA) Aguilar, Pete (D-CA) Sanchez, Linda (D-CA) Lee, Barbara (D-CA) Bass, Karen (D-CA) Steel, Michelle (R-CA) Garcia, Mike (R-CA) Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA) Swalwell, Eric (D-CA) Ruiz, Raul (D-CA) McNerney, Jerry (D-CA) McCarthy, Kevin (R-CA) Speier, Jackie (D-CA) Valadao, David (R-CA) Cardenas, Tony (D-CA) Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) Calvert, Ken (R-CA) Torres, Norma (D-CA) Sherman, Brad (D-CA) Barragan, Nanette (D-CA) Schiff, Adam (D-CA) Costa, Jim (D-CA) Panetta, Jimmy (D-CA) Chu, Judy (D-CA) McClintock, Tom (R-CA) Takano, Mark (D-CA) Bera, Ami (D-CA) Eshoo, Anna (D-CA) Thompson, Mike (D-CA) Peters, Scott (D-CA) Desaulnier, Mark (D-CA)

Party

Status

R R R R R R D D D D R R D R R R R D D D R D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R D R D D R D D D D D D D R D D D D D D

I I I C I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I C I I I I I N I N I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

2022 Contributions $33,600 $5,800 $2,900 $1,950 $500 $102,085 $130,829 $39,000 $23,500 $18,100 $8,550 $1,250 $1,000 $144,212 $15,003 $6,050 $7,500 $33,950 $43,500 $35,899 $28,531 $41,033 $22,030 $20,000 $19,100 $19,670 $17,850 $22,950 $16,081 $14,950 $18,692 $19,466 $13,494 $12,500 $12,700 $8,450 $42,741 $6,050 $6,000 $5,800 $21,724 $11,750 $6,100 $32,540 $23,200 $5,800 $22,900 $6,550 $4,500 $4,500 $10,000 $4,800 $4,500 $3,242 $5,250 $3,000

Career $213,825 $67,098 $5,800 $3,900 $2,000 $463,499 $459,444 $88,090 $77,050 $51,168 $104,450 $30,475 $70,583 $454,674 $32,606 $17,100 $25,750 $67,900 $239,245 $153,572 $122,210 $197,036 $79,985 $77,955 $135,450 $60,140 $159,236 $151,120 $75,369 $107,917 $65,609 $111,085 $80,773 $167,343 $112,079 $105,257 $329,427 $110,437 $38,080 $101,864 $588,161 $44,250 $24,173 $630,190 $46,410 $404,531 $255,176 $13,100 $38,100 $16,800 $80,980 $179,504 $88,075 $52,034 $136,933 $20,650

Committee at time of Election AS AG AS AS, NR AS, NR AG AS, NR WM NR NR FS B AG NR AG, AS NR FS AS WM B

HS, I

AS,I

FS HS I AG, NR AG, AS, WM B, WM B, NR

WM B

The Career Total column represents the total amount of pro-Israel PAC money received from Jan. 1, 1990 through May 23, 2022. S=Senate, H=House of Representatives.

Party affiliation: D=Democrat, R=Republican, Ref=Reform, DFL=Democratic Farmer Labor, Ind=Independent, Lib=Libertarian, WFP=Working Families Party. Status: C=Challenger, I=Incumbent, N=Not Running, O=Open Seat (no incumbent), P=Defeated in primary election. *=Senate election year, #=House member running for Senate seat, †=Special Election. Committees (at time of election): A=Appropriations, AG=Agriculture (D=Defense subcommittee, FO=Foreign Operations subcommittee, HS=Homeland Security, NR=Natural Resources, NS=National Security subcommittee), AS=Armed Services, B=Budget, C=Commerce, FR=Foreign Relations (NE=Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs subcommittee), HS=Homeland Security, I=Intelligence, IR=International Relations, NS=National Security, WM=Ways and Means.– indicates money returned by candidate, 0 that all money received was returned.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

17

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 18

State California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware Florida

Georgia

Hawaii Idaho Illinois

18

Office District H 2 H 3 H 47 H 26 H 24 S H 4 H 5 H 6 H 2 H 1 H 7 S S H 3 H 5 H 2 H 1 H at-large S H 16 H 26 H 22 H 25 H 21 H 18 H 9 H 3 H 27 H 17 H 6 H 23 H 10 H 5 H 4 H 15 S S S H 7 H 8 H 11 H 3 H 6 H 2 H 13 H 5 H 1 H 4 H 9 S S H 1 S H 10 H 18 H 9 H 8 H 3 H 16 H 5 H 11 H 6 H 2 H 13 H 12

Candidate

Party

Huffman, Jared (D-CA) D Garamendi, John (D-CA) D Lowenthal, Alan (D-CA) D Brownley, Julia (D-CA) D Carbajal, Salud (D-CA) D Bennet, Michael (D-CO D Buck, Ken (R-CO) R Lamborn, Doug (R-CO) R Crow, Jason (D-CO) D Neguse, Joseph (D-CO) D DeGette, Diana (D-CO) D Perlmutter, Ed (D-CO) D Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT) D Murphy, Christopher (D-CT) D DeLauro, Rosa (D-CT) D Hayes, Jahana (D-CT) D Courtney, Joe (D-CT) D Larson, John (D-CT) D Rochester, Lisa Blunt (D-DE) D Rubio, Marco (R-FL) R Buchanan, Vernon (R-FL) R Gimenez, Carlos (R-FL) R Deutch, Ted (D-FL) D Diaz-Balart, Mario (R-FL) R Frankel, Lois (D-FL) D Mast, Brian (R-FL) R Soto, Darren (D-FL) D Cammack, Kat (R-FL) R Salazar, Maria (R-FL) R Steube, Greg (R-FL) R Waltz, Michael (R-FL) R Schultz, Debbie Wasserman (D-FL) D Demings, Val (D-FL)# D Lawson, Al (D-FL) D Rutherford, John (R-FL) R Franklin, Scott (R-FL) R Warnock, Raphael (D-GA) D Loeffler, Kelly (R-GA) R Ossoff, Jon (D-GA) D Bourdeaux, Carolyn (D-GA) D Scott, Austin (R-GA) R Loudermilk, Barry (R-GA) R Ferguson, Drew (R-GA) R McBath, Lucy (D-GA) D Bishop, Sanford (D-GA) D Scott, David (D-GA) D Williams, Nikema Natassha (D-GA) D Carter, Buddy (R-GA) R Johnson, Hank (D-GA) D Clyde, Andrew (R-GA) R Schatz, Brian (D-HI) D Crapo, Mike (R-ID) R Fulcher, Russ (R-ID) R Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL) D Schneider, Brad (D-IL) D LaHood, Darin (R-IL) R Schakowsky, Jan (D-IL) D Krishnamoorthi, Raja (D-IL) D Newman, Marie (D-IL) D Kinzinger, Adam (R-IL) R Quigley, Mike (D-IL) D Foster, Bill (D-IL) D Casten, Sean (D-IL) D Kelly, Robin (D-IL) D Davis, Rodney (R-IL) R Bost, Mike (R-IL) R

Status I I N I I I I I I I I N I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I I I I I C I I I I N I P I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I I

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

2022 Contributions $3,000 $4,000 $2,500 $6,650 $1,200 $61,060 $24,550 $21,000 $9,850 $13,255 $4,900 $2,000 $124,101 $1,500 $30,579 $13,300 $10,450 $5,200 $7,400 $248,177 $253,254 $95,916 $39,850 $28,000 $32,600 $35,503 $21,700 $14,900 $50,913 $13,300 $7,950 $17,050 $23,334 $2,150 $2,150 $300 $195,667 $1,500 $1,075 $27,305 $14,700 $9,450 $20,400 $10,800 $4,000 $15,400 $3,700 $1,000 $1,000 $500 $4,000 $120,470 $1,000 $99,435 $89,468 $34,750 $47,775 $40,100 $20,378 $14,095 $11,550 $21,281 $80,936 $15,875 $6,000 $8,300

Career $47,070 $100,850 $60,246 $114,906 $46,715 $401,360 $77,300 $232,600 $163,727 $35,310 $67,755 $53,698 $391,770 $153,485 $161,058 $30,237 $40,450 $10,400 $29,550 $1,143,089 $516,508 $261,732 $811,606 $391,649 $259,280 $371,889 $98,015 $40,800 $156,826 $52,350 $69,862 $429,516 $70,194 $27,800 $19,300 $600 $835,993 $463,231 $758,402 $131,677 $44,100 $22,300 $45,500 $67,215 $36,702 $60,550 $7,400 $5,500 $111,750 $1,000 $187,320 $429,554 $2,000 $742,311 $1,021,695 $102,527 $720,205 $223,810 $147,441 $193,590 $211,536 $473,259 $269,467 $101,597 $88,700 $81,223

Committee at time of Election NR AS NR NR AG, AS AG AS, NR AS, I NR NR FS C, AS FR AG AS WM WM HS

NR AG, HS AS HS, I AG, FS

B, HS AG, AS FS WM AG AG, FS FS B HS C, FR B NR AS, C WM I, WM B I I FS FS, NR

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 19

State Illinois

Office District

H H H Indiana S H H H H H Iowa S H H H Kansas S H H Kentucky H H H H Louisiana S H H H H H Maine H H Maryland S H H H H H Massachusetts H H H H H H H Michigan H H H H H H H H Minnesota H H Missouri H H H H Nebraska H Nevada S S H H H New Hampshire S S H New Jersey S H

4 7 17 3 2 1 7 5 3 2 1 3 4 6 1 5 3 5 2 6 1 4 2 1 8 2 5 7 1 5 4 6 2 3 1 9 9 8 11 3 5 10 12 14 4 2 7 8 2 5 2

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

1 3 4 1 5

Candidate

Party

Garcia, Jesus (D-IL) Davis, Danny K (D-IL) Bustos, Cheri (D-IL) Young, Todd (R-IN) Banks, Jim (R-IN) Walorski, Jackie (R-IN) Mrvan, Frank Jr (D-IN) Carson, Andre (D-IN) Spartz, Victoria (R-IN) Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) Axne, Cindy (D-IA) Miller-Meeks, Mariannette (R-IA) Hinson, Ashley (R-IA) Moran, Jerry (R-KS) Davids, Sharice (D-KS) Estes, Ron (R-KS) Barr, Andy (R-KY) Comer, James (R-KY) Rogers, Hal (R-KY) Yarmuth, John (D-KY) Kennedy, John (R-LA) Letlow, Julia (R-LA) Carter, Troy (D-LA) Graves, Garret (R-LA) Scalise, Steve (R-LA) Johnson, Mike (R-LA) Golden, Jared (D-ME) Pingree, Chellie (D-ME) Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD) Raskin, Jamie (D-MD) Ruppersberger, Dutch (D-MD) Hoyer, Steny H (D-MD) Mfume, Kweisi (D-MD) Harris, Andy (R-MD) Clark, Katherine (D-MA) Auchincloss, Jake (D-MA) Moulton, Seth (D-MA) McGovern, James P (D-MA) Trahan, Lori (D-MA) Neal, Richard E (D-MA) Keating, Bill (D-MA) Levin, Andy (D-MI) Slotkin, Elissa (D-MI) Stevens, Haley (D-MI) Meijer, Peter (R-MI) Kildee, Dan (D-MI) McClain, Lisa (R-MI) Dingell, Debbie (D-MI) Lawrence, Brenda (D-MI) McCollum, Betty (D-MN) Craig, Angie (D-MN) Long, Billy (R-MO) Smith, Jason (R-MO) Wagner, Ann (R-MO) Cleaver, Emanuel (D-MO) Bacon, Donald John (R-NE) Masto, Catherine Cortez (D-NV) Rosen, Jacky (D-NV) Titus, Dina (D-NV) Lee, Susie (D-NV) Horsford, Steven (D-NV) Hassan, Maggie (D-NH) Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH) Pappas, Chris (D-NH) Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) Gottheimer, Josh (D-NJ)

D D D R R R D D R R D R R R D R R R R D R R D R R R D D D D D D D R D D D D D D D D D D R D R D D D D R R R D R D D D D D D D D D D

Status I I N I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

2022 Contributions $3,000 $1,000 $1,000 $69,902 $17,900 $2,900 $3,700 $1,000 $1,850 $36,012 $41,355 $9,650 $11,100 $157,362 $15,300 $2,000 $58,400 $16,400 $6,800 $4,500 $55,500 $23,600 $12,500 $9,900 $16,393 $7,050 $34,403 $3,500 $51,130 $38,155 $16,550 $123,528 $9,250 $13,350 $35,750 $33,822 $12,750 $3,525 $6,150 $2,500 $2,070 $204,970 $115,695 $273,410 $49,158 $8,450 $4,800 $2,040 $2,000 $4,400 $3,000 $12,300 $9,300 $5,800 $2,323 $71,356 $163,454 $5,800 $19,000 $3,500 $2,500 $213,817 $500 $38,250 $62,390 $135,325

Career $19,660 $56,484 $324,763 $365,754 $48,000 $75,800 $10,450 $21,553 $17,900 $494,424 $181,901 $37,875 $40,005 $404,999 $59,763 $4,000 $265,073 $32,800 $121,350 $69,242 $250,651 $47,200 $25,000 $53,200 $334,142 $26,000 $160,291 $75,093 $328,636 $160,523 $81,450 $1,540,409 $137,750 $77,150 $152,766 $128,569 $81,386 $51,575 $23,800 $37,500 $4,140 $492,280 $473,549 $636,008 $116,016 $36,550 $11,595 $34,640 $37,704 $64,550 $95,614 $70,000 $20,600 $19,279 $64,496 $383,477 $573,073 $226,538 $73,754 $67,305 $33,439 $710,936 $572,075 $166,591 $1,412,175 $793,188

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

Committee at time of Election FS, NR WM AG C, FR AS WM I AG, FS HS B A, C WM

B B NR AS AS AG B, FR

FS AS, B AG NR WM AS AS, HS HS B, WM AS NR NR AG NR B, WM FS FS, HS AG, AS NR AS, C, HS HS AS, B, WM AS, FR B, FR FS, HS 19

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 20

State New Jersey

Office District

H H H H H H H H New Mexico H H H New York S S H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H North Dakota S North Carolina H H H H H H H H H H Ohio S H H H H H H H H H H H Oklahoma S H Oregon S S H H H H Pennsylvania H H 20

3 7 1 4 9 10 12 11 1 2 3 9 24 5 15 6 17 11 19 12 21 16 1 10 9 20 7 2 25 13 18 22 6 10 2 4 9 7 12 13 1 11 11 14 16 4 3 10 15 9 6 13 8 4 3 4 5 1 1 2

Candidate

Party

Kim, Andy (D-NJ) D Malinowski, Tom (D-NJ) D Norcross, Don (D-NJ) D Smith, Chris (R-NJ) R Pascrell, Bill Jr (D-NJ) D Payne, Donald M Jr (D-NJ) D Coleman, Bonnie Watson (D-NJ) D Sherrill, Mikie (D-NJ) D Stansbury, Melanie (D-NM) D Herrell, Yvette (R-NM) R Fernandez, Teresa Leger (D-NM) D Schumer, Charles E (D-NY) D Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY) D Jeffries, Hakeem (D-NY) D Katko, John (R-NY) R Meeks, Gregory (D-NY) D Torres, Ritchie (D-NY) D Meng, Grace (D-NY) D Jones, Mondaire (D-NY) D Malliotakis, Nicole (R-NY) R Delgado, Antonio (D-NY) D Maloney, Carolyn (D-NY) D Stefanik, Elise (R-NY) R Bowman, Jamaal (D-NY) D Zeldin, Lee (R-NY) R Nadler, Jerrold (D-NY) D Clarke, Yvette (D-NY) D Tonko, Paul (D-NY) D Velazquez, Nydia (D-NY) D Garbarino, Andrew (R-NY) R Morelle, Joseph D (D-NY) D Espaillat, Adriano (D-NY) D Maloney, Sean Patrick (D-NY) D Tenney, Claudia (R-NY) R Hoeven, John (R-ND) R Manning, Kathy (D-NC) D McHenry, Patrick (R-NC) R Ross, Deborah (D-NC) D Price, David (D-NC) D Bishop, Dan (R-NC) R Rouzer, David (R-NC) R Adams, Alma (D-NC) D Budd, Ted (R-NC) R Butterfield, G K (D-NC) D Cawthorn, Madison (R-NC) R Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) D Brown, Shontel (D-OH) D Joyce, David P (R-OH) R Gonzalez, Anthony (R-OH) R Jordan, Jim (R-OH) R Beatty, Joyce (D-OH) D Turner, Michael R (R-OH) R Carey, Mike (R-OH) R Kaptur, Marcy (D-OH) D Johnson, Bill (R-OH) R Ryan, Tim (D-OH) D Davidson, Warren (R-OH) R Lankford, James (R-OK) R Cole, Tom (R-OK) R Wyden, Ron (D-OR) D Merkley, Jeff (D-OR) D Blumenauer, Earl (D-OR) D DeFazio, Peter (D-OR) D Schrader, Kurt (D-OR) D Bonamici, Suzanne (D-OR) D Fitzpatrick, Brian (R-PA) R Boyle, Brendan (D-PA) D

Status I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I N I I I C I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I C N P I I I N I I I I I I C I I I I I I N P I I I

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

2022 Contributions $111,792 $108,168 $23,160 $15,500 $14,950 $9,465 $6,250 $5,283 $13,310 $3,156 $2,500 $583,343 $20 $356,600 $75,850 $63,519 $57,870 $45,250 $37,827 $34,400 $31,868 $29,663 $24,800 $20,560 $20,400 $19,558 $15,631 $13,371 $11,988 $7,000 $6,400 $5,800 $5,800 $35 $74,627 $49,200 $5,800 $5,400 $5,000 $2,900 $2,900 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $826 $892,766 $77,400 $21,600 $6,550 $5,800 $5,800 $4,800 $3,050 $2,900 $2,000 $500 $251,677 $5,800 $165,825 $1,500 $12,560 $11,200 $5,500 $4,949 $52,256 $33,100

Career $453,541 $449,410 $93,780 $215,575 $133,513 $50,015 $81,245 $125,253 $26,620 $16,206 $16,498 $2,346,003 $387,911 $887,051 $328,304 $183,832 $249,398 $170,975 $99,177 $138,256 $187,262 $386,227 $208,640 $49,126 $937,744 $247,206 $63,637 $55,192 $48,830 $41,800 $20,175 $15,700 $113,901 $76,168 $272,314 $195,482 $135,659 $149,799 $100,835 $17,975 $6,300 $15,214 $17,879 $24,450 $3,430 $662,424 $1,970,435 $290,149 $87,663 $36,602 $24,150 $14,150 $9,600 $58,650 $11,550 $51,153 $4,000 $613,554 $34,500 $1,418,052 $238,047 $79,787 $55,515 $27,483 $52,343 $299,127 $200,900

Committee at time of Election AS HS AS WM HS HS AS NR NR NR I AG, AS B HS FS FS, HS

FS AS, I FS HS NR FS, NR HS AS, B AG, I AG, A, NR FS B HS AG AG, FS FS AG AG

FS AS, I B AG FS NR, HS NR, B FR, B WM

I B,WM

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 21

State

Office District

Pennsylvania

H 14 H 7 H 6 H 5 H 8 H 3 H 4 H 10 H 18 Rhode Island S H 1 H 2 South Carolina S H 2 H 6 H 1 South Dakota S Tennessee H 7 H 8 H 3 H 9 Texas H 12 H 15 H 13 H 33 H 10 H 28 H 32 H 2 H 4 H 20 H 23 H 16 H 3 H 35 H 6 H 19 H 24 H 7 H 17 H 36 H 18 H 14 H 5 H 29 H 26 H 31 H 25 H 27 H 9 H 11 Vermont S H At large Virginia H 2 H 7 H 10 H 8 H 4 H 11 Washington S H 3 H 8 H 10 H 9 H 6 H 1 H 5 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Candidate

Party

Reschenthaler, Guy (R-PA) R Wild, Susan (D-PA) D Houlahan, Chrissy (D-PA) D Scanlon, Mary Gay (D-PA) D Cartwright, Matt (D-PA) D Evans, Dwight (D-PA) D Dean, Madeleine (D-PA) D Perry, Scott (R-PA) R Doyle, Mike (D-PA) D Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI) D Cicilline, David (D-RI) D Langevin, Jim (D-RI) D Scott, Tim (R-SC) R Wilson, Joe (R-SC) R Clyburn, James E (D-SC) D Mace, Nancy (R-SC) R Thune, John (R-SD) R Green, Mark (R-TN) R Kustoff, David (R-TN) R Fleischmann, Chuck (R-TN) R Cohen, Steve (D-TN) D Granger, Kay (R-TX) R Gonzalez, Vicente (D-TX) D Jackson, Ronny (R-TX) R Veasey, Marc (D-TX) D McCaul, Michael (R-TX) R Cuellar, Henry (D-TX) D Allred, Colin (D-TX) D Crenshaw, Dan (R-TX) R Fallon, Patrick (R-TX) R Castro, Joaquin (D-TX) D Gonzales, Tony (R-TX) R Escobar, Veronica (D-TX) D Taylor, Van (R-TX) R Doggett, Lloyd (D-TX) D Ellzey, Jake (R-TX) R Arrington, Jodey (R-TX) R Van Duyne, Beth (R-TX) R Fletcher, Lizzie (D-TX) D Sessions, Pete (R-TX) R Babin, Brian (R-TX) R Jackson Lee, Sheila (D-TX) D Weber, Randy (R-TX) R Gooden, Lance (R-TX) R Garcia, Sylvia (D-TX) D Burgess, Michael (R-TX) R Carter, John (R-TX) R Williams, Roger (R-TX) R Cloud, Michael (R-TX) R Green, Al (D-TX) D Pfluger, August (R-TX) R Leahy, Patrick (D-VT) D Welch, Peter (D-VT) D Luria, Elaine (D-VA) D Spanberger, Abigail (D-VA) D Wexton, Jennifer (D-VA) D Beyer, Don (D-VA) D McEachin, Donald (D-VA) D Connolly, Gerry (D-VA) D Murray, Patty (D-WA) D Beutler, Jaime Herrera (R-WA) R Schrier, Kim (D-WA) D Strickland, Marilyn (D-WA) D Smith, Adam (D-WA) D Kilmer, Derek (D-WA) D DelBene, Suzan (D-WA) D Rodgers, Cathy McMorris (R-WA) R

Status I I I I I I I I N I I N I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N C I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

2022 Contributions $22,200 $12,300 $11,000 $10,750 $7,800 $6,250 $5,800 $5,800 $1,000 $500 $15,700 $750 $206,560 $16,400 $8,800 $5,656 $55,162 $19,800 $14,050 $5,500 $2,000 $133,800 $42,350 $34,300 $28,800 $27,200 $26,900 $24,800 $14,000 $8,544 $6,750 $5,800 $4,900 $4,400 $4,250 $3,900 $3,400 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $2,900 $1,250 $300 $3,760 $5,150 $168,599 $22,075 $13,398 $9,600 $6,000 $5,100 $52,000 $24,600 $16,450 $15,380 $11,749 $6,800 $6,744 $6,000

Career $47,300 $113,372 $61,369 $52,112 $71,337 $26,800 $38,100 $84,800 $42.050 $351,567 $160,050 $147,466 $661,086 $164,225 $101,000 $28,141 $342,666 $45,425 $113,150 $11,250 $95,130 $544,388 $87,900 $81,200 $76,150 $448,629 $260,285 $210,784 $112,936 $17,088 $27,412 $31,700 $25,314 $9,300 $49,950 $8,050 $6,800 $38,553 $57,540 $86,127 $15,300 $30,150 $7,300 $9,500 $5,800 $6,300 $11,429 $11,500 $7,550 $20,500 $600 $140,136 $66,767 $802,889 $230,332 $116,377 $56,356 $36,550 $131,018 $600,606 $57,400 $119,720 $148,708 $164,133 $58,400 $69,638 $99,350

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

Committee at time of Election E AS WM FS B AS, HS AS AG AS FS NR FS AS AS HS

AS I AS FS B, WM WM FS B, HS FS AS, FS B FS AG FS, HS HS AG, A I AS, HS AG B WM NR A, B AG AS AS WM 21

pacchartsr_16-22v3.qxp_Election Watch PAC Charts - August-September 2022 7/8/22 1:08 PM Page 22

State Washington West Virginia Wisconsin

Wyoming

Office District H 7 H 2 H 4 H 2 H 3 S S H 8 H 3 H 1 H 2 H 4 H At large

Candidate

Party

Status

2022 Contributions

D D R R R R D R D R D D R

I I I I I I I I N I I I I

$3,400 $2,000 $1,000 $7,500 $2,900 $45,625 $750 $31,700 $3,800 $3,500 $3,008 $2,250 $40,612

Jayapal, Pramila (D-WA) Larsen, Rick (D-WA) Newhouse, Dan (R-WA) Mooney, Alex (R-WV) Miller, Carol (R-WV) Johnson, Ron (R-WI) Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI) Gallagher, Mike (R-WI) Kind, Ron (D-WI) Steil, Bryan (R-WI) Pocan, Mark (D-WI) Moore, Gwen (D-WI) Cheney, Liz (R-WY)

2021-2022 Total House Contributions:

$8,603,247

2021-2022 Total Senate Contributions:

$3,542,984

2021-2022 Total No. Recipients:

Career

Committee at time of Election

$31,029 $59,300 $2,000 $82,300 $5,800 $330,264 $422,490 $188,500 $62,392 $50,000 $29,478 $60,550 $1,530,433

B, L AS FS WM B, C, FR C AS, I WM FS WM AS

335

Total No. of House Recipients (1990-2022):

5,333

Total House Contributions (1990-2022): $84,219,213 Total No. of Senate Contributions (1990-2022):

$70,794,951

(Advertisement)

Plant Olive Trees $20 plants 3

olive trees or 6 almond trees.

Last year friends of Palestinian farmers gifted 49,000 olive and almond saplings to over 350 farmers.

Farmers who have lost land due to the occupation, young farmers, and women farmers are given priority in Trees for Life.

www.landofcanaanfoundation.org info@landofcanaanfoundation.org The Land of Canaan Foundation 2702 International Lane • Suite 111 • Madison, WI 53704 22

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

zakat_ad_23.qxp_Zakat Full Page Ad 7/7/22 9:37 PM Page 23

(Advertisement)

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

23

hixson_24-25r.qxp_History's Shadows 7/7/22 8:02 PM Page 24

History’s Shadows

Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World

PHOTO BY AARON RAPOPORT/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

By Walter L. Hixson

Canadian folk and rock musician Neil Young sitting on the bumper of a 1950s Cadillac in 1988. “Rockin’ in the Free World” from his Free‐ dom album, released in 1989, became one of Young's signature songs and a live favorite. The song was used over the final credits of Michael Moore’s film “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which criticized the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

SHOWING THAT WHEN it comes to foreign policy there is little fundamental difference between the two main American political parties, as this issue of the Washington Report comes out, President Joe Biden is scheduled to be smiling, shaking hands, and doling out

History’s Shadows, a regular column by contributing editor Wal‐ ter L. Hixson, seeks to place various aspects of Middle East poli‐ tics and diplomacy in historical perspective. Hixson is the author of Architects of Repression: How Israel and Its Lobby Put Racism, Violence and Injustice at the Center of US Middle East Policy and Israel’s Armor: The Israel Lobby and the First Gener‐ ation of the Palestine Conflict (available from Middle East Books and More), along with several other books and journal articles. He was a professor of history for 36 years, achieving the rank of dis‐ tinguished professor.

24

billions in new “defense” dollars to Israel and weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among other Middle Eastern regimes.

No matter what happens concerning the presidential state visits, you can be sure that U.S. “military assistance” will continue to flow throughout the world. It’s what we do.

Under the cover of an emergency relief package for Ukraine, Washington has authorized millions more beyond the $3.8 billion dispensed annually to Israel as it goes about the routine business of killing, repressing and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, the latter of which has now been locked in a brutal Israeli stranglehold for 15 years and counting. Some of the new money goes to the Iron Dome, under the Orwellian guise that Israel—which has re-

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

hixson_24-25r.qxp_History's Shadows 7/7/22 8:02 PM Page 25

peatedly subjected Gaza to indiscriminate bombardment and war crimes—needs help to defend itself from Hamas. Oh, and there is new funding for aged victims of the Nazi genocide, but none for Palestinians, including children, killed or maimed by the Israeli “defense” forces. Wait, there’s more! New millions are also being provided in support of the two-state “peace process,” which remains a cruel joke enabling Israel’s proliferation of illegal Jewish only settlements in the occupied territories.

Meanwhile, over in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the two Arab regimes continue to spend billions of their dollars to purchase American weapons. Since 2015 the United States has administered more than $60 billion to the two Gulf states under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, including helicopters, missiles, bombs, and training and advisory services.

U.S. military intelligence support fuels the horrific Saudi-led war in Yemen. As of mid-June, that war has killed some 380,000 people and displaced millions more in Yemen. Conveniently, according to the Government Accountability Office, the State and Defense Departments “have not fully determined the extent to which U.S. military support has contributed to civilian harm in Yemen,” as required by law. (See the full GAO report on the impact of U.S. aid on Yemen civilians

at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22105988).

Other than naming a street for him outside the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, the United States has done little in response to the monarch-ordered assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. At least that’s more than has been done over the Israeli assassination of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, but that’s because the United States routinely ignores, even as it funds, the slaughter of Palestinians.

GWOT STILL GOING STRONG While Russia is demonized daily for the path of destruction it has laid down in Ukraine, there is little mention these days of the venerable “Global War on Terror,” which nonetheless continues in some 85 countries across the globe to which the United States sends military aid. According to the “Costs of War” analysis at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, more than 929,000 people have been killed in the post-9/11 wars, more than 387,000 of them civilians, and some 38 million war refugees and displaced persons have been driven from their homes. The United States has spent about $8 trillion on the GWOT. While billions are routinely doled out on the GWOT and to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and

other repressive regimes such as the one in Cairo, some 37 million Americans, about 11 percent of the population, continue to live below the official federal poverty line. That figure obscures the many more millions who live check-to-check on the edge of poverty even as billionaires enjoy tax shelters and lord over the American political process. A handful of super-rich donors continues to fuels the Israel lobby, which prompts Congress to send billions to the apartheid regime even as it uses the money to become ever more militaristic and repressive.

It seems we have re-ensconced the old Cold War paradigm of trumpeting Russia as the center of all evil while glossing over our own militarism, the continuous funding of repressive regimes, as well as the failure to meaningfully confront sweeping domestic problems, let alone the existential global threats of nuclear proliferation, climate change, disease control, and the wiping out of animal and plant species.

We desperately need a seismic shift in both domestic and foreign policies. It will surely come, although no one can say when, how, or at what cost the transformation will take place. But until that new day dawns, you can count on the American national security state, as Neil Young sardonically put it in the classic tune, to “Keep on rockin’ in the free world.” ■

(Advertisement)

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

25

fetouri_26-27r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 9:54 PM Page 26

Special Report

The Abraham Accords at Two: Who is

By Mustafa Fetouri Getting What? To What Result?

PHOTO BY ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY / HANDOUT/ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES

Israel rejected the Arab Peace Initiative but the new wave of normalization now seems to have buried it altogether.

Each of the signatories of the Abraham Accords has its own agenda but they share one belief: that the regional dynamics have changed requiring new approaches in which enemies do not stay enemies forever.

In this case, Iran has become the enemy others must confront, particularly for the UAE and Bahrain—Iran’s Gulf neighbors. Both see Tel Aviv as a natural ally against their common enemy Tehran.

(L‐r) Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, They are supported, however Israel's then‐Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Morocco’s Foreign Minister discreetly, by their big sister Nasser Bourita and UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan during the Saudi Arabia, which has yet to Negev Summit, hosted by Israel on contested Bedouin land, in Kibbutz Sde Boker, on March 28, 2022. make any public approach toward Israel. President Joe Biden’s trip to Riyadh and Tel Aviv is expected to lay the groundwork SEPTEMBER 15 MARKS the second anniversary of the Abraham for another Abraham Accord agreement and a regional military alAccords normalizing relations between Israel, the United Arab Emiliance. rates and Bahrain in what is seen as a breakthrough in the region.

For Sudan and Morocco, each stand to gain little other than winMorocco and Sudan followed suit later in 2020. ning Washington’s favor over issues important to Khartoum and All four Arab countries are members of the League of Arab States Rabat. It has long been understood in the region that being friendly (LAS) whose policy toward Israel has evolved over the years but to Israel is strongly encouraged by Washington and opens doors. kept its basic position as agreed in the LAS’ 1967 Khartoum summit, In fact, former President Donald Trump made it clear when he offamously known as the “Three Nos;” no peace with Israel, no recogfered Rabat recognition of its sovereignty over the Western Sahara nition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel. The 2002 Beirut LAS in exchange for normalization with Israel. Khartoum, consumed by summit refined this position, leading to the adoption of the Saudipublic discontent and a troubled economy, welcomed any positive led Arab Peace Initiative, essentially offering Israel peace and recognod from Washington and the Accords fit the bill. nition in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside For Israel the benefits of the Abraham Accords far exceeded anyIsrael, among other demands. In this sense all four countries have thing the Zionist state had imagined in its 70-plus years. In a way it broken with agreement they signed onto decades ago. is even more important than the Camp David Accords signed with Mustafa Fetouri is a Libyan academic and freelance journalist. He is Egypt over 40 years ago. a recipient of the EU’s Freedom of the Press prize. He has written ex‐ When Israel welcomed the late Anwar Sadat of Egypt to Tel Aviv tensively for various media outlets on Libyan and MENA issues. He in 1977, and later signed the Camp David peace treaty, it brought has published three books in Arabic. His email is mustafa the end of armed conflict with its bigger Arab neighbor with whom fetouri@hotmail.com and Twitter: @MFetouri.

26

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

fetouri_26-27r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 9:54 PM Page 27

it fought four wars. Everything else that came from the deal was a bonus. Making peace with Cairo left the rest of the Arab world far weaker to mount any serious war against Israel even if the political will was there. It also helped end the Arab, African and Latin American boycott of Israel, as many recognized Israel and established links with Tel Aviv.

While the Abraham Accords benefit Israel more than the other signatories, they are creating new momentum in the region and leaving the fate of Palestinians on the back burner. This fact did not deter the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken from celebrating the Accords’ first anniversary last year, on contested Bedouin land in the Naqab no less, by saying the benefits of the Accords “continue to grow.” He argued that such “relationships and growing normalization [will] make tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians.” Two years on and the Palestinians are yet to see any benefits of this new wave of normalizations. Instead their overall situation is worse now than it was before Sept. 15, 2020. Israel continues to kill Palestinians, confiscate their land, demolish their homes and impose apartheidlike suffocating restrictions on them.

The Palestinian goal of an independent state has become even more remote. According to Israel’s Peace Now, an anti-settlement group, in May Israel’s Higher Planning Council gave its final approved for the construction of 2,791 housing units while another 1,636 received initial approval. In the previous year, another 3,000 settler units in the West Bank, an occupied area in the eyes of international law, got the OK despite objections from the U.S. If the ultimate objective of the Accords, or any other normalizations between Israel and any Arab country, is peace in the Middle East, the Accords are not designed to do that. Unless the Palestinians’ aspiration for freedom and independence are met, peace will remain as elusive as it has ever been.

While the Accords are no more than a different version of Donald Trump’s failed “Deal of Century” in 2020—a winner-takeall for Israel which left nothing for the PalesAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

tinians—Israel stands to benefit even more from the Abraham Accords for the small concession of not “formally annexing” the West Bank.

ARAB PUBLIC REJECTS ISRAEL With the Abraham Accords, Tel Aviv is seeking to overcome its longtime rejection by the Arab public and present itself as an ally against Iran, business partner and a technology oasis, although it’s more like a cyber security and weapons supplier.

According to a 2019-2020 survey by the Qatari Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, 85 percent of Egyptians still disapprove of any diplomatic relations with Israel, even after more than 40 years since the Camp David Accords were signed. The recent case of Egyptian actor and rapper, Mohamed Ramadan, is a clear example.

He faced public condemnation and contempt after he appeared in a picture with an Israeli singer two years ago. Egypt, today, has more economic and trade links to Israel but that is a government business having little impact on the minds of ordinary Egyptians. In fact, people-to-people links between Egypt and Israel are minimum and the peace between the two neighbors remains cold.

The most fertile ground for this long-term Abraham Accords project are found far from the borders with Israel, where the emotional, social and religious connections to Palestine are weakest. The UAE and Bahrain are just perfect grounds for such ideas to take root. The citizens’ attachment to Palestine is weak and their understanding of the Palestinian issue is framed by their government; if their leaders say Israel is a friend then it is a friend. They’ve never experienced war with Israel and the younger generations have lost touch with the history.

This, partly, explains the private investments by Emirati millionaires and businesses. Encouraged by their government, many businessmen have already embarked on joint ventures with their Israeli counterparts. This kind of people-to-people connection has been given another boost by the Free Trade Agreement Israel signed

with the UAE on May 31, lifting almost all restrictions on bilateral trade facilitating the flow of goods, people and capital. Private businesses seek profit, regardless of whether it comes at the expense of Palestinians’ independence or Israel becoming an apartheid state.

This single-track strategy failed in Egypt decades earlier. Government business has not been embraced by either the elites or ordinary people in Cairo. The overwhelming majority of Arabs still reject Israel and believe it to be a nuclear-armed threat while their attachment to their Palestinian brothers grows by the day, thanks in part, to Israel’s own brutal treatment of Palestinians. Israel’s acceptance among the wider Arab public will not happen unless the Palestinian aspirations are achieved.

The last, and perhaps unintended, consequence of the “peace” Accords is the increased polarization and armament in the region as Israeli war technologies are the bounty now spreading across the region, further alienating Iran. ■

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

(Advertisement)

27

brownfeld_28-29r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 8:42 PM Page 28

Special Report

To Silence Critics of Israel, The Term “AntiSemitism” Is Being Trivialized

By Allan C. Brownfeld

A classic cartoon by Carlos Latuff says it all.

THERE’S A GROWING campaign to label critics of Israel as being guilty of “anti-Semitism.” Among those who have been characterized in this way are such respected organizations as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the Harvard Crimson.

This tactic is not a new one and, sadly, tends to trivialize the real examples of anti-Semitism.

Some Israelis openly admit that this is precisely what they are doing. Shulamit Aloni, a former leader of the Meretz Party and former minister of education who received the Israel Prize for her “struggle to right injustices and for raising the standard of equality,” described how this works: “It’s a trick. We always use it. When from Europe, somebody criticizes Israel, we bring up the Holocaust. When, in the United States, people are critical of Israel, then they are anti-Semitic.”

Early Israeli leaders promoted this idea even before the state was established. Abba Eban, who served as Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and United Nations from 1949 to 1959, expanded the definition of anti-Semitism. He said that “One of the chief tasks of any dialogue with the Gentile world is to prove that the distinction between antiSemitism and anti-Zionism is not a distinction at all.”

In a prerecorded speech at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) annual leadership summit on May 1, 2022, ADL CEO Jonathan

Allan C. Brownfeld is a syndicated columnist and associate editor of the Lincoln Review, a journal published by the Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, and editor of Issues, the quarterly journal of the American Council for Judaism.

28

Greenblatt declared, “Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.” He argued that groups calling for equal rights for Palestinians in Israel are “extremists,” and he equated liberal critics of Israel with white supremacists.

Greenblatt told the ADL, “Anti-Zionism as an ideology is rooted in rage and is predicated on one concept: the negation of another people, a concept as alien to modern discourse as white supremacy. It requires willful denial of even a superficial history of Judaism and the vast history of the Jewish people. And when an idea is born out of such shocking intolerance, it leads to, well, shocking acts.”

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “Greenblatt equated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism and said its rhetoric runs the same risk of violent outcomes. ‘That is why we are seeing this jump in anti-Semitic incidents,’ he said. He singled out groups on the Left: Jewish Voice for Peace, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Students for Justice in Palestine for what he said were anti-Semitic conspiracy mongering…”

In an editorial, in its April 29, 2022 issue, the Harvard Crimson endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, declaring BDS “a living breathing movement of great promise to liberate Palestinians.” Anticipating accusations of “antiSemitism,” the editorial made clear that it opposes bigotry of all kinds: “In the wake of accusations suggesting otherwise, we feel the need to assert that support for Palestinian liberation is not anti-Semitic. We unambiguously oppose and condemn anti-Semitism in every and all forms, including those times when it shows up on the fringes of otherwise worthwhile movements. Jewish people—like every people, including Palestinians, deserve nothing but life, peace and security.”

The backlash was immediate. A letter from six former Crimson editors declared that the editorial “is quite simply an accelerant of anti-Semitism.” Former Harvard president Larry Summers declared that the BDS movement was “taking positions that were basically anti-Semitic and immoral.” A petition was signed by more than 60 Harvard faculty members condemning the editorial as “anti-Semitic.”

Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz declared, “The megaphone of the Crimson will increase the high rate of anti-Semitism on campus.

It takes no courage on campuses to oppose Israel’s existence.”

The tactic of trying to silence criticism of Israel by calling it “antiSemitic” is becoming increasingly recognized. Jewish Voice for Peace executive director Stefanie Fox notes that, “Instead of dismantling anti-Semitism by fighting white supremacy, the ADL is dangerously conflating all Jewish people with the State of Israel

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

brownfeld_28-29r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 8:42 PM Page 29

and attacking groups that hold the Israeli government accountable for running an apartheid regime. We’re not backing down.

The anti-Zionist left and the movement in solidarity with Palestinian liberation is growing stronger daily and we won’t stop until we’ve built a future grounded on justice and equality.”

Rabbi Brant Rosen of Congregation Tzedek Chicago notes that his congregation recently amended its core values statement to say that “we are anti-Zionist, openly acknowledging that the creation of an ethnic Jewish nation state in historic Palestine resulted in an injustice against the Palestinian people. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deny the fundamental injustice at the core of Zionism.”

For many years critics of Israel have falsely been called “anti-Semitic.” One of the leading practitioners of this tactic has been Norman Podhoretz, for many years editor of Commentary. In an article “J’Accuse,” published in September 1982, Podhoretz charged America’s leading journalists, newspapers and television networks with “anti-Semitism” because of their reporting of the war in Lebanon and their criticism of Israel’s conduct. Among those so accused were Anthony Lewis of the New York Times, Nicholas Von Hoffman, Joseph Harsch of the Christian Science Monitor, Rowland Evans, Robert Novak, Mary McGrory, Richard Cohen, Alfred Friendly of the Washington Post and a host of others.

These individuals and their organizations were not criticized for bad reporting or poor journalistic standards. Instead, they were the subject of the charge of anti-Semitism.

A list of those who have been falsely accused of anti-Semitism because of their criticism of Israel is a long one. In 2014, Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick declared that Secretary of State John Kerry is “anti-Semitic.” According to Glick, “Kerry is obsessed with Israel’s economic success…The anti-Semitic undertones of Kerry’s constant chatter about Jews and money are obvious.” Writing in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Cameron Kerry, a brother of the Secretary of State and formerly general counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce, declared that AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

charges of “anti-Semitism” against his brother “would be ridiculous if they were not so vile.” Cameron Kerry, a convert to Judaism, recalled relatives who died in the Holocaust. The Kerrys’ paternal grandparents were Jewish.

Others who have been labeled “anti-Semitic” because of their criticism of Israeli policies include former President Jimmy Carter, journalists Andrew Sullivan, Bill Moyers and Thomas Friedman of the New York Times. Peter Beinart, a contributing editor to Jewish Currents and author of The Crisis of Zionism, calls the idea that such individuals are anti-Semitic “absurd.”

Despite Zionism’s claim that Israel is the “homeland” of all Jews, few Jewish Americans ever shared that view. Now, the State of Israel, in the view of increasing numbers of American Jews, has become for many a replacement for God and the Jewish moral and ethical tradition, indeed, a form of idolatry, much like the Golden Calf in the Bible.

Israel claims to speak in the name of all Jews. This is, of course extraordinary, for any state to claim to speak in the name of millions of men and women who are citizens of other countries. Beyond this, its actions toward the indigenous population of Palestine violate essential Jewish moral and ethical values.

Jewish Americans believe in equal rights for people of every race, religion and nation.

However, in Israel, Jews are given preferential treatment to Palestinians. In the illegally occupied territories, Palestinians are clearly a colonized people. American Jews also believe in religious freedom. Israel has a state religion, ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Reform rabbis cannot perform weddings, conduct funerals or have their conversions recognized.

This is not a government which in any way represents the values of the American Jewish community.

In recent days, the number of Jewish voices, in both Israel and the U.S., protesting Israel’s mistreatment of Palestine’s indigenous population, are growing. Writing in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Amira Hass notes that, “Zionism was a Jewish mutation.”

In her piece, “Will someone finally say Israel has lost it?” she says that the messianic side of Israeli society, nurtured by decades as a violent, expansionist tool by the secular

founders of Israel, has now taken over. Hass calls on the world to act against “the Jewish mutation of Israel in which all of Israel’s Jewish citizens are complicit.”

Also writing in Haaretz, B. Michael declares that, “Zionism was a naive mistake…

It’s time for Jews to go back into exile. We’re really terrible at being a nation. We very quickly become as stupid, violent, greedy as most of the other nations of the world and in a short time we brought destruction on ourselves…Seventy-five years of racism and violence have thoroughly corrupted the Israeli electorate…There’s no choice but to admit Zionism was a mistake and go into exile again and refresh our values.”

Michael Koplow of the Israel Policy Forum, a prominent American advocate for Israel, now concedes that Zionism may have “failed.” He points to the indifference in Israel to the killing of prominent Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the police attack on her funeral because mourners flew the Palestinian flag as well as the Flag March through Jerusalem in which Jewish youths chanted “Death to Arabs.” He says that this “reminded even a hard-line Zionist of the onset of fascism in Europe.” In Koplow’s view, “If waving a flag threatens Israel’s existence, then not only is Israel in far bigger danger than anyone understands, but Zionism itself has failed…

Honing in on flags says far more about Israeli predilections than it does about Palestinian ones.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, Alan Dershowitz, Larry Summers and others who use the term “anti-Semitism” to try to silence critics of Israel’s inhumane and un-Jewish treatment of Palestinians, are trivializing the term.

If and when real anti-Semitism appears, intemperate and injudicious voices such as these will find it difficult to gain a hearing.

Israel has been accused of being an “apartheid” state by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem—not because these groups are “anti-Semitic,” but because Israel has been acting toward Palestinians in an inhumane manner which violates Jewish moral and ethical standards. In the end, history will decide and there is little doubt what that decision will be. ■

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

29

swee_30-31r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 8:38 PM Page 30

Special Report

From Death to Life: Forty Years After the Sabra Shatila Massacre

By Dr. Swee Chai Ang

PHOTO COURTESY DR. SWEE CHAI ANG

Every child born in Gaza AS WE APPROACH the after 2008 has experi40th anniversary of the enced four major military Sabra Shatila massacre, assaults with intensive the situation in the West bombardment, deaths and Bank and Gaza and for injuries. Two million Palesthe Palestinians living in tinians are held under refugee camps in counblockade in Gaza since tries neighboring Israel 2007 converting Gaza into could not be more dark a large prison whose “inand grim. The constant armates” are bombed and rests, house demolitions not allowed to escape. and killing of unarmed This year also marks the Palestinians in the West 74th anniversary of the Bank and the regular Nakba—and the 105th anbombing of blockaded niversary of the Balfour Gaza are rarely reported Declaration, drafted with in the mainstream media support of U.S. Justice anymore. Funding for The children of Shatila. I looked for them on every subsequent trip to Lebanon, Palestinian refugees is but never found them. I think they must have perished, but I will always re‐visit Louis Brandeis and two also in jeopardy. The their picture for inspiration when the going is tough. Their beauty and courage other Americans who were part of the then-nascent Gulf’s normalization with as they confront destruction and death always live in me.

Zionist movement. Britain Israel resulted in severe was on its ascent in colonial power, thus paving the way for the funding cuts to UNRWA. Fourteen U.S. Republican senators are giving away of the homes of the Palestinians and wiping Palestine also trying to erase Palestinian refugees by redefining who is a off the world map. refugee and conditioning aid to UNRWA (S. 2479).

The six million refugees living outside historic Palestine (now SABRA AND SHATILA MASSACRE called Israel) are all but forgotten. Many of us have allowed them to fade in our consciousness. Yet every Palestinian killed—be they the This year marks the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Lebanon recent 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, killed by Israeli and the Sabra Shatila massacre in 1982. Many readers of this arbombardment of Gaza in 2021; or the 2,022 killed, including 526 ticle were not born then. Some will want to bury these events; children, in Operation Protective Edge in 2014; the 1,400 deaths, others simply to forget. But I want to remember the Palestinians including 300 children, in Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9; or in the who taught me profound lessons about justice and struggle. I will Great March of Return cannot be forgotten. honor their memories and share them with you.

These deaths wrench out the hearts of their family and those who Forty years ago, I arrived as a volunteer surgeon with the love them, leaving large gaping wounds which have not healed.

British Christian Aid team to war-torn Lebanon, ravaged by IsThere is no healing as the violence against the Palestinians is onrael’s invasion. I was posted to the Palestine Red Crescent Socigoing. There is no post-traumatic stress syndrome; there is only onety and worked in its Gaza Hospital in Sabra Shatila. Until then, I going traumatic onslaughts and wounding of their bodies and souls. had supported Israel and never knew Palestinians existed.

That invasion killed thousands and destroyed homes, livelihoods, hospitals, libraries, factories, schools and offices. It also Dr. Swee Chai Ang is founder and patron of British Charity Medical split 14,000 Palestinian families through the deportation of their Aid for Palestinians, author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, A Woman beloved husbands and sons, euphemistically called the “evacuaSurgeon with the Palestinians” updated and republished 2019 by tion of the PLO” in exchange for a ceasefire. The U.S. Habib The Other Press, Kuala Lumpur. She was an orthopedic surgeon in Peace Plan guaranteed the protection of the non-PLO civilians Gaza Hospital Sabra Shatila during the 1982 massacre.

30

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

swee_30-31r.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 8:38 PM Page 31

left behind. But the evacuation only paved the way for the land invasion of Lebanon in September by hundreds of Israeli tanks. A contingent of tanks proceeded to seal all the escape routes from Sabra Shatila refugee camp so that the brutal and infamous Sabra Shatila massacre could be conducted over the days of Sept. 15-18, 1982. At least 3,000 unarmed and defenseless Palestinians and their Lebanese neighbors were murdered

by Israel’s ally, the Lebanese Christian militia, trained and armed by Israel. No one came to defend the helpless children, women and old people from being slaughtered. Many were tortured and women raped before being killed in those three dark days.

When the photographs of the heaps of dead bodies in the camp alleys were published, there was worldwide outrage and condemnation. But international attention was short-lived. The victims’ families and survivors were soon left alone to plod on with their lives and to relive the memory of that double tragedy of the massacre, and the preceding ten weeks of intensive land, air and sea bombardment and blockade of Beirut during the invasion, with the forced deportation of 14,000 bread-winners and leaders of their Palestinian society. The survivors were left to rebuild their shattered lives and homes, bring up their children while burying the dead in mass graves. The world moved on and they were forgotten—dead to the consciousness of the international community.

Since then, the everyday downward spiral of hopelessness and despair, made worse by the sense of being forgotten and abandoned, worsens. They just do not excite the headlines of mainstream media anymore. As someone close to the Palestinians in Lebanon I would ask—where is solidarity and where is hope for them?

Yet, when I talk to Palestinians in Lebanon directly, they rarely complain about being forgotten. Their first concern is about occupied Palestine. They live for Palestine. They know that Lebanon will make sure they cannot settle and has AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

progressively made it more and more difficult for them to live in dignity, in Lebanon. It is like a punishment for having been expelled from Palestine into a country that had enough of them, and therefore would want to get rid of them by making life unbearable and unlivable.

Their only option is to go back to Palestine, but their enshrined right of return has never been honored.

Twelve official United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) refugee camps in Lebanon were established to host the initial 110,000 persons who fled to Lebanon—some of the 750,000 refugees from Palestine expelled to make way for Israel in 1948.

Since then, four generations have lived and died in those refugee camps. Children were born refugees, grew up refugees and died refugees on those little plots of Lebanese soil which make the finite, rigid borders of the official camps. The same plots for the 110,000 refugees from 1948 now have to accommodate a population grown to half a million just by natural increase, together with the influx of Palestinian refugees from Syria. Simple arithmetic will conclude that the camps’ population density has increased fivefold!

Their situation is dire—no right to work, no right to own a home, hungry, despised, a typical refugee camp squashing 100,000 persons into 1.7 square kilometers (0.657 sq miles) to live, die and be buried. Their survival as dignified human beings is at stake and must be supported and safeguarded by all of us.

I remember vividly the morning of September 18, 1982, when Ellen Siegel and I, as part of our 22-member team of international medical volunteers, were forced out of Gaza Hospital at machine-gun point, leaving behind 30 critically wounded patients, many of them children. We had struggled for three days and nights to save the many dozens of wounded brought to Gaza hospital. We discharged those who could leave the night before as we got news that our hospital would be invaded anytime, but the

critically wounded on life-support could not leave. I was desperate and thought they would be killed once we left them.

With guns pointing at us we walked along the main road of the camp.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds of unarmed camp people—women, old men and children—were rounded up by militia. I remember the terror in their eyes. A desperate young mother passed me her baby—so warm and cuddly. At gunpoint she was forced to take him back.

Both were killed, together with those rounded up after we were taken away.

Homes were bulldozed by large military bulldozers.

Those who sought to annihilate Palestinians thought—surely this will put an end to them! We have solved the “Palestinian problem” in Lebanon, and they will never raise their heads again.

A couple of days later, I returned to visit Sabra and Shatila. There were mass graves, decaying bodies, broken homes and grieving relatives. There was despair, desolation, piercing screams and a vale of tears.

But it was not over. Among the children who made it, including many homeless orphans, the spirit of defiance was very much alive. As they lined up for me to take their photograph, they raised their hands in the victory sign saying, “We are not afraid. Let the Israelis come.” Behind them were their homes bombed and shelled to rubble, in the foreground decaying bodies yet to be identified. The air was filled with the stench of decaying human flesh. But between death and destruction were the destitute Palestinian children defiantly staking their right to be part of humanity. They were my first green shoots of life!

For Great Britain, our historical responsibility of helping to create the Palestinian tragedy during the British Palestine Mandate must be remembered and confronted. For the United States—hear the voice of the suffering Palestinians including the refugees in Lebanon crying out asking for justice and fairness! May we let their voices be heard and journey with them from death to life. ■

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

31

views_32-37r.qxp_Three Views 7/7/22 9:43 PM Page 32

Three Views

PHOTO BY MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Gaza Still Besieged by Land, Air and Sea

Posters depicting Palestinian youths who lived through the ongoing 15‐year‐long Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip are displayed during a function by Oxfam International to shed light on the blockade, at the Mashtal Hotel in Gaza City on June 21, 2022. The 15‐day campaign featured an exhibition of local food, industrial products and a review of the stories of 15 individuals who have lived through the Israeli blockade.

15 Years of Failed Experiments: Myths and Facts About the Israeli Siege on Gaza

By Ramzy Baroud FIFTEEN YEARS have passed since Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, subjecting nearly two million Palestinians to one of the longest and most cruel politically-motivated blockades in history.

Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. His latest book , co‐edited with Ilan Pappé, is Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out, is available from Middle East Books & More. Dr. Baroud is a non‐resident senior research fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is <www.ramzybaroud.net>.

32

The Israeli government had then justified its siege as the only way to protect Israel from Palestinian “terrorism and rocket attacks.” This remains the official Israeli line until this day. Not many Israelis—certainly not in government, media or even ordinary people—would argue that Israel today is safer than it was prior to June 2007.

It is widely understood that Israel has imposed the siege as a response to the Hamas takeover of the Strip, following a brief and violent confrontation between the two main Palestinian political rivals, Hamas, which currently rules Gaza, and Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.

However, the isolation of Gaza was planned years before the Hamas-Fatah clash, or even Hamas’ legislative election victory of January 2006. Late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was determined to redeploy Israeli forces out of Gaza, years prior to these dates.

What finally culminated in the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in August-September 2005 was proposed by Sharon in 2003, ap-

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

views_32-37r.qxp_Three Views 7/7/22 9:43 PM Page 33

proved by his government in 2004 and finally adopted by the Knesset in February 2005.

The “disengagement” was an Israeli tactic that aimed at removing a few thousand illegal Jewish settlers out of Gaza—to other illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank—while redeploying the Israeli army from crowded Gaza population centers to the border areas.

This was the actual start of the Gaza siege.

The above assertion was even clear to James Wolfensohn, who was appointed by the Quartet on the Middle East as the Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement. In 2010, he reached a similar conclusion: “Gaza had been effectively sealed off from the outside world since the Israeli disengagement...and the humanitarian and economic consequences for the Palestinian population were profound.”

The ultimate motive behind the “disengagement” was not Israel’s security, or even to starve Gazans as a form of collective punishment. The latter was one natural outcome of a much more sinister political plot, as communicated by Sharon’s own senior adviser at the time, Dov Weisglass. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, in October 2004, Weisglass put it plainly: “The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process.” How? “When you freeze (the peace) process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem,” according to Weisglass. Not only was this Israel’s ultimate motive behind the disengagement and subsequent siege on Gaza but, according to the seasoned Israeli politician, it was all done “with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress.” The president in question here is no other than U.S. president at the time, George W. Bush.

All of this had taken place before Palestine’s legislative elections, Hamas’ victory and the Hamas-Fatah clash. The latter merely served as a convenient justification to what had already been discussed, “ratified’’ and implemented.

For Israel, the siege has been a political ploy, which acquired additional meaning and value as time passed. In response to the accusation that Israel was starving Palestinians in Gaza, Weisglass was very quick to muster an answer: “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”

What was then understood as a facetious, albeit thoughtless statement, turned out to be actual Israeli policy, as indicated in a 2008 report, which was made available in 2012. Thanks to the Israeli human rights organization Gisha, the “redlines (for) food consumption in the Gaza Strip”—composed by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories—was made public. It emerged that Israel was calculating the minimum number of calories necessary to keep Gaza’s population alive, a number that is “adjusted to culture and experience” in the Strip.

The rest is history. Gaza’s suffering is absolute. At least 98 percent of the Strip’s water is undrinkable. Hospitals lack essential supplies and life-saving medications. Movement in and out of the Strip is practically prohibited, with minor exceptions.

Still, Israel has failed miserably in achieving any of its objectives.

Tel Aviv hoped that the “disengagement” would compel the international community to redefine the legal status of the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Despite Washington’s pressure, that never happened. Gaza AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

remains part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories as defined in international law.

Even the September 2007 Israeli designation of Gaza as an “enemy entity” and a “hostile territory” changed little, except that it allowed the Israeli government to declare several devastating wars on the Strip, starting in 2008.

None of these wars have successfully served a long-term Israeli strategy. Instead, Gaza continues to fight back on a much larger scale than ever before, frustrating the calculation of Israeli leaders, as it became clear in their befuddled, disturbing language. During one of the deadliest Israeli wars on Gaza in July 2014, Israeli right-wing Knesset member, Ayelet Shaked, wrote on Facebook that the war was “not a war against terror, and not a war against extremists, and not even a war against the Palestinian Authority.” Instead, according to Shaked, who a year later became Israel’s Minister of Justice, “… is a war between two people. Who is the enemy? The Palestinian people.”

In the final analysis, the governments of Sharon, Tzipi Livni, Ehud Olmert, Binyamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett failed to isolate Gaza from the greater Palestinian body, break the will of the Strip or ensure Israeli security at the expense of Palestinians.

Moreover, Israel has fallen victim to its own hubris. While prolonging the siege will achieve no short or long-term strategic value, lifting the siege, from Israel’s viewpoint, would be tantamount to an admission of defeat—and could empower Palestinians in the West Bank to emulate the Gaza model. This lack of certainty further accentuates the political crisis and lack of strategic vision that continued to define all Israeli governments for nearly two decades.

Inevitably, Israel’s political experiment in Gaza has backfired, and the only way out is for the Gaza siege to be completely lifted and, this time, for good.

If Palestinian refugees are removed from the list of political priorities concerning the future of a just peace in Palestine, neither justice nor peace can possibly be attained. ■

Some Wounds Never Heal

By Mohammed Omer

ON A WARM SUMMER MORNING, a young filmmaker in Gaza, Walaa Sada, 31, continues her long wait, after obtaining her family’s approval to travel alone to attend a media/film education course in the West Bank, just miles away. She has not received her exit permit from the Israeli military. She feels her life is suffocating because she cannot get a permit to travel for the hands-on training program. Without the exit permit she can only participate by computer, and she’ll miss the joy of meeting peers and other filmmakers.

According to the 2022 Human Rights Watch report, “Israeli authorities have instituted a formal ‘policy of separation’ between Gaza and the West Bank, despite international consensus that these two parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory form a ‘single territorial unit.’”

Award‐winning journalist Mohammed Omer reports regularly on the Gaza Strip

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

33

PHOTO BY ABED RAHIM KHATIB/NURPHOTO/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

views_32-37r.qxp_Three Views 7/7/22 9:43 PM Page 34

A Palestinian man waits to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip on June 17, 2014.

The Rafah border crossing is Gaza's main window to the world.

“We die a little more inside, waiting for our turn to travel,” she lamented, noting that literally there are people with severe medical cases who die waiting to be released for treatment because their permit never comes. “We die waiting for our turns to travel,” she repeated.

Besieged Gazan filmmakers rely on the mercy of a very few. Films elsewhere may get sponsorships, and filmmakers can travel to international film festivals. But Gazans trying to tell their stories are punished by an Israeli enforced media blackout.

The only good sign in Gaza is how active, energetic and lively the youth continue to be. They still prepare for opportunities to travel, achieve their dreams and return to better Palestine, despite Israel’s efforts to quash their hopes.

POWERLESSNESS AND BESIEGED In May, Gazans marked yet another anniversary of another war.

The Israeli bombardment in 2021 was just like 2008, 2012 and 2014. Assault after assault. Oppression and denial of fundamental rights, just for being Palestinians. This is all Palestinians have ever known from their occupying power.

People in Gaza wait and wait for miracles that never come. Help from the outside world, that rarely gets through. Empty promises to rebuild Gaza, as international donors seem to be giving up on the idea of rebuilding homes, businesses and infrastructure that are 34

going to be destroyed again.

The ever-tightening closure policy for Gaza effectively prevents students, athletes, medical workers and artists from pursuing their hopes, freedom, identity and dreams.

“I received four business invitations to travel to the West Bank, to take part in food exhibitions. But all have been denied by Israel,” says 39-year-old Belal Bader-el-Din, who used to work in the coffee business and has wide connections with Italian companies that he has only met online.

“As a Palestinian, you are denied rights to work and education— you are denied an opportunity to grow as a human being,” Baderel-Din says. “They never tell you, ‘no,’” he adds. “They simply let the deadline pass, so your chance is gone. This is because we are Palestinians and live in Gaza. Our people have as much hope as [those living in] the old Warsaw Ghetto,” he says.

Restrictive policies at the Rafah border crossing, including unnecessary delays and mistreatment of travelers, have exacerbated the closure’s harm to human rights, says the Human Rights Watch report.

Egypt controls the Rafah crossing in the south, while the northern border is controlled by Israel. Eastern borders are blocked by tanks, security fences and the sea guarded by gunboats opening fire on anyone who gets too close. Even Gaza’s airspace is controlled by drones and Israeli aircraft.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

views_32-37r.qxp_Three Views 7/7/22 11:26 PM Page 35

Palestinian journalists, filmmakers and media crews have also had their share of unanswered requests to exit out of Gaza. The current tactics allow very few people to get out.

OLD AGONY, RENEWED PAIN From May 10 to 21, 2021, Israeli airstrikes and shelling on the Gaza Strip killed 256 people, including 66 children. Around 2,000 Palestinians were injured during the bombing, including more than 600 children, some of whom sustained injuries resulting in longterm disabilities such as the loss of limbs or eyesight, according to the French international group, Médecins Sans Frontières.

“The trauma lives inside us,” observes Umm Abdullah, a schoolteacher whose 42 pupils all suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. “It is continuous stress disorder—we should rename it,” she asserts.

The same Médecins Sans Frontières report says that in Israel there were 13 deaths and 700 injuries as a result of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, which ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

Somehow, hope is still alive among her people, Umm Abdullah acknowledges, but not children who don’t know how to deal with their sadness and anger. In the past, UNRWA held summer schools for traumatized children—but now with funding cuts, this has become a luxury that can’t be attained.

During last year’s summer days, Gaza was bleeding. Palestinians had to put their injured and dead in cars, as ambulances could no longer reach them, and Israeli bombs were falling almost everywhere.

“I was in a car with four other victims. One of them was a neighbor’s child. She died on her father’s lap, next to me, on the way to the hospital,” says Ahmad, father of four children injured on the first day of the bombings. Ahmad was at home when his house was hit by Israel’s random bombings as his family was fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

A SEALED-OFF LAB Gaza is home to more than 2 million people, and over 40 percent are children aged 14 or under. These children have lived their entire lives under Israel’s economic and military blockade. They have survived three major offensives by Israel and experience ongoing trauma.

For most in Gaza, another year, another anniversary was marked since the latest salvo of bombs. Residents continue to live under immediate threat. No one knows when the next heavy bombardment is going to start.

“It can happen now—any minute, and you can do nothing to prepare for it,” says Umm Abdullah. She must practice her art of comforting small, traumatized children in her classroom, all the while trying to maintain her own sanity and stability from constant Israeli threat.

“We are trapped…we live in a big open prison, guarded and sealed-off in a lab from the rest of the world who don’t seem to care, or know, because of media censorship. I am educated enough to AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

see that weapons are being tested on us,” Umm Abdullah says.

“One day I hope Washington, DC wakes up to its complicity in the pain caused by U.S.-made weapons used to crush our children, bones and spirit.” ■

The Seven Border Crossings of Gaza

By Maram Humaid DESPITE ISRAEL’S disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, it still fully controls entry and exit from Gaza by land, air and sea, as well as Gaza’s civil population registry, telecommunications networks, and many other aspects of daily life and infrastructure.

A crippling blockade began in June 2007, after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, with a series of restrictions on goods, fuel and other basic elements, as well as a tightening of travel into and out of the Gaza Strip.

The restrictions have led to Gaza being described as an “openair prison.” A 2011 United Nations report stated that the blockade was “collective punishment…in flagrant contravention of international human rights and international law,” and Israel has faced criticism from multiple countries and human rights organizations.

Now, whether you are a patient seeking medical treatment, a married couple trying to reunite, a student trying to study in the occupied West Bank or abroad, a businessman trying to import goods, or just a regular Gazan trying to leave for a trip, you need to use crossings, which can be closed at any time.

The Gaza Strip is surrounded by seven crossings that were designated for the movement of people and goods into and out of the Strip. Not all of them are still in use. After Israel imposed the blockade in 2007, all crossings were shut down except for the Rafah and Beit Hanoun crossings, which were designated for the movement of people, and the Karem Abu Salem crossing, which was designated for the transport of goods.

Israel argues that the restrictions and the closures of several of the crossings are necessary for security purposes, pointing to attacks that have previously taken place in or near crossings.

Israel controls Beit Hanoun (also known to Israelis as Erez) and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), while Egypt controls Rafah.

This means that crossings can be closed at any time by the Israelis or the Egyptians, leaving Gazan Palestinians stranded.

THE RAFAH CROSSING: The Rafah crossing is the only way to cross between Egypt and Gaza, and therefore serves as a vital link between Gaza and the rest of the Arab world, especially after Israeli forces destroyed Yasser Arafat International Airport, the only Palestinian-operated airport, in 2001.

Maram Humaid is a Palestinian journalist and storyteller from the Gaza Strip. She covers human stories, life under blockade, youths and break‐ ing updates. This article, published in Al Jazeera on June 15, 2022, is reprinted with permission.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

35

PHOTO BY SAID KHATIB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

views_32-37r.qxp_Three Views 7/7/22 11:43 PM Page 36

A bus carrying Palestinian Muslim pilgrims arrives at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt as they head to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, on June 21, 2022.

Restrictions at the crossing imposed by the Egyptian authorities are currently not as strict as they have been in the past, but limits on the number and type of people allowed to travel continue. This has forced many Palestinians in Gaza to pay expensive and unofficial “coordination fees” to the Egyptian side to be able to leave during the limited days the crossing is open.

Palestinian passengers also often complain about the behavior of Egyptian security personnel, and what they describe as frequently humiliating searches. These measures can prolong the trip between Rafah and Cairo airport by up to 72 hours in some cases.

The Rafah crossing does not allow Palestinians from the occupied West Bank to enter Gaza.

Additionally, Israel does not allow people to return to Gaza via the Beit Hanoun crossing if they have left via Rafah. This puts Palestinians in Gaza in a difficult situation—if they leave through Rafah and it then closes, they may not be able to re-enter

THE BEIT HANOUN CROSSING: The Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing is located in the north of the Gaza Strip and is under full Israeli control. It is the only border crossing that allows Palestinians in Gaza to travel to the occupied West Bank without passing through Egypt or Jordan, and is controlled by the Israeli army.

36

It is notoriously difficult for Palestinians to enter and exit Gaza via Beit Hanoun—no one crosses the border without being granted permission by Israel and submitting to lengthy security checks.

Permits to cross are only given to limited categories of people, such as medical patients and their companions, trader-permit holders, and other exceptional humanitarian cases.

The permit processing times for Beit Hanoun are known to be extremely long. It has been known for people seeking medical treatment outside of Gaza to wait for up to 50 working days for a permit, regardless of when their medical appointment is.

It is also very common for Israeli authorities to not respond to permit applications, even when Palestinians in Gaza meet the travel permit criteria. Israeli rejections of permits are explained as being for security reasons, with no further explanation given.

THE KAREM ABU SALEM CROSSING: Karem Abu Salem (known to Israelis as Kerem Shalom) crossing is located near the point where the borders between Egypt, Gaza and Israel meet, and operates occasionally as an alternative to the Rafah crossing. However, it is mainly used for the movement of trade between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

For more than a decade, the crossing has been Gaza’s main commercial crossing and the only one bordering Israel. It is also the only crossing where goods grown or produced in Gaza can be shipped

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

views_32-37r.qxp_Three Views 7/7/22 11:26 PM Page 37

for sale outside the territory.

Karem Abu Salem was initially used for transporting humanitarian aid into Gaza for the territory’s two million residents.

However, from 2007, Israel banned the entrance of a long list of goods into Gaza, including the entry of items it defines as “dual-use.”

This means items that can have a civilian purpose, but which, according to Israel, could also be used for military purposes.

ISRAEL CLOSED OTHER CROSSINGS The Al-Muntar (known to Israelis as Karni) crossing is located in the northeastern end of Gaza, and was used for transferring goods between Gaza and Israel, and also for Israeli settlers to access settlements in Gaza before the 2005 Israeli disengagement. When Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Israel closed the crossing, and in 2011 it was permanently shut by Israel.

The al-Awdah (Sufa) crossing, located in eastern Rafah, was one of the smallest crossings in Gaza, and was formerly a transit point for construction materials. It was shut down by Israel in 2008. The al-Shujaiah crossing (also known as Nahal Ouz), was designated for the transportation of fuel, such as gas, benzene and industrial diesel fuel into Gaza via underground pipes. The crossing was closed by Israeli authorities in 2010. The al-Karara (Kissufim) crossing is located east of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. It was closed in 2005 after Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, and is now mainly used for Israeli military action, as an entry point for tanks and military vehicles when military invasions of Gaza take place. ■

There’s No Hope for Change With Lapid Continued from page 12

Lapid is in favor of these. Oh yes, very much so. And so is his government.

An instructive example of the tiny-to-nonexistent differences between the government of the “evil” Netanyahu and the “good” Naftali Bennett, and certainly the Lapid government, was given the first weekend by Shimrit Meir, a one-time impressive political adviser to Bennett. In an interview with Nadav Eyal in Yedioth Ahronoth, she exposed the worrisome truth. The Bennett government had the same goals and modes of operation as its predecessor.

Meir, the “leftist” in Bennett’s bureau, recalled her and her prime minister’s achievements: how they managed to influence Washington so that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are not taken off the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, only for the sake of foiling—yet again, foiling— the reaching of a nuclear accord with Iran; how the government deceived—yet again, deception—the U.S. to build thousands of homes in the settlements, then bragging about it; how they managed to put pressure on the U.S. so that it retracts its decision to reopen an American consulate in East Jerusalem. Preventing an accord with Iran, building settlements and not opening an American consulate for Palestinians as well—what could be more right-wing? Where is the difference, even a tiny one, between the aims of the Netanyahu government and the “successes” of the Bennett government?

If these are considered successes by the outgoing government, it would be better if it had failed, the worse the better. If these are also Lapid’s goals, and there is no reason to think otherwise, it would be best if he failed to achieve them as well. After all, this is a government that set out to deal with the little things, ostensibly, such as the “metro law” and it’s like declaring that it would stay away from big subjects like Iran and the settlements. This was a government that stood not just for anything but Netanyahu, but for a centrist approach, for change. We got neither.

I would really like to give Lapid some credit, to wish him well and all that jazz, and mostly, to feel that there is a chance for change. There isn’t any. ■

have to do with anything? Is that the most urgent thing a prime minister with only four months to go can do to signal a change in direction?

The media coddles Lapid; most media outlets will melt with satisfaction. It’s already started.

Here he is, moving to a property used, until now, by security guards on Balfour Street, near the official residence. How exciting. The world will also melt with pleasure.

Finally, not Binyamin Netanyahu. But at the core, nothing will change. In Israel, one right-wing prime minister replaces another.

One is labeled right-wing, the other a centrist, yet all of them are deep-right and ultranationalist. Will Lapid not worship the Israel Defense Forces and do its bidding? Was his first meeting in office not with the head of the Shin Bet, of all people? And above all, is A Project of Lapid not a fervent, inveterate believer in Middle East Children’s Alliance Jewish supremacy, called Zionism, and in its result, called the Jewish state, which cannot be other than an apartheid state?

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

(Advertisement)

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

37

behnam_38-40r2.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 8:05 PM Page 38

Special Report

The Grand Deception: Israel’s Theft of America’s Common Sense

By Dr. M. Reza Behnam

CREDIT: SCREENSHOT

them out and took their country away from them. They did not exist.”

Such claims have cemented an indelible narrative in the minds of many Americans.

Consequently, most have come to believe the myth that Israel is a progressive humane state; a small but brave nation defending itself against “foreign” violence and terrorism.

The Israeli myth was, however, challenged in the marketplace of public opinion in 1982 and again in 2009. In 1982, Israel was shaken by the adverse reaction it received for its deadly attack on Lebanon and the massacre in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Beirut (see p. 30). A year later, the Hasbara Project was born to push Josh Block, a former spokesperson for AIPAC who led The Israel Project from 2012 until its demise the Israeli agenda. in 2019, directed media coverage of Israel and attacks on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Hasbara (“explaining” in Hebrew) movement. established permanent structures in the United States and Israel to influFOR 74 YEARS, Israel has engineered, managed and marketed ence how the world, especially Americans, would think about false narratives, images and vocabulary to win the ideological war Israel and the Middle East in the future. Israel now labels hasbara in the United States. Israel has shaped a message that has made propaganda “public diplomacy.” the unacceptable—its brutal occupation of Palestine and its Like the criticism received over its bombing of Lebanon, Israel people—acceptable to Western audiences. came under fire in the aftermath of “Operation Cast Lead” in DeThe Zionist state was born and has survived by force and cember 2008 and January 2009. During the military’s massive dupery. To manufacture legitimacy, the “only democracy in the 22-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip, 1,398 Palestinians and Middle East,” as it describes itself, has constructed an ambitious 9 Israelis were killed. state-run public relations industry.

To counteract the criticism, a pro-Israel Washington-based Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has relied on propagroup, The Israel Project (TIP), hired Frank Luntz, a Republican ganda to maintain its hold on Palestine. Zionist tropes about an operative and political strategist, to conduct a study on how to empty land, agrarian miracles in the desert and reclaiming an hisfully integrate Israel’s narrative and views into the mainstream toric promised land have become firmly entrenched. media. He reported his findings in a document, meant only for inThose fraudulent claims include one from Israel’s fourth prime ternal use, titled, “The Israel Project’s 2009 Global Language Dicminister, Golda Meir (1969-1974), who infamously said, “It was tionary.” Luntz had previously collaborated with TIP to create a not as if there was a people in Palestine and we came and threw similar document in 2003.

Although the 2009 study was leaked to and reported on in Newsweek magazine (July 9, 2009), there was no critical evaluDr. M. Reza Behnam is a political scientist specializing in the history, politics and governments of the Middle East. ation of it.

38

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

behnam_38-40r2.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 8:05 PM Page 39

The document’s significance cannot be ferent audiences, outlines what Amerisands of years, that both sides are equally emphasized enough. Language from the cans want to hear, words and phrases at fault and that Palestine/Israel is beyond propaganda primer, with its scripted disthat work and those that don’t; those to be their understanding. course for Israeli advocates, has seeped used and those to be avoided. It provides In chapter 10, backers are urged to acinto the American psyche. guidance on how best to challenge statecentuate Israel’s need for security and its The power of rhetoric to manipulate and ments from Palestinians and how to feign identification with America’s “global war convince—the core of Luntz’s guidecompassion for them. on terrorism.” Americans, the study notes, book—is essential in understanding how To pacify the majority of Americans who will respond favorably if Israeli civilians a rogue nation like Israel has been able want peace, he advises, in chapter eight, are portrayed as the innocent victims of to escape justice so often and for so long. to always emphasize Israel’s desire for Palestinian terrorism.

The use of repetition, similitude and depeace, even though the report makes Luntz instructs Israeli advocates to ception to advance Israel’s image are hallclear the regime does not really want a paint Hamas and Hezbollah as irrational marks of Luntz’s work. His “language dictwo-state solution that would lead to terrorist threats. He states that when tionary” is a guide to how best to talk peace.

Americans are told that Iran supports about the Zionist state. The talking points Supporters are enjoined to sell the idea these groups they will be much more supand doublespeak from the playbook can that the so-called “cycle of violence” beportive of Israel. Therefore, when talking be heard repeatedly in the comments of tween the two has been going on for thouabout them to repeatedly reference “Iran(Advertisement) U.S. and Israeli politicians, ofbacked.” ficials, academics and mainLuntz stresses the imporstream media. tance of emphasizing positive The statement by TIP themes like peace, mutual refounder and president, Jenspect and empathy for the nifer Laszlo Mizrahi, in the plight of Palestinians and their preface is revealing. She children. He writes, “It’s our job writes: “On behalf of our board to ‘wear white hats in public’— and team, we offer this guide to remind Americans that to visionary leaders who are Israel is a team for whom they on the front lines of fighting the can feel good about cheering.” media war for Israel. We want Among his “25 rules for you to succeed in winning the effective communication,” hearts and minds of the number four is particularly dupublic….May your words help plicitous. To counter charges of bring peace and security to Israeli brutality against PalesIsrael and the Jewish people.” tinians, Luntz recommends Her statement raises the they say, “…there is one funPlaygrounds for Palestine is a project to build playgrounds question of why a “democratic damental principle that all peofor our children.

It is a minimal recognition of their right state” would require a media ples from all parts of the globe to childhood and creative expression. It is an act of love. war to win over the public and will agree on: civilized people Playgrounds for Palestine (PfP) is a registered 501(c)3 nonwhy security for Israel—not for do not target innocent women profit organization, established in 2001. We’re an all-volunPalestinians—is the only conand children for death.” teer organization (no paid staff) that raises money throughsideration.

In reality, Israel violates this out the year to construct playgrounds and fund programs for children in Palestine.

Also, a personal message “fundamental principle” on a from the author in the preface daily basis. Deaths and inSelling Organic, Fair Trade Palestinembodies the objective of the juries of Palestinian women ian olive oil is PfP’s principle source of fundraising. This year, PfP launched entire report. Luntz remarks, and children at the hands of AIDA, a private label olive oil from “And remember, it’s not what Israel’s “civilized” occupation Palestinian farmers. Please come by and you say that counts. It’s what forces abound. taste it at our table. people hear.”

According to Defense for We hope you’ll love it and make it a staple in your pantry.

In the handbook, Luntz Children International, PalesFor more information or to make a donation visit: coaches Israeli supporters on tine, from January 2000 to May https://playgroundsforpalestine.org • P.O. Box 559 • Yardley, PA 19067 how to tailor answers for dif2022, a total of 2,211 PalestinAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

39

behnam_38-40r2.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 9:59 PM Page 40

American Educational Trust, which publishes the Washington Report, documented the deaths of Palestinian and Israeli children killed between 2000-2014 on our “Remember These Children” website (www.rememberthesechildren.org).

The killing of mostly Palestinian children playing soccer, eating pizza, shopping for candy, going to or from school or merely looking out their window or playing in their front yard continued but our funding to tabulate the carnage ended.

Another manifestation of “civilized” conduct by Israeli forces occurred in 20182019, during what has been called “The Great March of Return”—mass demonstrations by unarmed Palestinians at the Gaza-Israel border to protest the then 15year blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel.

During one-year of peaceful protests, Israeli snipers shot 6,106 Palestinians, killing 189, including 41 children. In addition, 3,098 Palestinian civilians were injured by bullet fragments, rubber-coated metal bullets or hit by tear gas canisters.

A 2019 U.N. Commission of Inquiry report found reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli snipers shot at journalists, health workers, children and persons with disabilities, even though they were clearly visible.

The mainstream media consistently avoids talking about the occupation and Israel’s apartheid practices. When it does, however, it conforms to the official lexicon of the Luntz playbook, the Israeli regime and of its supporters, like TIP. Israel’s army of occupation, for example, is referred to as “defense” or “security forces.” Zionist squatters on Palestinian land are termed “settlers.” Zionist colonies are deemed “settlements” or “neighborhoods.” Palestinian Occupied Territory is 40

PHOTO BY MOSAB SHAWER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

ian children were killed as a result of Israeli military and squatter/colonizer presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The figure does not include children killed while involved in hostilities.

In the southern Hebron hills of the West Bank, Israeli forces remove a demonstrator on July 1, 2022, from the Khirbet al‐Markez in the Masafer Yatta area. Palestinian residents of the eight villages in the area have waged a 20‐year legal battle to prevent being evicted from what Israel claims is a restricted military area "Firing Zone 918,” that they call home. called “disputed territory.”

One of the most widely accepted distortions is the idea that there is political and military symmetry between the two sides in what has been falsely labeled a “conflict.” Palestinians resisting colonization and oppression—which is the legitimate right of the colonized under the Geneva Conventions—are deceptively labeled “terrorists.”

Israel has successfully sold Americans on the myth of Israel as a “willing negotiator” and “peacemaker,” while Palestinians are portrayed as uncompromising extremists, who have rejected every “generous offer” of peace put forth by Israel.

Under the guise of negotiations and being a willing “partner for peace,” (Oslo Accords, 1993 and Camp David, 2000) Israel has methodically carried out its plan to colonize what remains of the 22 percent of Palestinians’ ancestral homeland.

The United States and Israel have assassinated anyone who dared stand in

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

their way. All while suffering no consequences. Israel’s leaders know they are accountable to no one.

The targeted assassination of Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022, is a recent example of the failure to censure Israel. By its tepid response, Washington has sanctioned the cover-up by the Zionist regime.

Israel is finding it increasingly difficult to keep hidden its inveterate system of occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.

The hasbara industry, however, remains undaunted. TIP folded in 2019 after its funding dried up, but the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) continues its hasbara mission.

Israel knows that its narrative is apocryphal and that in its present form, the state is unlawful and unjust. Hence, in an attempt to make the apocryphal real and the fraudulent legal, Israel continues its ongoing information war to normalize the abnormal in Palestine. ■ AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

bodnaruk_41-43.qxp_Canada Calling 7/7/22 8:13 PM Page 41

Canada Calling

Campaign Educates and Empowers to End Israeli Apartheid INDEPENDENT JEWISH VOICES (IJV) Canada launched a new initiative in March 2022, Together Against Apartheid, to educate and empower people across Canada to end the oppression of Palestinians.

“Just as the world came together to bring an end to South African apartheid a generation ago, it is now our generation’s turn to come together against Israeli apartheid,” said Aaron Lakoff, IJV’s communications and media lead.

Referencing Amnesty International’s February 2022 report, IJV points out there is growing international consensus that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians amounts to the crime of apartheid under international law.

“Jewish people, both in South Africa and throughout the world, played a proud role in resisting the South African regime’s apartheid policies. Today, more and more Jews, and many more prominent Jewish Israeli figures, are standing up against Israeli apartheid. We’re proud to launch a campaign in Canada that brings Jews, Palestinians and people of all walks of life together to stand for justice in Israel-Palestine,” Lakoff said The campaign has two major goals: to educate Canadians on the realities of Israeli apartheid and to empower Canadians to act in their own communities by establishing Apartheid Free Zones.

In fact, in May 2021, at the height of Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, a gro-

Candice Bodnaruk has been involved in Palestinian issues for the past 14 years through organizations such as the Cana‐ dian BDS Coalition and Peace Alliance Win‐ nipeg. Her political action started with fem‐ inism and continued with the peace move‐ ment, first with the No War on Iraq Coali‐ tion in 2003 in Winnipeg.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

PHOTO COURTESY LAWRENCE SUTHERLAND

By Candice Bodnaruk

Canadians raise Palestinian flags at Winnipeg City Hall on Nakba Day 2022. cery co-op in London, Ontario became the first business in Canada to declare itself as an Apartheid Free Zone (see Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, August/September 2021, pp. 27-29 for story). The Together Against Apartheid campaign plans to spread such initiatives across Canada.

Lakoff said that global human rights organizations, faith and political leaders, as

well as millions of people around the world agree that Israel practices apartheid. It is unacceptable for the Canadian government to continue to provide support to Israel while it practices apartheid. “The question now becomes, what can we as Canadians do to stop it?” he said.

“The Together Against Apartheid campaign gives Canadians tools to overcome

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

41

bodnaruk_41-43.qxp_Canada Calling 7/7/22 8:13 PM Page 42

this impasse, and to get involved in the movement for true justice and peace in Israel-Palestine,” he concluded. People can sign the Together Against Apartheid pledge on IJV’s website at <www.ijvcanada.org>.

PALESTINIAN FLAG RAISING ON NAKBA DAY IN WINNIPEG As many drivers honked in support, the Palestinian flag was raised at Winnipeg City Hall on Main Street for the first time ever on Nakba Day 2022.

Posters emblazoned with Shireen Abu Akleh’s image could be found everywhere in the gathering of about 100 people.

They observed a moment of silence for the Palestinian-American journalist murdered by the Israeli military in Jenin the previous week.

At the end of the May 15 ceremony, organizers raised the Palestinian flag on a makeshift pole front of the City Hall building, after being denied permission for an official hoisting, and sang the National Anthem of Palestine.

Palestinian activist and community organizer, Rana Abdulla, wearing the key to her family’s home in Palestine around her neck, shared her family’s Nakba story with the crowd. Abdulla said it is not an easy time (Advertisement)

Alamo Flags, Inc. The world’s largest supplier of flags, lapel pins, decals, flag patches, key rings and many other accessories & proud of it!

Order online <alamoflag.com> Shop in person 7 days a week: 6134-R Arlington Blvd.

Falls Church, VA 22044 Phone: (703) 534-8158 email: order@alamoflag.com

42

for Palestinians anywhere, especially since the murder of Abu Akleh.

“We felt the rage and emotion, every Palestinian felt that,” Abdulla said, adding that they were not surprised because this is what Israel does to Palestinians.

She pointed out that Abu Akleh was important because she covered stories other news outlets did not. Abdulla spoke of the need to heal Palestinian trauma, which every Palestinian experiences, wherever they are.

She described the experience of her mother and daughter who were able to return to Palestine to visit the family home together. Abdulla’s mother was only a child when she had to flee. “They searched and all the street names had disappeared, everything was given Zionist leaders’ names,” she said. When Abdulla’s mother recognized her home, she was overcome with sadness. She approached the door, and it was clear someone had unsuccessfully tried to erase the original name of the home. Her mother asked the current occupant if they could see the inside of the house that her father built. “The man’s first words were that our family never lived here,” Abdulla said, her voice cracking.

She explained how the trauma of the Nakba is experienced through generations, “as if I lived it myself,” she said, commenting that the myth that Palestinians left their homeland voluntarily perpetuates their erasure. She called Abu Akleh a courageous journalist for pointing out such lies.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

“The Nakba continues,” Abdulla said, adding that the occupation and colonization of Palestine is not unique. What is unique is that the occupiers are allowed to get away with it and the world is watching it happen.

Meanwhile Leah Gazan, the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament (NDP MP) for Winnipeg City Centre, offered condolences and solidarity with the Palestinian community on the murder of Abu Akleh and said she wanted to honor Abu Akleh’s contributions, leadership and her life as a woman, because it is women who are changing the world.

“Freedom of the press is foundational for any democracy,” she said, adding that interfering with that freedom is a bash on democracy.

She also referred to the recent Amnesty International report that states Israel is practicing apartheid. It is because of such news that she believes the Palestinian community and their allies are now finally beginning to be heard.

Gazan told the crowd she will continue to speak out publicly and tell the truth about what is happening in Palestine. “We must stand firmly in peace and convictions against all forms of apartheid, including the apartheid that is taking place in Palestine,” she concluded.

ADVERTISE! Put the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs to work for you!

Have you thought about advertising your company, charity, book, craft, skills or personal service with us—but have never gotten around to it? For information on prices and deadlines, please visit wrmea.org/advertise or e-mail advertising@wrmea.org or call (202) 939-6050 ext. 1105. We will help make your advertising effective. (We offer a 30 percent discount on combinations of print and online banner advertising!)

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

PHOTO COURTESY A. BAJEHKIAN

bodnaruk_41-43.qxp_Canada Calling 7/7/22 8:13 PM Page 43

Amir Bajehkian from the Farsi Dar B.C. program.

FIRST FARSI LANGUAGE PROGRAM IN B.C. ABOUT STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY An organization that wants to share Farsi with a new generation of speakers is looking forward to having the language approved as an option in British Columbia’s regular school curriculum starting in September 2023.

The program was started by Farsi Dar B.C., and once approved by the Ministry of

GIFT A BOOK OR A ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION Let Middle East Books and More and the Washington Report help you complete your holiday shopping!

Visit MiddleEastBooks.com and wrmea.org/subscribe.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Education, it will be offered to all school districts in B.C., for students grades 5-12.

“We want it to be available to all students in B.C. Wherever there is an interest, we want these courses to be offered,” said Amir Bajehkian, the president of Farsi Dar B.C. Campaign, in a recent telephone interview with the Washington Report.

The program has already been piloted in the Coquitlam School District, which is part of the tri-cities area of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, and where Bajehkian estimates there are around 10,00015,000 Farsi speakers, including students in area schools.

Currently, he said, if parents want their children to learn Farsi, they must send them to private after-school classes and the students do not receive credit. Children often rely on their grandparents to teach them Farsi and Bajehkian thinks the language can become a visible and integral part of the education system—not just an afterthought.

The Farsi-speaking population is growing throughout British Columbia. Iranians and Afghans share the same language and both are playing a role in developing the Farsi curriculum for our campaign, Bajehkian explained. They are putting down roots and wanting to pass on their language and culture to their kids.

The organization is specifically focusing on courses for schools in North and West Vancouver and hopes to have Farsi class in at least one school in September 2023.

Bajehkian, who is Iranian Canadian, explained it is invaluable for young people to be able to speak their home language and share experiences with their elders.

“There shouldn’t be a generation gap where one generation cannot understand the other one. The language is essential for mental wellbeing and being able to connect to their loved ones,” Bajehkian said, adding that seeing young people who cannot speak Farsi properly is heartbreaking for him.

He said after all the traumas the Iranian and Afghan communities have experienced, one of the few things left for people is their language—it is a source of pride and it brings the community together. ■ (Advertisement)

Send your story ideas, responses to features and copy requests (with $5) to: Capitol Hill Citizen 1209 National Press Building, Washington, DC 20045 Editor: Russell Mokhiber Phone: (202) 656-7660 Email: editor@capitolhillcitizen.com Find us on the web at: www.capitolhillcitizen.com

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

43

gee_44-45.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 7:27 PM Page 44

Special Report

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb: A Century On

By John Gee

PHOTO BY ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES

by robbers in ancient times, but they appear to have stolen just a few small portable items before the breakins were discovered and the tomb was re-sealed. Its burial by debris from the later tomb of Ramesses VI led to its existence being forgotten and remaining undisturbed until, 100 years ago in November, it was rediscovered.

No other complete (or near-complete) Ancient Egyptian royal tomb has ever been discovered and the news of the find created much excitement internationally. The step-by-step opening of the rooms inside the tomb, leading up to the final revelation of the king’s remains at the heart of a nest of gilded shrines and coffins, was featured prominently in the newspapers and magazines of the time. Commentaries then and since have ranged from the more sensational of “treasure” and a curse upon whoever disturbed the tomb, to the more scholarly questions about the complexities of Tutankhamun’s relationship to his predecessors on the throne, his role in the return to religious orthodoxy after the end of the ascendancy of the Aten cult (which called for the worship of only one deity, embodied in the sun disc), and the cause of his early death.

In Ancient Egypt, a name was considered to be an essential part of every individual and its survival was necessary to a person’s life after death. Tutankhamun’s name was deliberately left out of lists of kings of Egypt after he died, probably because of his association by birth with the Aten cult, and many of his monuments were usurped by successors.

A close up view of the Viscera Coffin of Tutankhamun during the “Tutankhamun and Little was known of him at the beginning of the 20th the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art century other than that he had existed. The discovon June 15, 2005, in Los Angeles, CA. Tutankhamun possessed four miniature ery of his tomb has resulted in his being the most coffins fashioned of gold and inlaid with colored glass and semi‐precious stones, recognized name among all the kings of Egypt over and each stood in a separate compartment in an alabaster chest. its 5,000 years of recorded history.

Leading the excavation was the British archaeologist Howard THE MOST WELL-KNOWN archaeological discovery of the 20th Carter, who documented the entire process of clearing the tomb and century was undoubtedly that of the tomb of Tutankhamun, king of meticulously recording its contents. The first step of the stairs that Egypt from 1333-1323 BCE—or thereabouts. He was a minor ruler led down to the tomb was actually found by Hussein Rassul, a wawho was buried in a tomb that was not originally intended for him. terboy working with the excavation team, who was clearing a space His premature death—he was barely more than a youth—necessito set down his water jug. He immediately informed Carter. tated hasty improvisation, which also involved gathering burial goods In the previous century, many archaeological finds were taken that had been intended for others. His tomb had been entered twice abroad by excavators and diplomats, sold to tourists or given away

by Egypt’s rulers, resulting in the creation of impressive EgyptologJohn Gee is a free‐lance journalist based in Singapore and the author of Unequal Conflict: The Palestinians and Israel. ical collections in museums such as New York’s Metropolitan, the 44

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

PHOTO BY GRAPHICAARTIS/GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO CREDIT BEN CURTIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

gee_44-45.qxp_Special Report 7/7/22 7:27 PM Page 45

PHOTO BY KHALED DESOUKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Howard Carter and associates opening the doors of King Tutankhamun’s burial shrine in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. (Screen print from a photo‐ graph, 1923.)

Egypt’s antiquities chief Zahi Hawass (c) supervises the removal of the linen‐wrapped mummy of King Tutankhamun from his stone sarcophagus in his underground tomb in the famed Valley of the Kings in Luxor, November 4, 2007. The pharaoh's mummy was moved from its sarcophagus in the tomb to a nearby climate‐controlled case where experts say it will be better preserved.

tomb revealed later that year were to remain in Egypt.

Some exhibitions and commemorative events will mark the centennial anniversary of the tomb’s discovery and there will no doubt be considerable media coverage. Egypt hopes to benefit from the publicity generated; its revenue from tourism plummeted during the COVID19 pandemic and it wants not merely to see visitors returning on the pre-pandemic scale, but to increase in numbers.

Facilities have been improved and access provided to more monuments, including passages beneath the first pyramid complex, that of Djoser, at Saqqara.

The contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb will be one of the major attractions at the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

This photo, taken on Aug. 4, 2019, shows the 3,200‐year‐old pink‐granite colossal statue of King Ramses II at the entrance of the the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is set to be completed Some 5,000 objects from the tomb have already been conserved and transferred this year, in Giza on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo. to GEM from their previous home in the Cairo Egyptian Museum, where only a relBritish Museum in London, the Louvre in firming Egypt’s distinctive identity and entiatively small fraction could be displayed in Paris and numerous others (as well as the tlement to control its own destiny. The disits limited space. GEM is located on the removal and raising of obelisks in New covery of Tutankhamun’s tomb took place Giza plateau, to the west of Cairo. On comfollowing the Egyptian revolution of 1919 York, London and Paris). But by the early pletion, it will be the largest archaeological against British rule and the establishment 20th century, Egypt was becoming more museum in the world. Originally scheduled protective of its ancient heritage. Nationalof formal independence in February 1922. to open in 2021, it is due, at the time of writists looked back to the distant Pharaonic as It is hardly surprising that the Egyptian goving, to open in November 2022. ■ well as the Christian and Islamic past in afernment stipulated that the contents of the AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

45

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:53 PM Page 46

HUMAN RIGHTS

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) sponsored a virtual panel discussion on May 24 to address the widespread humanitarian impact of U.S. economic sanctions.

Daniel Jasper of the American Friends Service Committee introduced speakers Arash Azizzada, co-founder of Afghans for a Better Tomorrow; Dr. Aisha Jumaan, president of the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation; Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, director of Oil for Venezuela; Dr. Assal Rad, research director at NIAC; and Ricardo Herrero, executive director of the Cuba Study Group.

Azizzada argued that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan over the past 20 years has rendered the country dependent on foreign aid. “I went to visit Afghanistan in 2019,” he said. “There’s not many ministries you can see. Most institutions or projects are funded

by USAID, the U.S. government, the European Union, Japan…So we had a nation state that was heavily—not just influenced—but coerced by Western donors, the primary donor being the United States.”

The collapse of institutions propped up

by Washington, coupled with U.S. action against the new Taliban government, have left the country decimated, Azizzada said.

“The Taliban is deeply responsible for this incompetence…[and] the fact that Afghans are starving, but the main culprit here is the U.S. which has the most autonomy, the most agency over that country still,” he opined.

According to Azizzada, there have been three pivotal moments regarding U.S. policy toward Afghanistan following the August 2021 Taliban takeover: ending aid, freezing sovereign Afghan assets and sanctions. As a result, an estimated 22 million Afghans are now food insecure and one million children are at risk of death.

The conversation shifted to Yemen, with Dr. Aisha Jumaan, who noted parallels between U.S. economic imperialism in Afghanistan and the Yemeni humanitarian 46

ESSA AHMED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

U.S. Economic Sanctions: “The Silent Killer”

A displaced Yemeni receives humanitarian aid provided by the World Food Program in Yemen’s northern province of Hajjah, on June 6, 2022. crisis. She said that the U.S.-enabled blockade by the Saudi-led coalition has created restrictions on humanitarian aid and how individuals and organizations can send money to Yemen. U.S. sanctions have meant the destruction of Yemen’s economy, pushing civilians into poverty and mass starvation, she said.

“We only have one bank that is an intermediary,” Jumaan explained. “Individuals are not allowed to send more than $2,000 a month. For organizations like us...it’s very challenging for us to send money to Yemen.

We now send it through a bank in Germany, but we lose four percent because it’s in Euros.”

Dr. Assal Rad focused on how sanctions hinder the movement of humanitarian goods to their intended recipients, even though humanitarian aid is exempt from sanctions under U.S. law. “What happens on the ground is that those essential goods, the flow of goods into the country, are impeded,” she said, noting that many banks and other multinational businesses are inherently weary of conducting even humanitarian transactions involving U.S.-sanctioned countries.

“Do not take my word for it,” Rad added.

“Take the word of our President Joe Biden, who said this himself in a [campaign] statement in April 2020. While he acknowledged humanitarian exemptions, he also acknowl-

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

edged the fact that the reality on the ground is that U.S. sanctions impede the flow of humanitarian goods.”

Jumaan noted the subtlety of sanctions, characterizing them as silent killers, unlike transparently bloody wars. “People are dying in their homes, nobody is counting those deaths….[so] you can keep [the sanctions active] for a long time and no one’s going to oppose you,” she said.

To conclude the discussion, speakers addressed how the American public should approach sanctions. “We have this ongoing conversation about endless wars…and it’s maturing in several ways,” Herrero noted.

“The conversation around sanctions is much more primeval. It’s imposing sanctions: strong, removing sanctions: weak… we need to move past that.”

—Amelia Leaphart

Poor People’s Campaign March Includes Justice for Palestine Amid cool breezes and clear blue skies in Washington, DC on June 18, a coalition of social justice and human rights groups from all 50 states marched under the leadership of Rev. Dr. William Barber II’s Poor People’s Campaign to take their message that “Everybody’s Got a Right to Live” to the U.S. Congress. The gathering of thousands shared the need for a paradigm shift away from investments in weaponized policing, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 JUNE/JULY 2020

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:53 PM Page 47

infrastructure, water filtration plants and Palestinian homes.

The next planned phase of the Poor People’s Campaign is a massive grassroots presence in the halls of the House and Senate in September.

—Mary Neznek

WAGING PEACE

PHOTO JAMAL NAJJAB

Repression Grows in Egypt Amid Growing Economic Concerns

Members of several pro‐Palestine delegations to the Poor People’s Campaign march in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2022. a war-first foreign policy and mass incarceration. Instead, the campaign believes investments in housing, health care and education should be the country’s top priorities.

The Poor People’s Campaign distributed hundreds of black and yellow signs noting that 43 percent of the U.S. population, 52 percent of children and 32 percent of the electorate (140 million people), are poor and low income.

The march included individuals of all races, nuns from the Sisters of Mercy clad in purple, human rights advocates, labor unions and others saying, “We won’t be silent anymore.” Each state was represented with a personal narrative broadcast from a dais interspersed with choirs and live music.

One poignant message that resonated was the inequity of health care and affordable housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. On this point, a father shared the despair and depression that led to the suicide of two of his adolescent children in a Native American community that lacks access to basic physical and mental health services.

Representatives from Jewish Voice for Peace, the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship: Palestine-Israel Network, the American Friends Service Committee, the Quaker AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Palestine Israel Network and Vermonters for Justice in Palestine were among the marchers. Their signs included messages on behalf of the rights of Palestinians, such as, “Support Palestinian Resistance to Israeli Ethnic Cleansing.”

These groups believe that the message of the Poor People’s Campaign, a national call for a “moral revival,” must include addressing the militarized U.S. policy in Israel/Palestine, the right of Palestinian return and reparations for the original ethnic cleansing of more than 750,000 Palestinians that took place in 1948.

After years of lobbying and public messaging, Vermonters for Justice in Palestine led a coalition that in 2021 successfully petitioned Ben and Jerry’s to cease production and sales of their products in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

This fall the coalition will take their case before the Burlington, Vermont City Council to petition for a human rights-based selective investment screening against U.S. and Israeli corporations that are profiting from the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza.

Veterans for Peace marched with a model of a weaponized drone produced and funded by U.S. tax dollars that Israel uses in Gaza causing widespread civilian casualties, destruction of hospitals, schools,

The Arab Center Washington DC held a webinar on June 23 titled, “Egypt’s Uncertain Future: Political, Economic and Human Rights Challenges.”

Mona El-Ghobashy, a professor at New York University, argued that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi oversees a draconian authoritarian regime that is more oppressive than the government of former President Hosni Mubarak.

“This regime is fundamentally a counterrevolutionary alliance,” she said, meaning that Sisi’s principal goal is to make sure that the events of the 2011 revolution that unseated Mubarak don’t repeat themselves.

To strengthen itself against unrest, ElGhobashy said the Egyptian government has utilized heavy-handed repression, deployed an ideological campaign of coercion and used international funding to solidify its grasp on power.

On the first point, El-Ghobashy noted that the Egyptian government utilizes “pre-emptive policing” that aims to “nip in the bud any potential protest” before it even materializes on the street. Sisi “doesn’t wait until four or five people gather on a street corner” to take action, she said.

The scholar also pointed out that nine years after he assumed power by overthrowing democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, Sisi has effectively eliminated all opposition voices from within the parliament. While past regimes carried out “semi-contested elections,” the infrequent elections held by Sisi’s government are solely to legitimize his rule, El-Ghobashy noted.

In addition to the harsh stick of repression, El-Ghobashy said the government is

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

47

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:53 PM Page 48

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

vestments don’t get swallowed up amid the country’s debt crisis, Springborg added.

He closed his remarks with a troubling comparison for Egypt’s fiscal state. “It’s incredible how the downward trajectory of the Egyptian economy parallels that of Lebanon,” he said. “Lebanon is further advanced in that decline, but the ways in which the state tries to manage the decline are so remarkably similar.”

—Dale Sprusansky

(L‐r) European Union Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek el‐Molla and Israeli Minister of Energy Karine Elharrar celebrate the signing of a natural gas deal in Cairo, on June 15, 2022. also working to change the way its citizens view the state. Sisi has emphasized “state prestige,” sought to “restore the fear and awe of the state” and promote a “moderate” vision of Islam.

Importantly, Sisi has also elevated the status and expanded the scope of the country’s armed forces. The Egyptian military is now “not just a guarantor and protector, but more like a god [that has] countless civil matters under its auspices,” El-Ghobashy said.

Regarding outside assistance, ElGhobashy noted that Cairo is receiving tens of billions of dollars from Arab Gulf regimes, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the U.S. While these benefactors don’t always share the same goals, she said they are united in desiring a “stable” government in Egypt.

To this point, Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), pointed out that the surge in oil prices due to the Ukraine war has allowed regional actors to expand Sisi’s access to cash. While Washington provides an annual $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt, she noted that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar have pledged $24 billion in loans and investments to the country.

48

The Ukraine war has also led to the European Union recently signing a gas deal with Egypt and Israel. This agreement, Whitson noted, contains no stipulations about the human rights abuses in both countries. “The irony is hard to miss: Russian fuel is sanctioned by the United States and Europe because of Russia’s international law violations and abuses, requiring the sanctioners to buy fuel from even worse abusers of international law—Israel and Egypt,” she said.

Despite experiencing inflation, food shortages and a devastating drop in Russian tourism in recent months, Whitson believes the large influx of Arab Gulf assistance and new economic possibilities with Europe ultimately make this a “windfall” period for Cairo.

Robert Springborg, a visiting fellow at the Italian Institute of International Affairs, argued that while regional and global actors are propping up Egypt, the country still faces a dire economic situation. He noted that Egypt is the second biggest debtor to the IMF after Argentina and that Moody’s Investors Service recently downgraded its outlook for the country to “negative.” Those supplying Cairo with cash, including the IMF and the Arab Gulf states, are increasingly looking for guarantees that their in-

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

The U.S. and Tunisia’s Democratic Decline The Arab Center Washington DC sponsored a virtual panel entitled “The Future of Tunisian Democracy: U.S. Policy and Tunisia’s Current Political Crisis,” on June 2. Speakers included New York University Abu Dhabi Professor Monica Marks, President of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy Radwan Masmoudi and former U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Jacob Walles.

The panel accused Tunisian President Kais Saied of anti-democratic actions beginning in July 2021, when he suspended parliament and fired the prime minister as well as the defense and justice ministers.

Saied will now hold a constitutional referendum on July 25 on a new constitution, drafted with no opposition voices.

Panelists explored what leverage the U.S. and its allies can use to influence Saied and his allies in Tunis. “On the one hand, the U.S. has been increasingly critical of Tunisia’s drift away from democracy,” Walles noted. “On the other hand, the administration has avoided any direct criticism of President Saied.”

Walles said there is an incorrect belief within the Biden administration that Saied’s actions enjoy popular support among Tunisians. “I think Tunisians are rightly unhappy that the revolution of 2011 did not bring about the dignity and prosperity that was promised after the ouster of [long-time President Zine El Abidine] Ben Ali,” he said.

However, he emphasized, this does not mean that Tunisians aren’t concerned about the threat to democratic institutions.

Saied has justified his actions by claiming that the status quo powers in government, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:53 PM Page 49

YASSINE GAIDI/ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES

What the Ukraine War Means For Russia-Iran Relations

Tunisians gather to protest President Kais Saied’s planned July constitutional referendum, on June 19, 2022, in the capital of Tunis.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

is no current U.S. ambassador to Tunisia, although Biden appointed veteran diplomat Joey Hood to the post in May. It’s not expected that the Senate will confirm him to the position before key events, such as the referendum, unfold this summer.

Marks argued that the case of Tunisia should not flummox policymakers. “We’re simply talking about good, healthy, diplomatic messaging that’s in the United States’ interests, and also respects Tunisia's sovereignty,” she said.

—Amelia Leaphart

MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

especially the Ennahda party (the largest bloc in the now dissolved parliament), were corrupt and stifling the country’s progress.

Monica Marks agreed with Walles’ characterization that Washington has adopted an ambiguous approach toward the situation in Tunisia. She noted that on Dec. 13, Saied unveiled his new anti-democratic roadmap, but Washington did not react with any noticeable measure of concern. “The United States responded to his alleged roadmap with, it seemed like relief,” she noted. “It was disheartening…[and] indicative of laziness and ignorance.”

Marks added that many disgruntled groups in Tunisia do not necessarily have a problem with the so-called coup, but are primarily upset that the country remains in an economic crisis. The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) is one such group, and led a June 16 general strike to protest low wages and austerity measures by Saied’s government.

Masmoudi cautioned that leaders in Washington can’t just sit by and watch Tunisia again descend into authoritarianism. “We’ve wasted 10 months already, and Tunisia’s on this path, we can’t afford to waste another 10 months,” he warned.

Tunisia, he reasoned, functions as an easy place for President Joe Biden to prove his administration’s professed support for democratic systems. But, he noted, there

The Middle East Institute (MEI) hosted a virtual event on May 26 to discuss the impact of the Ukrainian war on Russian-Iranian relations. The panelists discussed Iran’s initial support for the war and the country’s efforts to balance geopolitical realities with their complex alliance with Russia.

Alex Vatanka, the director of MEI’s Iran program, noted the relative normalcy of Russian-Iranian relations, despite the Ukraine conflict. As the “two most sanctioned countries in the world,” Russia and Iran have significant common ground and reason to remain aligned, he noted.

Iran, he pointed out, has long viewed Russia as a “bulwark” against American influence in the region and is thus unwilling to aggressively challenge Moscow politically or economically, even as it comes under global isolation. “The supreme leader and the leadership of the Revolutionary Guards are the biggest advocates of closer relations with Russia because…they think Russia is their protector,” Vatanka said.

Of course, as with all alliances, the relationship is imperfect. Many Iranians are concerned their country is “beholden to Russia,” Vatanka explained. He pointed to several examples of imbalance in the rela-

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (r) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir‐Abdollahian during a joint press conference in Moscow, on March 15, 2022.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

49

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:53 PM Page 50

50

of the Ukraine conflict’s impact on rapidly rising food prices. Nasr focused on the Iran nuclear deal, warning that a complete dissolution of the agreement could lead to significant regional instability and potential conflict. Vatanka raised the possibility of other actors, such as Turkey or China, taking on a larger role in regional conflicts–most notably Syria—if Russia were to pull-down its presence in the area. Still, all agreed on one critical point: It is too early to make definitive statements about whether the Ukraine war will lead to a new era of relations between Iran and Russia.

—Sophie Alexis

What’s In Store for Post-Election Lebanon?

On May 25, the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center sponsored a virtual panel to discuss Lebanon’s future following the country’s May 15 parliamentary elections.

opinion, as he believes it indicates the likelihood of better representation of multiple constituencies.

Verena El Amil, a lawyer and political activist who ran as the youngest candidate in the election, noted that the Lebanese youth were the most active during the aftermath of the 2020 port blast, but many in her generation are leaving the country. In her campaign, she wanted to send a message that those who stay can create the change they want to see. “I believe we have a duty toward the Lebanese people to offer an option of change from the outside” of the political system, she said.

Amer Bisat, head of sovereign and emerging markets at BlackRock and a former International Monetary Fund senior economist, examined the future of Lebanon’s economy.

“The state has completely disappeared as an economic player,” he observed. This means most basic services from the state

MARWAN NAAMANI/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES

tionship, including Iran’s hesitation to sell their reserves of natural gas (the world’s second largest) to Europe in order to avoid interfering with Russia (home to the world’s largest reserves).

Mark Katz, professor of politics and government at George Mason University, noted the Kremlin believes there are limits to Iranian deference to Russia. He said Moscow perceives a “degree of defiance” from Iran and believes the country is “not shy about taking advantage of Russia when they can.”

Russia’s biggest fear regarding Iran is that they will ramp-up oil production to fill in the global supply gap exacerbated by the Ukraine war.

Vali Nasr, professor of Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, noted that Iran also has some reasons to keep an eye on Russia. Tehran, for instance, was displeased when Russia recently tried to use the Ukraine conflict to muddle the signing of a new multilateral nuclear deal. The move “didn’t sit well, even within the highest levels of the Iranian regime,” he noted.

Economically, Iran has to wonder if Russia can remain a reliable partner if they become bogged down in Ukraine, Nasr said. If a prolonged foreign occupation limits Russia’s ability to provide resources, Iran may feel the need to reassess the relationship, he reasoned.

While the war risks weakening a key partner, it does offer some opportunities to Iran, Nasr observed. He noted that the “priority for Europe is now not to isolate Iran but to isolate Russia.” This means Iran could explore better economic and political relations with the continent. A “grand opening” of relations is unlikely, he cautioned, but “cracks” in long-standing tensions are possible. There might, with enough “political will,” even be the possibility of easing relations with the U.S., he added.

The panelists had diverse answers for the panel’s ultimate question: What does the future look like for Iranian-Russian relations and the region as a whole postUkraine? Katz warned that “food shortages have led to widespread instability in the Middle East,” pointing to the danger

Police confront demonstrators during a protest against the rising price of goods, in Beirut, Lebanon on July 5, 2022.

Ziad Majed, a professor at the American University of Paris, pointed out that the election had a low overall participation rate (49 percent), but the diaspora turned out in large numbers, mostly in support of anti-establishment candidates. Hezbollah lost its majority in the parliament and independents saw gains, although they still only occupy 13 of 128 seats. The overall fragmentation of parties is a favorable sign in Majed’s

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

have disappeared due to the collapse in tax revenues (an 80 percent decline). The liquidity crisis requires a shared burden among both the elites and the populace, he added, warning that assuming the crisis can be solved solely by taxing those responsible for the crisis is “wishful thinking.”

He stressed that this burden sharing does not need to come at the expense of the impoverished.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Bisat noted that the amount of money needed to keep the economy afloat is relatively small, at two to four billion dollars a day. This figure, though, is largely due to the fact that the state “made people so poor at this stage that it made them survive under two to four billion dollars.”

Kim Ghattas, a nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, discussed the geopolitical implications of the election, especially as it pertains to Saudi Arabia and Iran. “Different countries use Lebanon, particularly Saudi Arabia and Iran, to up the tension or lower the tension,” she explained. Ghattas doesn’t envision Lebanon as a lever Tehran will pull to send a message to Israel, the U.S. and other adversaries in the near future. “I don’t think at the moment Hezbollah is in a position to want any real clashes or tension or war with Israel, so Iran might look to Syria or Iraq to send a message to the Americans.”

Lama Fakih, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director, turned the discussion to the recent deterioration of human rights. She pointed out how consecutive governments failed to address issues such as freedom of speech, systematic discrimination against women, abuse against migrant workers, violence against the LGBTQ community, decline in education access and overpopulated prisons. Electricity, furthermore, remains only attainable for the wealthy.

—Amelia Leaphart

What Does “Autonomy” Mean for Western Sahara?

On June 8, the Campaign to End the Occupation of the Western Sahara, the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and the Pan African Unity Dialogue co-hosted a webinar to discuss Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

Katlyn Thomas, former legal adviser to the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), explained that the U.N. still considers the former Spanish colony a non-self-governing territory in which the inhabitants have the right to self-determination. “What is at stake is whether the international community and the U.N. are going to continue to uphold the AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

MARCOS DEL MAZO/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:54 PM Page 51

Members of the Sahrawi community and their supporters demonstrate in front of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Spain, on March 30, 2022. The Spanish government recently voiced support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. right of self-determination and allow for the people to decide for themselves whether they want to be a part of Morocco or an independent country,” she said.

Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara since 1975 is “directly contrary to the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people who are the indigenous people of Western Sahara,” Thomas added.

Morocco’s autonomy proposal, submitted to the U.N. in 2007, allows for it to annex Western Sahara, while only allowing the Sahrawi people to manage their internal affairs. Under the plan, the king would retain his royal prerogatives within the Moroccan constitution, which allow him to overturn any decision of any branch of the government, including the courts and parliament.

“That would also include any of the officials of Western Sahara, which means basically that there would not be any autonomy, that the king would still be able to rule Western Sahara in any way that he wants,” Thomas explained. “This plan maintains the status quo in the territory. It is not autonomy at all.”

In response to the autonomy proposal of Morocco, the Polisario (the government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in exile in Algeria) formed its own proposal in which it offered Western Saharan citizenship to Moroccan settlers. “The Polisario was willing to extend an olive branch and

allow them to be citizens,” Thomas commented.

Stephen Zunes, professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco and co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution, recently visited the Sahrawi refugee camps in neighboring Algeria.

During his visit, Zunes related, he had complete freedom of movement, was able to talk to anybody and met elected officials from the local to national level.

“The Sahrawis have a much better system of government [than the Moroccans], not just in terms of democracy, but also in functionality,” Zunes opined. “The Sahrawis…have, as refugees, done a pretty impressive job in terms of all sorts of things.” For example, they have the second highest literacy rate in all of Africa, he pointed out. “Despite the shortages of food and other items, the medical system is quite impressive given the desperate conditions that they have,” he said. “You can imagine what they might do if they actually had a functioning state and could control their own country with its rich resources.”

Responding to a question on why the U.S. favors the Moroccan autonomy proposal even though it runs against everything the United Nations has ever said about decolonization, Zunes stated he doesn’t think people understand the pro-

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

51

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:54 PM Page 52

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

posal or understand that this is a matter of self-determination. In Zunes’ opinion, the United States is “quite willing to overlook international law in order to support the prerogatives of an allied nation, even if they violate fundamental international legal norms.”

Spain, which transferred Western Sahara to Morocco in 1975, recently raised the ire of the Polisario and Algerian governments by announcing its support for Rabat’s autonomy plan.

—Elaine Pasquini

Gaza Journalist Slams Media’s Coverage of Israel In its June 15 live show, Palestine Deep Dive explored the widespread bias in the Western media’s coverage of Palestine.

Ahmed Alnaouq, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza currently serving as an advocacy officer at the human rights group EuroMed Human Rights Monitor, shared the story of how the killing of his loved ones in Israeli attacks inspired the creation of We Are Not Numbers, an organization devoted to amplifying young Palestinian voices and training the next generation of writers.

“The war on Gaza in 2014 started and I lost my brother and many of my friends,” he said. “Then I started to read the media in the West and I was devastated. I was irritated with how they reported the news on Palestine....We’re sick and tired of seeing Palestinians dehumanized, demonized and mentioned only as numbers.”

Alnaouq emphasized his belief that if the media shared personal stores from Palestine, it would massively enhance the public’s understanding of the situation. “I’ve lived my life in Gaza, I’ve experienced three wars. I’ve grown up to experience the siege that has been ongoing for the past 15 years. I lost my mother due to Israel banning her from traveling to receive [medical] treatments. I’ve never seen these stories in Western media. This is what we’re talking about. It’s the sins of omission because if they included these personal stories, if they included these basic human rights that we’re deprived of, it would cause a huge shift in how Westerners view the PalestineIsrael conflict.”

52

Members of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate take part in a protest demanding justice for slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in Gaza City on May 30, 2022.

“I’ve always said that Gaza is the most fertile place for journalists,” Alnaouq added.

“Everyone has a personal story that deserves to be told, but I haven’t seen that in the media.”

Taking a closer look at specific coverage, Alnaouq criticized the BBC’s repeated assertion that the 2018 Great March of Return in Gaza was led by Hamas. “The March of Return was organized by a Palestinian poet named Ahmed Abu Artema with many, many other peace activists,” he noted. “A respected journalist would go and interview the organizers of the March of Return, and we all know the organizers of the march, but they did not do that. They went to the Israelis and they quoted them. Of course, Israel will say it’s led by Hamas because they want to justify the killing of innocent Palestinians.”

Alnaouq also examined a 2018 article from the New York Times titled, “Israeli military kills 15 Palestinians in Confrontations at Gaza Border.” “We did not have ‘confrontations,’” he said. “We had Palestinians protesting peacefully. I never saw anyone at the March of Return who was holding a gun or shooting at the Israelis. Then if you go to the byline, the [author] of this article is Isabel [Kershner], who has a son who served in the Israeli army.”

Emphasizing the brutality of the Israeli occupation force’s response to the

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

protests, Alnaouq recounted his own experience. “One moment I can’t forget is [when] an Israeli soldier shot someone, and he was only two meters away from me. [The victim] was an 11-year-old child.

I saw him so far away from the fence. He never hurled a stone. He did not shout.

He was just there when he was shot and he was killed instantly. The one who killed him on the other side, we’ve seen these soldiers waving and celebrating and [giving] high fives to each other.”

Alnaouq concluded by encouraging the media to report the unvarnished truth, even as they face pressure campaigns from proIsrael groups. “Those journalists who always give Israel an excuse and justification for their killing and for the suffering that they’re inflicting on the Palestinians, they are complicit in these crimes,” he said. “This has to change because the media matters and journalism matters. They have to respect their profession and they have not to be cowards. They have to be brave enough to tell the truth as it is.”

—Omar Aziz

Covering Palestine as a Female Journalist The Coalition for Women in Journalism sponsored a virtual discussion on May 26 entitled, “Palestine: Women Journalists Report on a Neglected Story.” Al Jazeera journalist Rania Zabaneh and senior editor AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:54 PM Page 53

Palestinian voice,” she said. “We don’t need someone who comes in and basically repeats the usual narrative.”

In terms of how to best support female journalists, O’Toole emphasized diversity in the newsroom. Zabaheh added, “Most reports done by women focus on the human side of things. We talk to mothers, we talk to women, we explore their emotions in a way that men don’t often succeed in doing.”

—Amelia Leaphart JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Survivors and Friends Meet 55 Years After Attack on USS Liberty

An Al Jazeera reporter covers an art exhibit in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, on May 19, 2022. The artwork honors Shireen Abu Akleh, at the spot where the veteran journalist was killed. at Middle East Eye Megan O’Toole participated in the Twitter Live event.

In light of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing by Israeli forces in May, Zabaneh discussed the unique challenges facing Palestinian journalists. Abu Akleh’s murder, in Zabaneh’s opinion, showcases how Palestinian journalists are disproportionately scrutinized and targeted by Israeli forces.

Moments before her shooting, Abu Akleh was going about her daily journalistic routine, neither reporting on a major event nor overtly putting herself in danger. Yet, by simply being Palestinian and a journalist, she was inherently at risk. “It’s very unpredictable, and you can be easily targeted for being Palestinian,” Zabaneh said.

Zabaneh pointed out how Western media outlets initially regurgitated Israeli messaging about her killing, even on the day of her funeral, using passive language and placing blame on both sides.

“There’s always this fear of challenging the Israeli narrative, as it’s always right and the Palestinians are not,” Zabaneh commented. “Which is not always the case. I’m not saying that people should adopt [only one] narrative directly, but [in the case of Abu Akleh] there are signs and footage…I don’t see how they can turn a blind eye to that.”

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

O’Toole asked Zabaneh about challenges specific to Palestinian journalists and reporting. Zabaneh noted that she herself cannot go to Gaza, but her organization has a bureau with colleagues there who can help those reporting from outside of the besieged territory. She said entering the settlements also remains nearly impossible for her, and Palestinian reporting is always disproportionately scrutinized.

O’Toole examined the double standard in the media’s coverage of the RussiaUkraine war versus Israel-Palestine. She remarked on “seeing journalists reporting gleefully on the arming of civilians and militias and resistance in Ukraine, with these laudatory stories of Molotov cocktail creations, when the exact same type of actions are referred to as terrorism when the person in question is Palestinian.”

Zabaneh also pointed out the disparity in respect for Ukrainian and Palestinian journalists who write for major news outlets. For Zabaneh, Palestinians are not just being ignored, but silenced.

Creating space for Palestinian journalists means focusing on local, on the ground, Palestinian journalists rather than outside writers, she opined. “We have enough Palestinian journalists who have the means and the language and tools to amplify the

For decades USS Liberty survivors of Israel’s June 8, 1967 attack on their ship have gathered in Section 34 of Arlington National Cemetery to honor their 34 shipmates, who paid the ultimate price, reciting their names and placing a wreath and roses at the ship’s memorial.

The president of the USS Liberty Veterans Association, Larry L. Bowen, began this year’s ceremony by recalling Israel’s crippling aerial and naval assault on their clearly marked intelligence ship, which flew the American flag as it patrolled in the Mediterranean Sea’s international waters during the 1967 Six-Day War. Survivors, including many of the 174 wounded, valiantly kept their ship afloat, enduring Israeli strafing, napalm and torpedoes, and even a machine-gun attack on their lifeboats. Bowen said, “Heroism was the order of the day, and every man who could help, stepped up to help.”

Survivors have often faced charges of anti-Semitism for condemning Israel’s deliberate attack on their U.S. ally, but it’s also the subsequent U.S. coverup that infuriates them. They believe the heroism displayed by the USS Liberty crew as they served their country should serve as an inspiration and motivation to future generations and not be covered up.

“After 55 years, we remember the good times with our families coming together and our kids playing after we returned from cruises,” Ernie Gallo, a communications technician aboard the ship, said. “We also remember the anxious feelings we had leaving our families during our four-month deployments,” he added, regarding some

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

53

STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:54 PM Page 54

USS Liberty survivors honor their shipmates buried at Arlington National Cemetery and those others buried around the country, on June 8, 2022.

54

vital for Americans to hear. He and the Liberty survivors demand an honest, unbiased and open-to-the-public investigation by the Defense Department or Congress. They vow to raise bloody hell again and again to urge their country to remember Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty.

—Delinda C. Hanley

ARAB AMERICAN ACTIVISM Social Media Censorship of Palestinians The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) convention on June 18 started with a panel entitled, “Free Speech

PHOTO COURTESY ADC

of those children and grandchildren gathered at the cemetery.

The crew wants to know why President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the Sixth Fleet aircraft racing to their aid to return to their carrier, abandoning the USS Liberty to an additional torpedo attack and saying he didn’t want to embarrass an ally. “That order cost the lives of 25 of our shipmates,” survivor Joe Meadors, U.S. Navy signalman, said. “To this day, the order to abandon us is still being obeyed with a devastating effect on USS Liberty survivors.”

Wayne Stiles was a co-pilot on the first rescue helicopter to reach the USS Liberty the following morning, June 9. (His short interview at the ceremony with the Washington Report, posted on TikTok, was viewed over 12,000 times before this article went to press!) Stiles said there was no place to land on the destroyed ship so his helicopter hovered and brought the wounded up on a hoist cable in order to evacuate them to the USS America. Stiles said he saw blood sloshing back and forth in the forward gun tub, where the Israelis had machinegunned the men who had tried to defend their lightly-armed ship. Stiles admitted it was a shocking day for a little farm boy from Western Connecticut.

Former Congressman Pete McCloskey (R-CA), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983, was honored at that evening’s dinner. McCloskey has always believed this story is

for Some, Not All: Silencing Voices Through ‘Content Moderation.’” Panelists included Matthew Feeney, director of the CATO Institute’s Project on Emerging Technologies; Omar Baddar, an independent analyst; and Aisha Jitan, digital communications associate for the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.

Moderator Abed Ayoub, ADC’s legal director, began by utilizing former President Donald Trump’s ban from Twitter as an example of how social media companies apply content moderation standards, and turned to Feeney for insight into what this move revealed about Twitter’s policies. “My own personal view is that Twitter was in a really tough spot,” Feeney said. “It’s quite something for a private social media company to say to the president of your country, you shouldn’t be allowed.”

While the panelists agreed they don’t miss Trump’s online presence, Baddar noted it is an example of selective censorship. Most disturbing to Baddar is how antiPalestinian censorship often occurs at the request of the Israeli government. This also extends to Americans advocating for Palestinian rights, especially given the prevalence of anti-BDS laws and the expansion of anti-Semitism’s definition to include criticism of the State of Israel.

While Baddar values content moderation, he advocates for a clear approach that safe-

Omar Baddar discusses efforts to suppress free speech when it comes to criticizing Israel.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:54 PM Page 55

guards the companies’ independence from governments. “One [improvement] would be for the criteria to be transparent and up front and apply consistently to everyone,” he said.

“A second would be there should be no room for the government to influence those policies. These are private companies at the end of the day, and we should not have the government telling private companies what speech they should and should not allow, like the Israeli government who is using this for political ends.”

Jitan emphasized that since news outlets often don’t cover Israeli atrocities, social media is Palestinians’ only tool to share their narrative. Without it, Israel would have a green light to commit even worse violent infringements, she reasoned.

Tactics like censoring and shadowbanning Palestinian content, for Jitan, “reinforce a culture of fear. It makes allies afraid to speak about it, because there are real consequences to Zionist attacks.”

Baddar said, “It’s the fact that the Israeli government gets to reject Palestinian content, but the Palestinians cannot reject Israeli content, and a company like Facebook is completely okay with that—that’s what ought to be challenged.”

Jitan wants the focus to be on the material conditions that create the inequitable internet space. “I think it is an issue of looking at these companies and being like, where can we break these systems down? I think these systems are reflections of how power operates in this country and the world, and also a continuation of how power has operated historically.”

—Amelia Leaphart

The regulations make no provisions for those traveling for tourism, to visit family, to conduct journalism or for educational purposes. Worse yet, Palestinians with dual citizenship would be required to disclose the names of family and friends they intend to visit, any property they own or stand to inherit, as well as other personal information. Unsurprisingly, these proposed restrictions would not apply to those visiting Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank.

After receiving a permit to enter the West Bank, the new regulations require Palestinians to enter the territory through the King Hussein Bridge via Jordan. The former president of the American Federation of Ramallah, Dr. Hanna Hanania, described his experiences crossing into Palestine from Jordan. “You just go through an unbelievable experience,” he commented. “In a way that makes you not want to go again.”

The 60-mile journey from Jordan into Palestine is well known for its long wait times, and Hanania emphasized that the journey is designed to discourage Palestinians from returning to their homeland.

Other than the prospect of waiting anywhere between four to twelve hours to enter Palestine from Jordan, Hanania noted that the border guards can unilaterally deny entry into Palestine at any time. So, in addition to the humiliation of

being turned away at the border, this bears a potential significant financial burden on travelers.

Deena described her hesitance in returning to Palestine because she simply could not afford to be turned away. “If you are spending all of this money to go to Palestine and then you get denied at the border and get sent back home, that’s a big loss for a lot of people,” she explained. “And is it worth even trying sometimes?”

The U.S. government could step in to protest its citizens’ grievances with the Israeli government, and Chris Habiby, ADC’s legislative and policy coordinator, stressed that representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties have been willing to listen to these instances of discrimination. Nonetheless, there was a consensus among the panelists that it is unlikely any of these issues will be addressed by a Congress with a proclivity to look past Israeli malfeasance.

Nonetheless, the ambiguity that allows travelers to be denied at the border is only one issue interwoven into the larger arbitrariness of the ordinances. Hanania used the example of quotas, noting that COGAT gives out a maximum of 150 student permits per year, even though a single university in the West Bank will accept over 300 students from Europe.

Jonathan Kuttab, a Palestinian writer sitting on the panel, detailed the history of

For the final panel of the ADC national convention, Jinan Deena, ADC’s national organizer, moderated a discussion on Israel’s new travel restrictions for foreigners entering the occupied West Bank. The restrictions, proposed by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), would severely limit how long foreigners can stay in the West Bank on a single-entry visa. Originally proposed to go into effect in May, their implementation has been postponed until September.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

PHOTO Z. CLARK-ELSAYED

Israel’s New Restrictions on Entering the West Bank

(L‐r) Jonathan Kuttab, Miko Peled, Jinan Deena, Dr. Hanna Hanania and Chris Habiby speak on Israel’s plan to make it harder for diaspora Palestinians to visit the West Bank.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

55

travel restrictions in Palestine, arguing there has always been an arbitrary and discriminatory process since the creation of COGAT in the 1990s. The significance of the new ordinances is not that they take away any existing rights, but rather that they give a previously unacknowledged practice a legal foundation, he said.

Activist and author Miko Peled, who grew up in Jerusalem, argued that the implementation of the ordinances is an attempt to restrict foreign access into Palestine and illustrates the deep insecurity that Israel has about its identity. According to Peled, “This has to do with this enormous fear, not of physical threat, but the fact is that there is no legitimacy to the entire political entity called the State of Israel, and the world is beginning to notice, so they want to limit access.”

Despite the bleak commentary, the discussion concluded on an optimistic note.

Members of the audience emphasized that it is foolish to allow the current situation to stop them from traveling to the West Bank, and Deena affirmed that Israeli restrictions should never stop Palestinians from seeing their loved ones. “We have family there and want to see relatives and reconnect with our country and our land,” she said.

—Zakaria Clark-Elsayed

Dinner Honors Accomplishments Of Arab Americans The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) concluded its June 18 convention with an energetic gala dinner.

The evening celebrated notable Arab Americans for their extraordinary accomplishments and their commitment to the betterment of their community, country and world.

The evening began with the Dr. Raymond Jallow Lifetime Achievement Award being bestowed upon Anton Hajjar, an attorney and vice chair of the United States Postal Service’s Board of Governors. He noted that he began taking his Arab identity seriously after 9/11, when his daughter’s life was threatened at school because of her ethnicity. “My Arab American identity became central to me on that fateful day,” he said.

56

PHOTO COURTESY ADC

activisms_46-56.qxp_August/Sept 2022 Activisms 7/7/22 7:54 PM Page 56

Dr. Jehan “Gigi” El‐Bayoumi gives voice to injustices from Washington, DC to Palestine.

Dr. Jehan “Gigi” El-Bayoumi, professor of medicine at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, was awarded the Ralph Johns Civil Rights Award for her commitment to public health. While Americans must speak out about injustices in Palestine and elsewhere across the globe, she implored her audience to also mobilize against grave injustices closer to home. She noted that Washington, DC has the same HIV rate as Namibia and possesses the same infant mortality rate as El Salvador. These facts are often hidden by the extreme disparity in wealth that exists in the city, she said.

“Southeast [DC] is very much like apartheid in Palestine,” she opined, with rich people moving in as gentrifying settlers with little regard for those who have long called the area home.

Zeina Azzam, a poet and community activist, received the Hala Salaam Maksoud Leadership Award. She presented her inspiring poem, “I Am An Arab American.” In one poignant line she writes, “I am an Arab American because I grow jasmine in Virginia to conjure the fragrance of my first home/ because melodies of the oud and guitar dwell in my ears.”

The Rose Nader Award was presented to Leila Fadel, the host of Morning Edition at NPR. Fadel said she became interested in journalism as a child when she realized

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

Arab Americans were misrepresented in the media. Arabs are often “depicted as victims or villains, and nowhere in between,” she lamented. “We don’t get to be full humans when it comes to media portrayals.” She said her job is not to advocate, but to let the truth fully enter the light.

“Truth is about making everybody be seen, it’s about showing the impact of policies even when it’s not popular and hard to talk about,” she said.

The night concluded with Amnesty International USA receiving the Voice of Courage Award for its recent report chronicling the reality of Israeli apartheid.

Paul O’Brien, the organization’s executive director, maintained that simply telling the truth should not be a marker of courage. He also bemoaned the reality that simply “calling on the State of Israel to live up to its human rights obligations” is met with accusations of anti-Semitism.

He finished his remarks by calling on the U.S. to own its professed support for human rights. “Equal rights for everyone in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is the only way to secure a sustainable peace for everyone in the region,” he said. “Fighting for it is the only way to convince the world that an American foreign policy centered on human rights is the best offer out there.”

—Dale Sprusansky AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

mondoweiss_ad_57.qxp_Mondoweiss Full Page Ad 7/7/22 6:54 PM Page 57

At Mondoweiss, we cover the movements, activists and policymakers who affect the struggle fo for freedom in Palestine.

We cover Palestinians’ stories of occupation, resistance and hope – stories that show us all how the world’s struggles interconnect.

Now in our 16th year of publication, Mondoweiss’s fearless, independent journalism is more important than ever.

Listen & subscribe to our new podcast at mondoweiss.net/ t//p podcast

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

57

books_58-63.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Books and More Special Section 7/7/22 6:26 PM Page 58

Middle East Books Review All books featured in this section are available from Middle East Books and More, the nation’s preeminent bookstore on the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. www.MiddleEastBooks.com • (202) 939-6050 ext. 1101

The Making of an Alliance: The Origins and Development of the U.S.-Israel Relationship

By David Tal, Cambridge University Press, 2022, paperback, 416 pp. MEB $29.99

Reviewed by Walter L. Hixson Diplomatic and military historian David Tal has produced a comprehensive international history of the “special relationship” between Israel and the United States. Organized chronologically by presidential administrations, the book is well researched in primary sources derived from American, British and Israeli archives.

Tal makes a convincing argument that idealistic and cultural perceptions rather than geostrategic realism established and solidified the special relationship between Israel and the U.S. “Religion, values and history,” he argues, “set the course of the relations as well as their development and structure.” Emphasizing continuity and a “longue durée approach,” Tal effectively demonstrates “the sources, the development and the prevalence of the constants” that have long animated the special relationship.

Broadly based cultural ties, including empathy in the aftermath of the Nazi genocide, Christian Zionist fundamentalism and perceptions of Israel as a besieged David versus the Arab Goliath (though the reverse

Contributing editor Walter L. Hixson is the author of Architects of Repression: How Israel and Its Lobby Put Racism, Violence and Injustice at the Center of US Middle East Policy (available from Middle East Books and More), along with several other books and journal articles. He has been a professor of history for 36 years, achieving the rank of distinguished professor.

58

has been more nearly true) propelled the special relationship, which evolved into a strategic alliance. Americans, as Tal demonstrates throughout the book, “identified with the Jewish experience, and later Israel, making it part of their own story and sense of identity.”

The emphasis on cultural ties, though not the full story of the Israeli-American relationship by any means, is important and Tal is not wrong to focus on it. The late cultural historian Amy Kaplan wrote a tour de force book on the subject (Our American Israel: The Story of an Entangled Alliance, 2018), which remains the best study on the role of culture within the special relationship.

Tal makes some effort to be evenhanded, but sometimes subtly and other times more directly, the book reflects a proIsraeli bias. As he recounts events, Tal pays scant attention to Arab and Palestinian perspectives on the bitter history of the socalled Middle East “conflict.”

In Tal’s discussion of the June 1967 war, to cite one example, he argues that “Israel had no choice but to act.” Israel in fact had a choice and, as in the previous war in 1956, it chose to launch an all-out attack.

Israel’s Arab neighbors were hostile to the

Zionist state, to be sure, but none were on the brink of attacking it in 1967.

Tal, like most scholars on this subject, downplays the significance of the Israel lobby. He fails to grasp the deep roots of the lobby and ignores the highly influential lobby newsletter, the Near East Report, which for decades advised every member of Congress on the position they should adopt on Middle East affairs. Tal ignores my work on the Israel lobby, which leaves little doubt that it has long been deeply ensconced and highly effectual, especially with Congress. Tal also ignores Kenneth Kolander’s tightly focused study of the lobby’s impact in Congress and pays scant attention to the classic work by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, who were egregiously attacked for having the temerity to take up the subject. The decades-long work of the Washington Report in this area, as well as Stealth PACs: Lobbying Congress for Control of U.S. Middle East Policy, first published by the American Educational Trust in 1990, are also overlooked.

Tal argues that members of Congress are pro-Israel with or without the lobby, which is true to some degree. Yet, on crucial issues such as the mythical “peace process,” the illegal occupation, proliferating Jewish-only settlements and endless U.S. military assistance, the lobby has played a profoundly influential role. The Israel lobby has advocated for every dollar of the $146 billion and counting—far more than any other nation has received since World War II—that has enabled a small nation of some nine million people to become the colossus of the Middle East.

Tal also misses an opportunity to solidify his argument on the centrality of culture by not analyzing the relationship in the context of settler colonialism. Israel and the United States were both settler states that forged their national identities through the violent and persistent displacement of indigenous people. Tal could have explored the cultural parallels between the long and tumultuous history of race relations in the United States and Israel’s status as an apartheid state, as designated by numerous human rights groups.

Tal’s exhaustive study contributes to understanding the evolution and persistence of American pro-Israeli sentiment, but culAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

books_58-63.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Books and More Special Section 7/7/22 6:26 PM Page 59

tural ties are only part of the story. Cultural affinity was bolstered over time by strategic calculations and mutual militarization, all of it policed on the American front by the powerful and willingly punitive Israel lobby. This powerful elixir forged what is indeed a very special, and from a human rights perspective, a deeply problematic relationship.

Glory to God in the Lowest: Journeys to an Unholy Land

By Donald E. Wagner, Interlink, 2022, paperback, 288 pp. MEB $20

Reviewed by Rev. Alex Awad

Glory to God in the Lowest is the true story of a white Protestant pastor raised in a conservative Christian family who courageously jumped over multiple social and political hurdles to become a leader in the struggle for freedom and justice for Black Americans and Palestinians.

The reader travels along with Donald E. Wagner as he encounters incredible and influential people. Take, for example, Wagner’s walk at a demonstration in Washington, DC with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in March 1967; or his meeting with King Hussein in Amman, Jordan. On another occasion, he meets with top Lebanese leader Amine Gemayel, followed by a meeting with his brother, Bashir Gemayel.

Rev. Alex Awad is a retired United Methodist missionary. During more than 25 years in Palestine, he served as pastor of East Jerusalem Baptist Church, dean of students at Bethlehem Bible College and director of the Shepherd Society. He is a member of the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

Keep following, and Wagner will take you where most people never consider visiting.

One such visit is to a hospital serving Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. There, Wagner and his team witness the arrival of body bags with the corpses of teenage girls who were on their annual school trip when their tour bus was bombed by Israeli warplanes.

Wagner also takes the reader on a walking tour of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp near Beirut. This heart-wrenching encounter takes place a day after the Phalangist militias, in collaboration with the Israeli army, massacred over 3,000 Palestinian men, women and children in September 1982. No reader can go through the book without realizing the depth of the Palestinian tragedy, the breadth of Israeli and Phalangist cruelty and the magnitude of U.S. hypocrisy.

Glory to God in the Lowest is a must-read for students, teachers, activists and anyone who yearns to see peace and justice established in Israel/Palestine. Wagner’s summary of Christian Zionism is a helpful introduction for those who might be aware of the political situation but lack understanding of the menace of Christian Zionism. The

author concludes that Islam, Judaism and Christianity are not the cause of the struggles, but that quite often shrewd politicians use religious affiliations to achieve political goals. The book also includes positive examples of Muslims, Jews and Christians working together to defuse tensions.

Like all books covering the history of the Middle East, Wagner’s writing will likely leave the reader somewhat deflated as to the possibility of peace in the region. After following the sacrifices of the author and thousands of activists and peacemakers around the world, one cannot help but see that the situation in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere is no better today than it was decades ago, when the author first discovered and began attempting to combat injustices.

Yet, the reader can also attain inspiration from Wagner’s persistence. He is not just a commentator on the political events and theological trends of the Near East; rather, he is a committed advocate who challenges injustice whenever he meets it. Day in and day out he organized, planned, strategized, studied and met key leaders all for the sake of seeing justice restored.

www.MiddleEastBooks.com Nonfiction • Literature • Cookbooks Children’s Books • Arabic Books • Films Greeting Cards • Palestinian Solidarity Items Pottery • Olive Oil • Food Products Monday-Thursday: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m 1902 18th St. NW • Washington, DC 20009 bookstore@wrmea.org (202) 939-6050 ext. 1 WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

59

books_58-63.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Books and More Special Section 7/7/22 6:26 PM Page 60

This is not a stuffy book on Middle East politics, nor is it a dry book on theology or eschatology. The book is loaded with anecdotes that will cause the reader to cry as they read one page—and then laugh as they read the next.

Glory to God in the Lowest does not attempt to provide a roadmap for solving the complexities of the political disputes of the region. However, it does provide the facts and the information that political leaders, negotiators and peacemakers need to know to be able to guide the region out of its darkness.

Among the Almond Trees: A Palestinian Memoir

By Hussein Barghouthi, translated by Ibrahim Muhawi, Seagull Books, 2022, hardcover, 154 pp. MEB $21

Reviewed by Rania Said

After 30 years in “voluntary exile,” the Palestinian poet Hussein Barghouthi returns to his homeland with his wife Petra and 4-year old son Āthar. This return was dictated by the author’s desire to reconnect with his beginnings, a desire made even more pressing by his deteriorating health.

Rania Said is a postdoctoral teaching fellow at UMass Boston. She has a Ph.D. in compar‐ ative literature from Binghamton University and an agrégation in English from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Tunis. Her research centers on autobiographical writing and the city in Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) literature.

60

Sensing that the end is near after being diagnosed with lymphoma, Barghouthi relocates his family to a cottage surrounded by lush vegetation and wild animals, but also, and to the author’s deep chagrin, illegal Israeli settlements.

Writing about the ravages of cancer at the time of the Second Intifada, the poet is made keenly aware of his “superfluousness.” In the hospital in Ramallah, he realizes that he is not “a healthy person, nor a wounded youth, nor a martyr,” that in reality, he is simply “an ordinary sick person.” This realization leads him to rebel against this ordinariness by re-imagining life as a cycle of reincarnation, and family history as a string of fairy tales.

In this re-enchanted world, his 4-year old son morphs into a Tiresian figure whose fantastical language imbues the author with the desire to be reincarnated as “a childprophet” in order to see the world anew.

Fragments of family history coalesce into a tale of flying vipers, extinct animals, blessed orchards and one magical mountain in the Ramallah countryside. These flights of the imagination, as well as the lush intertextual references to Arabic, Spanish, Turkish and English poetry, make this memoir a veritable literary delight.

By unearthing the fairytales that his mother told him in his youth and adding his own mythologization of the countryside, Barghouthi challenges the settler colonial imaginary of Palestine. He asks “What does a settler from Russia or Estonia, who arrived perhaps no longer than a year ago, see when he opens his window and gazes at these mountains where I am now standing?” He then replies, “He will certainty not see the snake that flies and trills, hear its cry…He will not touch history even if he were a soothsayer; not my history anyway, even if he were a god.” The reinscription of the magical into history constitutes a strong affective claim on the land; a claim that the author believes to be more powerful than that of the divine, perhaps because it is in harmony with the fauna and the flora of Palestine.

Among the Almond Trees differs from the more political illness narratives that have marked the genre in Anglophone literature, namely Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

(1980) and Edward Said’s Out of Place (1999). Both of these narratives are characterized by a desire to historicize the self as first and foremost a political subject and to galvanize their audience around a cause, be it social justice, medical justice or national liberation. In other words, both of them can be read as manifestos of resistance. The politics of Among the Almond Trees on the other hand is more married to the local and the domestic, and therefore subtler. The memoir’s political power lies in its celebration of and contribution to the poetics of the Palestinian countryside.

Ibrahim Muhawi’s masterful translation of this highly complex memoir is a muchneeded step in the further dissemination of Arabic autobiographical writing at the global stage. The care with which the translator approached this text can be seen in the extensive “Translator’s Introduction” and in the “Translator’s Notes” at the end of the book.

Not only does this paratext offer a solid contextualization of the memoir in its literary tradition, but it also opens a window into Muhawi’s creative process. I particularly appreciated when Muhawi pointed out the passages that he found most challenging, and when he shared with us the resources that helped him finalize his decision. These gestures serve as a reminder to the reader of the mediated nature of the narrative and of the intense intellectual labor that goes into translation as a craft.

The translator’s decision to use diacritics in Āthar’s name throughout the narrative and to transliterate certain Arabic words such as “ghreriya” is laudable. Translation into a dominant language such as English sometimes runs the risk of completely domesticating the original text in an effort to make it more palatable for the target audience. By keeping these traces of the Arabic text in his translation, Muhawi seeks to pique his reader’s curiosity and to engage them in a deeper dialogue with the memoir and its language. It is for this reason that I think that he should have also transliterated the Levantine word “nawari” instead of translating it as “gypsy.” While the word does carry a classist connotation in Levantine Arabic, it is not intended as a racial slur in Barghouthi’s narrative. The translator did provide an endnote on the word and the hisAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

books_58-63.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Books and More Special Section 7/7/22 6:26 PM Page 61

tory of the community in Palestine, so it makes more sense that he would use “nawari” instead of a word that is considered an offensive term in the English language.

Additionally, while I truly appreciate the need to clarify certain words for the reader, I would have preferred that any grammatical or stylistic explanations remain in the endnotes. For example, I found the brackets in the following sentence a bit distracting: “He was asleep in my lap under the stars, moving his fingers and saying, ‘I told you [feminine plural] don’t play by yourselves in the streets.’” The information in the brackets is interesting to know, but unfortunately it does interrupt the flow of the text.

Overall, I highly recommend this translation both for lovers of world literature and for academics looking to enrich their syllabi with more life writing from the Global South. I am also looking forward to the translation of alḌaw ʾ al- ʾAzraq, the first volume of Barghouthi’s autobiographical project, which is set to appear in December 2022, also with Seagull, in a translation by Fady Joudah.

Journey of the Midnight Sun

By Shazia Afzal, Illustrated by Aliya Ghare, Orca Book Publishers, 2022, 32 pp. MEB $19.95

Reviewed by Candice Bodnaruk

In her debut book, Journey of the Midnight Sun, author and educator Shazia Afzal takes children on an inspiring journey to bring a mosque to a remote community in northern Canada. Throughout the gripping story, children learn the importance of working together, diversity and inclusion. Young readers can also delight in the colorful, whimsical illustrations as they follow the adventurous story of a mosque “that had to travel from the bottom of a huge country to the top.”

Beginning its narrative in 2010, the book presents a real life dilemma: the Muslim AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

N E W A R R I VA L S The Olive Branch from Palestine: The Palestinian Declaration of Independence and the Path Out of the Current Impasse by Jerome M. Segal, University of California Press, 2022, hardcover, 316 pp. MEB $30.

Jerome Segal provides a new narrative of the Palestinian effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and offers a bold plan for ending this struggle today, his proposal focuses on Palestinian agency and the power of Palestinians to bring about the two-state solution, even in the absence of a fully committed Israeli partner. The Olive Branch from Palestine is divided into two parts. Part 1 provides an analytical and historical study of the 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence, a remarkable act of unilateral peacemaking through which the PLO accepted the legitimacy of the 1947 Partition Resolution and thereby redefined Palestinian nationalism. Part 2 proposes a new strategy in which, outside of negotiations, the Palestinians would advance, in full detail, the end-of-claims/end-ofconflict peace plan they are prepared to sign, one that powerfully addresses the Palestinian refugee question and is supported by the refugees themselves yet does not undermine Israel as a Jewish-majority state.

Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders & Intellectuals Speak Out by Ramzy Baroud and Ilan Pappé, Clarity Press, 2022, paperback, 462 pp. MEB $28. This curated collection by Ramzy Baroud and Ilan Pappé aims to challenge several strata of the current Palestine discourse that have led to the present dead end: the American pro-Israel political discourse, the Israeli colonial discourse, the Arab discourse of purported normalization and the defunct discourse of the Palestinian factions. None promote justice, none have brought resolution, and none bode well for any of the parties involved. In this new book, an alternative Palestinian view of liberation and decolonization is provided by engaged Palestinian leaders and intellectuals—archaeologists, artists, authors, community leaders, educators, filmmakers, historians, human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, spiritual leaders, political prisoners, and the like—those who have been actively involved in generating an ongoing Palestinian discourse on liberation, taking into account the parameters of their struggle as it now stands.

Persians: The Age of the Great Kings by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Basic Books, 2022, hardcover, 448 pp. MEB $35. In Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of the Achaemenid Persian kings and the world they ruled.

Stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan, the largest empire of antiquity reigned supreme for centuries until the conquests of Alexander of Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in the late 330s BCE. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world’s first superpower—one built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran, a book that completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

61

books_58-63.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Books and More Special Section 7/7/22 6:26 PM Page 62

community in Inuvik, Northwest Territories is using a one-room trailer as a mosque and there is not enough room for all who want to worship. But the faith community cannot simply build a proper mosque in their isolated city.

The new mosque had to be built in Winnipeg because construction costs in the Arctic community would have been three times the price. Once the mosque was built, it had to take a 2,800-mile journey to its final destination. The mosque eventually arrived in Inuvik on a barge—and members of the community were there to eagerly meet its arrival. The “midnight sun mosque” instantly became the northernmost mosque in North America and the

second northernmost mosque in the world (the furthest north is in Russia).

When Afzal, who had been taking courses on writing for children for years, read about the project to bring a mosque to Inuvik, she was instantly inspired to begin writing. “I said to my staff, let’s do something about mosques,” she told the Washington Report. “We went to the library, we went online and there was not a single book about mosques. One of my friends showed me an article and it was about the mosque that was traveling. I took the article, I went home and looked up all the articles about the journey and I knew I had to write a book for children at that time.”

Afzal explained that the story of the mosque’s journey is particularly special for her because every time her family moved, they had to make sure they found a mosque close by so they could pray every day. The centrality of the mosque in Muslim life is what gave birth to the Zubaidah Tallab Foundation, which played a leading role in bringing a permanent mosque to Inuvik.

The Zubaidah Tallab Foundation has also built mosques in Iqaluit, Nunavut; Whitehorse, Yukon; and Thompson, Manitoba. The foundation hopes to finish another mosque in the Yukon by next year.

“If we don’t have a mosque, we can’t have a functioning Muslim community,” Hussain Guisti, general manager and CFO

WASHINGTON REPORT On Middle East Affairs

40+

Years of Telling the Truth

THE RIZATION OF THE MILITA

ST MIDDLE EA

SS’ “HALL ENTATIVES IN 116TH CONGRE EIGHT SENATORS, 20 REPRES

OF FAME”

HAIR-TRIGGER NUCLEAR

ALERT OVER KAS HMIR

ISRAELI SPYWARE COMI NG TO A PHONE NEAR YOU

Order Online

MiddleEastBooks.com

For more than 40 years, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs has brought our readers both the good news and the bad news about U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East and non-partisan civil rights issues closer to home.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

WRMEA.ORG A Publication of the American Educational Trust

/WRMEA

/WRMEA

@Washingtonreport

@Washingtonreport

Nonfiction • Literature Cookbooks • Children’s Books Arabic Books • Greeting Cards Palestinian Solidarity Items Pottery • Olive Oil • Food Products

Visit Our Store 1902 18th St. NW • Washington, DC 20009 bookstore@wrmea.org (202) 939-6050 ext. 1

North America’s Most Diverse Selection Of Books on the Middle East /middleeastbooks

62

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

/middleeastbooks

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

books_58-63.qxp_AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Books and More Special Section 7/7/22 6:27 PM Page 63

of the foundation, told the Washington Report. He said he hopes to “make Muslim history” by helping build remote mosques throughout Canada.

Guisti explained that there are a lot of challenges to building in the far north, including working in communities without hardware stores and temperatures as cold as -72 degrees Fahrenheit. In some cases, supplies have to be sent by sea lift to the building sites. Hence, the reason for building the Inuvik mosque in Winnipeg.

Beyond the harrowing practical logistics, Afzal said the book sends an important message about a community working together to accomplish something amazing.

She commented that such a message is perhaps ironically easier for young children to accept than it is for adults to digest.

“Older people have their own biases, so it’s hard for them to accept something like this where oh, everyone is getting together, we can do it together, but children just take the message and they live by it,” Afzal said.

The author also wanted to remind young readers it is a blessing to live in a country where people are free to practice their faith.

For Afzal, the story of the “midnight sun mosque” is especially relevant now as some, especially on the right, are beginning to openly challenge the concept of a multicultural society.

“You have to be accepting of everyone, you have to be able to look beyond the physical differences, the differences of faith or belief and still be together to work together,” Afzal said. “This is a real story, something that actually happened” and shows the beauty of a community working together.

Children and their families alike will enjoy this story of cooperation and community.

Journey of the Midnight Sun is recommended for ages 3-5, but the message here is for all children. ■

Candice Bodnaruk has been involved in Palestinian issues for the past 14 years through organizations such as the Canadian BDS Coalition and Peace Alliance Winnipeg.

Her political action started with feminism and continued with the peace movement, first with the No War on Iraq Coalition in 2003 in Winnipeg.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

N E W A R R I VA L S An Unlasting Home: A Novel by Mai Al-Nakib, Mariner Books, 2022, hardcover, 400 pp. MEB $27.99. Ranging from the 1920s to the near present, An Unlasting Home traces Kuwait’s rise from a pearl-diving backwater to its reign as a thriving cosmopolitan city to the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion. At once intimate and sweeping, personal and political, An Unlasting Home is an unforgettable epic and a spellbinding family saga. Beginning in 2013, the protagonist Sara is a philosophy professor at Kuwait University. Having returned to Kuwait from Berkeley in the wake of her mother’s sudden death 11 years earlier, her main companions are her grandmother’s talking parrot, Bebe Mitu; the family cook, Aasif; and Maria, her childhood ayah and the one person who has always been there for her. Sara’s relationship with Kuwait is complicated; it is a country she always thought she would leave, and a country she recognizes less and less, and yet a certain inertia keeps her there. But when teaching Nietzsche in her Intro to Philosophy course leads to an accusation of blasphemy, which carries with it the threat of execution, Sara realizes she must reconcile her feelings and her place in the world once and for all.

Palestine: Matters of Truth and Justice by Azmi Bishara, Hurst, 2022, paperback, 360 pp. MEB $30.

In January 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his “deal of the century.” Supposedly intended to “resolve” the Palestine-Israel conflict, it accepted Israeli occupation as a fait accompli. Drawing on extensive research and rich theoretical analysis, Azmi Bishara places this normalization of occupation in its historical context, examining Palestine as an unresolved case of settler colonialism, now evolved into an apartheid regime. This book compellingly argues that Palestine is not simply a dilemma awaiting creative policy solutions, but a problem requiring the application of justice. Attempts by regional governments to marginalize the Palestinian cause and normalize relations with Israel have emphasized this aspect of the struggle, and boosted Palestinian interactions with justice movements internationally. Bishara provides a sober perspective on the current political situation in Palestine, and a fresh outlook for its future.

Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule by Katherine Pangonis, Pegasus Books, 2022, hardcover, 272 pp. MEB $28.95. In 1187 Saladin’s armies besieged the holy city of Jerusalem. He had previously annihilated Jerusalem’s army at the battle of Hattin, and behind the city’s high walls a last-ditch defense was being led by an unlikely trio—including Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem. They could not resist Saladin, but, if they were lucky, they could negotiate terms that would save the lives of the city’s inhabitants. Queen Sibylla was the last of a line of formidable female rulers in the Crusader States of Outremer. Yet for all the many books written about the Crusades, one aspect is conspicuously absent: the stories of women. Queens and princesses tend to be presented as passive transmitters of land and royal blood. In reality, women ruled, conducted diplomatic negotiations, made military decisions, forged alliances, rebelled and undertook architectural projects.

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

63

cartoons_64.qxp_August/September 2022 Cartoons 7/7/22 7:12 PM Page 64

CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com

CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com

THE WORLD LOOKS AT THE MIDDLE EAST

Beirut, Lebanon

CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com

CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Khaleej Times, Dubai, UAE

www.Otherwords.org

CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com

De Volkskrant, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Irish Times, Dublin, Ireland

64

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

www.Otherwords.org

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

opm_65.qxp_Other Peoples Mail 7/7/22 7:22 PM Page 65

Other People’s Mail Compiled by Dale Sprusansky

EVEN AFTER KILLING JOURNALIST, NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ISRAEL To The Lima News, May 27, 2022 “They were armed with cameras.” Those were the exact words of the Israeli military spokesman trying to justify the assassination of highly respected Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Shireen had been doing her job as a journalist, which obviously requires carrying a camera. Apparently the Israeli army, which likes to call itself the “most moral in the world,” now justifies killing journalists “armed” with cameras.

Thirty years ago I spent two years as codirector of a school near Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Four members of Israel’s “most moral army in the world” caught one of our students, a 14year-old boy who weighed around 100 pounds, in the act of spray painting a wall.

They proceeded to rearrange a side of his face with a rubber bullet and then administer a brutal beating with rifle butts that nearly killed him. He was armed with a can of spray paint.

Palestinian journalists will continue being murdered, funeral processions will continue being attacked and Palestinian children will continue being beaten and tortured as long as the United States blindly hands Israel $10.5 million per day to equip the “most moral army” and demands no accountability in return.

Brice Brenneman, St. Marys, OH

ENOUGH WITH SPURIOUS CLAIMS OF ANTI-SEMITISM To The Riverdale Press, June 10, 2022 Councilman Eric Dinowitz denounces groups campaigning for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel due to its current policies toward Palestinians.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

TELL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WHAT YOU THINK PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. NW WASHINGTON, DC 20500 COMMENT LINE: (202) 456-1111 WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV/CONTACT

SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2201 C ST. NW WASHINGTON, DC 20520 PHONE: (202) 647-6575 VISIT WWW.STATE.GOV TO E-MAIL

ANY MEMBER: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, DC 20515 (202) 225-3121

He refers to “anti-Semitic tropes” and somehow connects BDS to anti-Semitic hate crimes. This is an attack on the CUNY Law School student government and some professors, and also on North Bronx Racial Justice and Jewish Voice for Peace, which recently held a demonstration in Riverdale.

He does not cite one statement by any of these groups which actually denigrates or attacks Jews—that is, anything anti-Semitic. Nor does he cite a single statement by any of these groups saying that Israel should not exist.

In short, these charges of anti-Semitism are simply made up. He is making a demagogic appeal for future votes.

The Israeli state has turned the Gaza Strip into a vast prison camp. It has continued to take land from Palestinians. It has made no serious effort to negotiate a twostate agreement. It has supported Jewish settlers in attacking local Palestinians. It has brutally repressed Palestinian people.

When young Palestinians react with demonstrations—and sometimes by throwing stones—it has beaten them and shot them down. Recently it killed a prominent woman journalist, a Palestinian American, who was unarmed and in an unarmed group. These are the things which the BDS movement opposes.

Opposing such criminal behavior does not make one “anti-Semitic” any more than opposing police or vigilante killings of African Americans makes you “anti-white” or “anti-American.”

Wayne Price, New York, NY

URGE CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION FOR YEMEN To the Valley News, June 4, 2022 All eyes are on Ukraine, as they should be. The Russian invasion threatens not only to destroy this fledgling democracy but

ANY SENATOR: U.S. SENATE WASHINGTON, DC 20510 (202) 224-3121

to destabilize the rest of the region.

At least the U.S. is not complicit in waging this war.

But who is watching Yemen, and the seven-year war there led by Saudi Arabia, in which the U.S. is complicit? Specifically, we continue to provide maintenance and intelligence-sharing for warplanes that conduct airstrikes and enforce the air and sea blockade of Yemen.

But there is something you can do. U.S. involvement there is unconstitutional. Congress has never authorized U.S. military participation in the Saudi-led war and blockade. Bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate passed a Yemen War Powers Resolution in 2019 to end our support of this war, but the resolution was vetoed by then-President Donald Trump.

The war and blockade have led to economic collapse in Yemen and a humanitarian disaster. There is massive internal displacement and famine; 24 million people need emergency assistance immediately; nearly 377,000 have been killed; 2.3 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition and tens of thousands are dying of starvation. Watch “The Hunger Ward” for more detailed information (https://www. hungerward.org/see-the-film).

Our financial and material support for the Saudi-led war and blockade is your tax dollars at work. A new War Powers Resolution was introduced in the House in early June, and one is hopefully coming in the Senate.

The last time I looked, there were 97 cosponsors. Please urge your representatives to add their names as cosponsors, and second to publicly support the bill and persuade their colleagues to get behind it as well.

The clock for the Yemenis who have survived is ticking.

Lindsay Dearborn, Lebanon, NH ■

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

65

angelsr_66.qxp_August/September 2022 CHOIR OF ANGELS 7/7/22 9:56 PM Page 66

AET’s 2022 Choir of Angels

The following are individuals, organizations, companies and foundations whose help between Jan. 1, 2022 and July 5, 2022 is making possible activities of the tax‐exempt AET Library Endowment (federal ID #52‐1460362) and the American Educational Trust, publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Some Angels help us co‐sponsor the annual IsraelLobbyCon. Others are donating to our “Capital Building Fund,” which will help us expand the Middle East Books and More bookstore. Thank you all for helping us survive the turmoil caused by the pandemic. We are deeply honored by your confidence and profoundly grateful for your generosity.

HUMMERS ($100 or more) Sami Abed, South Lyon, MI Rizek & Alice Abusharr, Claremont, CA Justine Adair, Waxhaw, NC James Ahlstrom, Stirling, NJ Qamar Ahsan, Flint, MI Mohammad & Shaista Akbar, Orwigsburg, PA Catherine Al-Askari, Leonia, NJ Tammam Aljoundi, Saint Louis, MO Hanaa Al-Wardi, Alhambra, CA Mazen Alsatie, Carmel, IN Nabil & Judy Amarah, Danbury, CT Dr. John Duke Anthony, McLean, VA Sultan Aslam, Plainsboro, NJ Robert Barber, Parrish, FL Estate of Rajie Cook, Washington Crossing, PA Raymond Doherty, Houston, TX Lewis Elbinger, Mount Shasta, CA Tom Ellis, Albany, NY Andrew Findlay, Alexandria, VA Jeanne Finley, Albany, NY Anne Ganz, Chilmark, MA David Glick, Fairfax, CA Graeme Goodsir, Mechanicsburg, PA Doug Greene, Bowling Green, OH Iftekhar Hai, S. San Francisco, CA Delinda C. Hanley, Kensington, MD* Sameer Hassan, West Palm Beach, FL Gerald Heidel, Bradenton, FL Neil Himber, Youngsville, PA Islamic Center, Detroit, MI Mark Kaidy, Westminster, IN Mary Keath, Bend, OR Rehan Khan, East Brunswick, NJ Mohayya Khilfeh, Willow Brook, IL Bader Kudsi, San Jose, CA Edward Kuncar, Coral Gables, FL David & Rene Lent, Hanover, NH Marilyn Levin, Ashland, OR Jonothan Logan, New York, NY Nidal Mahayni, Richmond, VA Lucinda Mahmoud, Oceanside, CA Sabeen Malik, Freehold, NJ 66

Abdulla Mamdani, Minneapolis, MN Nabil Matar, Minneapolis, MN William McAuley, Chicago, IL Bill McGrath, Northfield, MN Hugh McInnish, Huntsville, AL Anisa Mehdi, Maplewood, NJ Tom Mickelson, Cottage Grove, WI Maury Keith Moore, Seattle, WA Moe Muhsin, Honolulu, HI Elizabeth Murray, Escondido, CA Eid Mustafa, Wichita Falls, TX Eleanor Parker, Helena, MT Phillip Portlock, Washington, DC Barry Preisler, Albany, CA John & Peggy Prugh, Tucson, AZ Marjorie Ransom, Washington, DC Paul Richards, Salem, OR John Robinson, Somerville, MA William Rugh, Hingham, MA Mohammed Sabbagh, Grand Blanc, MI Linda Saccavino, Tampa, FL Ramzy Salem, Monterey Park, CA Ajazuddin Shaikh, Granger, IL Aziz Shalaby, Vancouver, WA Carl Shankweiler, Valley View, PA William & Ursula Slavick, Portland, ME Tom Veblen, Washington, DC V. Vitolins, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI Raymond Younes, Oxnard, CA Mohammed Ziaullah, Montclair, CA

ACCOMPANISTS ($250 or more) Dr. Mohammed Ahmed, Waterville, OH Larry A. Cooper, Plymouth, MI**** Fahd Jajeh, Lake Forest, IL Bilquis Jaweed, West Chester, OH Dr. Jane Killgore & Thomas D’Albani, Bemidji, MN** Edwin Lindgren, Overland Park, KS Amar Masri, Fort Wayne, IN Sara Najjar-Wilson, Reston, VA Irmgard Scherer, Fairfax, VA Joan Seelye, Washington, DC Raymond Totah, Fallbrook, CA Jeanne Trabulsi, Front Royal, VA

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS

Don Wagner, Orland Hills, IL William Walls, Arlington, VA

TENORS & CONTRALTOS ($500 or more) Michael Ameri, Calabasas, CA Roger Bagshaw, Big Sur, CA James Bennett, Fayetteville, AR Prof. Juan Cole, Ann Arbor, MI Wasif Hafeez, W. Bloomfield, MI Brigitte Jaensch, Carmichael, CA Darrel Meyers, Burbank, CA Abid Shah, Sarasota, FL Bernice Shaheen, Palm Desert, CA*** David Snider, Bolton, MA

BARITONES & MEZZO SOPRANOS ($1,000 or more) Karen Ray Bossmeyer, Louisville, KY Joseph Daruty, Newport Beach, CA Majed Faruki, Albuquerque, NM Judith Howard, Norwood, MA Ghazy Kader, Shoreline, WA Jack Love, Fort Myers, FL Hani Marar, Delmar, NY Roberta McInerney, Washington, DC** Imad & Joann Tabry, Fort Lauderdale, FL Donn Trautman, Evanston, IL Prof. Stephen Walt, Brookline, MA

CHOIRMASTERS ($5,000 or more) Dr. Clyde Farris, West Linn, OR*, ** John & Henrietta Goelet, Washington, DC William Lightfoot, Vienna, VA Benjamin Wade, Saratoga, CA * In Memory of Dick and Donna Curtiss ** In Memory of Andrew I. Killgore ***In Memory of Dr. Jack G. Shaheen ****In Memory of Diane Rose Cooper AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

ANERA_ad_c3.qxp_ANERA Ad Cover 3 7/6/22 2:10 PM Page c3

cover4v2.qxp_August/September 2022 Back Cover 7/7/22 9:09 PM Page c4

American Educational Trust Washington Report on Middle East Affairs P.O. Box 53062 Washington, DC 20009

August/September 2022 Vol. XLI, No. 5

A master falconer demonstrates her ancient skill while describing its important historical role. After a two‐year pause, due to COVID‐19, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival opened on June 22. More than 80 artists from the UAE flew to the U.S. capital to represent the country’s program, “Living Landscape, Living Memory,” at the festival.

PHOTO COURTESY WTOP VALERIE BONK