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On Middle East Affairs
Volume XXXIV, No. 3
May 2015
Telling the Truth for More Than 30 Years… 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 Netanyahu’s Speech to Congress Causes Tremors in The “Unshakable” Alliance—Rachelle Marshall
18 Banksy Murals a Rare Source of Pleasure for Besieged Gazans—Mohammed Omer
11 CIA Sued for “Thousands” of Files on Israeli Theft Of U.S. Weapons-Grade Uranium—Grant F. Smith
20 Three New Amigos: Graham, Netanyahu and Blair—Ian Williams
12 What Does the Israeli Election Mean for a
22 The Speech: Netanyahu Harangues the U.S. Congress—Uri Avnery
Future Palestinian State?—Two Views
—George S. Hishmeh, Gideon Levy 14 Only Palestinian Village Remaining in Central Israel Threatened With Demolition—Jonathan Cook 16 What Looms Ahead for the Forgotten Heroes of Gaza?—Delinda C. Hanley
24 Boehner/Netanyahu Spectacle Injects Politics Into U.S.-Israel Relations—Shirl McArthur 27 Pro-Israel PACs Already Working to Re-elect Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) in 2016—Janet McMahon 28 Total Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2014 Congressional Candidates—Compiled by Hugh Galford
UNRWA USA
A group of remarkable young ladies, the parliament of Jalazone Girls’ School in the West Bank, welcomed UNRWA USA staff members Laila Mokhiber (l), Abby Smardon (back row, second from l) and UNRWA board member Elizabeth Kucinich (back row, second from r) during their visit in March.
SPECIAL REPORTS 34 Eighty-Three Percent of Lights Have Gone Out In Syria—Josh Butler
36 Malaysian Opposition Alliance Loses Two Key Leaders in Three Days—John Gee
ON THE COVER: Malak al-Khatib, 14, who was arrested Dec. 31, 2014 on charges of throwing stones and carrying a knife and sentenced to two months in prison, flashes a victory sign during a Feb. 17 rally in Ramallah calling for the release of Palestinian children held in Israeli jails, four days after she herself was released. ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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(A Supplement to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs available by subscription at $15 per year. To subscribe, call toll-free 1-888-881-5861.)
Other Voices
Compiled by Janet McMahon
Who Can Save Israel Now?, Philip Weiss, www.mondoweiss.net
OV-1
Netanyahu Won. Now What?, Avigail Abarbanel, www.mondoweiss.net
OV-3
European Jews Moving to Israel Are Trading Anti-Semitism for Racism, Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz
OV-3
Israel’s Foreign Minister Calls for Beheading Arab Citizens and It’s not Anywhere in The New York Times, Scott Roth & Philip Weiss, www.mondoweiss.net Netanyahu Unmasks Israel, Robert Parry, http://consortiumnews.com
OV-4 OV-4
Why Israel Lobby Is Biggest Casualty of Feud Over Binyamin Netanyahu’s Speech, Nathan Guttman, The Forward
OV-6
What About Israel’s Nuclear Bomb? William Greider, www.thenation.com
OV-7
Iran Schools GOP Senators on International Law, Akbar Shahid Ahmed, TheHuffingtonPost.com
OV-8
Rand Paul’s Munich, Justin Raimondo, www.antiwar.com
OV-9
Is the Time for Enmity Over?, Trita Parsi, Le Monde diplomatique
OV-11
Ghosts of Saddam, Saladin & Khomeini: The Historical Meaning Behind the Tikrit Campaign, Juan Cole, www.juancole.com
OV-14
Why Obama’s Hopes of Decapitating the Islamic State Won’t Work, Andrew Cockburn, www.counterpunch.org
OV-14
The U.S. Sells Out a Brave, Democratic Muslim Leader—Again James North, www.mondoweiss.net
OV-16
DEPARTMENTS 5 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7 PUBLISHERS’ PAGE 38 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
45 CHRISTIANITY AND THE MIDDLE EAST: The Plight of Iraq’s Ancient Christian Communities
—Philip Davies
CHRONICLE: Bus Ads Highlight U.S. Taxpayer Funding of “Israel’s War Crimes”
—Elaine Pasquini 40 NEW YORK CITY AND TRI-STATE NEWS: UNRWA Photos Document Palestinians’ “Long Journey”—Jane Adas 42 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHRONICLE: Muslims Mourn, Call for Hate Crime Probe Into
50 ARAB AMERICAN ACTIVISM: Arab America, UDC Commemorate the Struggle for Justice 50 MUSIC & ARTS: Film Examines Malcolm X and African-American History
—A Statement by Dr. Sami al-Arian
From the Frontline
—Reviewed by Kevin A. Davis 69 MIDDLE EAST BOOKS AND MORE 70 THE WORLD LOOKS AT THE MIDDLE EAST — CARTOONS
71 OTHER PEOPLE’S MAIL 73 BULLETIN BOARD
52 HUMAN RIGHTS: 74 2015 AET CHOIR OF ANGELS
Explores the “Future of War”
U.S. Deports Never-Convicted Professor and Activist
Syria Speaks: Art and Culture
—Allan C. Brownfeld
New America Conference 44 ISLAM IN AMERICA:
68 BOOK REVIEWS: Oh, Salaam!
48 ISRAEL AND JUDAISM: Netanyahu’s Calls for Jews to Flee Europe Are Rebuffed as “Posthumous Victory” for Hitler
Murder of Three Chapel Hill Students—Pat and Samir Twair
67 DIPLOMATIC DOINGS: A Conversation With Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim
46 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 55 WAGING PEACE: #OneStruggle Panelists Inspire
lte_5-6r_Letters to the Editor 3/26/15 2:43 PM Page 5
Publisher: Managing Editor: News Editor: Assistant Editor: Middle East Books and More Director: Finance & Admin. Director: Art Director: Executive Editor:
ANDREW I. KILLGORE JANET McMAHON DELINDA C. HANLEY DALE SPRUSANSKY KEVIN A. DAVIS CHARLES R. CARTER RALPH U. SCHERER RICHARD H. CURTISS (1927-2013)
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (ISSN 8755-4917) is published 8 times a year, monthly except Jan./Feb., March/April and June/July 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 91056, Long Beach, CA 90809-1056. Published by the American Educational Trust (AET), a non-profit 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 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, selfdetermination, 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 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: P.O. Box 53062, 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 Web sites: http://www.wrmea.org http://www.middleeastbooks.com Subscriptions, sample copies and donations: P.O. Box 91056, Long Beach, CA 90809-1056. Phone: (888) 881-5861 • Fax: (714) 226-9733 Printed in the USA
MAY 2015
LetterstotheEditor Kudos From Down Under I was sent a Washington Report article which impressed me as to its apparent truthfulness, which after witnessing the humiliations of your country on 3 March, was a somewhat refreshing experience. I would be pleased to think that your articles are also read by the 477 members of your Joint Houses who attended the Netanyahu political circus on that day, such numbers unfortunately reflecting what seems to be the state of play in the USA, 2015. You may not be surprised to know that such analysis of Middle East matters is seriously lacking in this country except through the online articles from Global Research, on occasions. Any reports which do appear in print have the corrupt stamp of the Murdoch empire, devoid of any real facts and which are, more than likely, reproduced from the pages of the Jerusalem Post. Perhaps you may advise me of the procedures necessary to be able to receive your digital publications. I did find your webpage to be somewhat convoluted and unresponsive to my efforts in this regard. As you probably know, everything in this part of the world, down under so to speak, is back-to-front. Rex Williams, Canberra, Australia Thanks to the ministrations of our webmaster, we’re pleased to welcome you as a digital subscriber. The $10 annual rate enables subscribers to view each new issue as soon as the print version is mailed, and is the perfect solution for our readers abroad. And we’re glad you do not seem to equate all Americans with those members of Congress who applauded a foreign leader as he undermined their president and State Department. As the Israeli activist Uri Avnery notes on p. 22, “Nothing like this could have happened in the Knesset.” “The Israel Lobby” Conference We would love to be present at your April 10 conference on the Israel lobby. You certainly have some great speakers. Enclosed is our check for $5,000 to assist your magazine in telling the truth about our deplorable pro-Israel Congress. Vince and Louise Larsen, Billings, MT We are so grateful for your generous support over the years, which has helped keep this magazine alive, and we know you will be with us in spirit on April 10. It’s our hope that CSPAN will air the conference live, as it did last year’s “National Summit to Reassess the U.S.-Israel ‘Special Relationship.’” (Calls enTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
couraging them to do so might help make that happen.) A video of the conference proceedings should be available the following day at <http://IsraelLobbyUS.org>.
A Fickle Mistress I have high hopes for this conference if it honestly addresses the subjects you have on the agenda. Too much tiptoeing around “feelings” and not enough scrutiny of decisions masquerading as “objective.” Guilt is a fickle mistress. Gladys Pfaff, Philadelphia, PA Better to be master of one’s own fate.
Now More Than Ever I am writing with a heartfelt “thank you” for your many years of bringing to light the issues, insights, strategies and programs that affect justice in Palestine and Israel and, indeed, throughout the Middle East. The Washington Report is “must-reading” for those who want a wholistic view of the complex factors that make for U.S. foreign policy in the region and what we can do, what we must do, to be forces for positive change in our country. We who labor “in the trenches” through our various organizations around the country desperately need your clarion call for education, but, even more, for advocacy and action now more than ever. We at the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace are celebrating our 10th year of education, engagement and empowerment for justice in the Middle East, especially Palestine and Israel, this year. And as a thank you for your partnership, for supplying complimentary copies of the Washington Report for our constituents, please accept this gift of $250 to continue your courageous witness. Like I said earlier, we need the Washington Report now more than ever. Michael Spath, Executive Director, Indiana CMEP Inc., Fort Wayne, IN Congratulations on your decade of achievement! And thank you so much for your kind words and generous contribution. It’s wonder5
lte_5-6r_Letters to the Editor 3/26/15 2:43 PM Page 6
ful to know that people and organizations such as yours are working hard throughout the country to educate their fellow citizens about justice for the Palestinians and the need for an independent U.S. foreign policy.
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>.
Reliable Ammunition In the late ’60s, while I was on a Fulbright to Germany, I decided to go to Israel after finishing my commitment. During the six months or so I was there, I worked on various kibbutzim, choosing ones of different political persuasions. Though I saw things which troubled me, I assumed I was misinterpreting them. All my life, I had admired Jews—their sense of justice, their erudition, the value they placed on sophisticated culture. In short, I was heavily biased. But what I observed, and experienced, was evidence of an overweening prejudice—and this by government fiat. Hardly a “democracy” as claimed. Indeed, even among Jews, there was an established “pecking order,” with immigrants from certain countries (Morocco, when I was there) given the worst jobs and housing. In addition, it was obvious that only Jews had intrinsic value. On one kibbutz, a worker (Danish) lost toes on one foot when medical attention was delayed while those in charge argued over who would get to drive him (cars were scarce and the opportunity to drive them highly prized) to the doctor. Another accident led to a similar disastrous outcome. I, myself, while working on a kibbutz next to the Syrian border which was periodically bombed, learned by accident when I was leaving that there were bomb shelters routinely used by kibbutz members, yet we were not informed of this. We, apparently, were exOther Voices is an optional pendable. 16-page supplement availAfter I came home, I educated able only to subscribers of myself—both rethe Washington Report on garding the hisMiddle East Affairs. For an tory of the region and current condiadditional $15 per year (see tions. I still remempostcard insert for Wash ber my shock on ington Re port subscripreading The Holocaust Industry, and tion rates), subscribers will of course, since receive Other Voices inside each issue of their then, your excellent publication. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Over the years Back issues of both publications are available. To I’ve worked with subscribe telephone 1 (888) 881-5861, fax (714) 226local PJP groups and also written 9733, e-mail <circulation@wrmea.org>, or write to countless letters to P.O. Box 91056, Long Beach, CA 90809-1056. various newspapers, magazines,
Spreading the Knowledge As-salaamu alaykum. Respectful greetings; and may this find you all with the very best of health and faring well in every regard. This is just a brief note to kindly request—if possible—an extension on the Washington Report subscription that you have so generously provided us with (it expires with the next issue). We benefit from it beyond what these mere words can express! There are around a dozen regular readers of the issues that you send, and we use them as resources for the dialogues we have with unaware individuals who have no real clue as to what’s going on overseas. At any rate, if you could extend the subscription, it would be most highly appreciated, to say the very least; and in the event that you’re unable to do so or otherwise constrained, my thanks to you all the same! Please do keep up the good work, and may God be pleased with you for it. Abdul Bari, Allen Correctional Institution, Lima, OH P.S. Please disregard the name on the return address of the envelope that this arrives in. Another prisoner gave me his monthly “free envelope” to use. On behalf of our angels, we are pleased to extend your subscription—and impressed with your 12:1 ratio of readers to each issue!
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THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
called talk shows, etc. In addition, I’ve conducted a weekly Quakerstyle vigil with signs in front of the local synagogue, where I was routinely called names (“Nazi whore” was a favorite, and “coward”—which I was never able to figure out), spat on, and threatened with a beating. The degree of venom was astonishing. I’ve discontinued these vigils because the synagogue has removed itself to a space outside the city, remote enough to make it unsafe for me to continue. Please accept my gratitude for your intelligent and untiring efforts on behalf of the Palestinians. And for supplying me, all these years, with ammunition for my own efforts. Knowing that ammunition was reliable has made all the difference—it rendered me unafraid. I am 85 years old. And while it may be too ambitious to hope for justice for the Palestinians before my death I know, in my gut, that it will come. Iowa City, though not as “liberal” as it believes, is not a bad place to live. I’ve landed here (as well as many college towns across the country) several times because of my profession. I’m a classically trained composer, and oddly Iowa City was, for many years, a mecca for avant-garde composers. No longer true, alas. Wilhelmine Bennett, Iowa City, IA Your story is fascinating and, we suspect, true of many Americans who admired Israel until they went there and had their eyes (and ears) opened. We applaud your courage and determination, and thank you most sincerely for your generous contribution. As we like to say, we’re all in this together!
Pleasure and Indignation I was thrilled to get the article on the Wendell Phillips exhibition (see March/April 2015 Washington Report, p. 40) and read through your marvelous magazine with pleasure (and indignation of course for what I was reading!) and was reminded that I have been meaning to subscribe. I will do so. Anyone who cares about the Middle East should be one of your readers. Jane Fletcher Geniesse, via e-mail We thank our mutual friend Dr. Michael Hudson, who recently retired from Georgetown University, for bringing the article to your attention, knowing as he did that you are writing a book on Wendell Phillips. We know it will be as excellent as your previous works on Freya Stark, Passionate Nomad, and the founder of the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, American Priestess. Not only do we look forward to reading it ourselves, but we hope to make it available to others through AET’s Middle East Books and More. ❑ MAY 2015
publishers_7_May 2015 Publishers page 3/26/15 8:29 PM Page 7
American Educational Trust
Publishers’ Page
Re-Evaluating Life-Support For Israel After Israel’s recent elections, Americans, especially Jews, are engaging in some tough conversations about the self-proclaimed Jewish state. Can the U.S. continue to support an ever more belligerent, less secular, less liberal and increasingly inevitable apartheid state? A growing number of Americans are calling for a boycott of goods produced in the settlements and supporting Palestinian bids at the U.N. They’re calling for the Obama administration to present its own peace plan, and to punish—yes, punish—the Israeli government for rejecting it, according to a March 27 editorial published in the Jewish weekly Forward. So we wonder if we’ve been...
Living in a Bubble. As our assistant editor Dale Sprusansky searched newspapers for worthy candidates to include in “Other Peoples Mail” (see p. 71), he was horrified by the glut of published letters attacking President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, especially the potential for a “bad deal” with Iran—even before details are announced. Other letter writers heaped praise on Binyamin Netanyahu for his speech in defiance of a sitting president at a joint session of Congress. They criticized the 60 members of Congress who skipped the speech (see p. 25). Stunningly, still more applauded the re-election of a prime minister who courted right-wing voters by vowing there would be no Palestinian state under his watch and promising more illegal settlements on Palestinian land, and who railed against Arab citizens of Israel because they came out “in droves” to vote. Are increasing numbers of Americans, like Israelis, becoming more radical? Is this nation truly as polarized as our Congress? Do these letters, we wonder...
Reflect American Values? Or do editors choose to print only letters that reflect the Rupert Murdoch/Fox News world view? Murdoch and his ilk have long used the power of the media to make or break political leaders. And millionaire casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and billionaire Tea Party donor David Koch also work as king-makers or -breakers. The proIsrael PAC charts (and Arab American PAC MAY 2015
with an eight-year siege? What would we do if our salaries weren’t paid because a foreign government was holding onto U.S. tax revenue? How would we react to having only four hours of electricity every day? And no power to run sewage treatment plants, and no clean water to drink? And having holes in our homes, as well as on our streets. We had just a taste of some of this over the winter and…
It Wasn’t Pretty. Thank You, Angels… donations) on pp. 27 should provide a wakeup call to our readers—and to U.S. voters. And 2014 wasn’t even a…
Presidential Election Year! Calling All Troops... This is an excellent time for pro-Middle East peace Americans—Christians, Jews, Muslims and others—to step on the gas and go full speed ahead. President Obama has taken Netanyahu (not to mention Israeli voters) at his word that there will be no more useless peace talks, and his administration is hinting that it may be time for outside international pressure. A growing number of conscientious Americans object to our support-Israel-right-or-wrong policy. Since Israel’s last invasion of Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace has added 25 chapters and thousands of new members (see p. 57).
Miracle Grow on Grassroots Activism. Let’s take this opportunity to redouble our efforts to make a sea-change in Mideast policy, by contacting elected officials, including President Obama, who is virtually begging for our help, and sharing our views with editors and talk show hosts. We think the president is this close to supporting, not vetoing, Israeli/Arab peace resolutions at the U.N. Let’s break out of the bubble of thinking everything is OK.
Pizza-Sized Potholes vs. Gaza Here in the nation’s capital we are grumbling about lingering cold weather and ubiquitous potholes. We spent the winter complaining about snow, slick roads and occasional power outages. How long would you and I put up THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
For keeping the lights on in our Washington, DC offices and perhaps (we’re keeping our fingers crossed) helping us hire a badly needed new staff member. Many of you have also supported our efforts to....
Shine a Light on the Lobby. As this issue wends its way to your mailbox, local bookstore and library, the Washington Report will be co-hosting with the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) a major conference titled: “The Israel Lobby: Is It Good for the U.S.? Is It Good for Israel?” at the National Press Club on April 10. By shining a light on the tactics and activities of the pro-Israel lobby, organizers hope to expose its unhealthy influence on American and Israeli policies alike.
Read All About It! It wouldn’t surprise us if national and international press, radio, including Murdochowned newspapers and TV, decide to boycott this unprecedented gathering—as opposed to their sycophantic coverage of the annual conferences of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Christians United for Israel (CUFI). But have no fear, you can visit <www.IsraelLobbyUS. org> soon after the April 10 event to watch panelists discuss the lobby’s attempts to silence voices critical of Israel on campus, at the U.N. and on Capitol Hill. Be sure to read our own report on these important proceedings in the June/July issue of the Washington Report. We’re convinced that, now together we can…
Make a Difference Today! 7
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Netanyahu’s Speech to Congress Causes Tremors in the “Unshakable” Alliance SpecialReport
By Rachelle Marshall
boycott the speech. Vereldom has a speech by mont Sen. Patrick J. Leahy Israeli leader called Boehner’s invitation aroused so much outrage “ a t aw d r y a n d h i g h before the speech was even handed stunt.” delivered. The storm of Nevertheless, Netanyacriticism arose shortly after hu’s loyal supporters in the President Barack Obama’s Republican-dominated ConState of the Union address gress gave him a rapturous in late January, when welcome as he walked to the House Speaker John podium, greeting him as if Boehner announced he had the messiah had returned. A invited Israeli Prime Minisweek later, Republican senter Binyamin Netanyahu to ators answered Netanyahu’s deliver a rebuttal before call by attempting to blow Congress. up the negotiations in LauBecause the invitation sanne just as they seemed was arranged by Boehner close to culminating in an and U.S.-born Israeli Amagreement. The letter, bassador Ron Dermer withsigned by 47 Republicans out the knowledge of either and addressed to “leaders of the White House or the the Islamic Republic of State Department, critics Iran,” warned that any called it an unprecedented agreement not ratified by violation of diplomatic proCongress could be reversed tocol and an affront to the by the next president “with presidency. House Minora stroke of a pen.” That ity Leader Nancy Pelosi statement was immediately said it was an “insult to the challenged by experts in inUnited States.” ternational law who pointed Harsh criticism came out that, under the Constifrom Israel as well. “It’s a tution, executive agreehuge miscalculation,” said ments with other nations Eytan Gilboa, a professor of have the force of law. Facts political communication at aside, however, the world Bar-Ilan University. “I think was treated to the odd specthis exercise might backtacle of right-wing Republifire.” can senators making comThe backfire came almost mon cause with Iranian immediately when several Senate Democrats who had Sunni Iraqi refugees return to the town of Al-Alam, northeast of Tikrit, on hard-liners who regard the been pushing for stiffer March 17, 2015, after the town was recaptured from the Islamic State by U.S. as “the Great Satan.” In addressing Congress, sanctions against Iran an- Sunni and Shi’i fighters from the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq group. Netanyahu made it clear nounced they would suspend their efforts until the negotiations rity adviser, called Netanyahu’s action “de- that his true goal is ousting the Islamic were concluded. The veto-proof majority structive,” for injecting partisanship into regime that replaced the shah. He accused for increased sanctions that AIPAC could the U.S.-Israel relationship. Only U.N. Am- Iran of “gobbling up” other countries on bassador Samantha Power, a staunch de- its “march of conquest, subjugation and once count on no longer existed. Vice President Joseph Biden announced fender of Israel, remained noncommittal. terror,” and charged Iran’s rulers with havhe would be out of town during the “The U.S.-Israel relationship transcends ing a “voracious appetite for aggression”— even though Iran, unlike Israel, has never speech. Obama declined to meet with Ne- politics and always will,” she said. It was a mystifying remark considering in recent years invaded a neighboring tanyahu on this visit, saying he didn’t want to appear involved in Israel’s parti- Netanyahu’s open support for Mitt Rom- country. He warned that “the ideology of san politics. Susan Rice, his national secu- ney in 2012, his close relationship with Re- Iran’s revolutionary regime is deeply publican billionaire Sheldon Adelson, and rooted in militant Islam, and that’s why Rachelle Marshall is a free-lance editor liv- the worshipful support for the Israeli this regime will always be an enemy of ing in Mill Valley, CA. A member of Jewish prime minister on the part of congressional America.” Voice for Peace, she writes frequently on the Republicans. Power also ignored the fact In fact, far from being an enemy, Iran is Middle East. that 60 members of Congress planned to currently a vital ally in Obama’s effort to AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Sa n
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MAY 2015
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Israelis Re-Elect Netanyahu Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who was running for his fourth term as Israel’s leader, was awarded a gratifying endorsement of his policies in the elections for the Knesset on March 17, when his Likud party won 30 seats to the Zionist Union’s 24. Since neither party gained a majority of seats in the 120-member Knesset, Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin consulted with the heads of 10 smaller parties and determined that Netanyahu had the backing of 67 members of the Knesset, a clear majority. The prime minister now has until May 7 to form a government. Netanyahu was certain to have the support of Israel’s several right-wing parties, but the deciding factor was the choice made by Moshe Kahlon, head of a new party called Kulanu (“all of us”) that won 10 seats. Isaac Herzog, head of the Zionist Union, could have sought support from the alliance of Arab parties known as the Joint List, with its 13 seats, but no Zionist party has ever invited an Arab party to join in a coalition, and no Arab party wants to be seen as supporting a Zionist agenda. The Joint List is headed by political veteran Ayman Odeh, who advocates coexistence with Israel, as well as equality for Arab citizens of Israel in education, employment, public services and land allocation. Odeh, who frequently quotes Martin Luther King, said he would support Herzog if he became prime minister, but that possibility has become remote with Netanyahu’s success at the polls. If the Joint List can maintain a degree of unity among Israel’s
contain ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria without sending U.S. ground troops. While Netanyahu was demonizing Iran and its “tentacles of terror,” Iran’s army was helping the Iraqis hold off ISIS forces until U.S. military advisers can finish training Iraqi soldiers. Vali Nasr, dean of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, said, “The U.S. strategy in Iraq has been successful so far largely because of Iran.” Administration officials argue that the agreement Netanyahu and his allies in Congress are opposing would delay Iran’s production of a bomb for 10 years, and meanwhile its nuclear facilities would be subject to intrusive inspections and other strict limitations. They point out that Netanyahu has offered no feasible alternative to such a deal, and that in the absence of an agreement Iran would be able to pursue a nuclear weapon free of all controls. Suggesting that war would be the inevitable result if Netanyahu got his way, Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California commented, “This is a prime minister who has never seen a war he did not want our country to fight.” Equally sharp criticism came from Netanyahu’s political opponents in Israel, who called Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress a political ploy to gain votes in Israel’s March 17 election. Israelis are not as enamored of their prime minister as are America’s Republican party leaders. Pre-election polls showed Netanyahu’s Likud party running slightly behind the Zionist Union, a centrist party headed by Isaac Herzog and former Likud member Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu was undoubtedly counting on television shots showing members of MAY 2015
1.3 million Arab citizens, it will be a strong voice for reason in the Knesset. Jafar Farah, director of the advocacy group called the Mossawa Center, said, “The discourse of separation, the discourse of racism, the discourse of incitement, that have been promoted by Bibi Netanyahu and [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Lieberman is the discourse we are challenging.” If there is any good news to be had from Israel’s election it is that Netanyahu’s last-minute pandering to right-wing voters may have permanently ended America’s automatic support for Israel at the U.N. The prime minister’s outright rejection of a two-state solution fatally exposed the myth that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians could lead to peace. That belated revelation, and Netanyahu’s racist warning to right-wing Israelis that Arab voters were streaming to the polls “in droves,” apparently so angered Obama that administration officials hinted the U.S. might support a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. With the Republican Congress squarely behind Netanyahu, there is no chance the $3 billion-plus the U.S. gives Israel every year in military aid will be reduced. It is equally certain that without active intervention by the U.S. and the international community to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine, Israel’s growing extremism will fuel more of the turmoil currently plaguing the region. —R.M.
Congress giving him one standing ovation after another to give him a boost in domestic support. Martin Indyk, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, observed that “Netanyahu is using the Republican Congress for a photo-op for his election campaign, and the Republicans are using Bibi for their campaign against Obama. Unfortunately, the U.S. relationship will take the hit.” Herzog drew the same conclusion, charging on Israeli Army Radio that “What Netanyahu is doing with this violent behavior is to harm the security interests of Israel.” Since U.S. military and diplomatic support is assumed to be vital to Israel’s security, the accusation was clearly aimed at undermining Netanyahu’s claim to be the candidate best qualified to safeguard Israel’s security. That claim plus Netanyahu’s repeated assertions of opposition to a Palestinian state proved effective enough to counter voters’ widespread dissatisfaction with Israel’s sky-rocketing housing costs and increasing economic inequality. Netanyahu insisted that his speech to Congress was far from being a campaign ploy but a sincere effort to convince Americans that any nuclear agreement with Iran short of dismantling Iran’s entire nuclear program would endanger Israel’s survival, and by implication the survival of the Jewish people. Accordingly, he went to Washington, he said, “not just as the prime minister of Israel but as a representative of the entire Jewish people.” That stunningly presumptuous statement prompted more than 2,400 American Jews, including many rabbis, to sign a fullpage ad in The New York Times on March 2 THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
headed “No, Mr. Netanyahu—you do not speak for American Jews.” The ad, sponsored by the Tikkun community in Berkeley, California cited polls showing that a majority of Jews in the U.S. favor nuclear negotiations with Iran, and said the signers oppose “any attempt to drag the American people into another war.” In Israel, 200 former military and intelligence officials warned that Netanyahu’s policies were bringing Iran closer to a nuclear bomb. Meir Dagan, a former chief of Mossad, dismissed Netanyahu’s speech as “bull----.” Whether or not Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress was intended to gain him votes at home, his claim to represent the world’s Jews was only slightly further from reality than a Likud campaign video suggesting a vote for the Zionist Union would leave the way open for violent jihadists. The video shows black-hooded gunmen waving ISIS flags asking a motorist, “Which way to Jerusalem?’” “Turn left,” the driver says. The ad concludes, “The left will surrender to terror. It’s us or them. Only Netanyahu.” The word “left” hardly describes the Zionist Union, whose ads accused Netanyahu of not hitting Hamas hard enough last summer. “Did you destroy Hamas?” one ad asked, and answered, “You strengthened Hamas.” Although Herzog expressed support for a two-state solution, pursuing peace with the Palestinians was not a priority. Likud, on the other hand, is firmly opposed to such a solution. Netanyahu pledged on March 8 that “There will be no withdrawals” from the occupied territories, and “no concessions” to the Palestinians. He 9
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Palestinian protesters throw stones at an Israeli army bulldozer following a weekly demonstration against Israel’s theft of Palestinian land in the village of Kfar Qaddum, near the West Bank city of Nablus, March 20, 2015. explained that “terror organizations supported by Iran” would seize any territory Israel relinquished. He repeated that assertion on March 16, the day before the election. Although the continuing occupation was virtually a non-issue in the election campaign, just over Israel’s border a tragedy of heart-breaking proportions was continuing to take place. Six months after a cease-fire brought a respite in fighting between Israel and Hamas, much of Gaza remains in ruins, with little hope of reconstruction. Oxfam estimates that as long as Israel maintains its crippling blockade, it will take a hundred years to repair the damage caused by Israeli air and artillery attacks. Because Israel allows only an inadequate amount of building materials to enter, more than 100,000 Gazans, half of them children, remain in shelters or in houses without roofs or windows to protect them from freezing winds. Little of the promised $5 billion in aid has been delivered, and the U.N. has had to suspend cash payments to families because of lack of funds. In late January several human rights groups reported evidence that Israel had deliberately targeted civilians in Gaza. The Israeli group B’Tselem investigated 70 cases in which more than 600 Palestinians were killed, and found that most of the victims were inside their homes and a majority of the dead were women, children, and men over 60. Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel issued similar reports (see p. 54), accusing 10
the Israelis of bombing water and sewer systems, shelling ambulances and shooting at medical crews. The reports described Israel’s use of “flechette” bomblets that spew out barbed steel darts over large areas and have been banned under international law as an indiscriminate weapon. “There was no guaranteed safe place in Gaza, or escape routes from it,” according to Physicians for Human Rights. These findings were made public just as a new documentary film, “Censored Voices,” was released containing accounts of similar brutalities by the Israeli army after it captured Gaza from Egypt in 1967. One soldier says, “The brigade commander said to kill as many as possible...we all became murderers.” Today, nearly half a century later, conditions in Gaza are so wretched that an increasing number of young Palestinians try to cross the border into Israel simply out of desperation. In a 3-month period this winter, 84 young Palestinians were arrested at the border, and several others were shot. “The prison in Israel is like a five-star hotel” compared with life in Gaza, said Yousef Abbas, 21, who has been jailed twice. In February, Ibrahim Awawda climbed a 9-foot fence to get into Israel. After being interrogated by soldiers, he spent a month in prison. “The war shook me,” he said, referring to Israel’s latest assault. “I told myself I might find a better life. They served me good food, but later they threw me back to Gaza.” Ibrahim is 15, and has lived through 3 wars. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Conditions in the West Bank are only minimally better. The army continues to carry out nightly raids, ransacking homes and arresting dozens of residents, many of them children suspected of throwing stones. On Feb. 26 The New York Times published a blistering report by columnist Nicholas Kristof describing the extensive damage done by West Bank settlers who constantly harass Palestinian farmers by destroying their fruit trees, injuring their livestock, and preventing them from harvesting their olives. Kristof calls Israeli settlement policy a “landgrab,” and concludes: “The occupation is particularly offensive to me because it is conducted by the United States’ ally, underwritten with our tax dollars, supported by tax-deductible contributions to settlement groups, and carried out by American bulldozers and weaponry.” His column appeared just days after Israel announced plans to build 450 new housing units in the West Bank. According to a U.N. report, in 2014 Israel demolished 590 Palestinian homes to make way for settlers. In an added bit of gratuitous cruelty this winter, Israel’s state-owned electricity company temporarily cut off the power supply to Palestinians in the northern West Bank because the Palestinian Authority was unable to pay its bill. The Authority was unable to pay because Israel is withholding $127 million in the Palestinians’ monthly tax revenues as punishment for their decision to join the International Criminal Court. On March 5, the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s central council retaliated for Israel’s actions by voting to suspend “all forms of security coordination, given Israel’s systematic and ongoing noncompliance with its obligations under signed agreements.” Citing the daily military raids by the Israeli military and “attacks against our civilians and property,” the council also endorsed a boycott of all Israeli products, reaffirmed its refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, urged further reconciliation with Hamas, and called for national elections as soon as possible. The PLO’s action called attention to the major omission in Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. In stressing the danger to Israel’s security he did not once mention the Palestinians. Yet Israel can never be secure as long as it continues to seize Palestinian land and condemns two million Gazans to destitution and despair. Israel’s permanent security does not depend on its monopoly of nuclear bombs. It depends, as it always has, on a just peace with the Palestinians and continued American support. In continuing the occupation and opposing a nuclear agreement with Iran, Netanyahu is jeopardizing both. ❑ MAY 2015
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CIA Sued for “Thousands” of Files on Israeli Theft of U.S. Weapons-Grade Uranium SpecialReport
By Grant F. Smith
Carl Duckett, chief of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, also was unequivocal about team visited the Nuclear MateNUMEC, telling a Nuclear Regrials and Equipment Corporaulatory Commission’s safetion (NUMEC) in Apollo, PA at guards group in 1976 that the invitation of its president, the CIA believed NUMEC diZalman Mordecai Shapiro. verted the material to Israel. Rafael Eitan was a Mossad opHowever, efforts by the Justice erative who later ran conDepartment, CIA, FBI and victed spy Jonathan Pollard. congressional committees to Avraham Bendor (aka Shalom) generate criminal prosecuwas a long-time Shin Bet (intions under the Atomic Energy ternal Israeli intelligence) opAct and hold Israel accounterative. Ephraim Biegun was able were stymied by a series head of Mossad’s Technical of White House cover-ups. Department. When in 1968 CIA Director The three men used their Richard Helms told President real names, but presented false Lyndon B. Johnson that the credentials as scientists and CIA believed Israel had assemengineers to the Atomic Enbled an arsenal with NUMEC ergy Agency in order to be almaterial, LBJ replied, “Don’t lowed to enter the plant. Actell anyone else, even [Secrecompanying them was Avratary of State] Dean Rusk and ham Hermoni, scientific at[Defense Secretary] Robert taché at the Israeli Embassy. McNamara.” At the time it was generally Nixon administration Naunknown that Hermoni not tional Security Adviser Henry only was a spy, but was also Kissinger, referring to NUMEC, head of Israel’s nuclear bomb program at RAFAEL, the Is- The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that it will cost more than stated, “There is circumstantial raeli armaments development $400 million to clean up the NUMEC site, which has been called one of evidence that some fissionable material available for Israel’s authority. the country’s worst nuclear waste dumps. weapons development was illeBetween 1957 and 1978 NUMEC “lost” 337 kilograms of weapons- processing plant in U.S. history, according gally obtained from the United States about 1965…This is one program on which the Isgrade uranium. Two percent of NUMEC’s to a 2001 Energy Department report. Officials at the Central Intelligence raelis have persistently deceived us…and total throughput—the uranium NUMEC received from the government and the fuel Agency were unequivocal about what had may even have stolen from us.” This did not keep Israeli Prime Minister pellets into which it was converted for happened. John Hadden, CIA’s Tel Aviv Navy reactors—disappeared before Shapiro station chief, oversaw collection of samples Golda Meir and President Richard Nixon was forced out. Only then did plant losses outside Israel’s Dimona nuclear weapons from beginning a policy of “ambiguity” return to the industry norm of .2 percent or facility. The samples matched the special- under which neither the U.S. nor Israel less. This was the amount of material unac- ized signature of the government-owned would officially confirm the existence of counted for (MUF) even after the plant was enriched uranium provided to NUMEC. Israel’s arsenal. Recently declassified files decommissioned in 1992 and material was Hadden later told members of Congress reveal that Nixon’s main motivation was to recovered from walls, flooring and ac- that NUMEC was “an Israeli operation avoid a “Zionist campaign to try to undercounting for heavy environmental losses. It from the beginning.” He believed that mine” him, rather than national security represented the largest MUF of any nuclear small amounts were removed from the issues. The Gerald Ford administration replant over time and disguised in sloppy Grant F. Smith is director of the Institute for bookkeeping. Hadden’s analysis was bol- opened a criminal investigation into Research: Middle Eastern Policy, Inc. stered by the fact that NUMEC’s key fi- NUMEC violations of the Atomic Energy (IRmep) in Washington, DC. Filings in this nancial backer was David Lowenthal, who Act—and possible government cover-up— lawsuit and other actions may be found at worked as a smuggler during Israel’s war only to have it buried by the administraIRmep’s Center for Policy and Law Enforce- of independence and was a close confidant tion of Ford’s successor, President Jimmy ment page at <http://IRmep.org/CFL.htm>. of top Israeli intelligence officials. Continued on page 35 n Sept. 10, 1968 an elite
WWW.ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
OIsraeli covert operations
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Two Views
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What Does the Israeli Election Mean for a Future Palestinian State?
Members of the Joint List, including (standing, l-r) Aida Touma Suleiman, Dov Khenin, leader Ayman Odeh and (seated, second from left) MK Haneen Zoabi, announce the bloc’s formation at a Jan. 23 press conference in Nazareth.
Time for the U.S. to Crack the Whip By George S. Hishmeh
hat has been most surprising, and
Wpleasing, about the recent Israeli
parliamentary elections was the success of the large Palestinian community in Israel, which numbers about 20 percent of the population, in launching a significant parliamentary bloc in the Knesset. This bloc, officially known as the Joint List, emerged as a result of a new Israeli rule raising the minimum threshold for entry into the Knesset to 3.5 percent of the votes cast. Even though the Arab Israeli turnout was reportedly lower than Jewish Israeli turnout, it was still higher than usual, grabbing 13 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Exit polling had placed the Joint List, a bloc of a few smaller Arab factions and one Jewish member, in third place, and made the party, according to JTA news service, “one of the election’s biggest winners.” Though the re-election of Israeli Prime George S. Hishmeh is a Washington-based columnist. He is the former editor-in-chief of The Daily Star of Lebanon. 12
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was a shocking surprise, his performance on the eve of the national election was disgusting by any measure. He then announced in a media interview that, if elected, he will oppose the creation of a Palestinian Arab state in the (Israeli-occupied) West Bank and the Gaza Strip, underlining that Israel already is facing international calls for “the return of Israel to the 1967 borders.” Netanyahu declared: “I think that anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state today and evacuate lands is giving attack grounds to the radical Islam against the state of Israel,” obviously a reference to Hamas, the militant Palestinian Islamist group that dominates the Gaza Strip, which Israel attacked last year for 51 days. This public admission regarding Palestinian statehood was in direct opposition to a statement the Israeli prime minister made in 2009 at Bar-Ilan University in Israel that he supported a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Saeb Erekat, the lead Palestinian negotiator with Israel and executive member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, responded that this was not something new to the Palestinians, since “Netanyahu has THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
done everything possible to bury the twostate solution.” He added, “Netanyahu dared to utter his words whilst counting on full impunity from the international community. The time has come for the world to learn and understand that impunity will not bring peace, only justice will”—a probable reference to the failure of the Obama administration to crack the whip since Secretary of State John Kerry spent eight months fruitlessly handling the peace negotiations last year. Consequently, Ayman Odeh, the Joint List’s charismatic leader, had committed himself to working on improving the lives of Palestinian Israelis, but vowed not to join a coalition led by either Netanyahu’s Likud Party or the Zionist Union, led by Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu’s statement prompted The New York Times to run a very critical editorial the day after the Nov. 17 poll, under the headline “An Israeli Election Turns Ugly.” Its lead editorial said in its opening paragraph that Netanyahu’s “outright rejection of a Palestinian state and his racist rant against Israeli Arab voters on [election day] showed that he has forfeited any claim to representing all Israelis.” MAY 2015
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It went on: “His behavior in the past six years—aggressively building Israeli homes on land that likely would be within the bounds of a Palestinian state and never engaging seriously in negotiations—has long convinced many people that he has no interest in a peace agreement. But his statement this week laid bare his duplicity, confirmed Palestinian suspicions and will make it even harder for him to repair his poisoned relations with President Obama, who has invested heavily in pushing a two-state solution.” Another columnist at the Times, Roger Cohen, observed: “A Netanyahu-led rightwing government will face growing international isolation, especially because of the prime minister’s open commitment to stop the emergence of a Palestinian state. Repairing relations with President Obama would be arduous. A hardening of America’s position toward Israel at the United Nations cannot be ruled out, if West Bank settlements continue to expand….A government of the right would more likely exacerbate than overcome that estrangement over the next couple of years.” It is definitely time for the Obama administration that seems close to an agreement with Iran over its nuclear stance to crack the whip against Israel.
never. The public rewarded him for this truth, and Netanyahu was elected for a fourth term. Netanyahu said last week that if he were to be re-elected, a Palestinian state would not be established on his watch. Plain and simple, loud and clear. This simple, pure truth was the case for all his predecessors as well—all the prime ministers, peace lovers and justice seekers from the center and the left, who gave false promises. But who thought to admit it before him? Who had the courage to reveal the truth? The latest of these deceivers was Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog: His daring plan included five years of negotiations. The public rewarded him for that. After all, one had to deceive the Americans, bluff the Europeans and cheat the Palestinians, fudge things for the Mideast Quartet and lie to some Israelis. One also had to play for time, to build settlements and get rid of every possible Palestinian partner—Yasser Arafat, who was too strong; President Mahmoud Abbas, who is too weak; and Hamas, which is too extreme. One has to play for time, so the Palestinians become more extreme and everyone understands that there’s no one to talk to. Now comes the man who is considered a bluffer, and only he tells the fateful, historic truth: there will be no Palestinian state. Not during his term, which now seems eternal. And not after it, because by
then it will be too late. The end of negotiations, the end of games. No more shuttle diplomacy, Quartets, emissaries, processes, outlines, mediators and plans. That’s it; it will not happen. It had no chance from the very beginning. In Israel, there was not one single prime minister—including the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates—who intended for one second to let a Palestinian state be established. But the bluff of the century was convenient for everyone. Now Netanyahu has put an end to it. If Israel had played its cards openly from the outset, as Netanyahu has done now, perhaps we would be in a different place, a better place. If only Israel had told the truth: that it covets the occupied territory for itself and will never give it up; that hundreds of thousands of Jews are living there and it has no intention of evacuating them; that it does not care about international law, and cares nothing for what the whole world thinks; that the Palestinians have no rights there; that Abraham our patriarch is buried there; that Rachel our matriarch weeps there; that Israel’s security depends on it, and that the Holocaust is at the door. The reasons are many and varied, and they all say one thing—now and forever, from Hebron to Jenin. Yes to autonomy, to self-administration, to vilNetanyahu Will Be lage leagues or a Palestinian Authority. Remembered for Speaking But no to a state. Never. Israel’s Truth If an honest leader like Ne(Advertisement) tanyahu had arisen years ago, By Gideon Levy we Israelis would have would like to say thank you known, the Palestinians to Prime Minister Binyamin would have known, and so Netanyahu. Thank you for would the whole world: it will telling the truth. Last week not be. Then it would have you were revealed as the first been possible to deal with Israeli prime minister to tell other solutions, instead of the truth. For at least 25 years wasting time cheating, time in most Israeli statesmen have which hatred only grew and been lying, misleading the blood spilled for nothing. We world, the Israelis and themcould have begun long ago to selves, until Netanyahu think of alternatives to the arose—he of all statesmen— two-state solution—and and told the truth. If only this there’s only one: one state. truth had been told by an IsAnd we could have begun deraeli prime minister 25 years bating what regime it would Watch The Israel Lobby conference ago, maybe even 50 years ago, have—and there are only two: online at <IsraelLobbyUS.org> when the occupation was democracy or apartheid. Inborn. Still, better late than stead, we were misled. or read all about it in the June/July Now Binyamin Netanyahu issue of the Washington Report. Gideon Levy writes for the Israeli has come and put an end to all daily Haaretz, where this column this. We must be grateful to Find out where the Lobby came from, first appearedMarch 21, 2015. him for this. History will rewhat it really does Copyright © Haaretz Daily member that he was the first Newspaper Ltd. All rights reIsraeli prime minister to speak and its impact on America and Israel. served. the truth. ❑
I
Couldn’t make it in person?
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Only Palestinian Village Remaining in Central Israel Threatened With Demolition TheNakbaContinues
By Jonathan Cook
PHOTO J. COOK
Aviv, Israel’s most vibrant city. Arafat Ismail, the village’s leader, said that while industrial parks, shopping malls and estates of luxury villas had sprung up all around them, Dahmash’s residents had been treated like “illegal squatters.” Deprived of recognition in their own village, all the families have been registered as living in a building on the edge of the neighboring town of Ramle. However, that house was destroyed years ago as nearby rail and road arteries expanded. “Now, unless we can stop them, the authorities will wipe our real homes off the map too,” said Ismail, aged 54. What distinguishes Dahmash from the communities around it is that it is Arab— an apparently unwelcome relic from a time when the country was called Palestine. Dahmash’s residents belong to Israel’s large Palestinian minority, descendants of Ali Shaaban stands outside his home, which is under threat those who managed to remain of demolition. inside the borders of the new state of Israel in 1948. Today, ccording to Israel’s official records, these 1.5 million Palestinian citizens comthe 600 inhabitants of Dahmash vil- prise a fifth of Israel’s population, but comlage live a single building—one that no plain of systematic discrimination. Most of their deprived communities are longer exists. The villagers’ story may sound like the to be found in Israel’s so-called peripheries, basis for a sinister fairy tale, but their in the north or south, out of view of most Israeli Jews. But located in the midst of Tel plight is all too real. For decades officials have refused to rec- Aviv and its satellite towns, “Dahmash is ognize the village’s 70 actual homes, like a stick in their throat,” explained Ali trapped between the towns of Ramle and Shaaban, who raises sheep and goats in the Lod, and only 20 minutes’ drive from Tel village. His own smartly appointed, two-story Jonathan Cook is a journalist based in home is one of 16 that face immediate deNazareth and a winner of the Martha Gell- molition if the villagers lose a legal battle horn Special Prize for Journalism. His most in Israel’s Supreme Court. A hearing in March offered Dahmash’s recent book is Disappearing Palestine (available from AET’s Middle East Books and residents a small ray of hope. The judges urged the parties to find a solution that More).
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THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
would lead to the village’s recognition, either as a new neighborhood of the city of Lod or as part of the Lod Valley Regional Council. The court instructed the government, Lod and the regional council to submit their responses by September. It did not in the meantime, however, lift the threat of demolitions. Were Dahmash to be recognized by the regional council, as it wants, it would be able to submit a master plan and get permits for the houses under threat of demolition. However, Lod Valley has previously rejected the idea of including Dahmash. Lod municipality has also refused to incorporate the village’s houses. Since the families were moved by the Israeli authorities to this location from other parts of the country shortly after the 1948 war, they have found Dahmash turned into an embattled enclave. “It’s like they are slowly trying to squeeze us until we reach breaking point and leave,” said Shaaban, aged 53. Such fears have only been heightened by bellicose statements from local officials. Yoel Lavi, Ramle’s long-time mayor, told a journalist in 2006 that the government should send in special armed units and military bulldozers as it does in the occupied territories. “When you give the first shock with the crane everyone runs from their houses, don’t worry,” he said. Surrounded on all sides by the towns of Ramle and Lod and by an exclusively Jewish farming community called Nir Zvi to the north, Dahmash can be reached only by crossing a series of railway lines, along a potholed dirt track that floods during the long winter months. Large piles of trash litter the streets and have to be burned by residents, said Ismail, because the Lod Valley council, which has jurisdiction over the area, refuses to take responsibility for the village. A maze of jerry-rigged electricity and water lines, connected to a handful of the original buildings in Dahmash, provide a threadbare link to modern convenience. “Imagine running six or seven homes off a supply line designed for just one,” said Shaaban. MAY 2015
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Parents, meanwhile, have had to battle in the courts to get their children—with no recognized address—accepted into local schools. Petitions for a kindergarten, playground, park, health clinic and a cemetery have all been rejected. Various businesses run by the families, including a scrap metal yard, car repair garages, taxi service and building merchant, have been issued closure orders. “It’s like we are invisible here, except when they want to make trouble for us or to demolish our homes,” said Shaaban. He and the 20 other members of his family who share the same house have been living with just such a threat for the past decade. In 2007 they were tipped off before massed ranks of police arrived to enforce the demolition of 13 homes. He and the other families managed to foil the effort by locking themselves into their houses. In recent months the threat has returned in full force, as officials hope to exhaust the villagers’ last legal avenues before the courts. “You go to bed, and you never know whether in the morning you will wake to find your house is about to be turned into rubble,” Shaaban said. The authorities’ hostility, according to the villagers, derives from Dahmash’s exceptional status: it is the only Palestinian community that survived in central Israel from the period of the 1948 war. Israeli historians have documented how Israel destroyed more than 500 Palestinian villages to prevent the return of some 750,000 refugees who had been expelled during the fighting. But allowing a Palestinian community to survive so close to Tel Aviv appears to have been an oversight. Yitzhak Rabin, who would later become prime minister, recounted his experiences as the area’s military commander in 1948. In a censored section of his memoirs, revealed in The New York Times, he recalled how Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, responded when asked what to do with the 50,000 surrendering Palestinians of Lydda and Ramleh—later to be reinvented as the Jewish towns of Lod and Ramle, neighboring Dahmash. “Ben-Gurion waved his hand in a gesture that said: ‘Drive them out!’” In an influential 2013 article published in The New Yorker, Israeli commentator Ari Shavit admitted that Israeli soldiers massacred hundreds of Lydda’s residents and drove out tens of thousands more on a forced march to the West Bank. In an historic assessment that appears to inform the authorities’ current concerns MAY 2015
about Dahmash, Shavit concluded that the survival of Palestinian communities in the area was incompatible with the Jewish state’s success. “From the very beginning,” he wrote, “there was a substantial contradiction between Zionism and Lydda. If Zionism was to exist, Lydda could not exist. If Lydda was to exist, Zionism could not exist.” Ismail said: “What they carried out in 1948 was the ethnic cleansing of the Tel Aviv area. They left only Dahmash—now six decades later they are trying to complete the ethnic cleansing by destroying our village.” According to Shaaban, the villagers already would have lost the legal battle had they not had the “tabu”—land deeds— showing they are the owners. “Without those documents, we’d have been finished long ago,” he said.
Separate and Unequal According to Kais Nasser, a lawyer representing Dahmash, the village’s difficulties stem from a refusal by the planning authorities to discuss rezoning the land from agricultural to residential use, even though this had been done for neighboring Jewish communities, including Nir Zvi, next door to Dahmash. The planning authorities have rejected the villagers’ appeals for recognition, including the submission of a master plan in 2007 to allow for building. Nasser said the Interior Ministry had failed to respond to his letters. In their official response to the Supreme Court petition, government lawyers had called for the villagers to “move elsewhere.” Nasser said the implication is that they should buy homes in either Ramle or Lod. Both are among a half-dozen so-called “mixed cities” in Israel. In practice, they are Jewish towns with small “ghetto-like” Arab neighborhoods, where unemployment, crime and drugs prevail. Recent research suggested that 70 percent of Arab homes in the two towns are illegal and under threat of demolition. Yoav Beirach, a local academic who is among a group of Jewish solidarity activists supporting Dahmash’s struggle, said: “The issue of justice aside, moving from Dahmash to Lod or Ramle would probably be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.” In 2010, the central region’s planning committee concluded that there was “no justification for the creation of a new village in central Israel.” THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
“Officials say they are against encouraging new communities, but that only seems to apply to Arab communities,” said Nasser. “I have found five examples of the government establishing new communities for Jews in the last few years.” Suhad Bishara, a planning expert with the Adalah legal center in Haifa, said Israel had refused to create a single new Arab community since Israel’s establishment, despite a near 10-fold increase in the Palestinian population over that time. Overcrowding and poor infrastructure were rife in the minority’s communities, she added. Dahmash is one of several dozen Arab “unrecognized villages” across Israel, although the only one in the country’s center. Most are Bedouin communities in the Negev. In late 2013, after Israel’s Palestinian minority mounted mass protests, the government officially shelved the Prawer Plan to forcibly move tens of thousands of the Bedouin off their ancestral lands in the Negev. A 2010 report on Dahmash by the New York-based Human Rights Watch criticized the Israeli authorities for treating residents “as if they don’t exist.” It also noted that the planning process lacked transparency. Ramle Mayor Lavi sat on the planning committee that rejected Dahmash’s master plan, despite his own efforts to initiate a new “flagship” neighborhood of Ramle in 2004 over Dahmash’s only access road. The report included comments from Lavi to Israeli TV in 2004 in which he warned that allowing Arabs to live nearby would “harm the ability to market the project since people [i.e., Jews] won’t want to live there.” He added that “93 percent of the Jewish population clearly prefers not to live in a mixed building.” Ismail said the authorities had significantly stepped up their campaign of harassment in Dahmash after Lavi announced his plan. Dahmash’s children have traditionally attended school in Ramle, where nearly a quarter of residents are from the Palestinian minority, whose children attend a separate Arab education system. However, in 2005 Lavi refused to provide Dahmash’s children with school transport, and a year later stopped registering first graders. Lavi’s decision was overturned by the courts. Both the Interior Ministry and Lavi’s spokesman, Roni Barzeli, were unavailable for comment. ❑ 15
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What Looms Ahead for the Forgotten Heroes of Gaza? SpecialReport
PHOTO COURTESY LAILA MOKHIBER, UNRWA USA
By Delinda C. Hanley
It’s been more than six months since Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, and international funds for reconstruction aid have dried up. nited Nations Relief and Works
UAgency for Palestine Refugees in the
Near East (UNRWA) USA invited representatives from other Washington, DC-based non-profit organizations working in the Middle East to a March 19 roundtable discussion with UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl. He provided a sobering update on the unmet critical needs of Palestinian refugees in Gaza six months after the end of Israel’s 2014 assault on the besieged enclave. Krähenbühl described the obstacles to reconstruction, the slow pace of donor contributions, and what this portends for the near future in Gaza. Geneva-born Krähenbühl is accustomed to seeing the devastating consequences of armed conflicts. Before coming to UNRWA Delinda C. Hanley is news editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. 16
in April 2014, he worked for 12 years with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), directing its response to fighting in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq, Syria and other wartorn hot spots. Krähenbühl earned a reputation for breaking with ICRC’s traditionally discreet diplomacy, and speaking publicly about wars’ heavy toll on civilians. Krähenbühl noted that when UNRWA was formed in 1949, it was tasked with aiding more than 700,000 Palestinian refugees displaced the previous year. Today UNRWA provides assistance—including education, health care, camp infrastructure and improvement, and protection—to more than five million refugees: almost a quasi-state, with the population of Norway or Singapore. In Gaza alone, UNRWA is responsible for 1.26 million refugees, running 8 refugee camps, educating 240,000 students and operating 21 health centers, THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from U.N. member states. Krähenbühl was on his way to Gaza to re-open Khuza’a Elementary Co-ed A&B school in eastern Khan Younis, one of 83 schools damaged during last summer’s bombardment. Thanks to international donors, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai—who contributed her entire World’s Children’s Prize award of $50,000—students finally were able to return to their repaired classrooms in midMarch. Krähenbühl explained that it was impossible to adequately describe what happened last summer in Gaza, the physical destruction and destroyed neighborhoods. No matter how good the photographer, he said, no picture can capture the personal experiences of war. How do you express the trauma of someone whose family lives next door to an apartment bombed in IsMAY 2015
STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
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“We must not fail in Gaza” is the title of a statement issued Feb. 26 and signed by 30 international aid agencies working in Gaza, including UNRWA. The agencies expressed their concern about the slow pace of reconstruction and the worsening living conditions in Gaza, as well as the ongoing economic blockade imposed by Israel and the prevailing political stalemate. The 30 agencies warned that tensions are increasing, further fueled by the non-payment of salaries for public employees. The statement mentions the nearly one million children in Gaza who have experienced “unimaginable suffering” in three major conflicts in the past six years, with an estimated 400,000 in need of psychological support. The signatories request Israel, as the occupying power, to comply with international law. Furthermore, the statement calls on all parties to resume peace negotiations. “We must realize the vision of making Gaza a liveable place and a cornerstone of peace and security for all.” —D.C.H.
Palestinians have been waiting for a UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl (l) and Ambas- lasting resolution for more than 60 sador Philip Wilcox, chair of UNRWA USA’s board of directors. years. “This is a rael’s seven-week attack on Gaza—the man community deeply traumatized, Krähenbühl who told him he’d spent every day “won- said. “The war in Syria has renewed their sense of dispossession. They’ve lost their point of refdering if the next bomb is for me”? Sadly, we communicate in numbers. Ac- erence in life.” While it’s hard to look for signs of cording to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2,200 progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including Krähenbühl said the courage of UNRWA 490 children and 253 women. Another staff gives him real hope. UNRWA lost 11 11,000 Palestinians were wounded, includ- staff members in Gaza and 14 in Syria, and ing 3,000 children. Horrifying as they are, another 25 are detained or missing in these numbers do not count the human Syria. UNRWA’s staff are paying a huge cost of war. “We cannot accept anonymity price and exposing themselves to constant in death and injury,” Krähenbühl empha- threats, he said. Those men and women sized. “We’re talking about families like workers are making a major contribution our own with the same expectations of life. day after day. They’re heroes, along with Palestinians are not statistics. How do we other Palestinians who are continuing to convey what happened in Gaza and is still function. Krähenbühl described them not as victims, but as “actors in their own desgoing on in Syria?” This is not a natural disaster, Krähen- tiny.” We should all be so brave. bühl added, and it occurred after eight Ambassador Ted Kattouf, president of years of a blockade imposed by Israel, which has resulted in an average unem- America-Mideast Educational and Trainployment rate of 44.1 percent for refugees ing Services (AMIDEAST), said that Americans need to put a face on human tragedy. in Gaza in 2014. Turning briefly to Syria, Krähenbühl Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, an obstetrician and said that of the 560,000 Palestinian gynaecologist who spent years in Israeli refugees living there, 80,000 to 100,00 hospitals delivering Jewish babies, was left the country and more than 50 per- that face during Israel’s 2008 war on Gaza. cent are displaced within Syria. UNRWA Dr. Abuelaish’s three daughters, 13, 15 and recently resumed aid distribution in the 21, were killed and another seriously Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus. “To wounded in that earlier assault. Desperate see people queuing up for food hurts for medical assistance, he called his friend very much,” Krähenbühl said. Pregnant Shlomi Eldar, a presenter on Israel’s Chanwomen fainting, hungry children. These nel 10, who broadcast live Dr. Abuelaish’s are people who were forced from their cries for help in a mixture of Hebrew and villages in Palestine in 1948. Now they’ve Arabic. This time, Israeli gunboats killed four had to flee from their apartments and abandon the businesses they built up cousins playing football on a Gaza beach in front of TV reporters. But Americans over the years. MAY 2015
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
quickly forgot those little faces, and their personal stories didn’t get told. One survivor, Muntasser, 11, whose brother was killed on the beach, cannot forget (according to a December 2014 Agence FrancePresse story, an extremely rare follow-up report). In fact, Muntasser is haunted by memories and dreams about his playmates every night. Since the bombing, the boy is “in another world” and refuses to go to school, according to Muntasser’s father. “He becomes extremely violent, he breaks everything and then he starts banging his head against the walls. He even tried to throw himself off the roof.” After three wars in six years, how can these children lead a normal life? “We have to get better at telling their stories,” Krähenbühl acknowledged. Then he described a scene he’ll never forget from Shifa hospital during the war. “I saw a 5month-old baby who had been shelled in an UNRWA school,” he recalled. “It was something you never want to see in your life. I turned to look at the parents. They had such a look of despair as they watched the child they were not able to protect.” Reporters kept asking Krähenbühl why Gaza civilians didn’t just leave as Israeli bombs dropped. “It’s obscene,” he told them. “They had nowhere to go.” As for the investigations of the seven Israeli shellings of UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip, which killed at least 46 civilians, “we’ll wait to see the findings of the investigations,” Krähenbühl said. If Israel isn’t held accountable the same thing will happen again. “This is beyond politics,” Krähenbühl emphasized, saying we have to convey the human cost of war. Come to Gaza and see for yourself, Krähenbühl urged his listeners, and tell your countrymen Palestinians’ Continued on page 74 17
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Banksy Murals a Rare Source of Pleasure For Besieged Gazans Gazaon the Ground
By Mohammed Omer
MOHAMMED ABEDAFP/GETTY IMAGES
Hamas spokesman Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the decision as “political” and designed to transfer Egypt’s internal security issues onto Hamas. He described the decision as “a blot [on] Egypt’s reputation.” In December 2013, Egypt’s interim government officially declared the Muslim Brotherhood—of which Hamas is an offshoot—a terrorist group, banning its activists and arresting its members, including ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Last April Egypt faced international criticism after issuing death sentences to 648 Muslim Brotherhood members. Another example of the current Egyptian government’s vendetta against the Muslim Brotherhood was legislation asking the court to designate Turkey a state supporter of terPalestinian youths practice their Parkour skills around a mural painted by the British street artist rorism, after Turkish President Banksy on the ruins of a house in Beit Hanoun destroyed during Israel’s 51-day assault on Gaza, March Recep Tayyip Erdogan criti13, 2015. cized the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and esidents of Gaza woke up one morning playing with scrap metal like a toy. (“I expressed his support for the Muslim in late February to discover that the fa- wanted to highlight the destruction in Brotherhood. mous British underground street artist Gaza by posting photos on my website,” Hamas described the Cairo Court’s desigBanksy had posted a short video about Gaza Banksy explained, “but on the Internet nation as “a coup against history” and an on his website (<http://banksy.co.uk/ people only look at pictures of kittens.”) “abuse of the Palestinian cause and resisindex5.asp>). Taking the form of a satirical The images resonate with Gazans and are tance.” The decision was received with travelogue—“Make this the year YOU dis- popular on Gaza’s social media—making strong criticism and mass demonstrations cover a new destination. Welcome to Gaza. people smile, for a change, in the midst of in Gaza. Well away from the tourist track.”—the lives characterized by occupation, oppresEgypt subsequently invited the Palestinvideo shows a Gaza still in ruins after Is- sion and poverty. The people of Gaza feel ian Islamic Jihad to Cairo for talks. Labeled rael’s 51-day assault last summer. solidarity with the elusive, anonymous a terrorist group by Washington, Islamic Four new Banksy artworks adorned artist. The initial social-media buzz reflect- Jihad now is playing the role of mediator. some of the walls that remained standing: ing the joy of Banksy’s artwork gradually Meanwhile, Egypt and Hamas are waging a graffito in red ink read, “If we wash our faded away, but still his images spoke to a war of words on their respective media hands of the conflict between the powerful Gazans as they try to cope with their daily outlets. and the powerless we side with the power- reality. Hamas leader and former Prime Minister ful—we don’t remain neutral.” “The cat tells the whole world that she Ismail Haniyeh said during March 6 Friday Other images show the silhouettes of misses the joy in her life,” a Palestinian man prayers that Egyptian officials had inchildren swinging from an Israeli military explains in Banksy’s video. “The cat found formed him personally that they were not watchtower and a portrait of the Greek something to play with. But what about our in agreement with the decision to desigmythological figure Niobe, queen of children? What about our children?” nate Hamas a terrorist group. Thebes, whose 14 children were murdered Later that week the debate shifted to the “Egyptian officials informed the movein a jealous rage. Another shows a kitten decision by the Cairo Court for Urgent Mat- ment that the decision of the court is juditers to label the Palestinian resistance move- cial,” Haniyeh said, “and has not been Award-winning journalist Mohammed Omer ment Hamas a terrorist organization. The adopted politically.” reports from the Gaza Strip, where he main- decision was based on allegations that Emphasizing that Egypt is a sister countains the Web site <www.rafahtoday.org>. Hamas is responsible for multiple attacks try and the gateway to the Gaza Strip, he Follow him on Twitter: @MoGaza. against Egyptian security forces in the Sinai. stated, “We don’t have any security or mil-
R
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omer_18-19_Gaza on the Ground 3/26/15 6:25 PM Page 19
itary role in Sinai or any spot of Egyptian land.” Regarding the West Bank, Haniyeh described the decision of the Central Council of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to stop security coordination with Israel as a step in the right direction. In Hamas’ view, security coordination with Israel means targeting Palestinian resistance against the occupation. Meanwhile, back at home, Gaza still suffers from huge shortages of construction materials, as winter storms swept across the region and reports indicated that the reconstruction of Gaza is unlikely to happen anytime soon. In a statement issued at the end of February—six months after Israel’s latest war on Gaza—the leading British charity Oxfam estimated that unless Israel lifts its siege, reconstruction of Gaza could take up to a century. Oxfam’s regional director Catherine Essoyan called the situation “deplorable.” The Oxfam statement went on to describe how “the situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly desperate” and called for the lifting of Israel’s eight-year blockade, as well as a resumption of peace talks. This, of course, was before the election eve
statement by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that he opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, thereby removing any remaining pretense for negotiations. “Only an end to the blockade of Gaza will ensure that people can rebuild their lives,” said Essoyan. With the blockade in
place, there is no flow of construction materials in or of agricultural produce out, which has a crippling effect on the lives of Palestinians. According to Oxfam, new figures showed a January drop in delivery of the construction materials vital to reconstruction efforts. “Less than 0.25 percent of the truckloads of essential construction materials needed have entered Gaza in the past three months,” the aid group reported. More than 800,000 truckloads of such materials are still needed to repair the infrastructure damaged in last summer’s assault alone. As far as food and trade are concerned, the Oxfam report states that “Exports of agricultural produce from Gaza have fallen in the last year to just 2.7 percent of the level before the blockade was imposed. Fishermen are still restricted to an enforced fishing limit of four nautical miles—far short of where most fish are—and farmers are restricted from accessing much of the most fertile farmland.” Commented a vegetable seller in Gaza’s Shati refugee camp, “The one counting the whip-lashes is never the one being lashed. “We are being grilled,” he lamented, “and new generations are being born, with no chance for peace, only more hatred.” ❑
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MAY 2015
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
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williams_20-21_United Nations Report 3/26/15 6:29 PM Page 20
Three New Amigos: Graham, Netanyahu And Blair
United Nations Report
By Ian Williams
tive prerogatives to thwart an t’s déjà vu all over again,” agreement by his own country’s Yogi Berra famously president and diplomats. It is said. Sen. Lindsey Graham (Ran act similar to that of the 47 SC) recently put in a bid for Republican senators who wrote more campaign funding from Tehran on behalf of Israel Sheldon Adelson and his threatening not to honor any friends. At the AIPAC annual agreement with Iran, which is conference and on Fox, the senhardly surprising since Graham ator threatened to reopen the was one of the signatories. tedious tactic of threatening The tentacles of Likud-USA, Washington’s payment of its as AIPAC has become, are $654 million in dues to the U.N. everywhere. Bereft of direct inOnce a hardy perennial on the fluence over President Barack Hill, the issue had gone away Obama and the State Departsince the relatively benign relament, they are using their bully tions between the world body power everywhere else. and Israel seemed to have Binyamin Netanyahu’s election dulled the edge of Washingrally in front of an adoring ton’s constant grating chorus. Congress might have helped Despite their professed dishim win back home with the dain for the U.N., Israeli diplovoters—but it was much less mats and politicians clearly effective with the White wallow in the reflected glory of House. every minor committee memWhen Netanyahu gauchely bership the state has achieved topped his Washington perforsince it became a de facto memmance with his election eve ber of the West European and speech to hard-line settlers exOther Group. As on those earlier occasions, International Quartet special envoy Tony Blair at a July 15, 2014 plicitly denouncing recognition it is pro-Israel activists rather press conference in Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres. of any Palestinian state, he than Israel itself trying to score Still criticized in Britain for his role in helping George W. Bush made it even more difficult to donations and points by bash- launch the 2003 war on Iraq, Blair more recently has been attacked win over the White House. ing the U.N. This time it is not for focusing more on his own economic interests than in bringing What little diplomatic credibility the U.S. has had globally on just Palestine, but the Iranian peace to Palestine and Israel. the issue was that it was pulling issue that has them exercised. Graham knows that there are major dona- American taxpayer and I’m in charge of Israel along toward the stated goal of a two-state solution, as enshrined in all pretions to be had from deranged Likud sup- that account,” Graham stated. “If they go to the U.N. Security Council, vious declarations from Oslo onwards. porters like Adelson. However, Netanyahu’s promise should “All the money that goes in to support and the U.N. Security Council lifts all sancthe State Department comes through my tions before we ever get a chance to look at not have come as much of a surprise to committee,” Graham, chairman of the Sen- this deal, absolutely I would suspend most observers. Anyone who looked at Neate Appropriations Committee’s Subcom- funding the United Nations, because I tanyahu and Likud could see the unconmittee on State, Foreign Operations and don’t think your money should go to an vincing hollowness of their protestations Related Programs, told Fox, adding, “I’m organization that irresponsible,” he af- of support for a Palestinian state. They had gonna put the United Nations on notice.” firmed. “I’m not going to allow the United put so many conditions on recognition that He warned that he would slash U.S. fund- Nations to be used as a way to get around it clearly said “Bukra fil mishmish” (when ing to the U.N. if that body decided to lift the United States Congress for a deal that pigs fly) to any recognition. However, it sanctions on Iran as part of a nuclear agree- affects the very existence of Israel and our suited American leaders and their diplomatic hangers-on to overlook all this and ment. “Twenty-two percent of the funding own national security,” he vowed. Since there is no way the Council could pretend that Israeli leaders sincerely for the United Nations comes from the consider lifting sanctions on Iran without wanted peace. Otherwise they would have Ian Williams is a free-lance journalist based the support and vote of the U.S. delegation, to confront their Israeli “ally” publicly, at the United Nations who blogs at <www. which has a veto there, the senator really with all the fraught consequences for dois talking about using his assumed legisla- mestic politics that would entail. deadlinepundit.blogspot.com>. ILIA YEFIMOVICH/GETTY IMAGES
“Ias
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In order to win re-election, Netanyahu went farther than usual in dropping the pretense of cooperation in peace talks. An already exasperated President Obama deliberately delayed telephoning him to congratulate him on his victory, and when he did, reminded the Israeli leader of U.S. policy on the two-state solution and the U.S. view of settlement building. Similarly, at the United Nations, U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq read a prepared statement from Secretary-General Ban Kimoon saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incumbent on the new Israeli government, once formed, to create the conditions for a negotiated final peace agreement with the active engagement of the international community that will end the Israeli occupation and realize the creation of a viable Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside Israel. This includes the cessation of illegal settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territory. The secretary-general firmly believes this is also the best and only way forward for Israel to remain a democratic state.â&#x20AC;? It was not exactly casting down the gauntlet, but in diplomatic terms, and coming from the low-key Korean secretarygeneral, it was quite a strong rebuke.
An Opportunity Not to Be Missed This is an opportune juncture for the secretary-general to withdraw from the hollow charade of the Middle East Quartet, the U.S./Russia/EU and U.N. body that epitomizes all the problems of a committee. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;consensusâ&#x20AC;? of the Quartet is of course dominated by the U.S. When it was set up, it was almost a breakthrough that the U.S. and Israel allowed the United Nations any role at all in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;peace process.â&#x20AC;? The U.S. has had the strictly limited virtue of consistency over the years, emphasizing the importance of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and thereby seeking to exclude international law and the whole body of U.N. resolutions as a basis for peace. Somehow, however, the U.N. is now bound by this Quartet consensus and, with no decision or discussion among U.N. members, U.N. officials in Gaza and the West Bank were barred, for example, from talking to Hamas. The U.N. secretary-general became the Quartet spokesperson, charged with reading their increasingly anodyne statements marking the complete lack of progress in negotiations and steadfastly refusing to put the blame where it belonged, on the settlement builders and occupiers. Instead of the U.N. position being taken to the Quartet, Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view of consenMAY 2015
sus has taken over U.N. policy! It would be unfair to say that the Quartet served absolutely no purpose. It did provide a job and networking opportunities for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom George W. Bush wanted to reward for his loyalty in helping engineer the Iraq invasion disaster. By all accounts, Blair has used his time wellâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;securing contracts from unsavory potentates all over the world and being much favored by Israeli interests. With a new regime in Washington that does not feel overmuch gratitude for Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part in turning the Fertile Crescent into a sectarian inferno and increasing press scrutiny of the former prime ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrepreneurial activities, Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position is under severe challenge. American officials are briefing that he has â&#x20AC;&#x153;no credibility at all,â&#x20AC;? while the Palestinians call him â&#x20AC;&#x153;useless, useless, useless.â&#x20AC;? So, in a sense, Blair is a unifying factor for the Quartet and the Palestinians. They all regard him as a waste of space. Blair became special envoy to the Middle East Quartet the same day he resigned as prime minister, replacing James Wolfensohn, the World Bank official who had the integrity to resign when he found his every effort to restart the Palestinian economy blocked by the Israelis, who could count on automatic diplomatic cover from the U.S. There was certainly a stark contrast in their approaches. Blair has been careful not to criticize Israel, whose supporters have bankrolled his career almost from the beginning. Blair wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be missed at the Quartet, and his departure is the right time to put the stake through the heart of this shambling cadaver of an organization. The U.N. has already charted the real road map, with the full force of international law: Israel should withdraw from the occupied territories, allow refugees to return or compensate them. Under international law, the settlements that Netanyahu is expanding even as Blair shakes his hand are illegal, a point reinforced by Security Council resolutions and a decision of the International Court of Justice. It is indeed time that the U.N. separated from the man who would not listen to it on Iraq.
Talk Also Cheap in Western Sahara Interminable peace talks with no progress are also a reminder of Western Sahara, where the Moroccan attempts to cover their own non-cooperation stoked a minor diplomatic flurry in March. Just as no THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
country recognizes the Israeli annexation of Jerusalem, no one accepts the legality of Moroccoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupation of Western Sahara. So Morocco hosted a conference of an alleged NGO in the territory in the occupied city of Dakhla, and wasted no opportunity to emphasize U.N. connections. To some extent it backfired, since claiming that a U.N. adviser speaking at the forum implied United Nations support for the lavishly funded event prompted the U.N. to disavow the conference and state the official position. The U.N. statement said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The secretary-general was invited to this Forum, but informed its president that he could not attend. He did not delegate Mr. Philippe Douste-Blazy or anyone else to represent him or the United Nations. Mr. Douste-Blazy, who serves as a special adviser to the secretary-general on innovative financing, is attending exclusively in his private capacity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While Dakhla is described in Forum materials as a city in Morocco, the definitive status of Western Sahara is the object of a negotiating process being conducted under the auspices of the secretary-general in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions.â&#x20AC;? This was a gentle but firm put-down of Morocco, which has shown all the assiduity of Israel in abiding by U.N. decisions. It is now more than 40 years since Morocco was told to pull out of the territory and to cooperate in holding a referendum on its future. It is a telling reminder of the weaknesses of the U.N. that after all these decades, the Moroccans and the Israelis continue to occupy territory in defiance of U.N. resolutions. But it is also a reminder of the strength of the organization that after all this time no country recognizes the legitimacy of their occupations. There is hope yet. â?&#x2018; (Advertisement)
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avnery_22-23r_Special Report 3/26/15 2:29 PM Page 22
The Speech: Netanyahu Harangues the U.S. Congress SpecialReport
By Uri Avnery
WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES
knows how this dubious composition came to be included in the Bible. God is not mentioned in it, it has nothing to do with the Holy Land, and Esther herself is more of a prostitute than a heroine. The book ends with the mass murder committed by the Jews against the Persians. The Speech, like all speeches by Netanyahu, contained much about the suffering of the Jews throughout the ages, and the intentions of the evil Iranians, the New Nazis, to annihilate us. But this will not happen, because this time we have Binyamin Netanyahu to protect us. And the U.S. Republicans, of course. It was a good speech. One cannot make a bad speech when hundreds of admirers hang on every word and apIsraeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accepts the accolades of Americans’ elected representatives plaud every second. But it will not make an anthology of the following his speech to a joint session of Congress, March 3, 2015. world’s Greatest Speeches. Netanyahu considers himself a second uddenly it reminded me of some- sight was not frightening, but ridiculous. Here were the members of the most pow- Churchill. And indeed, Winston Churchill thing. I was watching The Speech by Binyamin erful parliament in the world behaving like was the only foreign leader before Netanyahu to speak to both houses of ConNetanyahu before the Congress of the a bunch of nincompoops. Nothing like this could have happened gress a third time. But Churchill came to United States. Row upon row of men in suits (and the occasional woman), jumping in the Knesset. I do not have a very high cement his alliance with the president of up and down, up and down, applauding opinion of our parliament, despite having the United States, Franklin Delano Roosebeen a member, but compared to this as- velt, who played a big part in the British wildly, shouting approval. It was the shouting that did it. Where sembly, the Knesset is the fulfillment of war effort, while Netanyahu has come to spit in the face of the present president. Plato’s dream. had I heard that before? What did the speech not contain? Abba Eban once compared a speech by And then it came back to me. It was anNot a word about Palestine and the other parliament in the mid-1930s. The Menachem Begin to a French soufflé cake: Palestinians. Not a word about peace, the Leader was speaking. Rows upon rows of a lot of air and very little dough. The same could be said about The two-state solution, the West Bank, the Reichstag members were listening raptly. Gaza Strip, Jerusalem. Not a word about Every few minutes they jumped up and Speech. What did it contain? The Holocaust, of apartheid, the occupation, the settlements. shouted their approval. Of course, the Congress of the United course, with that moral impostor, Elie Not a word about Israel’s own nuclear caStates of America is no Reichstag. Mem- Wiesel, sitting in the gallery right next to pabilities. Not a word, of course, about the idea of bers wear dark suits, not brown shirts. the beaming Sarah’le, who visibly relished They do not shout “Heil!” but something her husband’s triumph. (A few days be- a nuclear-weapon–free region, with mutual unintelligible. Yet the sound of the shout- fore, she had shouted at the wife of a inspection. Indeed, there was no concrete proposal ing had the same effect. Rather shocking. mayor in Israel: Your man does not reach at all. After denouncing the bad deal in the But then I returned to the present. The the ankles of my man!) The Speech mentioned the Book of Es- making, and hinting that Barack Obama Uri Avnery, a former member of the Israeli ther, about the salvation of the Persian and John Kerry are dupes and idiots, he ofKnesset, is a founder of Gush Shalom, Jews from the evil Persian minister Haman, fered no alternative. Why? I assume that the original text of <www.gush-shalom.org>. who intended to wipe them out. No one
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The Speech contained a lot. Devastating new sanctions against Iran. A demand for the total demolition of all Iranian nuclear installations. And in the inevitable end: a U.S.-Israeli military attack. All this was left out. He was warned by the Obama people in no uncertain terms that disclosure of details of the negotiations would be considered as a betrayal of confidence. He was warned by his Republican hosts that the American public was in no mood to hear about yet another war. What was left? A dreary recounting of the well-known facts about the negotiations. It was the only tedious part of the speech. For minutes no one jumped up, nobody shouted approval. Elie Wiesel was shown sleeping. The most important person in the hall, Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the Congress Republicans and of Netanyahu, was not shown at all. But he was there, keeping close watch on his servants. By the way, whatever happened to Netanyahu’s war? Remember when the Israel Defense Forces were about to bomb Iran to smithereens? When the U.S. military might was about to take out all Iranian nuclear installations? Readers of this column might also remember that years ago I assured them that there would be no war. No ifs, no buts. No half-open back door for a retreat. I asserted that there would be no war, period. Much later, all Israeli former military and intelligence chiefs spoke out against the war. The army chief of staff, Benny Gantz, who finished his term in March, has disclosed that no draft operation order for attacking Iran’s nuclear capabilities was ever drawn up. Why? Because such an operation could lead to a world-wide catastrophe. Iran would immediately close the Strait of Hormuz, just a few dozen miles wide, through which some 35 percent of the world’s seaborne oil must pass. It would mean an immediate world-wide economic breakdown. To open the Strait and keep it open, a large part of Iran would have to be occupied in a land war, boots on the ground. Even Republicans shiver at the thought. Israeli military capabilities fall far short of such an adventure. And, of course, Israel cannot dream of starting a war without express American consent. That is reality. Not speechifying. Even American senators are capable of seeing the difference. The centerpiece of The Speech was the demonization of Iran. Iran is evil incarnate. Its leaders are subhuman monsters. All MAY 2015
over the world, Iranian terrorists are at work planning monstrous outrages. They are building intercontinental ballistic missiles to destroy the U.S. Immediately after obtaining nuclear warheads—now or in 10 years—they will annihilate Israel. In reality, Israel’s second-strike capability, based on the submarines supplied by Germany, would annihilate Iran within minutes. One of the most ancient civilizations in world history would come to an abrupt end. The ayatollahs would have to be clinically insane to do such a thing. Netanyahu pretends to believe they are. Yet for years now, Israel has been conducting an amiable arbitration with the Iranian government about the Eilat-Ashkelon oil pipeline across Israel built by an IranianIsraeli consortium. Before the Islamic revolution, Iran was Israel’s stoutest ally in the region. Well after the revolution, Israel supplied Iran with arms in order to fight against Saddam Hussain’s Iraq (the famous Iran/Contra affair). And if one goes back to Esther and her sexual effort to save the Jews, why not mention Cyrus the Great, who allowed the Judean captives to return to Jerusalem?
Iran’s Rational Behavior Judging by its behavior, the present Iranian leadership has lost some of its initial religious fervor. It is behaving (not always speaking) in a very rational way, conducting tough negotiations as one would expect from Persians, aware of their immense cultural heritage, even more ancient than Judaism. Netanyahu is right in saying that one should not trust them with closed eyes, but his demonization is ridiculous.
Within the wider context, Israel and Iran are already indirect allies. For both, the Islamic State (ISIS) is the mortal enemy. To my mind, ISIS is far more dangerous to Israel, in the long run, than Iran. I imagine that for Tehran, ISIS is a far more dangerous enemy than Israel. (The only memorable sentence in The Speech was the enemy of my enemy is my enemy.) If worse comes to worst, Iran will have its bomb in the end. So what? I may be an arrogant Israeli, but I refuse to be afraid. I live a mile from the Israeli army high command in the center of Tel Aviv, and in a nuclear exchange I would evaporate. Yet I feel quite safe. The United States has been exposed for decades (and still is) to thousands of Russian nuclear bombs, which could eradicate millions within minutes. They feel safe under the umbrella of the balance of terror. Between us and Iran, in the worst situation, the same balance would come into effect. What is Netanyahu’s alternative to Obama’s policy? As Obama was quick to point out, he offered none. The best possible deal will be struck. The danger will be postponed for 10 years or more. And, as Chaim Weizmann once said: The future will come and take care of the future. Within these 10 years, many things will happen. Regimes will change, enmities will turn into alliances and vice versa. Anything is possible. Even—God and the Israeli voters willing—peace between Israel and Palestine, which would take the sting out of IsraeliMuslim relations. ❑
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Boehner/Netanyahu Spectacle Injects Politics Into U.S.-Israel Relations CongressWatch
By Shirl McArthur
In the end Netanyahu’s extravaganza may have backfired. Injecting partisan politics into the issue of how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program has made it more difficult for the AIPAC-promoted measures aimed at scuttling the negotiations (see below) to gain enough Democratic support to pass the Senate, and almost impossible to override a likely presidential veto.
AIPAC Pulls Out All Stops to Scuttle Negotiations With Iran
n Jan. 21, the day after President
OBarack Obama’s State of the Union ad-
dress to Congress, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) delivered a direct slap to Obama by announcing that he had invited Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to address Congress, with the obvious goal of convincing Congress to scuttle the six-nation (P5+1) negotiations with Iran by passing new sanctions and other punitive measures. Boehner did not give the White House advance notice of the invitation and indicated that he intends to challenge Obama on Iran and other foreign policy issues. Netanyahu gave his speech on March 3, during AIPAC’s annual meeting to lobby for pro-Israel, and generally anti-U.S., legislation, and only two weeks before Israel’s March 17 general elections. The blatantly political move by both Boehner and Netanyahu was seen as such by most members of Congress as well as by political observers. Many Democrats, as well as some Republicans, decried the fact that Boehner seemed to be injecting partisanship into what generally had been non-partisan, blind congressional support for just about Shirl McArthur is a retired U.S. foreign service officer based in the Washington, DC area. 24
anything Israel wanted. As a result, 51 Democratic and 1 Republican representative and 8 Democratic senators announced that they would not be attending the Boehner/ Netanyahu event (see box). Even among those attending, many Democrats decried the speech, both the way it came about and what it contained. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she was insulted and “saddened” by the insult to the U.S. and by the “condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran.” Underlining how partisan the issue had become, several Republican members of Congress spoke on the House and Senate floors applauding the invitation. On Feb. 12 Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced S.Res. 76 “welcoming the Prime Minister of Israel to the U.S. for his address to a joint meeting of Congress.” The measure passed by voice vote on Feb. 26 with 51 co-sponsors including Cornyn, all Republicans. On the other side, on Feb. 19, 23 Democratic representatives signed a letter to Boehner, originated by Reps. Steve Cohen (TN) and Keith Ellison (MN), urging him to postpone the speech. The letter noted that “this appears to be an attempt to promote new sanctions legislation against Iran that could undermine critical negotiations,” and that the invitation “enlists a foreign leader to influence a presidential policy initiative.” THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
After Netanyahu’s speech AIPAC members swarmed over congressional offices to lobby for measures designed to scuttle any agreement with Iran. Their focus was on S. 269, introduced Jan. 27 by leading Iran hawks Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), which would impose new Iran sanctions if no deal is reached, and S. 615, introduced Feb. 27 by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). Both bills would require congressional approval of any deal and impose congressional conditions on the implementation of any agreement. S. 269, the “Nuclear Weapons Free Iran” bill, is long and complicated. Essentially it would require the president to submit to Congress the text of any agreement and a “verification assessment report.” However, even if there is an agreement, there is also a provision prohibiting the president from exercising any waiver or any other action to limit the application of sanctions “until the date that is 30 days of continuous session of Congress after the president transmits these comprehensive solution and assessment reports.” Since Congress rarely is in session for 30 continuous days, this means that, even with an agreement, no new sanctions could be waived until mid-November. If there is no final agreement by July 6, the sanctions imposed on Iran during the “interim agreement” would be reimposed, and an escalating series of new sanctions would be imposed each month for the remainder of 2015. The section includes a presidential waiver provision, but only subject to a report and certification that it is in the national security interest of the U.S., or if the waiver would make a long-term agreement with Iran more likely. The bill has 50 co-sponsors, including Kirk and Menendez. Corker’s S. 615 “to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements MAY 2015
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60 Members of Congress Boycott Netanyahu’s Speech to Congress Sixty members of Congress—8 senators and 52 representatives, including one Republican— announced prior to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s March 3 address to Congress that they would not attend the Boehner/Netanyahu political event. The eight senators were Al Franken (MN), Tim Kaine (VA), Patrick Leahy (VT), Bernie Sanders (IVT), Brian Schatz (HI), Martin Heinrich (NM), Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI). From the House, North Carolina Republican Walter Jones joined Democratic Reps. Karen Bass (CA), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Corrine Brown (FL), G.K. Butterfield (NC), Lois Capps (CA), Andre Carson (IN), Joaquin Castro (TX), Katherine Clark (MA), Lacy Clay (MO), James Clyburn (SC), Steve Cohen (TN), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), John Conyers (MI), Elijah Cummings (MD), Danny Davis (IL), Rosa DeLauro (CT), Peter DeFazio (OR), Diana
relating to Iran’s nuclear program,” introduced with 12 co-sponsors, is similar to his S. 2650, the “Iran Nuclear Negotiations” bill, which he introduced last July but which was not brought to a Senate floor for a vote. But on March 3, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) revised and reintroduced Corker’s bill as S. 625, with the same title as S. 615. It, too, is very long and complex, requiring numerous presidential reports and assessments, apparently designed to kill any agreement that might be reached. Then, on March 4, McConnell announced that he was “fast-tracking” his S. 625, and he submitted a “cloture motion” to cut off debate. A cloture motion in the Senate requires 60 yes votes, meaning it will require the support of at least six Democrats. All three, S. 269, S. 615, and S. 625, by requiring the president to submit any agreement with Iran to Congress for its approval or disapproval, would overturn a long history of precedents, by presidents of both parties, of using sometimes secret agreements to make national security commitments. Washington Post columnist Walter Pincus cited a list of such past agreements. A more reasonable measure, S.Res. 40, had been introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Jan. 26. It “supports the diplomatic efforts of the U.S. and the members of the P5+1 countries to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.” It also notes that “support for the reimposition of suspended sanctions as well as the imposition of additional sanctions MAY 2015
DeGette (CO), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Donna Edwards (MD), Keith Ellison (MN), Chaka Fattah (PA), Marcia Fudge (OH), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Denny Heck (WA), Ruben Hinojosa (TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Hank Johnson (GA), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Rick Larsen (WA), Barbara Lee (CA), John Lewis (GA), Dave Loebsack (IA), Zoe Lofgren (CA), Betty McCollum (MN), Jim McDermott (WA), Jim McGovern (MA), Jerry McNerney (CA), Gregory Meeks (NY), Gwen Moore (WI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Beto O’Rourke (TX), Chellie Pingree (ME), David Price (NC), Cedric Richmond (LA), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Adam Smith (WA), Bennie Thompson (MS), Mike Thompson (CA), and John Yarmuth (KY). —S.M.
agreement that could be revoked by the next president “with the stroke of a pen.” The seven Republicans not signing the letter were Sens. Lamar Alexander (TN), Dan Coats (IN), Thad Cochran (MS), Susan Collins (ME), Corker, Jeff Flake (AZ) and Lisa Murkowski (AK).
New Bills Would Target BDS Movement Against Israeli Colonies
Another bill being strongly pushed by AIPAC is H.R. 825, introduced Feb. 10 by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and misleadingly titled the “U.S.-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement” bill. In fact it is aimed directly at the “boycott, divest and sanction” (BDS) movement by individuals, companies and organizations in response to Israel’s ac—Thanks to The Hill and the National Iranian tivities in the occupied territories. It American Council would require far-reaching reporting regarding “politically motivated” BDS against Iran would be strong” if negotia- activities against “Israel, entities owned or tions with Iran fail, Iran violates the joint controlled by Israel, or entities operating in plan of action, or violates any final compre- Israel or Israel-controlled territory” (meanhensive agreement. The measure has 14 co- ing Israel’s colonies and the occupation). sponsors, including Feinstein. The bill states that it is among U.S. trade And on March 4 Sen. Barbara Boxer (D- negotiating objectives for trade agreements CA) with six co-sponsors introduced the to discourage trading partners from BDS acmore reasonable S. 669, which would sim- tions. It would also prohibit any U.S. court ply “provide for the consideration of legis- from recognizing or enforcing any judglation to respond to a violation by Iran of an ment by a foreign court enforcing BDS arrangement relating to its nuclear pro- laws. The bill, featured on AIPAC’s website, gram.” has 26 co-sponsors, including Roskam. On Jan. 27 Congressional Progressive Similarly, Sens. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) Caucus members Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Elli- and Rob Portman (R-OH) on March 2 introson and Barbara Lee (D-CA) wrote to the duced S. 619, more honestly entitled “to inchairmen and ranking Democrats of the clude among the principal trade negotiating Senate Banking Committee and the House objectives of the U.S. regarding commercial Foreign Affairs Committee urging them to partnerships trade negotiating objectives postpone enacting any new sanctions on with respect to discouraging activity that Iran. They point out that “enacting new discourages, penalizes, or otherwise limits sanctions legislation now undermines the commercial relations with Israel.” efforts of the P5+1 and is contrary to a The two previously described bills that peaceful solution.” would “recognize Jerusalem as the capital The widely-reported and condescend- of Israel and relocate to Jerusalem the U.S. ing, if not insulting, “open letter to the Embassy in Israel” have gained co-sponleaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” sors. The House bill, H.R. 114, introduced signed by 47 Republican senators led by by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) in January, Sen. Tom Cotton (AR), was an egregious now has 15 co-sponsors, including Garrett. show of contempt not only toward Obama The Senate bill, S. 117, also introduced in but also toward the office of the presi- January by Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), has dency. Purportedly an effort to “enrich” gained six co-sponsors and now has eight, Iranian leaders’ “knowledge of our consti- including Heller. tutional system,” it was, in fact, a blatant, On Feb. 2, 28 representatives, led by transparent attempt to scuttle the negotia- Reps. Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Grace tions with Iran and push the two countries Meng (D-NY), wrote to U.N. Secretary-Gencloser to war. Among other questionable eral Ban Ki-moon charging that the failure statements, it said that any agreement to enforce Security Council resolutions alsigned by Obama would be an executive lowed Hezbollah’s Jan. 28 firing of anti-tank THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
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missiles into Israel, resulting in injuries and deaths to IDF members. It is no surprise that the letter makes no mention of Israel’s killing of Hezbollah members on the Golan Heights the previous week. On a positive note, on Feb. 25 Lee introduced H.Res. 126, “expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding U.S. efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace.” It would, among other things, reaffirm the House’s commitment to supporting U.S. actions that promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians; call on Hamas to recognize Israel’s right to exist, denounce violence, abide by existing agreements, and stop firing missiles and rockets into Israel; and call on the Israeli government to “cease support for and to prevent further settlement expansion in the Occupied Territories.”
New Bills Prohibit Aid to Palestinians The previously described S. 34, introduced in January by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to cut aid to the Palestinians, still has no co-sponsors. However, three new such bills have been introduced. On Jan. 12 Rep. Alcee Hastings (DFL), with two co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 277. On Jan. 14 Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL), with four co-sponsors, introduced H.R.364, and on March 3 Paul again introduced a bill, S. 633, prohibiting aid to the PA. On Jan. 22, 13 chairs and ranking Democrats of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and subcommittees signed a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing “their concern about the PA’s decision to join the International Criminal Court.” A week later, 75 senators signed a similar letter to Kerry. Both letters say the only path
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to Israeli-Palestinian peace is through direct negotiations, ignoring the fact that Netanyahu’s government is not negotiating in good faith.
Bills Introduced to Authorize Use of Military Force Against ISIS On Feb. 11 Obama formally requested Congress for authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS “and associated forces.” The requested authorization would include no geographic limitations, would not authorize “enduring” use of U.S. ground forces, and would expire after three years. There is considerable debate in Congress over the request, with some members saying it is too restrictive and others saying it is not restrictive enough. So congressional leaders have indicated that it may take months of debate before an AUMF is passed. However, that hasn’t stopped some members from introducing AUMF measures. On Feb. 2 Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced H.J.Res. 27, and on Feb. 13 Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and three co-sponsors introduced H.J. Res. 33. Both measures would repeal the AUMF against Iraq resolution of 2002. On March 4 Lee, with two co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 1304 to repeal the 2002 AUMF against Iraq. But H.R. 120, introduced in January by Garrett “to repeal the War Powers Resolution,” still has no co-sponsors. Separately, on Feb. 10 Lee introduced H.J. Res. 30, directing the president “to develop and submit to Congress a comprehensive diplomatic, political, economic and regionally-led strategy to degrade and dismantle” ISIS. It has eight co-sponsors, including Lee.
Republicans Still Looking for a Benghazi “Scandal”
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Two and a half years after the tragic September 2012 attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, many Republican members of Congress are still looking for a coverup or a scandal, even after the Republicanled House Intelligence Committee issued a report in November that rejected the longrunning conspiracy theories. Incredibly, the House Select Committee on Benghazi was reinstituted for the 114th Congress and, after learning that Hillary Clinton used her personal e-mail account during her time as secretary of state, the committee on March 4 issued subpoenas “for all communications of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton related to Libya and to the State Department for other individuals who have information pertinent to the investigation,” according to a committee spokesman. ❑ MAY 2015
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ELECTION WATCH
By Janet McMahon
Pro-Israel PACs Already Working to Re-elect Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) in 2016 t’s not uncommon for pro-Israel
Ipolitical action committees (PACs)
TOP TEN 2014 AND CAREER RECIPIENTS OF PRO-ISRAEL PAC FUNDS
to donate a stray thousand dollars or so to senators who aren’t up for Compiled by Hugh Galford re-election in a given year. In the 2014 election cycle these recipients HOUSE: CURRENT RACES SENATE: CURRENT RACES included Joseph Donnelly (D-IN), who received $500; Charles GrassRoyce, Edward R. (R-CA) $43,450 McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $84,251 ley (R-IA), $1,000; Barbara MikulEngel, Eliot L. (D-NY) 43,000 Landrieu, Mary L. (D-LA) 80,079 ski (D-MD), who has since anSchneider, Bradley S. (D-IL) 30,350 Begich, Mark (D-AK) 67,798 nounced her retirement, $1,000; Boehner, John A. (R-OH) 28,700 Udall, Mark E. (D-CO) 65,550 Amy Klobuchar (DFL-MN), $1,000; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid Deutch, Theodore E. (D-FL) 25,500 Hagan, Kay R. (D-NC) 60,800 (D-NV), $1,000; Kelly Ayotte (RHoyer, Steny H. (D-MD) 21,000 Graham, Lindsey O. (R-SC) 56,000 NH), $1,000; Charles Schumer (DLowey, Nita M. (D-NY) 20,650 Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH) 52,075 NY), $2,000; Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 20,500 Franken, Al (DFL-MN) 46,500 $1,000; and Ted Cruz (R-TX), who Pallone, Frank Jr. (D-NJ) 18,500 Pryor, Mark L. (D-AR) 45,000 has since announced his candidacy Granger, Kay (R-TX) 18,500 Roberts, Pat (R-KS) 41,300 for president, $2,500. Garcia, Jose A. (Joe) (D-FL) 17,445 But favorite son (of Israel, at any rate) Sen. Mark Kirk (D-IL) was the House: Career Totals Senate: Career Totals beneficiary of a whopping $12,100 toward his 2016 bid for re-election. Engel, Eliot L. (D-NY) $352,418 McConnell, Mitch (R-KS) 582,392 Kirk—who raked in enough pro-Israel PAC money as a member of the Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 294,240 Durbin, Richard J. (D-IL) 401,171 House to earn a place as one of the Hoyer, Steny H. (D-MD) 288,025 Reid, Harry (D-NV)* 394,001 Senate’s top 10 career recipients beLowey, Nita M. (D-NY) 223,888 Kirk, Mark S. (R-IL)* 349,486 fore he even took his oath of ofPelosi, Nancy (D-CA) 149,150 Wyden, Ronald L. (D-OR)* 349,462 fice—currently is hard at work tryLevin, Sander M. (D-MI) 134,827 Boxer, Barbara (D-CA)* 279,044 ing to undermine any nuclear agreeBoehner, John A. (R-OH) 129,200 Sessions, Jefferson B. (Jeff) (R-AL) 229,325 ment with Iran, via his co-authorAndrews, Robert E. (D-NJ) 112,025 Mikulski, Barbara (D-MD)* 214,099 ship with a fellow top 10 Senate reCrowley, Joseph (D-NY) 109,457 Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) 211,318 cipient of the Kirk-Menendez bill. Pallone, Frank Jr. (D-NJ) 107,050 McCain, John (R-AZ)* 206,000 Now that he’s been outed as an Israel-firster (on his 2010 campaign *up for re-election in 2016 website he posted his name in Hebrew in the color of the Israeli flag), it will be interesting to see how much both incumbents and challengers in some to Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) vs. $5,000 to Kirk touts that allegiance. In her unsuc- two dozen races, far more than usual. As Thom Tillis. cessful 2012 Senate bid, Rep. Shelley is their wont, they typically gave more to Hedging their bets turned out to be a Berkley (D-NV), the House’s high priest- trustworthy incuments: $67,798 to Sen. good thing in these states: of the above ess of pro-Israel PAC contributions before Mark Begich (D-AK) vs. $5,000 to chal- incumbents, only McConnell, Franken Kirk came on the scene, barely mentioned lenger Daniel Sullivan; $45,000 to Sen. and Shaheen still take to the Senate floor. the self-proclaimed Jewish state. One Mark Pryor (D-AR) vs. $8,000 to (the Meanwhile, pro-Israel PACs have estabwould have thought that she actually now notorious) Thomas Cotton; $65,550 lished relationships with five Republican cared more about the citizens of Nevada! to Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) vs. $6,000 to freshman senators, who now find themCory Gardner; $84,000 to Sen. Mitch Mc- selves in the majority party. No need for Hedging Their Bets Connell (R-KY) vs. $6,500 to Alison a chorus of “Getting to Know You.” More true to form, pro-Israel PACs did Having read the writing on the wall— Grimes; $80,079 to Sen. Mary Landrieu and apparently all reading the same (D-LA) vs. $12,000 to William Cassidy; not contribute to Senate challengers in wall—in 2014 pro-Israel PACs gave to $46,500 to Sen. Al Franken (DFL-MN) vs. Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, $5,000 to Michael McFadden; $52,075 to Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Janet McMahon is managing editor of the Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) vs. $5,000 Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South to former Sen. Scott Brown; and $60,800 Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington Report. MAY 2015
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Wyoming. And mirabile dictu! the incumbent senator won in all 15 states. In the 16 House races where pro-Israel PACs contributed to both the incumbent and challenger, nine were won by the incumbent, all but two of whom were Democrats, and seven by the challenger, all but one of whom were Republicans. As with the Senate races, however, even when it played both sides of the aisle the lobby didn’t always get its way. This was particularly the case in Illinois, where Republican challenger Robert Dold (who received $8,000) defeated Democratic incumbent Bradley Schneider ($30,350); Republican challenger Michael Bost ($2,500) defeated incumbent Bill Enyart ($11,000); and Republican incumbent Rodney Davis
($800) defeated Democratic challenger Ann Callis ($3,018). The only Democratic incumbent to hold on to her seat was Cheri Bustos ($5,000), who defeated Republican Bobby Schilling ($2,000). Countering the 30-some pro-Israel PACS were the Arab American PAC and the Arab American Leadership Council PAC, which together gave a total of $3,500 to four candidates (see p. 33)—slightly over one-tenth of one percent of the pro-Israel PACs’ total of $2,720,869. Indeed, the total contributions of Arab- and MuslimAmerican PACs since 1978—$715,920—is less than the career total of pro-Israel PAC contributions received by a single former senator, Carl Levin (D-MI), who amassed $729,937 before he retired last year.
Mark Kirk has his work cut out for him, but he’ll undoubtedly make up a lot of ground by November 2016. However, as seen by many of this year’s results, as well as by Rand Paul’s (R-KY) election to the Senate in 2010, when voters are dissatisfied with the status quo, they will not automatically vote for the favored candidate. The task, then, is to make sure they have a choice. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s March 3 speech to Congress upset the bipartisan applecart. Perhaps more candidates will appear who don’t feel the need to automatically genuflect to Israel and its American enforcers. As the ancient Romans used to say, carpe diem—seize the day. ❑
PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State Alabama
Alaska Arizona
Arkansas California
Office District S H H H H S S H H H H H H H H H S S H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
1 2 4 5 1 1 2 2 3 5 7 8 9 2 3 5 7 7 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Candidate Sessions, Jefferson B. (Jeff)* Byrne, Bradley R. Roby, Martha Aderholt, Robert B. Brooks, Mo Begich, Mark* Sullivan, Daniel S.* Kirkpatrick, Ann Tobin, Andy Barber, Ronald McSally, Martha E. Grijalva, Raul M. Salmon, Matt Pastor, Ed L. Franks, Trent Sinema, Kyrsten Pryor, Mark L.* Cotton, Thomas*# Huffman, Jared Garamendi, John Thompson, Mike Bera, Amerish (Ami) Birman, Igor A. Ose, Doug Cook, Paul Miller, George Pelosi, Nancy Lee, Barbara Speier, Jackie Swalwell, Eric M. Costa, Jim Honda, Mike Eshoo, Anna G. Lofgren, Zoe Farr, Sam Renteria, Amanda
Party
Status
2013-2014 Contributions
Career
Committees
R R R R R D R D R D R D R D R D D R D D D D R R R D D D D D D D D D D D
I I I I I I C I C I C I I N I I I C I I I I P C I N I I I I I I I I I C
5,000 2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500 67,798 5,000 5,000 2,500 5,500 2,500 3,500 2,500 1,000 4,600 3,000 45,000 8,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 5,750 3,000 2,500 2,500 1,000 16,350 3,000 1,000 9,500 3,500 11,000 4,000 3,500 5,000 3,025
229,325 2,500 5,000 23,000 2,500 74,298 5,000 12,000 2,500 7,500 2,500 13,500 9,000 9,800 5,600 3,000 103,000 10,500 6,500 16,500 8,500 19,450 3,000 2,500 2,500 14,193 149,150 5,000 8,000 24,000 27,000 24,500 10,750 8,750 17,150 3,025
AS, B AS A A(D) AS, FR A(FO, HS), C, HS AS, HS FR A, I AS
A(D), HS FR(NE) B AS I, W FR AS, FR
Min. Leader A(FO), B AS HS
A C A
KEY: The “Career Total” column represents the total amount of pro-Israel PAC money received from Jan. 1, 2009 through Nov. 4, 2014. 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 (D=Defense subcommittee, FO=Foreign Operations subcommittee, HS=Homeland Security, 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, W=Ways and Means. “–” indicates money returned by candidate, “0” that all money received was returned. 28
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
MAY 2015
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PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State California
Colorado
Connecticut Delaware Florida
Georgia
MAY 2015
Office District H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H S S H H H 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 S S S
22 23 24 25 26 26 27 28 29 30 31 33 33 33 34 36 38 39 41 46 47 52 52 53 1 2 5 6 5 5
1 2 2 3 4 6 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 13 13 14 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 26 27
Candidate
Party
Nunes, Devin G. R McCarthy, Kevin R Capps, Lois G. D Strickland, Anthony A. R Brownley, Julia D Gorell, Jeff R Chu, Judy D Schiff, Adam D Cárdenas, Tony D Sherman, Brad D Aguilar, Pete D Carr, Elan S. R Waxman, Henry A. D Lieu, Ted D Becerra, Xavier D Ruiz, Raul D Sanchez, Linda D Royce, Edward R. R Takano, Mark D Sanchez, Loretta D Lowenthal, Alan D DeMaio, Carl D. R Peters, Scott D Davis, Susan D Udall, Mark E.* D Gardner, Cory*# R DeGette, Diana L. D Polis, Jared D Lamborn, Douglas L. R Coffman, Mike R Greenberg, Mark R Esty, Elizabeth D Coons, Christopher A.* D Miller, Jefferson B. R Graham, Gwen D Southerland, William S. (Steve) II R Yoho, Theodore S. (Ted) R Crenshaw, Ander R DeSantis, Ronald D. R Stearns, Clifford B. R Posey, Bill R Grayson, Alan M. D Demings, Valdez (Val) D Nugent, Richard B. R Bilirakis, Gus M. R Sink, Adelaide A. (Alex)† D Jolly, David W.† R Young, C.W. (Bill) R Castor, Kathy D Rooney, Tom R Murphy, Patrick D Radel, Henry J. III R Deutch, Theodore E. D Frankel, Lois J. D Wasserman Schultz, Debbie D Wilson, Frederica S. D Diaz-Balart, Mario R Garcia, Jose A. (Joe) D Curbelo, Carlos R Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana R Perdue, David* R Nunn, Mary M.* D Kingston, John H., Sr.*# R
Status I I I O I C I I I I O O N O I I I I I I I C I I I C I I I I C I I I C I I I I N I I N I I N I N I I I N I I I I I I C I O O P
2013-2014 Contributions 5,000 12,000 5,306 2,500 12,250 2,500 1,000 13,000 6,000 16,000 3,150 6,500 5,000 1,100 1,000 11,550 3,500 43,450 1,000 2,500 4,500 2,500 2,250 2,000 65,550 6,000 3,000 1,000 5,000 2,500 2,500 1,000 31,000 7,000 7,550 3,000 5,500 3,000 3,500 1,500 4,000 500 1,000 5,000 7,500 5,500 3,500 1,000 5,200 1,000 16,000 6,000 25,500 6,500 0 500 14,500 17,445 10,500 20,500 20,000 16,150 2,000
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Career
Committees
5,000 21,000 Maj. Leader 40,723 C 6,500 16,650 2,500 2,000 93,917 A(FO), I 8,600 B 106,430 FR 5,650 6,500 57,932 C 1,100 5,000 W 11,550 26,450 W 52,950 FR 6,000 68,950 AS, HS 14,700 FR 2,500 2,650 AS 19,163 AS 113,800 AS, I 6,000 C 7,500 C 1,000 10,500 AS 4,750 AS 2,500 2,500 50,000 A(FO, HS), B, FR(NE) 13,500 AS 7,550 3,000 5,500 FR(NE) 3,000 A(D, FO) 3,500 FR(NE) 21,500 5,000 8,000 FR(NE) 3,000 22,100 AS 51,816 C 5,500 3,500 2,250 27,600 B, C 2,000 A(FO), I 23,500 8,500 83,350 FR(NE) 13,000 FR(NE) 74,300 A(FO) 10,000 68,250 A(FO) 36,445 10,500 294,240 FR(NE) 20,000 16,150 7,500 A(D, HS) 29
paccharts_27-33_Pac Charts for May 2015 3/26/15 6:34 PM Page 30
PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State Georgia Hawaii
Idaho Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine Maryland
30
Office District H H S S H H H S S S H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H S S H H H H S S S H H S H S S H H H S S H H H H H H H S H S H H H
4 13 1 1 2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 12 13 13 14 16 17 17 18 1 2 4 6 2 3 4
1 3 5 1 2 4 5 5 5 6 1
1 4 5
Candidate
Johnson, Henry C. (Hank) Scott, David A. Schatz, Brian† Hanabusa, Colleen Wakako#† Takai, Kyle M. Djou, Charles K. Gabbard, Tulsi Risch, James E.* Durbin, Richard J.* Kirk, Mark S. Kelly, Robin L. Lipinski, Daniel W. Gutierrez, Luis V. Quigley, Mike Roskam, Peter Davis, Danny K. Duckworth, L. Tammy Schakowsky, Janice D. Schneider, Bradley S. Dold, Robert J. Jr. Foster, G. William (Bill) Enyart, William L. Jr. Bost, Michael Callis, Ann Davis, Rodney L. Hultgren, Randy Kinzinger, Adam Bustos, Cheri Schilling, Robert T. (Bobby) Schock, Aaron J. Donnelly, Joseph S. Coats, Daniel R. Visclosky, Peter J. Walorski Swihart, Jackie Rokita, Theodore E. (Todd) Messer, Allen L. (Luke) Braley, Bruce L.*# Ernst, Joni K.* Grassley, Charles E. Loebsack, David W. Young, David Roberts, Pat* Pompeo, Michael R. McConnell, Mitch* Grimes, Alison Lundergan* Whitfield, W. Edward Yarmuth, John A. Rogers, Harold D. (Hal) Landrieu, Mary L.* Cassidy, William M.*# Scalise, Steve Richmond, Cedric L. Fleming, John C. Jr. Abraham, Ralph L. Jr.† McAllister, Vance M. Riser, Hartwell N. (Neil) Jr. Graves, Garret Collins, Susan M.* Pingree, Chellie M. Mikulski, Barbara Harris, Andrew P. Edwards, Donna F. Hoyer, Steny H.
Party D D D D D R D R D R D D D D R D D D D R D D R D R R R D R R D R D R R R D R R D R R R R D R D R D R R D R R R R R R D D R D D
Status I I I P O O I I I I I I I I I I I I I C I I C C I I I I C I I I I I I I O O I I O I I I C I I I I C I I I C P N O I I I I I I
2013-2014 Contributions 5,000 1,000 35,200 18,000 3,500 2,500 1,000 39,500 25,750 12,100 2,100 1,500 5,750 1,250 7,750 5,000 3,500 3,250 30,350 8,000 4,700 11,000 2,500 3,018 800 1,500 3,250 5,000 2,000 4,750 500 0 750 13,700 2,000 1,000 33,150 28,500 1,000 5,000 2,500 41,300 3,000 84,251 6,500 2,500 5,020 6,700 80,079 12,000 10,000 6,000 2,000 3,000 2,500 2,000 3,000 32,900 5,000 1,000 2,500 3,000 21,000
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Career
43,200 14,000 35,200 23,000 3,500 9,500 1,500 53,000 401,171 349,486 2,100 12,400 37,561 2,750 29,500 15,250 20,974 37,395 32,950 30,500 23,700 11,000 2,500 3,018 1,800 3,500 10,250 10,000 6,300 24,750 25,000 69,060 17,450 13,700 6,500 1,000 50,150 28,500 161,323 21,000 2,500 92,300 3,000 582,392 6,500 8,000 20,520 22,700 287,968 27,000 40,500 8,500 14,000 3,000 2,500 2,000 3,000 145,900 10,676 214,099 8,500 12,500 288,025
Committees AS
C AS
FR, HS FR(NE), I A(D, FO), FR(NE) A(FO) A W W AS C, I FR(NE) AS
C, FR(NE) W AS A(D, FO, HS), C, I A(D) AS, B B B, FR(NE) B AS C, I A(D, FO)
C B, C A A(D, FO, HS), HS C C, Maj. Whip HS AS
A(D), I A A(D, FO), I A
Min. Whip MAY 2015
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PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State
Office District
H S S H H H H H Michigan S S H H H H H H H Minnesota S S S H H H H H Mississippi S H H Missouri H H H Montana S S S H Nebraska S S Nevada S H H New Hampshire S S S H H H New Jersey S H H H H H H H H H H H New Mexico S S H H New York S Maryland Massachusetts
MAY 2015
7
2 3 6 6 7 3 5 8 8 9 12 13 2 3 4 5 8
3 4 1 5 7
At-L. 1 4 1 2 2
1 2 3 3 4 6 8 9 11 12 12 1 3
Candidate
Cummings, Elijah E. Markey, Edward J.* Gomez, Gabrielâ&#x20AC; McGovern, James P. Tsongas, Nicola S. Tierney, John F. Moulton, Seth Capuano, Michael E. Peters, Gary*# Land, Terri L.* Ellis, Brian R. Kildee, Daniel T. Bishop, Michael D. Rogers, Michael J. Levin, Sander M. Dingell, John D. Conyers, John Jr. Franken, Al* McFadden, Michael* Klobuchar, Amy Kline, John P. Jr. Paulsen, Erik McCollum, Betty Ellison, Keith M. Nolan, Richard M. Cochran, Thad* Harper, Gregg Palazzo, Steven McCarty Clay, William L. (Lacy) Jr. Cleaver, Emanuel II Long, Billy Daines, Steven*# Baucus, Max* Walsh, John E.* Zinke, Ryan K. Sasse, Benjamin E.* Osborn, Shane* Reid, Harry Titus, Alice C. (Dina) Innis, Niger Shaheen, Jeanne* Brown, Scott P.* Ayotte, Kelly A. Guinta, Frank Garcia, Marilinda Kuster, Ann McLane Booker, Cory A.* Andrews, Robert E. LoBiondo, Frank A. Belgard, Aimee MacArthur, Thomas Smith, Christopher H. Pallone, Frank Jr. Sires, Albio Pascrell, William J. Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. Coleman, Bonnie Watson Greenstein, Linda Udall, Tom* Wilson, Heather A. Lujan Grisham, Michelle Lujan, Ben R. Schumer, Charles E.
Party
D D R D D D D D D R R D R R D D D DFL R DFL R R DFL DFL DFL R R R D D R R D D R R R D D R D R R R R D D D R D R R D D D R D D D R D D D
Status I I N I I P C I O O P I O N I N I I C I I I I I I I I I I I I O N N O O P I I P I C I C C I I N I O O I I I I I O P I N I I I
2013-2014 Contributions 2,000 22,500 2,500 3,500 5,000 1,000 100 3,000 25,600 16,000 13,250 5,000 12,750 5,000 1,000 1,000 5,000 46,500 5,000 1,000 4,500 3,500 4,000 2,000 2,500 28,950 1,000 6,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 17,500 10,000 7,500 4,500 27,000 5,000 1,000 2,500 5,000 52,075 5,000 1,000 2,500 2,500 500 37,327 5,000 5,000 10,500 3,500 7,000 18,500 10,000 2,000 2,000 8,000 500 33,500 -2,000 1,000 4,500 2,000
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Career
24,500 34,750 2,500 14,075 12,000 3,000 100 9,000 64,100 16,000 13,250 32,500 12,750 11,000 134,827 18,700 10,000 52,180 5,000 81,835 27,500 18,000 12,750 7,500 3,500 49,950 4,500 8,000 22,500 18,000 12,500 17,500 362,648 7,500 4,500 27,000 5,000 394,001 16,600 5,000 94,175 32,000 17,500 5,000 2,500 7,000 37,327 112,025 35,750 10,500 3,500 65,750 107,050 11,000 17,853 14,350 8,000 500 75,000 49,750 2,000 4,500 85,885
Committees C, FR AS
C, I W C C AS W A A(D, HS) C AS, HS C HS C
Maj. Leader A(FO), FR AS, B, HS
C
AS, I FR C FR B, W A(D, HS) A, FR B C
31
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PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State
Office District
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H North Carolina S S H H H H H H Ohio H H H H H H H H Oklahoma S S S Oregon S S H H H Pennsylvania H H H H H H H H Rhode Island S H H South Carolina S S H H H South Dakota S S New York
32
1 4 4 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 21 23 23 24 2 3 3 4 5 11 1 6 7 8 11 13 14 15
1 3 4 2 6 8 13 13 14 15 17 1 2
1 1 6
Candidate
Zeldin, Lee M. Blakeman, Bruce Rice, Kathleen Jeffries, Hakeem Nadler, Jerrold L. Grimm, Michael Maloney, Carolyn B. Rangel, Charles B. Crowley, Joseph Serrano, Jose E. Engel, Eliot L. Lowey, Nita M. Maloney, Sean P. Hayworth, Nan Eldridge, Sean Tonko, Paul D. Stefanik, Elise M. Woolf, Aaron Reed, Thomas W. II Robertson, Martha Maffei, Daniel B. Hagan, Kay R.* Tillis, Thom R.* Ellmers, Renee Jacisin Griffin, William T. Jones, Walter B. Price, David E. Foxx, Virginia Ann Shuler, Joseph H. Chabot, Steve Johnson, Bill Gibbs, Robert B. Boehner, John A. Fudge, Marcia L. Ryan, Timothy J. Joyce, David P. Stivers, Steve E. Inhofe, James M.* Lankford, James P.†# Shannon, Tahrohon W. (T.W.)† Merkley, Jeffrey A.* Wyden, Ronald L. Bonamici, Suzanne Blumenauer, Earl DeFazio, Peter A. Fattah, Chaka Costello, Ryan A. Fitzpatrick, Michael G. Margolies-Mezvinsky, Marjorie Schwartz, Allyson Y. Doyle, Mike Dent, Charles W. Cartwright, Matt Reed, Jack F.* Cicilline, David N. Langevin, James R. Graham, Lindsey O.* Scott, Timothy E.† Colbert-Busch, Elizabeth† Sanford, Marshall C. (Mark) Jr. Clyburn, James E. Rounds, Marion M. (Mike)* Pressler, Larry*
Party R R D D D R D D D D D D D R D D R D R D D D R R R R D R D R R R R D D R R R R R D D D D D D R R D D D R D D D D R R D R D R Ind.
Status C O O I I I I I I I I I I C C I O O I C I I C I P I I I N I I I I I I I I I O P I I I I I I O I P N I I I I I I I I N I I O O
2013-2014 Contributions 5,000 5,000 1,000 -700 2,500 2,000 1,000 5,000 300 1,000 43,000 20,650 7,500 -4,500 1,000 4,000 2,500 2,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 60,800 5,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 2,000 4,000 10,000 1,000 2,500 28,700 9,200 2,500 5,000 1,500 7,000 28,500 2,500 17,050 1,000 3,500 4,000 5,000 5,000 3,000 5,000 2,000 1,500 2,500 1,000 4,500 17,000 4,000 6,500 56,000 23,600 2,000 750 8,500 17,500 10,000
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Career 5,000 5,000 1,000 19,600 32,500 2,000 30,970 33,000 109,457 6,750 352,418 223,888 12,500 -1,500 1,000 9,000 2,500 2,000 2,000 1,000 24,500 68,800 5,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 65,827 7,000 13,250 30,000 1,000 2,500 129,200 12,200 11,000 6,000 10,000 135,800 28,500 2,500 38,650 349,462 10,500 13,000 16,600 6,500 3,000 25,000 27,190 66,650 7,500 14,750 4,500 175,850 32,000 39,500 118,500 27,600 2,000 750 29,100 17,500 132,100
Committees
B W W A C, FR A(FO) C W
AS AS
C
AS A(HS)
FR(NE) C
House Spkr. A(D), B A
AS A, HS, I
A, B B, I
B, W A
W C A(HS, FO)
A(D), AS FR(NE) AS, I A(D, FO), AS, B C HS
MAY 2015
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PRO-ISRAEL PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State South Dakota Tennessee
Texas
Utah Vermont Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Office District H S H H S S H H H H H H H H S H S H H H H H H H H H H H H H S S H H H H H H H H H S
At-L. 5 9
12 13 23 25 30 33 35 3
At-L.
2 4 6 7 8 10 10 11 1 5 6 7 9 2 2 3 3 1 2 3 7 8
Candidate
Noem, Kristi L. Alexander, Lamar* Cooper, James H.S. Cohen, Stephen I. Cornyn, John* Cruz, Rafael E. (Ted) Granger, Kay Thornberry, Mac Gallego, Pete Williams, Roger Johnson, Eddie Bernice Veasey, Marc A. Doggett, Lloyd Chaffetz, Jason MacGovern, John Welch, Peter Warner, Mark R.* Rigell, Edward S. Forbes, J. Randy Goodlatte, Robert W. Cantor, Eric Beyer, Donald S. (Don) Jr. Comstock, Barbara J. Wasinger, Robert K. Connolly, Gerald E. DelBene, Suzan K. McMorris Rodgers, Cathy Kilmer, Derek McDermott, James Smith, D. Adam Capito, Shelley Moore*# Tennant, Natalie* Mooney, Alexander X. Casey, George N. (Nick) Jr. Jenkins, Evan H. Rahall, Nick J. II Ryan, Paul D. Pocan, Mark Kind, Ronald J. Duffy, Sean Ribble, Reid J. Enzi, Michael B.*
Party R R D D R R R R D R D D D R R D D R R R R D R R D D R D D D R D R D R D R D D R R R
Status I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N I I I I I P O O P I I I I I I O O O O C I I I I I I I
2013-2014 Total Contributions: Total Contributions (1978-2014): Total No. of Recipients (1978-2014):
2013-2014 Contributions 2,000 13,500 4,500 4,000 21,100 2,500 18,500 2,500 5,000 500 4,500 4,100 3,500 6,500 1,000 4,000 24,000 2,000 2,000 6,500 12,875 2,000 2,500 1,000 5,000 1,000 2,500 4,000 4,000 13,600 13,500 3,500 3,750 1,000 6,500 6,000 9,700 3,500 1,500 3,500 1,000 24,000
Career
5,000 21,500 34,750 30,500 88,580 18,500 40,000 2,500 5,000 500 7,000 5,100 9,000 17,500 1,000 13,000 65,500 4,500 4,000 11,000 237,605 2,000 2,500 1,000 21,500 7,000 3,850 9,000 10,000 39,925 21,750 3,500 3,750 1,000 6,500 12,223 31,450 6,000 7,500 11,000 2,000 50,250
Committees AS A(D) AS
AS, C A(D, FO) AS, I AS B
AS W HS
C B, I AS, B AS
FR(NE)
C AS B, W AS
B, W B
B B B, HS
$2,720,869 $56,489,927 2,438
ARAB-AMERICAN PAC CONTRIBUTIONS TO 2014 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES State Michigan New Jersey West Virginia
Office District S H H H
3 12 3
Candidate
Peters, Gary*# Amash, Justin Holt, Rush D. Jr. Rahall, Nick J. II
Party D R D D
Status O I N I
2013-2014 Total Contributions: Total Contributions (1978-2014): Total No. of Recipients (1978-2014):
MAY 2015
2011-12 Contributions 1,000 1,000 1,000 500
Career
1,000 3,000 2,500 39,943
Committees
$3,500 $715,920 287
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
33
butler-syria_34-35_Special Report 3/26/15 7:25 PM Page 34
Eighty-Three Percent of Lights Have Gone Out in Syria SpecialReport
XI LI/WUHAN UNIVERSITY
By Josh Butler
A satellite view of Syria in February/March 2015. single image can be more powerful,
Amore descriptive and more potent
than an entire essay—“a picture says a thousand words,” as the cliché goes. So it is in Syria, where despite the undoubted millions of words penned about atrocity after atrocity, bombing after bombing, a newly released set of satellite images spell out the true devastation wrought on the nation. Since the start of the conflict in 2011, more than four-fifths of lights across Syria have gone out. With Syria [<www.withsyria.com>], a coalition of 130 non-governmental organizations, launched the sobering statistic March 11. Research by Dr. Xi Li, of Wuhan University in China, showed between March 2011 and February 2015, the number of lights visible over Syria has fallen almost 83 percent. “I have analyzed other countries, but Syria is the worst case I’ve ever seen of nighttime lights going out like this,” Li told IPS. “It is very similar to the figures of the Rwandan genocide. Rwanda and Syria Copyright © 2015 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. 34
are the two most impacted and most suffering countries I’ve seen.” Figures vary nationwide. In Damascus, only 33 percent of lights have gone out; while in war-ravaged Aleppo, Idlib and AlRaqqah, up to 97 percent of lights have been extinguished. Li says the astonishing lack of light in the country is due to three factors: the displacement of citizens from towns and cities, the destruction of buildings and their lights, and disruption of electricity supply, all of which have hugely damaging and potentially deadly effects. “Electricity is one of the basic needs for people, but basic supplies have been cut off. Most people there are living in darkness,” Li said. Destruction and disruption of power supply is not unfamiliar for Dr. Zaher Sahloul. President of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), Sahloul—a Syrian himself, with family still in the country—and his organization provide medical care in trauma centers and clinics around the country. SAMS also provides diesel, to fuel power generators in areas without steady electricity supply. Sahloul said a lack of basic utilTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
ities is one of the biggest issues faced by citizens and aid groups looking to assist on the ground, claiming that areas like Ghouta—near Damascus—have been without power for over 860 days. “Some of the shortages are intentional, by fighting groups. When they circle an area, or start a siege, they cut off the power. Some government-controlled areas have electricity a few hours a day, usually after midnight, because of rationing,” he told IPS. “Aleppo and Ghouta have a complete dependence on generators and diesel fuel.” Sahloul said SAMS provides funding for facilities to purchase diesel fuel, but it is scarce and expensive—up to $12 per gallon, “the highest in the world,” he claims. “People are functioning the same way as in the Middle Ages. Modern technology, which we take for granted, cannot be used. Even the lucky ones with a generator have to ration it. Many functions have stopped in the cities under siege,” Sahloul said. “The basic functions of any village, like garbage management, water, bakeries and schools—with no power, how can you do those? It is a formula for disaster.” Syria has just shivered its way through a harsh winter, with temperatures plunging to -7 degrees Celsius (20 degrees Fahrenheit). Many Syrians battled the cold in tents in refugee camps, or in the shells of destroyed houses, with no way to keep warm. Sahloul’s family was one of those. “They have been trying to get fuel for months, but have not been able to, so they can’t use the heating in their house,” he said. “Tens of thousands of displaced people have no heat. There were children dying, freezing to death. Nowadays, nobody can live without electricity.” Sharif Aly, advocacy counsel for Islamic Relief USA, said his group’s recent efforts had also focused on helping Syrians survive a brutal winter without heat, power or even secure shelter. Due to security concerns, Islamic Relief was only able to provide basic blankets and coats in some parts of the country. “People being displaced have to brave the elements, a very cold winter with snow and ice. There were deaths from freezing,” MAY 2015
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Aly told IPS. “Our winter work has been to try and provide gas or fuel to families. Hopefully the problems are starting to alleviate with spring, but it has been a big challenge.” Aly said a lack of electricity, as well as ongoing dangers from gunfire, bombings and other military activity, had made providing medical care hugely difficult; but while emergency trauma care for wounds is the most obvious medical emergency, he said psychological and emotional injuries were all but ignored in the region. “There are huge mental health problems, a lot of psychological impact for these innocent people caught in the conflict,” he said. “Getting health aid is challenging. We recently started a kidney dialysis service in Lebanon, because due to the situation in Syria and a lack of health services, there is not a lot of opportunity to get good treatment for urgent things like dialysis.” Sahloul said many members of the medical community are fleeing Syria as the conflict becomes even bloodier. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, addressing a telebriefing on the release of the “lights out” figures, said 2014 was “the bloodiest year yet” of the conflict, bringing the total death toll since 2011 to over 200,000 lives. “Every physician I know in Syria is thinking about leaving, even in so-called stable areas,” Sahloul said. “The continuation of violence is adding strain to the medical community. There has been systematic targeting of health facilities by fighting groups. There is a flight of doctors and nurses out of Syria.” A report released March 11 by Physicians For Human Rights claimed 610 medical staff had been killed in Syria since 2011, with 233 attacks on 183 medical facilities. The group said the Syrian government “committed the vast majority of these attacks,” responsible for 97 percent of medical personnel killings, including 139 by torture or execution. Sahloul said the exodus of medical staff has led to the spread of diseases such as typhoid and tuberculosis, parasites including lice and scabies, malnutrition, and chronic diseases going untreated due to a lack of access to healthcare and medication. March 2015 marks four years since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. Despite a death toll in the hundreds of thousands, 11 million people displaced, and an untold number of wounded, an end to the violence is not in sight. MAY 2015
“People on the ground are not hopeful. There are rumblings in the NGO community that this could be an 8- or 10-year conflict,” Aly said. “There is no expectation of a resolution anytime soon.” Li, drawing another parallel between Syria and the Rwanda, said he hoped the international community would act before the Syrian conflict became as infamous as the 1994 genocide. “The international community ignored Rwanda, and after, they regretted it. I don’t want people to have any more regrets after this conflict ends,” he said. Sahloul expected a similarly grim future. “In areas like Aleppo, the situation is as bad as always, or even worse. Nobody is optimistic, and nobody is taking the crisis as seriously as they should be,” he warned. “They are thinking Syria can be contained. It is not contained. This is the tip of the iceberg. If it continues, the situation in the whole region will explode.” ❑
NUMEC… Continued from page 11
Carter. According to records from the National Archives and Records Administration, the Justice Department reviewed “thousands” of CIA files on NUMEC during its investigation. Members of Carter’s National Security Council fretted that the president “did not have deniability” over the NUMEC diversion given the strength of CIA’s classified information. Carter’s national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, thwarted Senate access to intelligence on the diversion. When asked by The Wall Street Journal in 2014 why he covered up NUMEC, Brzezinski was dismissive: “What are we going to say to the Israelis, ‘Give it back?’” The federal government—not to mention Israel—has presumably been content to see NUMEC’s diversion secrets bottled up forever. But now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin a cleanup of NUMEC’s waste dump estimated to cost a half-billion dollars, to be paid by American taxpayers. It is this insult to injury that triggered IRmep’s second major lawsuit in federal court. Based largely on research compiled for the book Divert! (available from AET’s Middle East Books and More), the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit asks the court to compel release of sufficient classified CIA material on the diversion to allow subsequent lawsuits against the Israeli government for cleanup and heath-related costs. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Although the initial CIA lawsuit may seem like a long shot, late in February IRmep’s separate court action against the Department of Defense (DoD) produced a stunning report that officially confirms— for the very first time—the advanced state of Israel’s nuclear weapons program (see Jan./Feb. 2015 Washington Report, p. 28). A major premise of the DoD lawsuit was that U.S. taxpayers were being forced to pay for aid packages to a state that is simply not eligible. Amendments made in 1976 to the Foreign Aid Act of 1961 prohibit U.S. foreign aid to states with nuclear programs operating outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Because the 1987 report is unequivocal that Israel is a nuclear weapons power, under the Symington and Glenn amendments it is ineligible for U.S. foreign aid. Publicly known U.S. aid to Israel since 1976 amounts to, adjusted for inflation, $234 billion. This means America’s 122 million taxpayers are currently owed $1909.54 each if the aid were to be properly “clawed back” and redistributed. While each taxpayer’s projected share of the NUMEC cleanup (but not health-related costs) would be only $4.10, the court battle for the evidence that can shift liability to Israel is worthwhile. The public education of high-profile court action is also highly beneficial. The optics of three highly-paid Justice and Defense Department lawyers with unlimited resources fighting a solitary pro se (not represented by an attorney) litigant in the DoD lawsuit were terrible. In the case of the CIA they will be even worse. The Justice Department and CIA lawyers must explain to a judge why damning, ancient files of toxic crimes against Americans by foreign agents must be withheld forever. They must make that argument one year after a National Archives declassification authority (the ISCAP) swatted aside CIA intransigence and compelled the release of damning evidence of the above-cited LBJ and Carter administration NUMEC coverup actions. All while backhoes driven by workers in biohazard suits will be converging on Apollo and Parks Township in Pennsylvania to commence the cleanup. The timing also is not favorable for the defendants since the court action is taking place while nuclear-tipped Israel continues to lobby for military action and sanctions against NPT signatory Iran. Americans’ need for a more accurate assessment of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East—and the heist that jumpstarted it—could not be more obvious and urgent. ❑ 35
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Malaysian Opposition Alliance Loses Two Key Leaders in Three Days By John Gee
Islam and the Near East in theFar East
SAEED KHAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Hadi Awang. Nik Aziz was president of that council. Under Nik Aziz’s guidance, PAS remained committed to asserting a stronger role for Islam in Malaysia, including the implementation of syariah (sharia) law. A network of religious schools was established in Kelantan under Nik Aziz’s leadership. The insistence of PAS on promoting its policy even while taking part in a coalition with non-religious parties led to friction with its allies, but Nik Aziz was careful to speak to the demands of his party’s rank and file and electoral base while assuaging the anxieties of PAS’ electoral allies. The individuals and groups that have campaigned to ban the use of the word “Allah” in Malay-lanMalaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (l) speaking with PAS “spiritual leader” Nik Abdul Aziz Nik guage Christian texts, claimMat at a Jan. 6, 2009 election rally in northeastern Terengganu state. ing it would “confuse believers,” have generally been nwar Ibrahim, leader of the opposi- 23 years until his retirement in 2013, fend- aligned with the main party of government, tion alliance that deprived Malaysia’s ing off every attempt by the government the United Malays National Organization ruling Barisan Nasional coalition of its coalition to recapture the state. He was re- (UMNO), rather than PAS, and Nik Aziz did usual two-thirds parliamentary majority in spected by mainstream Islamist movements not support their campaign. UMNO has the 2008 general election, lost a seven-year elsewhere in the world, including by the made overtures to PAS to form a united front struggle against sodomy charges on Feb. Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab coun- in defense of Malay rights, and so detach it 10, when the Federal Court threw out his tries. Such was his standing that, on his from the opposition alliance, but this would appeal against conviction. He faces a five- death, tributes were paid to him not only go against Nik Aziz’s views: he told The Star by friends and allies, but by government newspaper in 2008 that he disagreed with year prison term. Two days later, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik leaders, including Prime Minister Najib the idea of “Malay supremacy,” and said of Islam: “It is a religion above race. We cannot Mat, the “spiritual leader” of PAS, the Is- Razak, who attended his funeral. The two leaders played a complementary quantify race with Islam, such as Malays lamic Party of Malaysia, died of prostate cancer at the age of 84. Before Nik Aziz role in the Malaysian opposition, though with Islam. There are also Chinese and Inand his allies took over the leadership of their perspectives on Malaysia’s future dif- dian Muslims.” He was, however, conservative when it PAS in 1982, the party had been a negligi- fered in quite basic ways. The president of ble force in Malaysian politics, but he PAS, who took his party into the Pakatan came to women. Back in 1999, he advised sought to broaden its appeal and modern- Rakyat (PR-People’s Alliance) in 2008, is Kelantan’s civil service to hire women who ize its organization. In the 1990 election, Abdul Hadi Awang, but Nik Aziz sup- are not good-looking, as those with good PAS won control of the northern state of ported the move, and this counted for a lot. looks could find rich husbands and would Kelantan, the first serious breach in the In other Malaysian parties, the highest de- not need to work. In 2003, Kelantan ordered ruling coalition’s monopoly of power since cision-making body is a central committee that advertising billboards should cease to independence in 1957. Nik Aziz was its or a supreme council. PAS has a Central show images of women “even if clad in a menteri besar (senior minister) for the next Working Committee that makes most of its tudung” (headscarf). For decades, PAS had decisions, but the final word is with the no female parliamentary candidates, believJohn Gee is a free-lance journalist based in Majlis Syura, or consultative council. This ing that women should not be involved in Singapore, and the author of Unequal Con- is composed of religious leaders and high- the rough and tumble of politics. In the ranking party veterans, including Abdul course of the past 10 years, however, it deflict: The Palestinians and Israel.
A
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cided to accept them, and 2 of its current 21 members of parliament are women. Anwar Ibrahim was the leader of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR-People’s Justice Party). The party aimed to appeal to Malaysians of all national origins, whether from the Malay majority, the large Chinese minority or others. The fact that the PKR was headed by a politician who had been a leading member of UMNO and that Malays predominated in its leadership helped it to draw support away from UMNO’s political base, from Malays who would not endorse PAS and its policies. Anwar and the PKR provided a bridge between PAS and the third component of the opposition PR alliance, the predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP), which previously had been unable to find a basis for cooperation with PAS. It has been argued that Anwar may yet be able to play a role in Malaysian politics, exercising an influence even while he serves his prison sentence; indeed, following the rejection of his appeal, his party dubbed him its “de facto leader.” There is also the possibility that he could be given a royal pardon by Malaysia’s king, though he has not requested one personally. How-
ever, the PR’s member parties are acting as if they are in a post-Anwar era. His wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, already was serving as the president of PKR, and she and her colleagues will have to handle the daily running of the party without Anwar. Both PAS and DAP have debated how the PR can be sustained in the future. They would not see any of the PKR’s leaders as being strong candidates to step into Anwar’s shoes as coalition head if not for the fact that most of their members recognize how diffi-
cult it would be to sustain a coalition if their own experienced and capable party leaders laid claim to the role. A strong minority within PAS has argued in the past for Abdul Hadi Awang to be made head of the PR. Winning 40 percent of the seats and just over 50 percent of the popular vote in the 2013 national elections, the PR has edged tantalizingly close to winning office. It faces an uphill struggle to hold together and build on that result over the next couple of years. ❑
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MAY 2015
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pasquini_38-39_Northern California Chronicle 3/25/15 7:01 PM Page 38
Bus Ads Highlight U.S. Taxpayer Funding of “Israel’s War Crimes”
STAFF PHOTO PHIL PASQUINI
By Elaine Pasquini
Advertisements on San Francisco buses call attention to Israel’s human rights abuses.
advertisements purchased by right-wing blogger Pamela Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative which ran on the same buses in January. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, D i s t r i c t A t t o r n ey George Gascón and other city leaders condemned Geller’s advertisements, calling them racist and Islamophobic, but acknowledged they were protected free speech. The website <www. notaxdollarstoisrael. com>) was created to accompany the advertisements and bring attention to—and con -
dvertisements calling
Aattention to Israel’s bru-
Northern California Chronicle Candlelight Vigil Honors Slain Students Deah Barakat and Yusor and Razan AbuSalha were remembered in a Feb. 12 candlelight vigil in San Francisco’s Union Square. The three Muslim students were murdered Feb. 10 inside their condominium near the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Memorials were held throughout Northern California cities, including Berkeley, San Jose, Santa Clara, Stanford, Fremont and Sacramento. After a moment of silence, Zaynah Hindi, programs assistant and youth coordinator at the Arab Cultural and Community Center, which organized the vigil, addressed the crowd of about 200. “We’re here to mourn the loss and honor the lives of the three very bright, very talented young people who were dedicated to giving back to their community,” Hindi said. “As organizers of the national campaign ‘Take on Hate,’ we emphasize that antiArab and anti-Muslim bigotry is unacceptable, and we must come together to bring an end to racially, culturally or religiously motivated hate crimes.” Speaking spontaneously, many in the crowd expressed their feelings on the tragic shootings, urging everyone to pull together regardless of faith or ethnicity. STAFF PHOTO PHIL PASQUINI
tal 51-day military assault on Gaza last summer, as well as its continuing illegal occupation and confiscation of Palestinian land, went on display on San Francisco municipal buses Feb. 2. Israel’s ruthless military assault on Gaza from July 7 to Aug. 16, 2014 killed 2,131 Do Muslim Lives Matter Palestinians, including 1,473 in America? civilians—501 of them chilIn light of the Feb. 10 killings dren; wounded 11,000; and in North Carolina of Deah left at least 110,000 people homeless. Mourners gather in San Francisco’s Union Square to honor slain Chapel Barakat and Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha, “Arab Talk” radio The ads, reading “IS- Hill students. host Jamal Dajani devoted his RAEL’S WAR CRIMES, YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK,” were a demn—the more than $3 billion in Amer- Feb. 12 one-hour program to the subject of joint project of the Free Palestine Move- ican taxpayer dollars the U.S. gives to Is- Islamophobia. Dajani engaged his guests—Rabab Ibrament and Seattle Mideast Awareness Cam- rael every year. The site features news and paign (SeaMAC). The Free Palestine Move- information about this use of U.S. taxpayer him Abdulhadi, associate professor of ethment has been organizing and participating money and efforts to end the funding, in- nic studies/Arab and Muslim ethnicities in public advertising of this kind for more cluding tax exemptions for projects in Is- and Diaspora initiative at San Francisco State University; the Arab Cultural and than two years, placing ads on buses and rael that support human rights abuses. Bay Area Rapid Transit trains in San FranSeaMAC (<www.seamac.org>) utilizes Community Center’s Zaynah Hindi; and cisco, a billboard in Sacramento, and buses direct education through public forums, Washington Report staff photographer Phil in Denver. church and school presentations, and other Pasquini—in an emotional discussion on These ads counter hateful anti-Muslim face-to-face events to point out how U.S. the question “Do Muslim lives matter in support for Israel enables Israel’s continued the U.S.?” Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance journalist oppression and subjugation of the Palestin“All human life should count equally,” based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Abdulhadi asserted. “But in the daily realian people. 38
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pasquini_38-39_Northern California Chronicle 3/25/15 7:01 PM Page 39
ian territories. The Stanford Out of Occupied Palestine (SOOP) coalition introduced the resolution. This diverse alliance consists of 19 student groups, including the Black Student Union and Stanford Students for Queer Liberation. SOOP will work with the senators to pressure the Board of Trustees to implement the resolution.
STAFF PHOTO PHIL PASQUINI
ity it doesn’t seem like Muslim, Arab or Palestinian lives matter. I’m concerned about the ease with which people trivialize this matter. And it’s an issue for all humanity.” Dajani and his guests also discussed the double standards, imbalance of media reporting and government response to similar tragedies. Abdulhadi commented on the lack of coverage of the four young Palestinian boys killed by the Israeli military while playing on a Gaza beach last July. An adequate investigation into the boys’ killings was never conducted by the Israeli government, she pointed out. Dajani and Pasquini compared the immediate coverage of the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris in January to the mainstream media’s 24-hour delay in reporting the murders of the Muslim students in Chapel Hill. “Why does this not cause the same kind of outrage?” Abdulhadi asked. “Everyone should be outraged!”
Photojournalist Speaks on Islamic Architecture In America
STAFF PHOTO PHIL PASQUINI
STAFF PHOTO E. PASQUINI
The Well, a Stockton-based community organization, and the Muslim Student Association of the University of the Pacific hosted photojournalist Phil Pasquini Feb. 14 at the Vereschagin Alumni House to speak about his book, Domes, Arches and Minarets: A History of Islamic-Inspired Buildings in America (available from AET’s Middle East Books and More). In his visual presentation, the Washington Report staff photographer showed images of buildings located throughout the country which feature the many elements of Islamic architecStudent Senates Vote ture and discussed the stoto Divest From Israel ries behind their origin. In On Jan. 29, a resolution addition to domes and calling for the University of minarets, the structures in California at Davis to divest Pasquini’s book feature from companies that profit horseshoe arches, ogee arch from doing business with windows, crenellations and Israel—specifically Catercelosía screens (see Nov./ pillar, Veolia, G4S and Dec. 2012 Washington ReRaytheon—was passed by port, pp. 38-39). the student senate with a In a March 2 presentation two-thirds majority vote. at Whittier College, Pasquini This divestment resoluaddressed students in Irfana tion is part of the global Hashmi’s classes “Islam and Boycott, Divestment and the City” and “Introduction Sanctions (BDS) Movement to New Religious Movements that calls for the end of the TOP: Zaynah Hindi (l) and Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi; MIDDLE: A in Southern California.” Israeli occupation of the human rights activist in San Rafael urges boycotting Israeli goods; ABOVE: The students enjoyed Palestinian people, equal Aimee’s Castle in Lake Elsinore, CA. Pasquini’s stories relating to rights for all Palestinian citthe Southern California izens of Israel, and recognition of Palestin- people,” Students for Justice in Palestine homes and businesses included in his ian refugees’ right to return as stipulated said in a statement. book, including Aimee Semple McPherin United Nations Resolution 194. In addition, UAW 2865, the union repre- son’s “castle” in Lake Elsinore, built in The passage of this divestment resolu- senting teaching assistants and tutors in 1926. A famous religious evangelist in the tion makes Davis the seventh UC campus California, recently held a statewide mem- 1920s, McPherson was inspired to build to have voted to divest from Israel, follow- bership vote which resulted in nearly two- her unique home by a trip to the Holy ing Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, thirds in support of divestment. Land. Irvine, Santa Cruz and Riverside. Similarly, on Feb. 17, Stanford Univer“My book contains information about “We are proud of the senate and of our sity’s undergraduate senate also voted to our history as a nation—not how different campus for finally taking the right deci- pass a resolution to divest from multina- we are, but how much we have shared, ession for justice, racial equality, and human tional corporations facilitating human pecially with the Muslim world,” Pasquini rights for all, including the Palestinian rights violations in the occupied Palestin- concluded. ❑ MAY 2015
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UNRWA Photos Document Palestinians’ “Long Journey” By Jane Adas
New York City and Tri-StateNews lower Manhattan. These reflect all aspects of the l i ve s o f Pa l e s t i n i a n refugees—fleeing and sorting through bombedout rubble, to be sure, but also working, dancing, studying and living. The photos were then sold by charity auction, with the proceeds going to UNRWA’s Gaza Emergency Fund. According to Sakakini, the next step is to find financial sponsors to exhibit the photos at the national l e v e l . U N RWA h a s launched a website for the images: <http:// archive.unrwa.org>.
ore than half a mil-
Ml i o n i m a g e s o f
PHOTOS COURTESY UNRWA
Palestinian refugees, dating from 1948 to the present, have been stored in an UNRWA warehouse in Gaza. To be precise: 430,000 negatives, 10,000 prints, 85,000 slides, 75 films and 730 videocassettes taken by UNRWA photographers. According to John Sakakini, o u t re a c h o f f i c e r fo r UNRWA-USA, this is the largest collection of images of post-Nakba Palestinian history and is “the unofficial archive of our country.” In 2009, UNESCO inscribed the UNRWA archive in the Columbia Panel Memory of the World Discusses Israel, register. Palestine and the ICC Because the negatives are in danger of decayOn Jan. 2 the Governing, UNRWA has underment of Palestine actaken to digitize the enceded to the Rome tire collection, made posStatute, thus accepting sible by grants from the the jurisdiction of the InPalestinian private sector ternational Criminal and from the governCourt (ICC). On Jan. 16 ments of France and DenICC Prosecutor Fatou mark. Most of this is Bensouda initiated a prebeing done at the Danish liminary examination Royal Library, and about into the situation in 10 percent by trained Palestine. Columbia UniUNRWA staff in Gaza. versity hosted a Feb. 11 UNRWA organized the panel to discuss the imfirst group of digitized plications of these moves photos as an exhibition for Israel and Palestine. entitled “The Long JourLori Damrosch, profesney,” which “tells the sor of international law story of a Palestinian and diplomacy at Columheritage full of dignity TOP: Arithmetic lesson conducted in a makeshift tent at one of the first bia Law School, described and hardship.” The exhi- UNRWA schools in Khan Younis refugee camp, Gaza Strip. 1950. ABOVE: the genesis of the ICC. bition has been dis- Palestinian refugees doing their homework with no electricity, Gaza, 2012. The post WW-II Nuremplayed in Gaza, Jerusa - Photo by S. Sarhan. berg and Tokyo trials lem and the West Bank. were criticized as “vicIts U.S. debut was at the United Nations the U.N. resolution to partition Palestine tors’ justice” and the Security Councilon Nov. 29, 2014, the 67th anniversary of and the Day of International Solidarity mandated Yugoslavia and Rwanda Triwith the Palestinian People. Following bunals of 1993 and 1994 for lacking the Jane Adas is a free-lance writer based in that, some 50 photos were displayed for consent of the states involved. In 1998 the three weeks at Alwan for the Arts in framework for a new court was established the New York City metropolitan area. 40
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STAFF PHOTO J. ADAS
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(L-r) Katherine Franke, Jamil Dakwar and Lori Damrosch.
MAY 2015
the ICC out of concern that U.S. military personnel might be subject to it. The Obama administration has shown a more constructive engagement with the court, Dakwar continued, but prefers direct negotiations when it comes to Palestine and Israel. He characterized the U.S. position—that seeking accountability is counter to peace—as “regrettable” and asserted that neglecting the issue of accountability over the years is precisely why Palestine has gone to the ICC. Dakwar questioned whether Israel’s past internal investigations were conducted in good faith or rather were designed to avert international action. At the least, he concluded, Palestine acceding to the Rome Statute might have the deterrent effect of forcing Israel to improve its system. Columbia Law School professor Katherine Franke noted that Palestine’s turning to law when politics and negotiations failed is entirely legal and peaceful. By
STAFF PHOTO J. ADAS
to overcome political and legal challenges to international trials and tribunals. The ICC went into force in 2002 with jurisdiction over a small number of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and a fourth not yet in force—aggression. Key principles are consent, with the only exception being referral by the Security Council, complementarity, meaning the ICC is a court of last resort and investigates only when national courts have failed, and gravity, which has to do with whether the actions under examination are large-scale and/or systematic. Claus Kress of the University of Cologne said the ICC’s preliminary examination on Israel/Palestine is the most challenging in its 15-year history. If Palestine qualifies as a state, its territory may not be deemed to extend to Gaza. In his opinion, a minority on the panel, it will be easier to indict Gazan than Israeli decision makers. Hamas has carried out no internal investigation and, according to Kress, thousands of rockets launched from Gaza meet the definition of crimes against humanity. Israel, on the other hand, has initiated national investigations. As to the issue of gravity, the court would have to find that Israel carries out a systematic policy of causing disproportionate civilian casualties. Kress acknowledged that Israeli politicians are critical of the ICC’s preliminary investigation and even asked Germany to stop funding the ICC. In his opinion this is unwise, because it leads to the impression that Israel has lost the legal case. Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU’s human rights program, addressed Washington’s evolving relationship with the ICC. The Clinton administration signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but the Bush administration disassociated itself from
Tariq Ali. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
contrast, in response to Palestine’s accession to the ICC, Israel has accelerated non-legal tactics, such as withholding Palestinian tax revenues, cutting off electricity periodically, shutting down mail delivery in East Jerusalem, and massively expanding settlements. She considered these actions collective punishment. Franke predicts that as an international body criticized for thus far prosecuting only Africans, the next non-African case will not be Jews. She also expects more attention to be paid to Israel’s settlement project than to its violence in Gaza, in part because Israel has never carried out an internal investigation on the matter. One tactic she envisions would be to pair settlements in the West Bank with Turkish settlements in Cyprus as a way to deal in a collective way with population transfer in order for the ICC to avoid charges of politically selective enforcement and racism.
Tariq Ali on “The State of Palestine” Tariq Ali delivered the 12th annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture at Princeton University on Feb. 23. The novelist, political commentator and prolific author, whose books include Conversations with Edward Said (available from AET’s Middle East Books and More), began by examining the changing context of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. The 1967 war led to the death of secular Arab nationalism and, with the realization that Palestinians no longer could rely on friendly Arab governments, the rise of Palestinian liberation movements. Ali observed that the Israeli victory also convinced the United States, and especially its Jewish population, that the only trustworthy power in the region is Israel, thus deepening the special relationship and galvanizing the Israel lobby. “Without American blind support,” he added, “there is no way Israel could act as it does.” Ali noted the ease with which the West accepts Israel’s portrayal of itself as the victim, linking itself with the Judeocide of WWII. Yet, he continued, Israel’s army is the sixth largest in the world. It has a huge armory plus nuclear weapons. How, then, is Israel existentially threatened by its neighbors? The real victims, he insisted, are Palestinians. Ali traced Israel’s attempts to write them out of history: “First Palestinians didn’t exist; then okay, they existed, but left on their own accord; then, okay—we drove Continued on page 43 41
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Muslims Mourn, Call for Hate Crime Probe Into Murder of Three Chapel Hill Students
Southern California Chronicle
By Pat and Samir Twair
STAFF PHOTO S. TWAIR
honors students had volunteered by providing canned food to the homeless. Deah had planned to join dentists on a mission to Turkey this summer and provide dental care to Syrian refugees. On Feb. 12 in Southern California, candlelight vigils were conducted at UCLA, University of California at Irvine and California State University at Long Beach and Pomona for the three students so callously and senselessly shot in the head. At the Islamic Center of Southern California, Salam Al-Marayati expressed grief over the tragic loss of three young people who would have contributed to the welfare of society for decades to come. Among the other speakers were senior Pastor Garry Ansdell of the Christian Emergency Network, Rabbi Joshua Grater of Pasadena Jewish Temple, and LAPD Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing.
Salam Al-Marayati (l) and Rev. Garry Ansdell spoke at a Feb. 12 vigil for the three Muslim students murdered in Chapel Hill, NC.
and turned out Feb. 20 for the second service. The co-founders weren’t wearing hijabs as they spoke to journalists. There is no dress code during the service, attorney Muttalib said. “The women can wear whatever they feel comfortable in, since there are no men present,” she explained. Maznavi, 29, a filmmaker, said that from her childhood in Southern California she had wanted to build a mosque. She began to express her ideas for a women’s mosque on the Internet and eventually assembled a board of nine to establish guidelines. Two board members are men. Area mosques have been favorable to their concept, and three have invited Maznavi and Muttalib to initiate women’s services in their places of worship. They also plan to go to Washington, DC and New York—or wherever they are asked. Women who preside as a khateeba (preacher) will rotate in order to give an opportunity to all who wish to guide services.
First Women’s Mosque in U.S. On Jan. 30, the first women’s mosque in the U.S. opened services near downtown Los Angeles at the Pico-Union Project interfaith chapel, the culmination of the hopes and aspirations of co-presidents Hasna Maznavi and Sana Muttalib. The media and foreign reporters were still curious about the Muslim women’s project
Egyptians Mark Date
ours after the Feb. 10 execution-style
Hmurders of three Muslim students in
Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles. 42
STAFF PHOTO S. TWAIR
Chapel Hill, NC, more than 100 Muslim organizations called for a full Federal Hate Crimes investigation of the triple slaying and announced plans for memorials throughout the country. The victims were Deah Barakat, 23, a second-year dental student at the University of North Carolina, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21 and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. All three were of Palestinian descent. Barakat was a Syrian American, and the Abu-Salha sisters were Jordanian Amercans. A neighbor, Craig Hicks, 46, was indicted as their killer. Why did he single out his Muslim neighbors? That was the question asked by Muslims around the world. The three Women’s Mosque co-presidents Sana Muttalib (l) and Hasna Maznavi.
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
More than 500 activists gathered Feb. 6 at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel to commemorate the 4th anniversary of Egypt’s January 25 Revolution with one speaker from the previous first-ever-elected parliament, Dr. Mohamed Gamal Heshmat. “We had military rule for 60 years,” said Cairo Judge Waleed Sharaby, “and they grabbed power, the courts, resources and the vision of Egypt, there is no terrorism in Egypt but the regime’s terrorism.” He went on to assert that from Jan. 25, 2011 to July 3, 2013, when democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in a coup, the military kept killing and jailing Egyptians, and is still doing it today. One of the main organizers, former member of parliament Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, urged Egyptian Americans to visit their congressmen and reach out to the media whenever possible. He noted that women in Egyptian jails plead with their mothers to bring them birth control pills because of high rate of rapes by prison guards.
SAC-LA General Meeting Guest speakers at the Jan.31 general meeting at the Yorba Linda community center MAY 2015
twair_42-43_Southern California Chronicle 3/25/15 7:08 PM Page 43
CD Release Gala More than 100 friends and fans of MESTO (the Multi-Ethnic Star Orchestra) gathered Feb. 24 in the group’s rehearsal hall at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in West Los Angeles for a celebration of Maestro Nabil Azzam’s latest compact disc album, “Ah Ya Zain” (Oh, Zain). Festivities included a performance by Dr. Azzam of three numbers on the new CD, an introduction of the album, and a catered dinner co-hosted by Dr. Raymond Jallow, Friends of MESTO chairman. MESTO manager Frank Antonelli explained that Azzam performs on the oud instead of the violin for the 16 selections on the new CD, the title of which is the same as that of a classic Egyptian song. Zain also is the name of the maestro’s grandson, Antonelli disclosed. Scott Fraser, the sound engineer for the album, which was recorded in his studio, said he’s seen many CD release parties, but this was the biggest. MAY 2015
New York City… Continued from page 41
STAFF PHOTOS S. TWAIR
were Dr. Mazen Hashem and Dr. Ammar Kahf. Dr. Hashem, who teaches at two universities in Istanbul, spoke about the Syrian revolution. “Bashar Assad is no longer in control,” he stated. “Iran is.” He went on to say that “the Syrian people are fighting more than one enemy: Assad and his allies on one hand and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the other hand. The Syrian people are going through essential change, and will win at the end.” Dr. Kahf, who has been living in the Arab Gulf and Turkey for two years, outlined the history of the Syrian revolution. ”During the fighting the rebels started rebuilding a new Syria,” he said. “The role of the local Syrian community councils is very important.” Responding to questions from the audience, Kahf said that U.S. aid should be redirected to the Syrian local councils, and that the country needs the expertise of Syrians who live abroad.
sentation of a complimentary copy of the CD to each guest. For more information on concerts and the CD, visit <www.mesto.org>. ❑
TOP LEFT: Speakers on the Egyptian revolution (l-r) Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, Judge Waleed Sharaby, Dr. Mohamed Gamal Heshmat and Sheikh Ebrahim Mohammad; TOP RIGHT: Dr. Mazen Hashem: ABOVE: Dr. Nabil Azzam performs on the oud. Hatem Mounir, who added percussion to the tracks, commented that Azzam is such a perfectionist he insisted on 270 corrections to the mixing, and when he replayed it, he demanded even more tweaking. Before he performed, Azzam noted that his father never allowed him to touch his prized oud, which was made in Syria, but he picked up the instrument, a virtual work of artistic craftsmanship, and began to strum. T.J. Troy, MESTO’s principal percussionist, was congratulated on his new Grammy award. The evening wound up with the preTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
them out, but it was necessary, just as it was for Americans to clear out the Indians. This is what colonial settler states do.” When the whole world assumed the Oslo negotiations would lead to a Palestinian state, Edward Said called the peace process a fraud, the “Palestinian Versailles.” Ali declared this Said’s most magnificent moment, although the situation has become much worse than even Said had predicted. This was the first time, Ali pointed out, when a Palestinian intellectual criticized not only the occupation, but also the Palestinian leadership, which “mimics the worst aspect of Arab regimes.” He noted that Palestinians were not even allowed to elect their own government in 2006. Now, Ali concluded, “there is no state of Palestine, but Palestine is in a bad state.” The only just outcome Ali sees is what Edward Said advocated in his last months: a single state, even though each side assumes the other side won’t accept it. This will require that Palestinians recognize that Israeli Jews, unlike the French in Algeria, now constitute a permanent population in the Arab world. It will also require the de-Zionization of Israel, but Ali argued that the behavior of Israel has made no other option possible. In a world of defeat, he sees a small sign of hope in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign. Its successes are discussed in Israeli cabinet meetings and they’ve spent a lot of money to stop the campaign. Ali thinks Israel’s concern about BDS is not for fear of economic harm, but for its moral harm to Israel’s image in the world. ❑ 43
al-arian-letter_44_Islam in America 3/26/15 7:57 PM Page 44
U.S. Deports Never-Convicted Professor And Activist Dr. Sami al-Arian
PHOTO COURTESY AL-ARIAN FAMILY
A Statement by Dr. Sami al-Arian
Dr. Sami al-Arian at a Feb. 1 farewell dinner in northern Virginia. eb. 4, 2015
FTo my dear friends and supporters, After 40 years, my time in the U.S. has come to an end. Like many immigrants of my generation, I came to the U.S. in 1975 to seek a higher education and greater opportunities. But I also wanted to live in a free society where freedom of speech, association and religion are not only tolerated but guaranteed and protected under Dr. Sami al-Arian is a Palestinian-American civil rights activist who was also a computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida. A documentary film about his and his family’s ordeal, “USA vs. AlArian,” can be viewed online at <www. snagfilms.com>. He and his wife, Nahla, now live in Turkey. 44
the law. That’s why I decided to stay and raise my family here, after earning my doctorate in 1986. Simply put, to me, freedom of speech and thought represented the cornerstone of a dignified life. Today, freedom of expression has become a defining feature in the struggle to realize our humanity and liberty. The forces of intolerance, hegemony, and exclusionary politics tend to favor the stifling of free speech and the suppression of dissent. But nothing is more dangerous than when such suppression is perpetrated and sanctioned by government. As one early American once observed, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Because government has enormous power and authority over its people, such control must be checked, and people, especially those advocating unpopular opinions, must have absolute protections from governmental overreach and abuse of power. A case in point of course is the issue of Palestinian self-determination. In the United States, as well as in many other Western countries, those who support the Palestinian struggle for justice, and criticize Israel’s occupation and brutal policies, have often experienced an assault on their freedom of speech in academia, media, politics and society at large. After the tragic events of Sept. 11, such actions by the government intensified, in the name of security. Far too many people have been targeted and punished because of their unpopular opinions or beliefs. During their opening statement in my trial in June 2005, my lawyers showed the jury two poster-sized photographs of items that government agents took during searches of my home many years earlier. In one photo, there were several stacks of books taken from my home library. The other photo showed a small gun I owned at the time. The attorney looked the jury in the eyes and said: “This is what this case is about. When the government raided my client’s house, this is what they seized,” he said, pointing to the books, “and this is what they left,” he added, pointing to the gun in the other picture. “This case is not about terrorism but about my client’s right to freedom of speech,” he continued. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Islam in America Indeed, much of the evidence the government presented to the jury during the six-month trial were speeches I delivered, lectures I presented, articles I wrote, magazines I edited, books I owned, conferences I convened, rallies I attended, interviews I gave, news I heard, and websites I never even accessed. But the most disturbing part of the trial was not that the government offered my speeches, opinions, books, writings and dreams into evidence, but that an intimidated judicial system allowed them to be admitted into evidence. That’s why we applauded the jury’s verdict [not to convict on any of 17 charges]. Our jurors represented the best society had to offer. Despite all of the fear-mongering and scare tactics used by the authorities, the jury acted as free people, people of conscience, able to see through Big Brother’s tactics. One hard lesson that must be learned from the trial is that political cases should have no place in a free and democratic society. But despite the long and arduous ordeal and hardships suffered by my family, I leave with no bitterness or resentment in my heart whatsoever. In fact, I’m very grateful for the opportunities and experiences afforded to me and my family in this country, and for the friendships we’ve cultivated over the decades. These are lifelong connections that could never be affected by distance. I would like to thank God for all the blessings in my life. My faith sustained me during my many months in solitary confinement and gave me comfort that justice would ultimately prevail. Our deep thanks go to the friends and supporters across the U.S., from university professors to grassroots activists, individuals and organizations, who have stood alongside us in the struggle for justice. My trial attorneys, Linda Moreno and the late Bill Moffitt, were the best advocates anyone could ask for, both inside and outside of the courtroom. Their spirit, intelligence, passion and principle were inspirational to so many. I am also grateful to Jonathan Turley and his legal team, whose tireless efforts saw the case to its conclusion. Jonathan’s commitment to justice and brilliant legal Continued on page 46 MAY 2015
davies_45-46_Christianity and the Middle East 3/26/15 7:55 PM Page 45
The Plight of Iraq’s Ancient Christian Communities By Philip Davies
Christianity and the Middle East
n January, I spent two weeks in north-
sessment of the impact of the Syrian crisis on vulnerable groups there, including the Christian population displaced in recent fighting. During my trip, I met Christian leaders, community leaders, Kurdish Regional Government officials, and local and international organizations providing emergency relief assistance. I visited with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in informal settlements, as well as in churches, villages, and U.N. camps. Northern Iraq is the historic heartland of Christianity. The Christians who live there come from the ancient Assyrian and Chaldean empires, making them one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. St. Thomas is credited with bringing Christianity to ancient Mesopotamia. The Syriac Orthodox Church traces its history to the first Christian communities in Antioch, established by St. Peter in AD 37. Two-thirds of Iraqi Christians belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church, while one-fifth follow the Assyrian Church of the East. Syriac and Aramaic, the language of Christ, are still spoken here and used in liturgies. During the last 10 years, Iraq’s Christian population has plummeted from more than a million to around 300,000, according to Ashur Eskrya of the Assyrian Aid SocietyIraq. The decline follows years of persecution and repression by local authorities and violence against Christians, including kidnapping, bombings and killings. A number of families and church leaders I met fled Baghdad years ago for the relative safety of Ainkawa. The residents of one village I visited, Bandiwye, had returned after being forcibly re-located by Saddam Hussain in the 1980s. Residents of another village, Anishki, reclaimed a large tract of land that had been expropriated by Saddam to construct one of his many lavish palaces which he rarely used. Matters took a dramatic turn for the worse last summer, when ISIS fighters took over a large swath of northern Iraq. Christians who remained were ordered to pay a Philip Davies is a humanitarian with more than 30 years’ experience with nonprofit relief and development programs in the Middle East. MAY 2015
PHOTO COURTESY IOCC
Iern Iraq (Kurdistan) conducting an as-
Displaced Iraqi Christian children living in the Ainkawa refugee camp. tax (Jizya). In Mosul, ISIS took over Christian businesses and garnished wages, effectively blocking income from reaching Christian families. Ancient churches in Mosul were vandalized, looted and converted to mosques and prisons. Priceless ancient relics were lost. ISIS prevented Christian residents of Mosul from selling their property and businesses, which were declared assets of the Caliphate. As ISIS advanced, Iraqi soldiers in Mosul abandoned their posts in droves and retreated without putting up any resistance. Kurdish Peshmerga forces defending surrounding villages were too lightly armed and poorly equipped to stop ISIS, which used U.S. weapons and supplies captured from the retreating Iraqi army. Many families fled their homes with only the shirts on their back and were stripped of cash, valuables and ID papers at ISIS checkpoints before reaching safety. As a result, for the first time in more than a thousand years, the Ninawa Plain and Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, have been emptied of Christians. Displaced families too poor or unwilling to leave have found temporary refuge in and around the Kurdish cities of Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniyeh. During my visit, I was struck by the scope and nature of the humanitarian crisis THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
in Kurdistan which, I discovered, has been under-reported in the U.S. media. The focus on Yazidis trapped on a mountain, and on air strikes to dislodge ISIS from the Mosul Dam overlooked the fact that one million persons, including Christians, Turkomen, Shabak and even Sunnis, were displaced from their homes in a matter of weeks during the summer of 2014. Yazidis, who make up the majority of the IDP population, have been treated the worst by ISIS because they are not “people of the book” and therefore are considered apostates. Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi member of the Iraq Council of Representatives, told me that ISIS has enslaved 1,700 Yazidi women for their own purposes, with some now being trafficked. Those who have escaped have recounted horrendous stories of utter depravity at the hands of their captors. Recently, ISIS released a group of elderly, sick and disabled captives in return for money, and because ISIS no longer wanted to care for them. Many Yazidis were farmers living in villages with mud houses that ISIS bulldozed in order to prevent their return. Likewise, the water, electric and sanitation infrastructure in many Christian villages has been damaged for the same reason. Homes have also been cleverly booby-trapped 45
davies_45-46_Christianity and the Middle East 3/26/15 8:19 PM Page 46
with IEDs to complicate families’ return and inflict further casualties, if possible. Today, there are 500,000 internally displaced persons living in cramped and crowded conditions in Dohuk and 175,000 in Ainkawa (a suburb of Erbil). An average of five or six persons live in one small room or partitioned space, and share a common kitchen and bathroom with dozens of other families. There is virtually no privacy. Not surprisingly, the U.N. reports that one out of three displaced Iraqis has no adequate shelter. Shelters are frigid in winter and uncomfortably hot in summer, when temperatures reach 120 degrees. Archbishop Bashar Warda in Ainkawa says 200,000 Christians are registered as IDPs. This means that at least half of Iraq’s Christians are now IDPs. Host communities are also in need of assistance due to the increased demand for essential public services and basic humanitarian supplies. The emergency food packages (rice, lentils, flour, beans, powdered milk, macaroni, vegetable oil, sugar, tomato paste and canned food) provided by aid agencies do not include meat, chicken, fruit or fresh vegetables, which were previously part of families’ diets. Many also requested personal hygiene supplies, which were in short supply. The Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac Orthodox Churches did an incredible job responding to the sudden influx of large numbers of IDPs in the summer of 2014 and are working together through local committees to coordinate relief efforts and maintain lists of affected families. Christian IDPs do not live in camps set up by the U.N., as they prefer to live in partially built apartments in Ainkawa, or with other families in villages and informal settlements. Archbishop Warda, who cites housing as the number one problem facing IDP families, is raising funds to construct a 1,000-unit apartment building in Ainkawa to stem the flow of families emigrating to the West. Half of the IDPs are children who do not have access to education. Church schools which once operated in areas controlled by ISIS are now closed. Meanwhile, Kurdish schools are badly over-crowded and teach in Kurdish, a language IDP children do not speak. Many children live far from any school and have no access to transportation. There are increasing concerns about a generation of children being shaped by violence, displacement and persistent lack of opportunity. Many churches still house IDPs and are providing food packages, personal hygiene supplies, winterization items (clothing, rugs, blankets, heaters and kerosene), and 46
IndextoAdvertisers Abusharar & Associates . . . . . . . . . . 23 American Friends of Birzeit University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Folk Art Mavens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Holy Land Principles. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Insight Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Kinder USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mashrabiya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Muslim Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Palestinian Medical Relief Society . 49 The Israel Lobby conference . . . . . . 13 United Palestinian Appeal (UPA) . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
subsidizing rent payments. But their financial resources are stretched thin and are rapidly being depleted, as is the case with the IDP families themselves. Some have started small businesses, like grocery stores, to support themselves. While the ideal solution is for IDPs to return home, this is not likely to happen very soon. U.S. advisers are preparing the Iraqi army for an offensive to reclaim lost territory under the militants’ control, while a coalition of Arab and other allies conduct regular air strikes against ISIS targets, and Kurdish Peshmerga forces fight ISIS around Singar and Mosul. Until the area is completely secure, however, displaced families say they will not return to their homes and villages. Accordingly, relief organizations are beginning to move from implementing purely emergency interventions (like food, shelter and non-food items) to addressing the population’s longer-term need for basic education, job creation and primary health care. Many agencies are already anticipating what it will take to rehabilitate villages damaged by ISIS and are carrying out preliminary damage assessments. However, with so many other competing humanitarian and relief priorities in the region, it is not clear where or when the funding will come, which leaves thousands of IDP families living in terrible conditions for the foreseeable future. Finally, when I asked Archbishop Moses Alshamany about the prospect of reconciling with Sunni neighbors in Mosul who had turned on Christian families after decades of living together, he told me the feeling of trust had been irrevocably broken. Others present nodded their approval. To further demonstrate the strained relationship beTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
tween communities, he told me that Muslim children in the apartment building where he now lives did not come by for sweets at Christmas as they had in years past. ❑
Sami al-Arian… Continued from page 44
representation resulted in the government finally dropping the case. Our gratitude also goes to my immigration lawyers, Ira Kurzban and John Pratt, for the tremendous work they did in smoothing the way for this next phase of our lives. Thanks also to my children for their patience, perseverance and support during the challenges of the last decade. I am so proud of them. Finally, my wife, Nahla, has been a pillar of love, strength and resilience. She kept our family together during the most difficult times. There are no words to convey the extent of my gratitude. We look forward to the journey ahead and take with us the countless happy memories we formed during our life in the United States. ❑ (Advertisement)
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holy_land_principles_47_Holy Land Principles Advertisement 3/25/15 6:49 PM Page 47
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brownfeld_48-49_Israel and Judaism 3/26/15 2:46 PM Page 48
Netanyahu’s Calls for Jews to Flee Europe Are Rebuffed as “Posthumous Victory” for Hitler Israel andJudaism
By Allan C. Brownfeld
LIOR MIZRAHI/GETTY IMAGES
we wouldn’t be the same without the Jewish community of Denmark.” Is this the kind of “anti-Semitism” which Netanyahu believes will cause tens of thousands of men and women to abandon their countries? Jewish reaction to calls to emigrate to Israel has been swift and almost uniformly critical. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, director of the European Jewish Association, said that far better than emigration to Israel would be the preservation and protection of Jewish life in the many countries Jews call home. He regretted that “after every anti-Semitic act in Europe, the Israeli government issues the same statement about the Newly arrived immigrants from France study Hebrew at Ulpan in Netanya, Israel, March 13, importance of aliyah rather than employ every diplomatic and inter2015. national means at its disposal to n the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris, mies share his Zionist zeal. Yair Lapid, head strengthen the safety of Jewish life in EuBrussels and Copenhagen, Israeli Prime of a centrist political party, said: “Euro- rope. The Israeli government must stop Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called pean Jewry must understand that there is this Pavlovian response every time there is upon Jews to flee to Israel. just one place for Jews, and that is the state an attack against any Jews in Europe.” After the attack in Paris, he traveled to of Israel.” Boaz Bismuth, a former correPhilosopher Alain Finkielkraut, ordinarFrance and urged French Jews to abandon spondent in Paris, wrote in the newspaper ily a strong supporter of Israel, said, “I their country and emigrate to Israel, which Israel Today: “I am sorry to tell you the think Bibi [Netanyahu] was wrong to exhe called their “real home.” When terror truth: The terrible crime Netanyahu com- press himself as he did. French Jews are struck in Copenhagen, Netanyahu called mitted is called Zionism.” French and the majority of the French feel upon Danish Jews—and Jews throughout By laying bare Zionism’s contempt for solidarity with their Jewish compatriots Europe—to leave their homes and come to Jewish life outside of Israel, Netanyahu and oppose the Islamists...I hope that the Israel. may have done the world a service by future for French Jews is in France.” This, of course, is classic Zionism, which showing the narrowness and parochialism Yonathan Arli, vice president of CRIF, an declares that Israel is the “homeland” of all of his—and its—worldview. Most Jews umbrella group of Jewish institutions in Jews and that those living outside Israel believe that Judaism is not a nationality France, believes Jews should remain in are in “exile.” Israel has repeatedly but a religion of universal values, and that France, which is their home. “We have had launched campaigns of aliyah, or emigra- a full Jewish life can be lived anywhere in a Jewish community living here for more tion to Israel, throughout the world, in- the world—in London, Rome, Paris or than a thousand years,” he said. “We went cluding the United States. Netanyahu New York, as well as in Jerusalem or Tel through bombing attacks, the Holocaust, openly proclaims that he speaks not only Aviv. acts of terrorism, and we are not about to for the citizens of Israel, who elected him, The negative reaction to Netanyahu’s call leave now. We just want to be safe.” but for Jews throughout the world who for Jews to leave Europe en masse has been Writing from Paris in the Jan. 16 edition are citizens of other countries. overwhelming. of The Forward, Laurent-David Samama In Israel, even Netanyahu’s political eneFrench Prime Minister Manuel Valls said, notes that while some French Jews might “If 100,000 Jews leave, France will no be considering emigration, “others—inAllan C. Brownfeld is a syndicated colum- longer be France. The French Republic will cluding young Jews like me—feel that nist and associate editor of the Lincoln Re- be judged a failure.” Danish Prime Minister making aliyah is a too-easy escape; it’s simview, a journal published by the Lincoln In- Helle Thorning-Schmidt declared: “The ply not the answer. Those of us who restitute for Research and Education, and edi- Jewish community has been in this coun- main in Paris, Marseille or Lyon are detertor of Issues, the quarterly journal of the try for centuries. They belong to Denmark, mined not to let the terrorists win. American Council for Judaism. they are part of the Danish community and Throughout French history, Jews have ex-
I
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Besides, after so In the end the calls for European Jews to constructive to help French Jewry con- many nations in the last century murdered abandon their homes to emigrate to Israel tinue the educational and social work they or expelled their Jews, should we really tells us far more about the ethnocentric are already doing.â&#x20AC;? encourage more Jews to flee?â&#x20AC;? Zionist worldview than it does about develDuring a February visit to New York Claude Lanzmann, the widely respected opments in Europe. Prime Minister NeFranceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief rabbi, Haim Korsia, said that French Jewish filmmaker best known for tanyahu may believe Israel is the real terrorism is â&#x20AC;&#x153;not a Jewish question, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a his Holocaust documentary film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shoah,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;homeâ&#x20AC;? for all Jews. But it does not seem question for all France, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very impor- said that following Netanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice that the Jews of France, Denmark, Britain tant.â&#x20AC;? would have only one result: giving Hitler, and the rest of Europe agree. â?&#x2018; In Denmark, Chief Rabbi Jair Melchior who did his best to rid France and all of (Advertisement) said he was â&#x20AC;&#x153;disappointedâ&#x20AC;? by Ne- Europe of Jews, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a posthumous victory.â&#x20AC;? tanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call for immigration. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Indeed, the very idea that anti-Semitism the way we deal with terror is to run is a mounting threat in Europe is itself somewhere else, we should all run to a questionable. According to a recent Pew desert island. Terror is not a reason to poll, almost 90 percent of people in France, move to Israel.â&#x20AC;? Jeppe Juhl, a spokesman 82 percent of Germans and 72 percent of m a s h r a b i y a for the Jewish community in Denmark, Spaniards say they have a favorable opinstated: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very grateful for Ne- ion of Jews. Polls in Britain show that attitanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concern but having said that, tudes toward Jews are about as positive as we are Danishâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Danish Jews, but attitudes toward Christians. weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Danishâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be terror that According to Uri Avnery, co-founder of makes us go to Israel.â&#x20AC;? the Israeli peace group Gush Shalom, the Writing in Mondoweiss, Jonathan Cook idea of mounting anti-Semitism in Europe points to the similar worldview of Zionists is â&#x20AC;&#x153;nonsense.â&#x20AC;? He notes that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Practically and traditional anti-Semites: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Israeli politi- all the alarming incidents in Europe recians of both right and left have parroted centlyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially Paris and Copenhis [Netanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] message that European hagenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in which Jews were killed or atJews know â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;in their hearts that they have tackedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;had nothing to do with anti-Semionly one country.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The logical corollary is tism. All these outrages were conducted by that Jews cannot be loyal to other states young Muslims...They were part of the onthey live in, such as France...In this regard, going war between Israelis and Arabs that Netanyahu and the far-right share much have nothing to do with anti-Semitism. common ground. He wants a Europe free They are not descended from the pogrom of Jews. The far-right wants the same...One in Kishinev and not related to the Protocols Israeli commentator noted pointedly that of the Elders of Zion...When Binyamin Ne;&(37,21$/ ($87< Israeli politicians like Netanyahu â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;were tanyahu does not miss an opportunity to helping to finish the job started by the declare that he represents all the Jews in Nazis and their Vichy collaborators: mak- the world, he makes all the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jews ing France Judenrein.â&#x20AC;? responsible for Israeli policies and actions.â&#x20AC;? In a Jan. 14 editorial The Forward dePolitical economist Bernard Avishai of clared: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Europe needs its Jews as much as Hebrew University asserts that Jews in the some Jews still need and want a place in West are not in need of Netanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pro Europe. Even if immigration to Israel un- tection and â&#x20AC;&#x153;do not conceive of Israel as derstandably increases, it is our duty to re- their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;home.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Life in Europe is just not per-
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Arab American Activism
Music & Arts Film Examines Malcolm X and African-American History
A very enthusiastic audience filled the University of the District of Columbia’s Theatre of the Arts on Feb. 26 for a lively event cohosted with Arab America, “From Ferguson to Chapel Hill: Together We Stand for Justice.” Arab America president Warren David said his organization wanted to celebrate Black History Month because many Arab countries are in Africa and many Arab Americans and African Americans share the Muslim faith. Sadly, both communities are “denigrated for their ethnicity,” David said. “Last week’s horrific shooting of three Arab Americans was racially motivated because of religion and ethnicity,” he stated, and called for both groups to work for “justice and equality for all.” “The challenge of creating a unified community belongs to everyone,” said interim University President Dr. James Lyons. Saying he was looking forward to hearing the daughter of Malcolm X speak, Lyons mentioned that he grew up in a project across the street from a mosque launched by that civil rights leader in New Haven, CT. Lyons said he enjoyed listening to Malcolm X speak about his dreams for his people. “Let’s continue to lock arms and hold hands as we continue this struggle,” Lyons concluded. Lydia Lyon, an African-American student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, sang in Arabic against a backdrop of moving photos of the young victims in Ferguson and Chapel Hill. Born in Missouri, the singer said she has family in Ferguson, and that it’s not uncommon for the KKK or other groups to vandalize Arab stores in their area or commit hate crimes. Lyon’s friends have been beaten up for no reason at all. Instead of feeling hopeless Lyon turned to music, she said, adding that some of her high school friends were Saudis who taught her about Arab music and culture. A keynote speech by author, diplomat and humanitarian Ambassador Attallah Shabazz repeatedly brought audience members to their feet. The eldest daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz said she spent the 50th anniversary of her father’s killing as far from New York City’s Audubon Ballroom as she could, doing humanitarian service. After watching “my first man taken in front of my own eyes,” Shabazz said, she just couldn’t attend the previous week’s commemoration. Everyone has a stake in dialogue between diverse peoples, Shabazz said, emphasizing
Washington, DC residents watched “Our Black Shining Prince,” a film tribute to Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X ) on Feb. 25, at the new Busboys and Poets in the city’s Brookland neighborhood. Fifty years after his assassination in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom in front of his wife and oldest daughter, the life work of the controversial American Muslim minister and human rights activist is still relevant. Photographer and documentary filmmaker Phil Portlock spoke about his film, which provides a valuable lesson on African and African-American history. The 40-minute film uses historic photos skillfully narrated by Pat Sloan (Portlock’s wife) and clips from El-Shabazz’s powerful speeches. Viewers hear about the activist’s early life: The son of an outspoken Baptist preacher, a local leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, Malcolm Little’s family was harassed by white racists and his home burned down. When he was six, his father was killed by a streetcar, although many in his community believed white racists were responsible. Malcolm Little dropped out of middle school after a white teacher told him that his goal of practicing law was unrealistic because of his race. While he was in prison after committing a burglary, he became a member of the Nation of Islam in 1952. After his release from prison he became a community activist and the voice of the Nation of Islam. He broke from the Nation in 1964 and began practicing Sunni Islam. After going on a hajj to Saudi Arabia, Malcolm X said that seeing Muslims of “all colors, from blueeyed blonds to black-skinned Africans” interacting as equals led him to see Islam as a means by which racial problems could be overcome.
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Arab America, UDC Commemorate The Struggle for Justice
that she didn’t grow up in an “anti-anything” household. In fact, she urged listeners not to misquote her father or take his words out of context. “We get to write our own message. Don’t let someone else define us. When the headline is wrong—correct it.” Shabazz reminded her audience that the struggle against injustice isn’t new—it didn’t start in Ferguson or Chapel Hill. “We’re walking on behalf of those who came before us, every slave, every suffragette set the pace for those who came after,” she noted. She asked listeners, Arab- and AfricanAmericans, to introduce themselves to the people sitting next to them and behind them. “By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you brothers and sisters,” Shabazz said. “Work together, stay united, don’t let the next crisis divide you,” she urged. “We have a responsibility to each other.” She reflected on the dignity of people in Haiti, Palestine and others in the “so-called Third World.” They live in the “First World“ if you consider their characters and souls, she said, adding that she feels kinship with “Palestinians who just want to be Palestinians despite the atrocities they face.” Shabazz urged listeners to commemorate her father’s May 19 birthday, not Feb. 21, the day of his death, and to spend that day doing direct service for others. The following night the theater filled with part two of the “From Ferguson to Chapel Hill” events. Arab America’s David welcomed Emmy-winning filmmaker Connie Field and screened her critically acclaimed film, “Al Helm: MLK in Palestine.” (Read more about the gradual awakening of seven African-American gospel singers who visit the Holy Land in the June/July 2014 Washington Report, pp. 22-23. This important film is available from AET’s Middle East Books and More.) —Delinda C. Hanley THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
Ambassador Attallah Shabazz urges her audience to reach out to each other.
Phil Portlock leads a post-viewing discussion of “Our Black Shining Prince.” MAY 2015
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PHOTOS COURTESY AANM
scrolling florals anchor the subjects, In July 1964, Malcolm X appealed to conveying a playful happiness. Some African leaders for solidarity and supscenes are depicted in a style echoing port in resolving the plight of African ancient miniatures, with complex Americans. He wrote a letter to combinations of detailed patterns as African heads-of-state in Cairo, saying, backdrop to the story. In the painting “Our problem is your problem. It is “Blind Charity,” a curly-tailed cat not a Negro problem, nor an American walks near a maiden standing on a problem. This is a world problem, a dock near flowing water. In the backproblem for humanity. It is not a probground, curtains and laundry flutter. lem of civil rights, it is a problem of A man rows by as a special basket is human rights.” He tried to internaset afloat. In this fable, the grateful tionalize the struggle for minority receiver of good will and generosity rights in the U.S. is sending forth the basket to whoFollowing the screening, Portlock ever may receive it next. engaged viewers in a lively discussion “Coming to America” portrays the about education and housing issues, excitement of passengers aboard the and the mass incarceration of African Italian ship which brought her father American men. People agreed that votto the United States. We see men in ing rights—for formerly incarcerated red fez hats and women in long skirts individuals, not to mention DC votlooking eagerly toward the New York ers—affect everything in day-to-day City skyline as the ship crests the life. Food lines in churches are getting waves, with the Statue of Liberty in longer, participants agreed. “We need prominent view. to educate our community about the Whether illustrating childhood necessity of going to the polls,” one tales, intense pattern studies, or social man stated. Another called for more commentary about the Middle East, efforts in attaining DC statehood. Zughaib’s expression is at once exuAnother audience member noted reberant and powerful. Her artistry cent efforts in Texas, Tennessee and Arizona to re-write history in text- TOP: Helen Zughaib at AANM; ABOVE: Blind Char- compels attraction while offering books, and to remove the civil rights ity, © Helen Zughaib, Collection of Philip and Terrie cross-cultural outreach. Born in Lebanon and raised in the struggle and absolve white guilt for Stoltzfus. United States, Zughaib lived in the slavery. The discussion turned to the disrespect expressed by some politicians Narratives accompany each painting— Middle East and Europe for several years. Reflecting on her identity as an Arab and media for the first African-American some in print, others in Elia’s voice. president. One person wondered if the conZughaib has been an AANM favorite American, she says: “It is who I am…I feel stant “beating up” on President Barack since her work was featured in its 2005 in- an emotional connection to it. I can help Obama will prevent black or brown chil- augural exhibition IN/Visible (see August people understand the Arab world, to fosdren from aspiring to run for public office. 2005 Washington Report, pp. 50-51). In ter a dialogue.” Zughaib says she seeks to “combat stereoAudience members concluded by brain- conjunction with her exhibit, the AANM storming about how black Americans could launched a community story-telling pro- types and dispel misconceptions” with her work. As her focus evolves, she also hopes surmount current challenges. One partici- gram, which will be archived. pant suggested a massive protest, noting As their very own hakawati (“story- her work will be appreciated broadly. This that if every African American refused to teller” in Arabic), Elia entertained his chil- appears to be happening already, given that work for even one day their fellow citizens dren with fables and personal tales, which her clients span religions and nationalities. Zughaib comments on specific topics would notice how vital they are to this na- his daughter captured in colorful tableaux tion. —Delinda C. Hanley when she ultimately became a painter. such as Saudi women’s struggles to drive. Working in gouache, an opaque water She is developing a new body of work “Stories My Father Told Me”: Helen color, Zughaib’s paintings charm audi- called the “No-Name Project,” a memorial Zughaib At the Arab American ences, offering an engaging peek into Arab to the deceased in Syria’s civil war. AnNational Museum other solo exhibition, “Conflict Within,” culture. This solo exhibition shows for the first complete with catalog, just opened at the With daily headlines reporting disturbing news from the Middle East, it is refreshing time all 23 paintings, on loan from collec- University of Maryland University College. to reminisce about life’s delights, where tors in the United States and overseas. The Her work is also currently on show at Arlove of the land, food, culture and tradition paintings exude nostalgia, depicting gar- tisphere in Arlington, Virginia. Her exhibit recalls the joys of simpler times. A new solo den walks, picking fruits, life’s ceremonies at the AANM runs through April 19. —Najwa Saad exhibit by Arab-American painter Helen and religious observances, games with Zughaib at the Arab American National grandmother, fables and, poignantly, her Algerian-American Author Saves Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Michigan father’s arrival in America. Zughaib’s style is charming and ani- World From Chaos With a Fairytale features her painting series “Stories My Father Told Me,” capturing her father, Elia’s, mated, with exquisitely detailed figurative Boualem Bousseloub was born in Algeria to childhood memories of Lebanon and Syria. and constructed patterns. Geometric and Berber and Arab parents and emigrated beMAY 2015
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Author Boualem Bousseloub. fore his country earned its independence from France. Eventually, he settled in Pasadena, CA and became an avid hiker in the verdant Arroyo Seco Valley. In the late 1980s he became a board member of the AmericanArab Anti-Discrimination Committee Los Angeles Chapter and raised two children, but he still hiked in his beloved Arroyo Seco near his home. After retirement and a second marriage, he started to write fiction. Bousseloub’s first book, a fairy tale, The Mysterious Kingdom of the Arroyo, centers around Astor, 10, who has Asperger’s syndrome. Astor and his mother are mourning the death of his father in a car accident, and the two go for Saturday picnics in the Arroyo Seco. On a walk by himself, Astor meets a human-size white rabbit who tells him her name is Blanca. She leads him to a magical underground animal world. Each Saturday Blanca introduces Astor to a magical realm of wonderful characters in the Palace of the Serene Soul, including Lord Irido and Professor Hoot-Hooty, a human-size owl presiding in his Laboratory of the Perpetual Quest for Knowledge. They have a mission for Astor: to save the world from chaos. This story, written for children in the spirit of The Little Prince, is intended to appeal to readers of all ages, everywhere in the world. The Mysterious Kingdom of the Arroyo is available from AET’s Middle East Books and More. —Pat McDonnell Twair
Ghannam described the challenges she faced while writing her book and explained the importance of looking at masculinity in the Arab world. Too often, in her opinion, researchers studying the Middle East focus on women exclusively as the sole subject of gender studies. Ghannam believes that looking at men is equally important and can reveal critical elements of Arab societies. In her book, Bedouin X Band performs at the Levantine Cultural Center. she uses the term “masculine trajectories” to examine how boys are Markowitz on the saz, Mike Gadsby on the raised—by parents, siblings and society at bass, percussionists Ava Nahas and David large—as well as what it means in urban Martinelli, and guitarist Dave Cipriani. The Egyptian society to be “a man.” highly danceable music is driven by Ghannam also discussed her next project, polyrhythms and hypnotic grooves. which will examine food in Egypt. While Madain has recorded 19 one-hour the exact focus is not yet determined, she episodes on the Internet dealing with the plans to study the way food is produced history of Arab music from 1890 to 1970, and consumed, as well as how Egyptians featuring such Arab musicians and comspoke about food during the 2011 uprising. posers as Sayyed Darwish, Sheikh Imam She hopes that the research will eventually and Ziad Rahabani. For more information, result in her third book. —Kevin A. Davis visit <www.bedouinxmusic.com>. —Samir Twair STAFF PHOTO S.TWAIR
STAFF PHOTO SAMIR TWAIR
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Bedouin X Performs Afro-Arab Trance
The Levantine Cultural Center in Los Angeles was the setting for a Feb. 28 concert by the Bedouin X Band performing old Bedouin music and songs of Jordan, Syria, Egypt and North Africa. More than 50 people were on hand to hear Jordanian-American vocalist/bandleader Alfred Madain. The other members of Bedouin X include David
New America Conference Explores The “Future of War” The New America Foundation and Arizona State University co-hosted a two-day conference on the “Future of War” at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC on Feb. 24 and 25. The event featured more than 20 sessions on such topics as drone warfare, cyber security, the laws of war and human rights. Several of these discussions, described below, focused on issues pertinent to the Middle East.
The Evolution of Drones The conference began with a discussion on drones and autonomous weapons. Peter Singer of New America noted that about 85 countries now possess drone programs, a handful of which have a military component. Drones now come in all shapes and sizes, he pointed out, and are widely available to non-state actors. For example, he noted that ISIS, Hezbollah, the U.S. and the Iraqi government all are utilizing unmanned aircraft in the ongoing Syria/Iraq war. “Everybody’s using them,” he explained. With the proliferation of drone technol-
Author Farha Ghannam Discusses Masculinity in Urban Egypt Farha Ghannam, author of Live and Die Like a Man: Gender Dynamics in Urban Egypt (available from AET’s Middle East Books and More), discussed her book and her future research plans in a Feb. 27 talk at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies titled “Doing and Becoming: Masculine Trajectories in Urban Egypt.” 52
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The Ethics of Automated Drones On the second day of the conference, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski addressed the ethical issues presented by automated killer drone technology. Drones operating without human judgment do have the ability to make more accurate decisions and are not prone to making poor choices due to anger or any other emotion, he noted. However, he said, for the time being the U.S. government believes that any decision to MAY 2015
Tom Malinowski notes the ethical questions raised by autonomous drones. use lethal force must be made by a human. “A human being must make the decision to kill another human being,” he stated. Before automated drones become legal, Malinowski said, several vital questions must be answered: Could a machine be programmed to make ethical decisions on an ever-changing battlefield? “Who would be accountable if a machine makes a mistake?” What if a rogue government or dictator deployed autonomous drones as “enforcers who would never refuse an order” to quell dissent or commit other human rights violations? One must also ask if a legal ban would be enforceable. If not, Malinowski said, it might be more practical to regulate autonomous drones. Technology will eventually be able to do nearly everything better than humans, he concluded. The question is, how much human autonomy should we cede? “What is the right relationship between human beings and machines as this technology races ahead?” he asked.
ISIS and the Future of War
each other; the area’s tribes reconciling and turning against al-Qaeda; improved relations between citizens and the security forces; local civilians becoming willing to provide good intelligence to military forces; and the ability to stop foreign fighters from flooding into the area. Terrorists were able to regain power in Ninawa after 2006 because these lessons were quickly forgotten, al-Jabouri said. In order to defeat ISIS today, he believes American and Iraqi forces must relearn the lessons of 2005-2006. “The situation today is different, but the principles are the same,” he stated. The forces that liberate Mosul from ISIS must include fighters from the local area, the general said. Operations must also be based on good intelligence, which will only come when the local people trust the military forces, he explained. “If we win the people, we win the battle. We have to listen to their concerns, and we cannot hold them guilty for the crimes of ISIS that they did not have anything to do with.” Al-Jabouri believes it will be difficult to defeat ISIS in Ninawa without the assistance of American forces, due to the state of the Iraqi military. “The people are desperate for help and they will be glad for American support,” he said. ISIS is vulnerable, he believes, as it has “made many mistakes that turned the local people against them.” Citizens of Ninawa want ISIS gone, “but they are afraid of the militias that might come north to Mosul,” he explained. “They also don’t trust the [Kurdish] Peshmerga.” Long-term victory, though, will require a rebuilding of Mosul to ensure that people have jobs, al-Jabouri said. More importantly, he emphasized, there must be an end to the de-Ba’athification law that has been used to exclude Sunnis. As long as this law is used against Sunnis, there will not be true reconciliation in Iraq, he warned.
The second day of the conference also featured a discussion on military strategies that could be used to counter ISIS. Maj. Gen. Najim Abed al-Jabouri, a former Iraqi commander who successfully campaigned against al-Qaeda in the country’s Ninawa province in 2005 and 2006, shared lessons learned from that operation. Al-Qaeda was defeated in Ninawa for five reasons, he said: the ability of U.S., Iraqi and Kurdish forces to work alongside Emma Sky (l) and Douglas Ollivant discuss ISIS. STAFF PHOTO D. SPRUSANSKY
ogy, the U.S. government is struggling to keep up with the latest innovations, according to Missy Cummings of Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We have lost the cutting edge in terms of technological development,” she said. “I can promise you that Amazon and Google are far outpacing the U.S. government in terms of capabilities.” Even private citizens are able to develop advanced drone technology, Cummings pointed out. “My students can over the weekend build a drone that’s more capable than many U.S. military personnel have access to,” she quipped. In terms of governments, the Israelis are the world leaders in drone technology, Cummings said. Nor, she noted, is this a recent development: “They have been for a long time.” While some are uneasy about the U.S. selling its drone technology to other governments, Cummings downplayed this controversy. Any drone information the U.S. sells is not the most up-to-date technology. “We’re not going to sell our best autonomous technology,” she said. “We also need to realize we are not the only game in town,” Cummings added. “The Israelis have been selling drones for a long time to other countries, and their drones are likely more capable than what we’re going to be selling.” Panelists expressed skepticism that automated drones—which carry out lethal attacks without human input—will be deployed above battlefields anytime soon. “The technology exists, but not to the level of certainty that I think the public is willing to accept,” said Werner Dahm of Arizona State University. While technology can be more accurate than humans, it lacks the ability to reason, something critical in war, he said. While combat technology constantly evolves, Singer noted that the essence of war remains unchanged. “The causes of it are still the same: our human failings,” he said.
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Douglas Ollivant of New America observed that the disastrous Iraq war and ISIS’ subsequent rise are a reminder of the limitations of military power. The U.S. military is capable of overthrowing just about any non-nuclear armed government, he noted. It cannot, however, ensure that peace, security and democracy will take root after it has done so. “This is a realm in which force is simply impotent,” he said. Ollivant added that groups such as ISIS are able to prosper in areas where there is disorder and little rule of law. “It’s certainly no accident that ISIS has risen in two weak states,” he said. Emma Sky of Yale University agreed with this assessment, calling ISIS “a symptom of a problem.” Until the issues and grievances that led to the rise of ISIS are addressed, the cycle of violence will continue, she cautioned. Sky believes that the region’s repressive regimes are in part to blame for ISIS’ rise. In many ways, she said, ISIS and the regimes justify each other’s existence. For its part, Sky said the U.S. has no strategy for defeating ISIS. “We’ve gone from policy to implementation, without strategy,” she lamented. —Dale Sprusansky
ing solely to execute one member of Hamas. Jennifer Leaning, director of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, said most civilian deaths were caused either by shrapnel from explosives or collapsing buildings. Many Gazans were trapped during the war, Goldstein noted, as they were not given clear instructions as to where safe zones existed. This was particularly evident in the southern village of Khuza’a, he noted, where several thousand civilians were trapped—and fired upon—after receiving conflicting messages from Israeli forces. Several of the village’s residents also reported being used as human shields by the IDF for 48 hours. “These testimonials must be investigated,” Goldstein urged. While the IDF, which touts itself as the “most moral army in the world,” boasts that it provides civilians with warnings before attacks, Goldstein said that just 7 percent of Gazans reported actually receiving these warnings. Those who were warned reported having little time to evacuate, he added. Leaning noted that many elderly and disabled Palestinians had difficulty quickly evacuating large buildings whose elevators were not working due to a lack of power. Goldstein also expressed concern about Israel’s use of “double tap” attacks, in which the IDF launched a second strike on a target shortly after its initial attack. This strategy resulted in the deaths of 23 health workers, he noted, most of whom were ambulance drivers. Furthermore, the report found that 17 hospitals and 56 primary care clinics were destroyed or damaged. Israel knows the location of clinics and hospitals in Gaza, Goldstein said, as well as the uniforms of ambulance drivers. Leaning stressed that an inquiry independent of IDF influence must be conducted into last summer’s war. Goldstein added that he is not optimistic about Gaza’s future. “The only solution we hear from leaders is to prepare for another war,” he said. —Dale Sprusansky
On Ferguson and Palestine: The Issues of Repression and Race
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The Palestine Center in Washington, DC invited three panelists to discuss “The Issue of Repression and Race” in Ferguson, MO and Palestine on Feb. 24. Institute for Policy Studies senior scholar Bill Fletcher’s talk focused on the “racialization of repression.” He began by sharing his memories as a high school leader shutting down his own campus in a solidarity protest after the May 1970 Kent State killings of white students. A few weeks later, there was a similar murder at Jackson State, a historically black college, killing two students and injuring twelve who also were protesting the Vietnam war, as well as the Kent State shootings. Fletcher and his friends tried to lead another walkout and, he recalled, “we were met with this sort of blank look by many of the students....It really started me thinking.” Fletcher discussed the rarely mentioned “psychological repression aimed at the oppressor.” In order to exterminate people, as Nazis, Hutus and others throughout history discovered, “The victimized population must be demonized, rendered less than human before you can carry out the actual genocide.” Leaders realize it’s “deReport: “No Safe Place” in Gaza moralizing” for the troops to line up and shoot men and particularly women and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRchildren, Fletcher pointed out. Israel) was the only independent interna“In the case of both Palestinians and tional body granted permission by Israeli African Americans, those who are to be reauthorities to enter Gaza during last sumpressed must first be deprived of their humer’s deadly war. The organization subsemanity,” Fletcher said. “What race offers is quently released a report on its observaa way to explain away the reality and the tions titled “No Safe Place—Findings of an humanity of the oppressed.” He pointed to Independent Medical Fact-Finding Misthe 21:1 ratio of “police lynching” in the sion—Gaza 2014.” U.S., where African-American men in their On Feb. 18, two PHR-Israel members early 20s are 21 times more likely to be presented their findings to an audience at shot and killed by police than white men the Human Rights Campaign’s offices in of the same age. Americans “can’t easily Washington, DC. The event was sponsored explain this away,” Fletcher pointed out. by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. “You either have decided that blacks deRan Goldstein, executive director of PHRserve it or, simply, that you’re not going to Israel, began by noting the dire humanitarput an equal value on the lives of African ian situation that exists in the Gaza Strip. Americans.” “Every barometer you can think of, The same has been done to PalestiniGaza is under capacity,” he said, noting ans, Fletcher said. Any act by a Palesthe poor state of the besieged territory’s tinian (whether it’s military, terrorist or health, water and educational systems. the result of insanity) is transformed Over 70 percent of Gaza residents rely by the media into “the worst act in on humanitarian aid, he added. human history.” The focus is always on Turning to the report on last sumthe victim, with no attempt to undermer’s war, Goldstein said it determined stand the alleged assailant. that Israel carried out indiscriminate Rev. Graylan Hagler of Plymouth attacks against civilian targets using Congregational United Church of excessive quantities of explosives. It was not uncommon, he noted, for Is- Jennifer Leaning (l) and Ran Goldstein present evi- Christ compared two trips to Palestine, one he took in 1974 and the next in rael to target a large residential build- dence of Israeli war crimes. 54
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(L-r) Ramah Kudaimi, Rev. Graylan Hagler and Bill Fletcher decry repression and racism “over there” and “in our own backyards.”
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Waging Peace #OneStruggle Panelists Inspire
As thousands of American Israel Public Affairs Committee supporters descended on Washington, DC for their annual policy conference March 1 to 3, CODEPINK prepared to “Shut Down AIPAC!” But first the activist organization held a “Know Your Rights Civil Disobedience Training” session on Feb. 28, followed by an inspiring panel discussion,“#OneStruggle,” at DC’s Trinity Lutheran Church. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organizer Tareq Radi began by saying that it was time to “stop mourning and start organizing” following the July 2014 attack on Gaza, Michael Brown’s killing Aug. 9 in Ferguson, MO and the Feb. 10 murder of three young Muslim students in Chapel Hill, NC. Andrew Curley, a Native American activist and founder of Indigenous Resistance, compared the colonial aspects of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories with America’s takeover of Native American lands. When he points out the similarities to his fellow Navajo Nation members in Arizona, Curley said, he gets a hostile reaction, since many of them are Evangelical Christians who believe Palestinians want to drive Israelis into the sea. When he discusses the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza, they believe it was Israel that was under attack. Legal and policy director and founder of Dream Defenders Ahmad Abuznaid was born in East Jeru salem and moved to Florida as a young child. He thought the U.S. was perfect and (L-r) Noura Erakat, Tareq Radi, Ahmad Abuznaid and Andrew didn’t notice racism. Curley urge a joint struggle against racism. STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
January 2013. “Things had clearly become much more oppressive, the land had become much more divided, people had become much more villainized,” he said. “My eyes were opened to see that this racism that exists is something that is not just inherent to the United States of America.” As Reverend Hagler traveled in Hebron and other places, he could not ignore the comparisons: “the restriction of movement, the non-personhood, the second- and third-class status of Palestinians basically codified and carried out by the Israeli government.” In Israel, he added, African refugees are called “infiltrators.” Hagler described what happened when police chiefs are trained in tactics by the IDF. You see military equipment on the streets of America, tear gas, squad cars’ lights turned on, and “jump-outs” (a paramilitary tactic in which unmarked police vehicles carrying plain-clothes officers, stop and intimidate citizens into submitting to interrogation or an unwarranted search). Rafael Briscoe, an 18-year-old former track star, ran from DC officers chasing him in a “jump-out” car, and was shot dead. Ramah Kudaimi with the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation compared media distortions that blame the victim, including attempts to vilify Mike Brown, who was killed in Ferguson. Kudaimi asked listeners who are working to stop violence and injustice “over there” not to ignore what’s happening in “our own backyards.” She read a statement from the Palestinian movement in the U.S. saying they “will no longer stand by and watch while this relentless epidemic of brutality continues to be unleashed onto black and brown bodies here in the U.S. or in our homelands...our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of black and brown sisters and brothers in the U.S.” Watch this fascinating panel discussion or read the complete transcript at <www. thejerusalemfund.org>. —Delinda C. Hanley
As a 6-year-old Abuznaid dressed up as an Indian for his Thanksgiving play at school, he said, looking apologetically at Curley. “I was sold on the dream.” In 1990, Abuznaid and his mother landed in Tel Aviv airport, where they were both taken to a back room and stripsearched. Abuznaid said he was 9 and living in Hebron when American-born Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Palestinian worshipers and wounded another 125. “Israel punished us,” Abuznaid marveled. “There was a curfew, no school for weeks, stores were closed and soldiers raided our homes.” Abuznaid remarked that his family also lived in East Jerusalem, a most beautiful place, where his friends were afraid to speak Arabic in public. When Abuznaid moved back to Florida he began to see how African American and Latino kids were treated differently: when they acted out or took their grandmother’s car for a spin they were arrested, brutally beaten or even killed. When he’s taken African Americans to Palestine, Abuznaid said, “as soon as they get there, they get it.” Human Rights lawyer Noura Erakat agreed that “African Americans and Palestinians can learn from one another and labor for each other.” She cited three elements to the dehumanization process going on in Israel and the U.S.: first, criminalization of people as opposed to behavior; second, blaming the victim for the harm they endure; and third, victimizing the dominant power. For example, she said, it was reasonable that George Zimmerman feared Trayvon Martin, a child. It is reasonable that Israelis attack Gazans, who have nowhere to hide. They should have voted for different leaders. Erakat urged a joint struggle, and concluded by saying, “united together we will never be defeated.” —Delinda C. Hanley
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Outraged Americans Protest Netanyahu’s Visit Activists braved freezing temperatures for three days, March 1-3, in order to tell AIPAC, Congress and Binyamin Netanyahu that the Israeli prime minister is not welcome. Photos by Phil Portlock and Delinda Hanley
Clockwise From Upper Left: CODEPINK demonstrator; AIPAC attendees have to pass under a Palestine Advocacy Project ad as they enter the Convention Center’s Metro stop; As AIPAC attendees, including members of Congress, go to dinner on March 2, CODEPINK protesters mourn the children killed in Israel’s summer war on Gaza; A protester shows how she feels about Congress, March 2; ANSWER Coalition protesters march from Upper Senate Park to House Speaker John Boehner’s office on March 3. Jewish Voice for Peace supporters hold a protest rally later that evening in the cold rain and snow; CODEPINK protesters say Netanyahu has blood on his hands, at the #ShutDownAIPAC rally at the Washington Convention Center, March 1.
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overlooking the ongoing siege, makes it seem as though Hamas fires rockets at Israel for no reason. “If there was no ethnic cleansing, there would be no refugee camps,” Peled explained. “If there were no refugee camps, there would be no resistance. There would be no Hamas.” Concluding, Peled said Palestinian activists must remain united around one Phil Giraldi (l) and Miko Peled believe AIPAC’s days are goal: ending the occupation of pre-1948 Palestine and renumbered. placing it with a democracy the next decade we are going to see the fall that ensures equal rights to all of its citiof Zionism in Palestine just like we saw the zens. “The focal point must be clear to us: ending the Zionist regime and the occupafall of apartheid in South Africa.” This is not soon enough, however, he tion of Palestine,” he said. —Dale Sprusansky said, as “many Palestinians are still going to die” in the intervening years. How does Peled believe Zionism will col- “We’re Not Waiting,” Say 600 lapse? “I think what will bring them down Participants in JVP National Meeting is their arrogance and their stupidity,” he In a gathering marked by “enormous ursaid. Israel does not appreciate the strides gency and solemnity,” as their executive dibeing made by the nonviolent movement rector characterized it, a sold-out crowd of in the West Bank, the significance of the some 600 advocates of long-overdue justice unification of Israeli Arabs, or the momen- for the Palestinians gathered in the Hyatt tum of the international solidarity move- Regency at Harbor Place in Baltimore, MD ment, Peled explained. March 13-15, for the biennial National AIPAC and its allies will not go down Membership Meeting of Jewish Voice for without a fight, however. Peled said the Peace (JVP). They proudly proclaimed the lobby is well versed at vilifying individuals meeting’s theme: “We’re Not Waiting.” and groups that question the Zionist narraEven more on their minds than Israeli tive. The likes of Rasmea Odeh and Sami Al- Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s recent Arian have been successfully depicted as address to a joint session of Congress was Isthreats, he pointed out, not only to Zionism, rael’s egregious 51-day assault on Gaza seven but also to American security. In reality, months earlier, with its unspeakable brutal“the only threat [these individuals pose] is ity and wanton destruction of human lives, to the Zionist narrative,” Peled opined. homes, schools and infrastructure. In her Peled also noted that AIPAC always at- opening remarks at the start of the three-day tempts to keep incidents isolated and de- meeting JVP executive director Rebecca void of context. For instance, the group ig- Vilkomerson called Gaza “the tension we’re nores the ethnic cleansing that drove so all holding that I want to name.” many Palestinian refugees to Gaza and, Since its founding in 2004, Jewish Voice
PHOTO COURTESY AMP
After a full day of protesting outside AIPAC’s annual conference, CODEPINK members and supporters gathered at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC on the evening of March 1 for a discussion on the Israel lobby. The event featured remarks by former CIA case officer and current executive director of the Council for the National Interest Phil Giraldi and peace activist Miko Peled, author of The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine (available from AET’s Middle East Books and More). Giraldi began by arguing that the lobby is destructive for Americans, Israelis and Palestinians alike. The lobby, he explained, pushes the U.S. to pursue pro-Israel policies that harm its image, cause pain and suffering for Palestinians, and provide cover for the Israeli government to enact ill-advised and self-defeating policies. Questioning the basis of the U.S.-Israel “special relationship,” Giraldi said that “Israel is no ally and never has been.” He described the bilateral relationship as “garbage,” as it heavily favors Israel. The self-professed Jewish state has a massive spying operation in the U.S., pushes the U.S. into costly wars, and shares phony intelligence, Giraldi explained. “When I was a CIA officer,” he recalled, “I used to see the intelligence that Israel passed to us. It was a joke. Every Israeli intelligence report that came to the United States was…essentially pushing an Israeli point of view, lying about what Arabs and the Iranians were up to and trying to convince Americans that there was some kind of threat coming from that direction. The only threat was coming from Israel.” Domestically, Giraldi noted, the lobby has many levers of power: it maintains a stranglehold over Congress and the media, has been able to insert pro-Israel political appointees into the State Department, and helps facilitate close relations between Israeli security services and American police. Despite this influence, Giraldi believes AIPAC’s days are numbered. “In my opinion, AIPAC and the rest of the Israel lobby is basically dead….but will take a long time to roll over,” he said. “I believe this because the task of defending what Israel does is beyond all credibility now. There’s just no way this thing can be sustained forever.” Peled agreed with Giraldi’s assessment and proceeded to make an even bolder statement: “I have no doubt that within
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Phil Giraldi and Miko Peled Critique The Israel Lobby
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for Peace has grown into a national organi- ining the Future of a One-State with the Bal- half a century earlier. Palestinian Sa’ed Adel Atshan, a postdoczation with tens of thousands of followers timore One-State Solution Working Group.” toral fellow in international studies at Brown and 65 chapters throughout the U.S. SignifUniversity who holds his Ph.D. in anthroicantly, 25 of those chapters have been es- Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III Details Discriminatory Treatment pology and Middle Eastern studies tablished since Israel’s assault on Gaza from Harvard, spoke emphatically in last summer. favor of a binational democratic state. Despite its name, JVP welcomes all Recalling how he had learned from his U.S. residents as members, although Palestinian aunt “to see the humanity the great majority of those participatin your oppressor and captor,” Dr. Ating in the national meeting—probably shan challenged his audience to do at least 500 of the 600 in attendance— more than document the destruction were proudly and unabashedly Jewof Palestinian culture and society. ish, and there to act on their deeply “There is always something you can held “Jewish values.” do,” he insisted. He then showed his A key feature of the JVP national transfixed audience a slide of the hormeeting was the impressive number of ribly overcrowded Yarmouk Palestinparticipatory workshops—more than ian refugee camp in Damascus. The 50 in number. Topics included “Asheartbreaking photo showed thousaults on Academic Freedom,” “Messaging and Media,” “Brass Tacks and Speakers Dr. Andrea Smith and Rev. Dr. Heber Brown sands of Palestinians—refugees there since 1948-49—waiting for relief disTough Questions about JVP’s Future,” confer. tributions. Dr. Atshan credited the “Starting a Conversation about the Nakba” and “Let’s Talk about Zionism.” Of The voices and views of 16 plenary speak- liberation theology of the Rev. Dr. Naim special interest to attendees were the work- ers and plenary session moderators were Ateek, founder of the Sabeel Palestinian Libshops linking racial and ethnic discrimina- heard: Jewish Americans, Jewish Israelis, eration Theology Center in Jerusalem and tion and military and police violence in the Palestinians and African Americans. the international Sabeel movement, for proU.S. against African Americans and Hispan- Keynoter Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III, the dy- viding him the moral and motivational ics, with the institutional discrimination namic African-American senior pastor of grounding he’s needed to continue to speak and violence taking place in the occupied Baltimore’s Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, out for Palestinian liberation. “I appreciate territories and in Israel itself. Such work- emphasized during Friday evening’s ple- your solidarity,” he then told his mostly shops included “From the Southwest Bor- nary the discriminatory treatment from cus- Jewish listeners. “What role can JVP play?” he went on to der to Palestine: Occupation, Militarization, toms officials he endured at Israel’s Ben-Guand Resistance” and “Organizing Against rion Airport on his 2010 trip to Israel and ask, and enumerated three fears he perIslamophobia and the Intersection with Is- the Palestinian territories with Interfaith ceived some Jewish Americans as holding. raeli Politics.” Peace Builders. “I was the only black man First, he cited their fears of eclipsing PalesThe well-attended “#BlackLivesMatter: in my group,” he explained. Israeli officials tinian voices. “This has a paralyzing effect,” From Solidarity to Liberation” workshop “began to interrogate me with questions,” he cautioned. Second, he said that some was led jointly by Palestinian activist Reverend Brown said, declaring that he had Jewish students were telling him, “I am reAhmad Abuznaid, a U.S.-educated lawyer been “singled out” because of being black. nouncing my Judaism” because of what born in East Jerusalem who co-founded The young African-American pastor said he some Jews in Israel and Palestine are doing Dream Defenders, and African American knows of other black Americans who have to their Palestinian neighbors, and that he Aja Monet, a noted poet and stage per- endured similar experiences upon entering has tried to persuade them not to do so. Fiformer born in Brooklyn, New York. Many Israel. Reverend Brown explained that he nally, Dr. Atshan said he’s noticed a tenother workshops and four of the six plenary speaks out for Palestinian liberation because dency on the part of some Jews toward sessions included African-American and/or he wants to “advance the cause of justice.” “linking phobias,” e.g. anti-xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and anti-Islamophobia. This Palestinian speakers. Other workshops explored issues within Dr. Sa’ed Adel Atshan Challenges the American Jewish pro-Palestinian-justice Audience to Do More community. These included the “Jews of Saturday morning’s moderaColor Caucus: Racism in the Progressive tor, Rabbi Alissa Wise, co-diJewish Community,” “Beyond the Jewish rector of organizing for JVP, Non-Profit Philanthropic Complex” and recounted the story of the “Demarginalizing/Decolonizing Sephardi grandchildren of a Palestinand Mizrahi Lives.” Caucuses on the intra- ian survivor of the 1948 Jewish theme included “’Wherever You Go Nakba. The young people I Will Go: A Caucus for Jews-by-Choice” visited their grandfather’s and “Non-Jewish Allies in JVP.” former home in Israel, and Still other workshops explored practical phoned their much-affected aspects of the task of ending the occupation, grandfather to tell him they such as “The Art and Science of Effective had found where he had Messaging: How We Can Talk about Boy- carved his name into an ancott, Divestment and Sanctions” and “Imag- cient olive tree more than Jewish Voice for Peace participants fill the plenary hall.
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The second day’s afternoon plenary highlighted the interconnection between past and future, between subjective memory and objective fact. West Bank Palestinian Basem Sbaih of the Palestinian research-andadvocacy NGO Badil, and Liat Rosenberg of its Israeli counterpart NGO, Zochrot, grappled with the reality that discourse on the Palestinian right of return is often said to be trapped between Jewish-Israeli fears and Palestinian dreams. Both groups agreed with JVP’s assertion that “a deep understanding of 1948 and its contemporary reverberations can help us move beyond clichés and work for justice.” “Israel has absolutely rejected any right of return,” plenary moderator Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark reminded her audience. “Palestinians have insisted on it,” she was quick to add. “The land is important,” said Sbaih. “Land is something that belongs to our history…the land can be described as [a man’s] soul.” “We need to talk to Israelis about their greatest fears,” added Rosenberg. “We don’t need to convince them that [sharing the land] would be better—rather, that it just has to be.” Sunday morning’s plenary featured extensive opening remarks by Rabbi Brant Rosen, co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace’s Rabbinical Council, and then proceeded to address the galvanizing theme, “The Only Recognizable Feature of Hope is Action.” Plenary participants broke into groups to discuss and brainstorm critically important dimensions of JVP’s overall strategy as it moves ahead in the “strategic focus areas” of shifting cultural attitudes, building powerful coalitions, influencing White House and congressional policymakers, winning BDS campaigns, defending academic freedom, and transforming Jewish communities. As the program bulletin put it, “The next stage of effective movementbuilding for JVP requires all of us to think even more strategically about what kind of power we are trying to build, and where.”
Angela Davis Electrifies Audience JVP saved its biggest draw until the program’s very end: “Welcoming the Future,” an electrifying speech by renowned African-American academic, author and activist Angela Y. MAY 2015
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Grappling With the Right of Return
Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita of [the] History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California-Santa Cruz. Davis, an alumna of predominantly Jewish Brandeis University, has helped to popularize the concept of the “prison industrial complex,” with a persistent theme of her work being the range of social and ethical problems associated with incarceration and the general criminalization of communities most affected by poverty and racial discrimination—such as the African-American community in the U.S. and Palestinians living under discrimination and military occupation Angela Y. Davis, author of nine books, signs in Israel and the occupied territories. her most recent, The Meaning of Freedom. “I wholeheartedly embrace this [program’s] theme” of “We’re Not Waiting,” she The Role of U.S. Churches in the BDS remarked. Noting that “JVP is rapidly be- Movement coming one of the most progressive organi- Faith-based groups have long been at the zations in the U.S.,” she went on to point out frontlines of human rights movements in that “we cannot call for an end of anti-Semi- the U.S., observed Samirah Alkassim, protism without calling for the liberation of gram manager of the Palestine Center, as she Palestine.” Furthermore, she maintained, introduced a Feb. 4 panel examining the “the justice for Palestine movement” can role of churches in the Boycott, Divestment “globalize” the struggles for racial justice at and Sanctions (BDS) movement. home. “Protesters in Ferguson are sharing David Wildman, executive secretary for the slogans of Palestinians,” she said. “Mar- human rights and racial justice of the tin Luther King, in his last months, called for United Methodist Church’s General Board of the development of ‘a world consciousness.’” Global Ministries, began making a Biblical Davis also reminded her listeners that jus- case for BDS by noting that it was Black tice-minded Americans need to “speak out History Month and that the film “Selma” against the militarization of the police,” and had just been released. The white clergy in to be aware of “how much the Israeli police Birmingham had asked Dr. Martin Luther are involved [in that militarization].” She de- King, Jr. not to bring his “extremist radical cried the fact that “grants from Homeland kind of ideas” to their city, Wildman said. Security to police departments” are being Dr. King replied with a letter asking, “Wasmade to get military vehicles into local po- n’t Amos an extremist for justice? Wasn’t lice departments. Jesus an extremist for justice?” It’s OK to be On the other hand, the veteran author-ac- called extremists, Wildman assured his autivist applauded the fact that the Presbyter- dience. He described BDS as “an extremely ian Church has decided to divest from three passionate action for nonviolent, moral, ecocompanies aiding and enabling the Israeli oc- nomic change.” cupation, and noted that the Presbyterians Churches must do what the U.S. governhad contributed $10,000 to her legal defense ment has not, explained Wildman, who fund some 40 years ago. Davis applauded the helped found United For Peace and Justice growing student involvement in efforts to and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Ocliberate both Palestinians and African Amer- cupation. When Washington blocks intericans from the bonds of discrimination and unjustifiable incarceration. As she neared the conclusion of her remarks, Davis decried the serious problem some Americans have that makes them “Progressive Except for Palestine.” These people, she explained, labor under the unfortunate notion that “if you could not speak as an expert” on a political problem, “you do not have the right to speak...But movements for justice are never carried out by experts only,” the veteran activist explained. “Everyone is urged to David Wildman (l) and Philip Farah make a bibspeak out.” —Paul H. Verduin lical and historical case for BDS. STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
also he has sought to discourage. While he denounced “Israel’s disproportionate use of violence,” he was quick to caution Palestinians that “just because violent resistance [to oppression] is justified under international law doesn’t make it ethical.”
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national efforts—and uses its vetoes at the U.N. to block apartheid practices in South Africa and Israel—it’s time for civil society (which includes churches) to turn to nonviolent actions like boycott and divestment. Churches focus on divestment partly because they have pension funds and holdings, Wildman noted. The first U.S. divestment efforts on behalf of Israel/Palestine began during the second intifada in 2001 and 2002, when Israel used Caterpillar bulldozers to level homes in the Jenin refugee camp. If companies are involved in doing harm it is morally responsible not to invest in those companies, Wildman argued, adding, “It’s been a 10-year struggle for Presbyterians to get to the point where last June of 2014 they did vote to divest from Caterpillar, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard.” A week earlier, Methodists had divested from G4S, a British company involved in private prison work. Wildman noted the efforts of “attack groups” whose main agenda is to silence moral nonviolent actions and voices within the churches. The answer to naysayers, he said, is to explain that “we are against all forms of discrimination,” including antiSemitism, as well as the identity-based discrimination of Israeli checkpoints and laws that treat people differently strictly on the basis of identity. BDS is a way to challenge the whitewashing that happens in our churches, in U.S. media and in the halls of Congress, Wildman stated. He ended with a fabulous quote from the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel: “Because they lead my people astray, saying ‘Peace’ [or peace process] when there is no peace, and because when a flimsy wall was built, they cover it with whitewash. Therefore, tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall.” Wildman concluded, “That was Ezekiel a long time ago. So the Wall today also can’t be covered in whitewash, it cannot stand, and through nonviolent actions of boycott, divestment and sanctions, it too will fall.” The next speaker, Philip Farah, a Palestinian American Christian born and raised in Arab East Jerusalem, described the origins of his organization, the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP). As church activists proposed divestment resolutions they were bombarded from all sides—by Zionists, pro-Israel folks, Christian Zionists and Jewish Voice for Peace— but, church leaders said, they weren’t hearing from Palestinians. A group of Americans of Palestinian Christian heritage got together in 2013 to rectify that problem. PCAP is a nonsectarian, ecumenical alliance of Pales60
tinian American Christians that seeks to provide a clear voice and presence in U.S. faith-based communities. “We are a very small group,” Farah admitted, “and Christian Zionists number in the millions and are extremely well-funded. We focus on the grassroots. Martin Luther King and others have recognized that historically everything that’s good in this country really starts in the streets.” When you are able to reach the church communities you are in the mainstream, Farah emphasized, and tell the many Palestinian Americans who are very reluctant to be engaged in the struggle, “You are absolutely not alone.” Churches often perceive the idea of divestment and boycott as a negative thing, Farah added. They don’t want to do negative things, they want to do positive things, and many want to invest. Also, churches don’t want to “rock the boat.” They don’t want to be provocative and they don’t want to seem anti-Semitic. So when PCAP speakers visit churches they describe faith leaders who played extremely important roles in the emancipations of their people, like Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce and Muhammad Abduh of Egypt, Mahatma Gandhi, Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Germany, Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Oscar Romero and Bishop Abel Muzorewa. “They were very provocative,” Farah said. “They very much rocked the boat. These were not passive leaders. They did not at all avoid controversy.” Churches played a vital role in emancipation, the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, ending the war in Vietnam, the BDS movement against apartheid in South Africa, the Sanctuary Movement to end the U.S. support for Central American dictatorships and death squads, and many more struggles. Churches can help end the Israeli occupation. “We are relatively small in numbers and resources compared to AIPAC and all of its friends in Congress,” Farah concluded, “but our voice can carry.” —Delinda C. Hanley
SEC Rejects Exclusion of Holy Land Principles by Intel, GE and Corning In February the SEC rejected an attempt by Intel, GE and Corning—3 of the 545 U.S. companies doing business in Palestine-Israel—to exclude from their 2015 proxy materials for shareholders to vote on the Holy Land Principles corporate code of conduct (see ad p. 47 and Jan./Feb. 2014 Washington Report, p. 20). This precedent-setting decision marks the THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
first time a U.S. government agency has made such a ruling. Intel and GE had argued that the Holy Land Principles could be excluded because “by seeking to address the Company’s evaluation of subsidies, tax incentives or other benefits, the Proposal [to include the Principles] interferes with the Company’s ordinary business...” But the SEC did not buy their argument, ruling, “we do not believe that Intel may omit the proposal from its proxy materials” on that basis. In the case of Corning, the SEC ruled: “Based on the information you have presented, it appears that Corning’s policies, practices and procedures do not compare favorably with the guidelines of the [Holy Land Principles] proposal and that Corning has not, therefore, substantially implemented the proposal.” Surely signing the Holy Land Principles would have been, at the very least, an expression of good faith and a first step toward ensuring fair employment principles for underrepresented minority employees in Palestine-Israel. In its 2012 Corporate Sustainability Report, high-tech industry leader Cisco acknowledged that “Arab citizens constitute 20 percent of the population in Israel, but make up less than 0.4 percent of the hightech industry workforce.” Such 50:1 inequality of outcomes for Israel’s Arab citizens, if operative instead for African Americans, would read: “Black citizens constitute 12 percent of the population of the United States, but make up less than 0.24 percent of the high-tech industry workforce.” Instead, however, Intel, GE and Corning tried to block the good faith efforts of the Holy Land Principles by appealing to a U.S. government agency. Fortunately, the SEC ruling has effectively and in principle removed all specious arguments against the Principles. But we still must win the vote to adopt the Principles at the companies’ upcoming annual meetings: April 22 for GE, April 29 for Corning and May 21 for Intel. Please e-mail the Investor Relations Contact (IRC) at each company—gary.sheffer@ge.com, nicholsoas@corning.com and linda.l.qian@intel.com—urging the company to sign the Holy Land Principles. Just address them as “Dear IRC.” —Fr. Sean McManus
Bennis, Wilcox Discuss PA’s U.N. Resolution, Signing of Rome Statute Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for MAY 2015
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ington, DC on Feb. 13. The professor’s Policy Studies, and Ambassador Philip depiction of Israel’s “colonization proWilcox, former president of the Foundaject” destroyed much of Israel’s myth tion for Middle East Peace, discussed rethat Jewish settlers “made the desert cent U.N. initiatives by the Palestinian bloom” for, as Salaita said, Israel “will Authority on Jan. 29 at the Palestine Cennever be decolonized unless it is first deter in Washington, DC. A month earlier, mythologized.” on Dec. 30, the U.S. and Australia had reIn 1948 Salaita’s grandmother and all jected a U.N. Security Council resolution her neighbors lost their homes in Ein to end the Israeli occupation within three Karem, the ancient village where, acyears. On Jan. 2, 2015 Palestine joined 16 cording to Christian tradition, John the international conventions and treaties, Baptist was born. Salaita said his homeincluding the Rome Statute. These initiatives won’t change the dire situation on Ambassador Philip Wilcox and Phyllis Bennis land now resembles Los Angeles, with the ground anytime soon, Bennis warned discuss the U.N. resolution, introduced by Jordan, the same palm trees that are ubiquitous to California. The palms in L.A. are not the audience. “That doesn’t mean they’re and the signing of the Rome Statute. indigenous, Salaita continued, but were not important,” she added, “but it does mean anybody who thinks that this is going which international law and the U.N. would imported from Mexico and North Africa. to be ‘the answer’ is going to be sorely dis- play an important part.” The U.S. had “Many [California] settlers were Spaniards “enormous influence in shaping resolutions with a religious mandate,” he explained, “so appointed.” Bennis described the resolution to end that would protect our interests and protect a Holy Land symbology emerged,” includthe occupation as very weak, and said that the interests of other nations, as well,” ing palm trees. Today, Palestine’s natural history is also if it had passed the “pseudo-state” of Pales- Wilcox said, but when it comes to this resotine would not have had territorial contigu- lution, America reverted to what it’s done profoundly artifical, Salaita pointed out, ity or control over borders, air space, water for the past 30 years and didn’t support adding, “Human habitation partners with [Israel’s] military occupation to destroy the or other resources. Nonetheless, Washing- Palestinians or U.S. interests. Turning to the ICC bid, Wilcox said he is environment.” Israeli settlements in the ton pushed hard to make sure the resolution didn’t pass, because it would have delegit- “deeply skeptical” that this will produce West Bank—an area a bit smaller than imized U.S. control of negotiations, Bennis tangible results because of the complexity Delaware—consume land and require highcharged. The U.S. and Israel are determined of the statute, the very limited jurisdiction ways, walls and military installations, that the U.N. not be the venue for solving and the political issues involved. “The court Salaita noted. “Israel demolishes [Palestinhas had very little success in its decade of ian] homes, seizes farmland, rezones cities, this longstanding problem. The International Criminal Court is a dif- existence,” he pointed out. It has received clean-cuts forests, flattens hilltops and ferent matter, Bennis continued. The court “thousands of complaints and has acted on erects concrete monstrosities within and is an independent agency, and its prosecutor almost none of them...They do aspire ulti- around villages,” he said. “Israel has stolen has the right to make her own decisions mately to the U.S. accepting the Rome millions of dunums of Palestinian land, with about what investigations she will launch. Statute and I think they are wary of pro- no sign of abatement.” In 2014, the Netanyahu government Palestine has put itself under the jurisdiction voking the United States by accepting juof not only the ICC, but of important human risdiction or investigating and prosecuting claimed more than 1,000 acres of the West Bank for settlement expansion, Salaita said. rights treaties like the treaties for the Rights a case against Israel.” There is certainly nothing illegitimate “The number of Jewish settlers creeps toof the Disabled, the Rights of Women, the Rights of Children, and the Geneva Conven- about Palestine joining the ICC, Wilcox ward half a million. Israel siphons water and tions. The Palestinian government has said, stated. “They are a state as recognized by returns it to Palestinians in the form of “Palestine is going to hold itself account- the General Assembly. They have a perfect sewage. It builds with no regard for the inable.” Israeli officials also will be accountable right to do so.” Palestinians saw “no other fluence of human activity on the land.” avenue to pursue their cause, having failed Inside Israel, Salaita continued, Arabs are for their violations of international law. The political will to end the occupation for over 20 years to gain anything through won’t come from New York or Washington, bilateral negotiations.” Thanks to consistent U.S. diplomatic and Bennis concluded. At the end of the day, she predicted, Israel will see that the cost is too military aid—even when it doesn’t serve high to continue occupation and apartheid. U.S. interests—Israelis are under the illusion When Israelis start realizing that the call for that “they don’t have to play by the rules of BDS extends to science and culture—and other nations,” Wilcox said. He predicted a that they’re not getting to see the musicians, future full of mayhem, tragedy and disaster poets, writers and theater groups they want for Palestinians, Israelis and, in some cases, to see—that’s going to change the situation the rest of the world—until the Israeli public understands that the future of their on the ground, according to Bennis. Wilcox, who served as ambassador at country is at stake. —Delinda C. Hanley large for counterterrorism from 1994 to 1997, described the formation of the U.N. Natural History Under Siege Security Council after WWII, “when our Dr. Steven Salaita described Israel’s destrucleadership was committed to the idea of a tion of Palestine’s landscape, water resources Dr. Steven Salaita says “A Palestinian would more rule-based international system, in and history at the Palestine Center in Wash- never destroy a healthy olive tree.” MAY 2015
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prevented from re-establishing depopulated villages or building homes, and the government plants new developments in places that will ensure Jewish expansion. He cited Nazareth-Ilit—new Nazareth—built on the hills overlooking the ancient city, home to Mary and Joseph, as an example of Israel’s desire for an “ethnocentric” city. Zionists play “Arab” to inscribe themselves as indigenous to a foreign geography. Under the guise of an “ancient reclamation project” to “refurbish the Holy Land,” the Jewish National Fund (JNF) develops the land, “plants trees, sponsors public works and manages parkland. The primary effect of its work has been to transform Palestine into an Orientalized theme park, open only to those of a certain ethnic background,” Salaita said. “It all makes more sense if we think of Israeli settlement as a form of geostrategic gentrification.” In truth, since 1967, Israel has bulldozed more than 800,000 olive trees. Settlers routinely destroy orchards, uprooting more than 11,000 olive trees last year alone. Government officials cite “security” as the reason for destroying the trees, which take years to bear fruit. Much of the time, however, they are simply being punitive, Salaita charged. “A Palestinian would never destroy a healthy olive tree,” Salaita argued, and his next words shook the audience: “This reality clarifies the so-called complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Who is indigenous, Jews or Palestinians? A Palestinian would never destroy a healthy olive tree. Who is the aggressor? A Palestinian would never destroy a healthy olive tree. Who has a deep history on the land? A Palestinian would never destroy a healthy olive tree. Who wrecks the environment with irresponsible human settlement? A Palestinian would never destroy a healthy olive tree.” —Delinda C. Hanley
Norman Finkelstein Speaks at Iowa State University Author, activist and university professor Norman Finkelstein spoke about “The State of the Promised Land” before a large audience of about 200 in the Great Hall of Iowa State University’s Memorial Union in Ames on March 9. Finkelstein, who teaches at Sakarya University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies in Turkey, focused his presentation on violence leading up to and during Israel’s 2014 assault on the captive civilian population of Gaza, which he referred to as a “massacre” rather than a war. “We’ve never had a war in Gaza. We’ve had eight massacres in Gaza. We haven’t 62
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Norman Finkelstein at ISU in Ames on March 9. had a war. Let’s be clear about that,” declared Finkelstein to general applause. “Israeli society doesn’t easily accommodate large numbers of [Israeli] combatant deaths. It’s a kind of Sparta-like society, in which civilian deaths are more tolerated, more abided. So, how do you launch a ground invasion and yet not have large numbers of combatant deaths? As the troops enter, you destroy everything to the right of you, everything to the left of you, everything in front of you, and everything behind you,” Finkelstein said. He pointed out that Israel’s most recent incursion into Gaza was a continuation of the tactics used in Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009, which resulted in only six Israeli combatant deaths compared to some 1,400 Palestinian deaths. Israeli military action during the summer of 2014 killed some 2,400 Gazans, including more than 500 children, and wounded between 10,600 and 10,900, while 66 Israeli soldiers, 5 Israeli civilians, including one child and one Thai civilian were killed; injured were 469 Israel Defense Force soldiers and 261 Israeli civilians. Gaza Health Ministry officials estimated that 69 to 75 percent of the Palestinian casualties were civilians, but Israeli officials put that number at 50 percent. “Netanyahu’s original impetus for entering Gaza was his rage that the U.S. and the EU were negotiating with Hamas, but by the end, as several Israeli commentators pointed out, Israel itself was forced to negotiate with Hamas,” noted Finkelstein. “The only victory that Netanyahu could claim was that once again he was able to satiate, to satisfy, the blood lust of the Israeli population, which derives a kind of pathological pleasure and joy in watching the people of Gaza suffer,” said Finkelstein. During the question-and-answer period THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
following his prepared remarks, this reporter asked Finkelstein whether religious extremism in Israel, particularly the Third Temple movement, has a significant influence on Israeli policy with regard to Palestinians. “In general, it is very difficult to disentangle where rational, practical self-interest ends and where a kind of lunatic ideology begins,” replied the author of The Holocaust Industry and What Gandhi Says about Nonviolence. “So are people motivated by religion, or is religion just a kind of façade behind which lurks self-interest and rational calculation?” Darul Arqum Islamic Center, the Muslim Student Association and the Committee on Lectures funded by the Government of the Student Body sponsored the lecture. —Michael Gillespie
Is Palestinian Activism Effective? Nadia Hijab, executive director of AlShabaka Palestinian Policy Network, spoke at the Palestine Center in Washington, DC on March 19 to discuss “The Challenges Posed by the Vacuum in Palestinian Political Leadership.” With the Israeli election on everyone’s mind, Hijab began by examining how Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s reelection will impact the Palestinian solidarity movement. In desperate need of the far-right’s vote, Netanyahu used the final days of his campaign to defame Israeli Arabs, state his opposition to a Palestinian state and boast that he approved the Har Homa settlement in order to “stop the continuation of the Palestinians.” These overtly anti-peace and racially divisive statements make the job of Palestinian civil society easier, Hijab believes. “Israel’s racism and colonialism is now on full display,” she explained. “Its leaders no longer bother to hide the core Zionist objective, which is to eliminate the majority of the Palestinian people from the entire land of Palestine and to reserve it almost exclusively for the Jews.” While this may be an “I told you so” moment for defenders of Palestinian rights, Hijab stressed that this is not the time to celebrate. Yes, Netanyahu’s presence makes the jobs of activists easier, but, she warned, it will almost certainly make the lives of Palestinians more miserable. Netanyahu’s disavowal of the peace process also poses a challenge to the U.S. government and the international community, Hijab said. More forceful action, she believes, must be taken against Israel’s construction of settlements. MAY 2015
For its part, the Palestinian Authority (PA) needs to more aggressively use international levers such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel, she said. Mahmoud Abbas’ government must also end security cooperation with its Israeli occupiers, Hijab added. In Hijab’s opinion, disunity is the greatest threat to the Palestinian movement. Physically separated for many decades, West Bank and Gaza residents have gradually grown apart and developed different political views and narratives, she said. Hijab expressed her hope that the success of the Arab Joint List in the Israeli election will inspire Hamas and Fatah to reconcile their differences for the sake of the Palestinian cause. Within the U.S., Hijab sees positive developments in the Palestinian solidarity movement. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), she noted, is expanding across American campuses and has a diverse membership. American Jews, “sickened by Israeli policies that are so clearly racist and colonialist” and “outraged that Israel claims to be speaking and acting in the name of Jews,” are increasingly joining the Palestinian movement, she noted. “The movement for Palestinian rights has come of age in the U.S.,” Hijab concluded. This, she said, explains the success of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement and the growth of organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. —Dale Sprusansky
General John Allen Discusses Anti-ISIS Campaign The Atlantic Council invited Gen. John Allen (ret.), special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, to its Washington, DC office for a March 2 discussion on the U.S.-led anti-ISIS campaign. MAY 2015
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Nadia Hijab believes “the movement for Palestinian rights has come of age in the U.S.”
Allen began by noting the scope of the coalition that is currently fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. “We’ve assembled a global coalition which currently includes 62 nations and international organizations, each committed to the counter-ISIS campaign,” he said. The general expressed cautious optimism about the coalition’s ability to drive ISIS out of Iraq. After storming through large swaths of the country last summer, ISIS has lost its momentum and is on the edge of collapse in Iraq, he stated. According to Allen, these gains against ISIS have occurred due to ongoing military operations, but also because of important reforms being undertaken by the Iraqi government. He praised new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for forming an inclusive government, finally reaching an oil agreement with the Kurds, devolving more power to local governments and speaking out aggressively and proactively against all forms of sectarian violence. Despite these positive developments, Allen cautioned that Iraq still has many hurdles to overcome. “Make no mistake, Iraq has a tough road ahead” and must be fully supported by coalition members, he said. Allen described Syria as “more challenging and much more complex,” because of the complicated and deadlocked political standoff between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and an agglomeration of opposition forces. “It is difficult to overstate the political complexities and the challenges in Syria,” he said. Regarding the much-criticized U.S. effort to train a 5,000-member fighting force in Syria, Allen expressed optimism, noting that the U.S. has been pleased with the number of individuals who have signed up to participate in the force. These fighters will be sufficiently trained and equipped once they begin operations, he said, and will receive any assistance necessary from the U.S. or other coalition members. While much media attention has been given to the military effort to destroy ISIS, Allen stressed the importance of a holistic approach. “It will ultimately be the aggregate pressure of the coalition’s activity over multiple, mutually supporting lines of effort that will determine whether we will succeed or fail,” he emphasized. The coalition is organized around five lines of effort, he explained: the military campaign, eliminating the flow of foreign fighters, cutting off ISIS’ financial resources, tackling the massive humanitarian
Gen. John Allen outlines the U.S. plan to defeat ISIS. challenge and countering ISIS’ propaganda. Despite the prominent role of the U.S. in the anti-ISIS campaign, Allen said coalition members agree that ISIS ultimately can only be defeated by the nations of the region. The Iraqi government, he noted, “has been very clear that the restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq is for Iraqis to do.” Meanwhile, King Abdullah of Jordan has stated that “this is a war that has to be led ultimately by the Arab states in the region.” —Dale Sprusansky
Former Rep. Jim Slattery Stresses the Importance of Diplomacy with Iran Appearing at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC on Feb. 9, former six-term congressman Rep. Jim Slattery (D-KS) urged American lawmakers on Capitol Hill and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not to scuttle nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. New congressional sanctions legislation would be “counterproductive,” Slattery warned, and likely destroy nuclear talks.
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military involvement in the The current window for Muslim world, Slattery empeaceful reconciliation bephasized. The current militween the U.S. and Iran is time tarism is unsustainable and sensitive and must be emabsorbs resources the U.S. braced, he stressed. “The ought to be using to confront clock is ticking on both sides critical economic challenges, of the table,” he explained, as he argued, warning that if President Barack Obama has perpetual war continues, the just two years left in office and U.S. “will wake up in 20 years Iranian President Hassan and look like Britain in 1946.” Rouhani’s legitimacy hinges on —Dale Sprusansky a successful resolution of the diplomatic process. Those who suggest negotia- Salam Fayyad (l) and Ambassador Francis Ricciardone discuss the in- Former Statesmen Call for a Long-Term Strategy for tions have allowed Iran to buy ternational campaign against ISIS. The Middle East time to develop a nuclear weapon are “dead wrong,” Slattery said, That’s the question I would have for Bibi Three former statesmen gathered at the Atnoting that Tehran has complied with the Netanyahu,” he continued, warning that lantic Council in Washington, DC on Feb. November 2013 interim agreement it failure has very dangerous consequences 11 to discuss the pressing challenges facing signed with the P5+1. He also pointed out for all sides involved. the Middle East—most notably the emerCalling Netanyahu’s decision to address gence of ISIS. The event was titled “Conthat as part of a final agreement, Iran would likely permit intrusive inspections Congress in March “a mistake,” Slattery flict and Convergence: Toward Common of its nuclear facilities. These inspections said he would not attend the speech if he Interests in the Troubled Middle East.” are the best way to ensure Iran never de- were still in office due to the Israeli prime Former Palestinian Authority Prime velops a nuclear weapon, Slattery believes. minister’s disrespect for the office of the Minister Salam Fayyad began the converThe former congressman also questioned U.S. president. He also suggested that Iran- sation by explaining that no one factor can the commonly held belief that sanctions, ian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif be invited explain why the region is in a state of upnot diplomacy, have prevented Iran from to testify before Congress to offer a rebut- heaval. He noted, however, that one comadvancing its nuclear program. When the tal. “Why not?” Slattery asked. “Why are mon thread does exist throughout the U.S. first imposed sanctions, the country we afraid of information? Why are we Middle East: the existence of strong rulers had 200 centrifuges, he noted. Today, it afraid to talk to people?” governing weak states. While Congress ideally should be asked has more than 20,000. “Did sanctions In order to get out of its rut, the region by the president to approve any deal with must embrace inclusive governance and work? You tell me,” he said. While in Iran in December 2014 to ad- Iran, Slattery said, that might not be pos- economic reforms, Fayyad argued. The redress the “World Against Violence and Ex- sible if lawmakers insist on allowing poli- gion’s citizens are overwhelmed with feeltremism” conference, Slattery said high- tics to overwhelm the facts. ings of injustice, he explained, and need to If U.S.-Iran relations are to improve over be reassured that their governments and ranking members of the Majlis (Iranian parliament) expressed to him their concern the long-term, Slattery believes, more must the international community understand that the Republican takeover of Congress be done to increase interactions between and are willing to respond to their grievwill hinder President Obama’s ability to Americans and Iranians. “One of the great ances. negotiate a deal. Tehran, he explained, problems we have to overcome right now Former George W. Bush National Secumust be confident it will not be humiliated is ignorance,” he argued, as individuals in rity Adviser Stephen Hadley, who helped by Congress vetoing a deal its leaders have both countries have poor knowledge of spread misinformation that led to the 2003 each other. signed-off on. U.S. invasion of Iraq, agreed with Fayyad’s This is particularly true for elected offi- assessment. The current unrest is, in part, a Iranian officials also persistently asked Slattery if the U.S. would ever agree to a cials in the U.S. and Iran, added Slattery, consequence of the region’s governments deal opposed by Israel and AIPAC. “Those the first former congressman to visit Iran failing to meet the expectations of their questions are on the minds of Iranians,” he since 1979. Leaders in Washington and people, he said. said, adding that it would be “a tragedy” Tehran would make more informed deciWhile the haphazard creation of the reif talks collapse because of domestic poli- sions if they interacted with one another, gion’s states by colonial powers certainly he said. tics (the Israel lobby). has not helped facilitate peace and secuSlattery, who for the past decade has en- rity, Hadley argued that redrawn borders Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would be wise not to assume that any final deal gaged Iranians through the Abrahamic Di- would not solve the Middle East’s probwould be disastrous for Israel, Slattery alogue interfaith initiative, also suggested lems. “It’s more about the quality of goversaid: “We should not prejudge this that religion—something very important nance and the legitimacy of governments [deal]….Let’s wait until we see a deal and to many Americans and Iranians—be within those borders,” he said. then we can discuss what the options are.” brought into the conversation with Iran. Decisive action to stabilize the region While it’s easy for Netanyahu to be crit- Commonalities, such as the shared Christ- must be taken now, Hadley emphasized, ical of talks, Slattery added, the American ian and Muslim belief in Jesus, ought to be before its problems become more severe. effort to build trust with Iran is much more emphasized as a way to reinforce shared This, he and his co-panelists agreed, revalues, he said. difficult and valiant. quires the development of a clear longThe U.S. also must find a way to cease its term strategy. “What happens if the negotiations fail? 64
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front on the underbelly of the AraFormer U.S. Ambassador to Turkey bian Peninsula, and more imporand Egypt Francis Ricciardone noted tantly, one immediately adjacent to that leaders, particularly those who Saudi Arabia,” he explained. have been democratically elected, The “catastrophic” 2003 U.S. invaoften struggle to develop long-term sion of Iraq “virtually handed Iraq to strategies. While the Barack Obama Iran,” and allowed Tehran to expand administration has constantly “put its regional influence, Gnehm noted. out fires,” in the Middle East, he With Saddam Hussain toppled, a said, it has failed to articulate a clear Shi’i-majority government came into vision for the region. power in Baghdad and granted Nevertheless, Fayyad added, the Tehran significant sway over Iraqi U.S. and, more importantly, the repolitics. This, he noted, led to the gion’s governments must think bedisenfranchisement of Iraqi Sunnis yond the next few months or years and to a strain in Iraq-GCC relations. and develop a long-reaching plan to Ambassador “Skip” Gnehm shares his thoughts on the The Tunisian-born Arab Spring stabilize the region. Arab Gulf. raised a different set of challenges for Critiquing the current international anti-ISIS strategy, Fayyad ques- pabilities. Matters became dire, however, the Arab Gulf nations, Gnehm continued, tioned its ability to “degrade and destroy” when Shi’i clerics toppled the shah in as GCC citizens began questioning the legitimacy of their governments and dethe militant group. “What we have now is 1979, Gnehm said. The new Islamic Republic claimed to manding economic and social reforms. not a strategy,” he maintained, but “a tactical response.” Noting that ISIS has not possess superior Islamic credentials and ac- While the GCC nations, with the exception been weakened since the U.S.-led coalition cused Gulf Sunni monarchies, most no- of Bahrain, were able to appease protesters began airstrikes last year, Fayyad called for tably Saudi Arabia, of apostasy, he pointed with billions of dollars in economic and sothe implantation of a fully integrated ap- out. Iran also began to meddle in the affairs cial assistance, many of the realities that proach that is not overly reliant on military of the Arab Gulf states, Gnehm said, breed- drew people to the streets—unemploying more bad blood between the two ment, corruption, lack of transparent govforce. ernance, and human rights violations—reAccording to Hadley, this will be diffi- camps. To this day, the GCC states remain con- main as issues on the minds of Gulf citicult given the multi-layer nature of the ISIS crisis. These layers, he said, include the hu- vinced that Iran wants to dominate the re- zens today, he said. The Arab Spring created another probmanitarian crisis, the terrorist threat and a gion, he noted, and believe Iran uses the geopolitical crisis. The region’s power play- Arab Gulf’s Shi’i minority population to lem for the Arab Gulf, Gnehm noted: the ers view each of these layers differently, he foment discord. “This feeling remains par- overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni noted, making it a challenge to assemble a ticularly acute in Saudi Arabia and [Shi’i- Mubarak and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is well-embedcoalition. —Dale Sprusansky majority] Bahrain,” according to Gnehm. Little evidence exists to support the idea ded in the political culture of many Gulf The World as Seen by the Arab Gulf that a significant pro-Iran fifth column ex- countries, he explained, and the governFormer U.S. Ambassador to Jordan and ists in the Arab Gulf, the former diplomat ments feared the group would pose a threat Kuwait Edward “Skip” Gnehm delivered added. “I do not believe the states are ac- to their legitimacy. To prevent this, the the annual George Washington University curate in seeing the hand of Shi’i Iran be- UAE and Saudi Arabia declared the group Kuwait Chair lecture at the school’s Wash- hind all Shi’i unrest,” he said. “[The Gulf a terrorist organization, he noted. Finally, Gnehm addressed the problem ington, DC campus on Feb. 12. The title of monarchies’] treatment of their own mithis year’s speech was “The World as Seen norities has, in my opinion, more to do posed by ISIS, which has directly challenged the legitimacy of the Gulf states. with the unrest than Iran.” by the Arab Gulf.” As an example, Gnehm said he doubts Most people in the region quickly recogThe six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran is doing much to support Yemen’s nized the threat ISIS presents, he said. While Iran and the Arab Gulf both are Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar Houthi movement, which has gained conand Kuwait—perceive the world around trol over the capital of Sana’a. “They are battling against ISIS, he observed, Iranianthem as being in a state of war, Gnehm not, in religious terms, close to Iran at all,” backed Shi’i militias in Iraq are carrying began, and are concerned that this insta- he said, explaining that the Houthis be- out a dangerous sectarian strategy. These lieve in a version of Shi’i Islam that does groups have been able to seize territory bility could spread to their own nations. Four major developments in recent his- not resemble the theology promulgated by from ISIS, but there are reports that Sunnis in these “liberated” towns are being either tory—the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Tehran. Moreover, Gnehm added, the Houthis killed or forced to relocate by the militias. 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, the so-called Arab Spring, and the rise of ISIS—loom are relatively self-sufficient and not in This, Gnehm noted, undermines Iraqi large in understanding the anxieties and need of Iranian assistance. Nonetheless, he Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s efforts to believes Tehran will likely continue to entice the Sunnis of western Iraq to turn concerns of GCC nations, he explained. Iran, or Persia, has historically been overstate its ties to the group in an effort to away from ISIS. Regarding U.S.-Arab Gulf relations, viewed with suspicion by the Arab Gulf project power. He also doubts that GCC states, Gnehm noted. During the shah’s concern about the Houthi rise to power Gnehm said Washington needs to do a betrule, for instance, the region was con- will subside any time soon. “In Saudi and ter job of communicating with its partners cerned about Iran’s expanding military ca- Gulf Arab minds, the Iranians now have a in the region. The U.S. should intensify its MAY 2015
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dialogue with these states, he suggested, and reassure them that Washington is committed to the region and takes its concerns seriously—particularly as it pertains to Iranian nuclear negotiations and the Syrian civil war. The Gulf Arab states “have real doubts about U.S. reliability,” Gnehm noted, explaining that Washington’s failure to support Mubarak has raised questions as to whether the U.S. will be there for them in their time of need. The region is disturbed by the inability of the U.S. to foresee the negative consequences of overthrowing Saddam, he added, and believes “the U.S. does not think through the consequences of its actions or inactions.” —Dale Sprusansky
Iran Nuclear Deal Backed by Majority of Americans
How the Arab Gulf Views an Iran Deal
STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
Hours after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s March 3 speech warning a joint session of Congress to block a “bad deal” with Iran, distinguished speakers at the annual Anwar Sadat Forum at the University of Maryland in College Park, held a timely discussion on “The Iran Nuclear Issue.” Dr. Shibley Telhami and Steven Kull released findings from a public opinion poll fielded Feb. 19-25. More than half of a sample of 710 American adults thought Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, without a diplomatic invitation and in opposition to making a deal with Iran, was inappropriate. Partisan differences were strong, with twothirds of Democrats and 55 percent of independents saying his speech to Congress was inappropriate and two-thirds of Republicans saying it was appropriate. The poll also found that a clear majority of Americans, 61 percent, support an agreement that would limit Iran’s enrichment capacity and impose additional intrusive inspections in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions. This included 61 percent of Re-
Ambassador Pickering called Netanyahu’s speech to Congress “a mistake” but added that it would be an “equally stupid mistake” to exclude Israel from further talks about the issue. Telhami asked panelists if Netanyahu’s remarks that Israel can do it alone are true, or if an Israeli strike on Iran will drag the U.S. into another war. “There are only three alternatives for the U.S.,” Dr. Mathews replied: 1. Make a deal, a compromise which may be less than perfect. The agreement will require vigilance. 2. Walk away and try to maintain sanctions. In that case, Mathews believes Iran will absorb the economic pain and respond to more sanctions with more centrifuges. 3. The last option is war, Mathews warned, and not just two weeks of bombing. It will require ground troops to invade a country three times the size of Iraq. Every five years there will be another war to prevent Iran from getting the bomb. “To my mind these three options clarify the mind,” Dr. Mathews declared. Keep it simple and give your views on a nuclear deal to your representatives in Congress, she advised. —Delinda C. Hanley
publicans, 66 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents. The alternative option, being promoted by some members of Congress, calls for ending the current negotiations and increasing sanctions in an effort to get Iran to stop all uranium enrichment. This approach was supported by 36 percent. A lively discussion followed, featuring Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former under secretary of state for political affairs, and Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews, former president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Both are members of the Iran Project, which was founded in 2002 and seeks to improve official contacts between the U.S. and Iranian governments. Dr. Suzanne Maloney, from the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and a former adviser on Iran to the U.S. State Department, and Dr. Telhami also discussed a potential nuclear deal. Dr. Mathews said the Iran initiative has been one of President Barack Obama’s most significant international issues since taking office. Some Iranians oppose a deal, she said, because they profit either politically or economically from 34 years of isolation. Others are tired of being international outcasts. “I think both sides are working hard to get a deal,” Dr. Mathews concluded. “The hardest nuts to crack are not in the room. They’re in Jerusalem and Washington and Tehran, the people who oppose a deal.” In Dr. Maloney’s opinion, opposition from Congress, Israel and other leaders in the Middle East is more about larger regional issues than the deal itself. “It’s about the idea that Iran is going to get out of the penalty box, that Iran is going to rejoin the community of nations,” she said. If the international community removes sanctions and agrees to a nuclear deal without solving other long-standing issues regarding Iran’s efforts to destabilize its neighbors in the region, those problems could worsen, Maloney warned.
(L-r) Dr. Shibley Telhami, Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Dr. Suzanne Maloney discuss U.S. options on Iran. 66
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
The Atlantic Council held a March 16 event at its Washington, DC headquarters titled “A Nuclear Deal: Iran’s Regional Role and U.S. Relations with the Gulf.” Former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Richard LeBaron began the conversation by noting that Saudi Arabia is more concerned about Iran’s regional activities in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere than about its nuclear program. “I’ve never spoken to a Saudi who brought up the nuclear issue as his or her primary concern about Iran,” he noted. LeBaron doubts the Saudis would counter an Iran agreement by beginning a nuclear program of their own. “I don’t think the Saudis are eager to obtain nuclear weapon capabilities,” he said. The Gulf states, and the Saudis in particular, oppose a nuclear deal because they view it as a signal that the U.S. is launching a “pivot to Persia,” noted Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security. LeBaron added that many Gulf elites are convinced the U.S. is conspiring with Shi’i Iran to hold down Sunni ambitions. According to Goldenberg, Gulf Arab states need U.S. assurances that its negotiations with Iran are meant to tackle the vital nuclear issue and are not the beginning of a U.S.-Iran alliance. MAY 2015
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STAFF PHOTO D. SPRUSANSKY
welcomed the emir to the historic venue, where national and international dignitaries have spoken since the turn of the last century. Sheikh Tamim said he believes hopelessness and the denial of freedom and dignity to youths are at the root of current terrorist threats in the world. He reminded his audience that the young Syrian boys who wrote on a wall that President Bashar al-Assad should go were jailed and some were tortured. What do you expect when a regime starts killing its own people? he asked rhetorically. “It creates the terrorist movement that we are facing now,” he answered. If Assad doesn’t find a solution, we will be facing terrorist movements that no one can control, he warned. The young emir said he’d met with President Barack Obama on Feb. 24 and discussed various bilateral interests, including Qatar’s role in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. The fight against ISIS and extremism requires more than military might, the two leaders agreed. A long-term strategy to create opportunities and jobs and improve education will defeat radicalization, Sheikh Tamim emphasized, reiterating that “the problem isn’t Islam—it’s hopelessness.” Noting the 10th anniversary this year of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in Doha, Sheikh Tamim said, “We realize how important it is when we see our students graduate from there and playing a bigger role in my country and also in the region.” Responding to a question about Qatar winning the opportunity to host the 2022 World Cup, he teased his American audience: “I know that you guys, people here were very upset that, ‘how come this small country can beat this great country’…but I think that…you can lose sometimes,” he said to laughter and applause. —Delinda C. Hanley
Hadeel in Edinburgh, Scotland, sells Palestinian goods. “We are owned by the Scottish charity ‘Palcrafts,’” he told us. “Any surplus we make on the sale of goods is gift aided to Palcrafts, which distributes small development grants to our producers [like a sewing machine or computer]. We are a Fair Trade shop and so are committed to long-term relationships with our producers, who consist of community-based groups and social enterprises in Palestine. Next time you are in Scotland, visit Hadeel at 123 George St., Edinburgh EH2 4JN, Scotland, UK. Their telephone number is +0131 225 1922. Or if you are tied to your desks, like we are, visit their Web site, <www.hadeel.org>, or e-mail them at <info@hadeel.org>. —Delinda C. Hanley
Diplomatic Doings
Our Scottish Cousins—Hadeel Middle East Books and More in Washington, DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood just discovered long-lost Scottish relatives! We discovered that longtime subscriber Ross Campbell is assistant manager of Hadeel, a Fair Trade shop in Edinburgh, Scotland. Campbell sent photos of the shop and gave us an idea of what Hadeel is all about: MAY 2015
A Conversation with Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim On his first trip to the U.S. since becoming the ruler in June 2013, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, emir of the State of Qatar, addressed Georgetown University’s faculty, students and guests on Feb. 26 at Gaston Hall. Georgetown President John J. DeGioia THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
PHOTO COURTESY EMBAASSY OF QATAR
“I don’t think we’re going to have this strategic pivot,” Goldenberg commented, noting that it’s hard to imagine the U.S. and Iran coming to some kind of an agreement on issues such as Syria. However, Goldenberg believes successful nuclear talks could open the door to cooperation between the U.S. and Iran on several fronts, including Afghanistan and maritime security. The importance of the direct channel that has opened between Washington and Tehran in the past year must not be overlooked, he said. Alireza Nader of the Rand Corporation said Iranian President Hasssan Rouhani would like to decrease his country’s isolation and improve its relationship with the Saudis. To do this, Rouhani would need the country’s powerful conservative element to cede him greater control over the Saudi portfolio. This could potentially happen, Nader said, if Rouhani gains credibility as a result of a positive conclusion to the nuclear talks. While there are no indications of a new Saudi approach to Iran, and both countries believe they are engaged in a zero-sum game, Nader believes “there is room for détente between the two countries.” Speaking of détente, Nader stressed the vital role the next U.S. president will play in determining the future of the U.S.-Iran relationship. The strides made over the past year could be quashed if Barack Obama’s successor decides to reinstate a regional policy centered around crippling the Islamic Republic, he said. —Dale Sprusansky
PHOTO COURTESY ROSS CAMPBELL
(L-r) Ambassador Richard LeBaron, Alireza Nader and Ilan Goldenberg.
Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani (l) and John J. DeGioia. 67
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Books
Reviewed by Kevin A. Davis
Oh, Salaam! By Najwa Barakat, translated by Luke Leafgren, Interlink Books, 2015, paperback, 207 pp. List: $15; MEB: $12. In an ambiguously postcivil war Arab country, Luqman struggles to create a life for himself. All he has known has been war, and it was through the war that he became a successful man. Luqman himself was a bombmaker, and in this newly translated novel by Najwa Barakat he reunites with his wartime friend Najeeb, a former sniper, to start a rat extermination business. As the dark story progresses, Luqman falls in love with a foreign aid worker, negotiates a long relationship with a Russian prostitute, and constantly renegotiates his relationship with Salaam, the wife of another friend who died during the war, the Albino. He is forced to face his past crimes, as well as those of his wartime friends. The plot spirals out of control as Salaam develops a relationship with Najeeb, Najeeb becomes obsessed with his rat experiments, and Luqman desperately tries to use his newfound love to escape the country, where daily life without war has become nearly impossible. Barakat’s novel is a testament to the dysfunction of peacetime in a country that has known little other than war. Despite the stability, the characters struggle to survive and cope with their environment, revealing the complex long-term consequences of violence on people 68
and society. Oh, Salaam! pays special attention to gender and violence, critiquing social ills through the complex character of Salaam. In the end, Barakat’s story is engrossing and compelling, forcing readers to laugh and cringe at the same time. It is impossible to explore this plot without making obvious parallels to the real world, yet the fictional setting adds a surreal element to the ominous novel.
Syria Speaks: Art and Culture From the Frontline Edited by Malu Halasa, Zaher Omareen and Nawara Mahfoud, Saqi Books, 2014, paperback, 312 pp. List: $18.95; MEB: $16. During times of war and violence, it can be difficult to find space for discussions of art and culture. In Syria, the ongoing conflict is subsumed with political ideologies, military analyses and coverage of the worsening humanitarian crisis. Despite all this, however, there is another story at work here,
one that is not independent of the politics, but perhaps equally as powerful and important. Syria Speaks aims to capture that story of art and the voices behind it which have been such an integral part of the fabric of Syrian society. Syria Speaks is at once an art collection, a series of essays, and a narrative to war. It is a stunning testament to the Syrian people who are caught between an entrenched regime, a confused armed opposition, and a host of other actors and forces who do not speak to them. This book allows Syrians to speak for themselves through numerous art pieces, sometimes with accompanying anecdotes. Short stories and essays complement the collection of art. Jarring narratives are sandwiched between short essays examining certain aspects of the war. The reader is forced to confront the reality of a very complex situation, where lives on all sides of the issue are affected. It is not just government against rebels, but family against family, friends against friends, and communities torn apart by a seemingly endless conflict. Highlights of the book include Hassan Abbas’ useful discussion of sectarianism, an interview with Assad Alachi on the activities of Local Coordinating Committees, a photo essay by the group Lens Young, a comic strip by Comic4Syria, a collaboration between poet Golan Haji and artist Mohamad Omran, and work from the Facebook page “Art & Freedom.” This is just a sampling of the groundbreaking work found in Syria Speaks, highlighting the diversity of the project. In the end, the book covers art, photography, graffiti, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, music and cinema. If there is one positive from the war, it was the dismantling of regime control over the expressive arts, and Syrians from all walks of life and political backgrounds have found new spaces to cope with the daily violence and the horror of life in today’s war-torn Syria. ❑ Kevin A. Davis is director of AET’s Middle East Books and More.
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
MAY 2015
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Middle East Books and More Literature
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Spring 2015 The Last Refuge: Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia by Gregory D. Johnsen, W.W. Norton, 2014, paperback, 356 pp. List: $17.95; MEB: $16. In the first complete account of America’s ongoing war on terror in Yemen, Johnsen provides a detailed and meticulously researched story of alQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). In this largely misunderstood country that is continuing to make headlines, The Last Refuge answers questions about drones, AQAP, and America’s role in Yemen. This book is critical for anyone interested in this ongoing and constantly evolving war.
Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David by Lawrence Wright, Knopf, 2014, hardcover, 345 pp. List: $27.95; MEB: $22. The 1978 Camp David accords were one of the most important developments in the Palestine-Israel conflict, removing Egypt as a dominant force in the region. Acclaimed journalist Lawrence Wright goes into painstaking depth, exploring the days of negotiations, the multiple recurring issues, and the personalities that contributed to the accords. Wright details the behind-the-scenes chaos, providing insight into the negotiations themselves and the implications that they continue to have on negotiating a Palestinian state.
Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope by Richard Falk, Just World Books, 2014, paperback, 237 pp. List: $24; MEB: $18. Since its inception, the Palestinian resistance movement has struggled to establish itself as a legitimate force in the eyes of the international community. Falk, who recently ended his term as U.N. special rapporteur on occupied Palestine, traces this long history of resistance, employing his expertise in international law to highlight the evolution of the multifaceted resistance movement and its quest to gain legitimacy.
Flavours of Aleppo: Celebrating Syrian Cuisine by Dalal Kade-Badra and Elie Badra, Whitecap Books, 2013, paperback, 152 pp. List: $29.95; MEB: $24. In a time when Aleppo is a city in a seemingly endless war, it is important to appreciate other aspects of the city and its history. Flavours of Aleppo does just that, featuring dishes for every part of a meal. The book also features anecdotes from the Badra family, Syrian expats living in Canada. Each recipe is clearly laid out and accompanied by beautiful pictures of both food and the great city of Aleppo.
Land of No Rain by Amjad Nasser, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, 2014, 199 pp. List: $19.99; MEB: $17. In a fictional post-coup Arab country, the main character is returning from exile after a failed assassination attempt on a military leader. On his journey home, he struggles to reconnect with his friends and family, as well as his own identity, after years of exile. Nasser, a poet, writes with an unmatched eloquence that evokes dramatic experiences of exile and return. The book features an introduction by Elias Khoury.
The Tahrir of Poems by Maged Zaher, Alice Blue Books, 2014, paperback, 64 pp. List: $15; MEB: $12. This stunning collection of Arabic poems, translated by Maged Zaher, documents the prominence of poetry during the later years of the Mubarak regime in Egypt. The collection is incredibly diverse, addressing multiple themes and comprising multiple forms. Including multiple poems from each of seven young revolutionary poets, the book is a result of Zaher’s own trips to Cairo and his collaboration with this group of poets.
The Lives of Muhammad by Kecia Ali, Harvard University Press, 2014, hardcover, 342 pp. List: $29.95; MEB: $24. From the Danish cartoon controversy to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, the character of Muhammad increasingly has been understood from various differing perspectives. In this eye-opening new book, Kecia Ali traces the diverse manifestations of the story of Muhammad across cultures and shows how many of the ways that Muslim populations evoke the story of Muhammad are born out of a long historical relationship with Western depictions and stories.
The Moor’s Account: A Novel by Laila Lalami, Pantheon Books, 2014, hardcover, 324 pp. List: $26.95; MEB: $22. While based on a true story, this incredible work of fiction in memoir form narrates the story of Mustafa al-Zamori, known in the book as Estebanico, a black Moroccan slave taken on a voyage with a Spanish conquistador in 1527 to the Americas. The story becomes a subaltern retelling of the early exploration of the Americas and suggests the important role of slaves, allowing us to revisit history from a unique perspective.
Syria: A History of the Last Hundred Years by John McHugo, New Press, 2015, hardcover, 320 pp. List: $26.95; MEB: $22. With a constant barrage of confusing headlines coming out of Syria, McHugo’s new book is the perfect companion for anyone trying to make sense of the complex Syrian war. Tracing back a century of Syrian history, this book takes the reader from colonialism to the present, explaining in rich detail the events and actors that have led Syria to this current tumultuous point.
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THE WORLD LOOKS AT THE MIDDLE EAST
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www.OtherWords.org
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
MAY 2015
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right to statehood, and the portrayal of Israeli Arabs as the enemies from within. As an Arab Palestinian citizen of Israel, and despite the impressive achievement of the alliance of Arab parties known as the Joint List in the elections, I am quite pessimistic. If simply by practicing my basic democratic right of voting (I was not able to do so because absentee ballots were not permitted), I am posing a threat to Israel’s political order, then I can only imagine where my struggle for equal rights stands right now, to say nothing about my fellow Palestinians across the border. Seraj Assi, Washington, DC
Israeli Leaders and Hate Speech
Netanyahu’s “Costly Victory” To The Baltimore Sun, March 22, 2015 The editorial, “Bibi’s costly victory” (March 19), describes the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as having come “at the cost of a deeply divided society, a badly frayed relationship with the U.S. and growing international isolation.” Now, the U.S. must immediately respond to Israel’s election of Mr. Netanyahu, who has tried to undermine U.S. foreign policy by attempting to drag us into a disastrous war in Iran, who opposes any peace settlement with the Palestinians and promised to continue expanding Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. It is time to end all U.S. financial, military and diplomatic aid to Israel, while ending our “special relationship” with them, which has caused our country so much harm and expense. Ambassador Charles W. Freeman Jr. stated, “It is time for the U.S. to stop shielding Israel from the consequences of its actions and justifying its assaults against Palestine.” Israeli columnist Gideon Levy summed it up: “The election laid the foundation for the apartheid state that is to come.” Ray Gordon, Bel Air, MD
Equality for Palestinian Israelis To The New York Times, March 18, 2015 Binyamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state and his racist incitement against Israeli Arab voters on Election Day show clearly where his new government is headed: more settlements and annexation of Palestinian land across the border, and fewer civil rights and democratic integration for the Arab citizens inside. Netanyahu took Israel’s right-wing ideology back to where it started: the denial of Palestinians’ MAY 2015
To The Topeka Capital-Journal, March 17, 2015 On Oct. 3, 2001 then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said to Shimon Peres: “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.” Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress. His speech was a flagrant, derisive and insulting interference in U.S. foreign policy. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently said: “Anyone’s who’s against us [Israel], there’s nothing to do—we should raise an axe and cut off his head.” The comparisons to ISIS terrorism are obvious and too easy to claim. Some of us who often oppose such Israeli policies as the occupation of the West Bank and the siege of Gaza could also shudder in fear and anger over what we could see as a personal threat. But I am more concerned with the violent words of a foreign minister from the “democracy” of Israel aimed at the Palestinian citizens of the occupied territories and, especially, the 1.5 million Palestinians who are nominal citizens of Israel, citizens with a vote, all of whom face a frightening escalation of legal and social discrimination. It is a continuation of the ethnic cleansing, the Nakba (“catastrophe” in Arabic) of 1948 with the goal of starving the Palestinians in Gaza and annexing all of Palestine, from the Jordan River west to the Mediterranean Sea. And the words we hear from the Israeli leadership are not mere rhetoric. It is hard to negotiate for peace with an axe coming down on your neck. Michael Poage, Wichita, KS
Speech Ignored the Occupation To the Boston Herald, March 6, 2015 I am grateful that U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren along with U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark and Jim McGovern were among the THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
members of Congress who skipped Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. This was a principled choice. Netanyahu’s speech was an attempt to undermine U.S. diplomacy with Iran, employing xenophobic tropes to sow distrust. While Obama pursues a reasonable attempt to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Netanyahu escalates tension, despite the assurance of nuclear experts that Iran poses no imminent threat. In doing this, Netanyahu distracts us from a more urgent political issue: Israel’s military occupation, illegal settlement construction, and human rights violations targeting Palestinians. By skipping Netanyahu’s speech, Warren challenged the double standard present in U.S.-Israeli relations. The U.S. gives Israel more than $3 billion in military aid each year and invaluable diplomatic protection, yet Netanyahu has refused to back down from settlement construction. U.S. leaders must hold Israel accountable. Elizabeth Behrendt, Boston, MA
Remember Bibi’s Iraq Promise To the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, March 5, 2015 Kudos to Jon Stewart and the “Daily Show” for revealing the wisdom and foresight of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. They showed a 2002 videotape of him testifying before Congress as a cheerleader for the invasion of Iraq. He literally guaranteed that toppling Saddam would lead to “enormous positive reverberations throughout the region, very well including the implosion of the Iranian regime.” I have no idea how he will deliver on his guarantee now that his prediction has proven totally false but I do realize one thing. Netanyahu may very well be the Israeli version of Dick Cheney. He sounds insightful but he is totally clueless. William Wagner, Penfield, NY
Netanyahu Asking for War To the Sun-Sentinel, March 5, 2015 It is quite extraordinary to have a prime minister of another nation come to this country and speak from the dais of the House of Representatives—from where the president gives his State of the Union address—to attack President Obama’s negotiations with Iran. Binyamin Netanyahu wants us to increase sanctions on Iran, which would inevitably lead us to war—a war at our expense. Netanyahu is very generous with American lives and American money. Meanwhile, he continues his brutal occu71
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pation of Palestinian land, and blatantly confiscates great swaths of Palestinian land for settlements against international law. How could this possibly happen? That another country’s prime minister could come and attack our president in the U.S. Congress and ask us to go to war? He is delirious with the atomic weapons in his arsenal, the billions of dollars we have given him, the latest military equipment we have supplied him, and above all, the influence he has gained with Congress who do not dare to speak against Israel. They fear retaliation from the Israel lobby and the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee at election time. If Obama had guts, he would send him back to Israel and cut his military aid. Shame on Speaker Boehner for inviting Netanyahu in the first place. Leonard Torres Jr., Fort Lauderdale, FL
A Plea on Western Sahara To The New York Times, Feb. 27, 2015 “Fighting Is Long Over, but Western Sahara Still Lacks Peace” (Tifariti Journal, Feb. 23) was an all-too-rare account of United Nations hypocrisy and international neglect that have left my people languishing in desert camp exile for nearly 40 years while Morocco illegally occupies our homeland in Western Sahara. When the Security Council next considers the dispute in April, it is time for it to say “enough.” If the United States is committed to international law and what is right, it will take the lead. The Security Council can no longer allow France to cover up Morocco’s derailing of negotiations, the abuse of our human rights,
and the theft of the precious oil, gas and fishery resources that belong to my people. More than anything, the Security Council must instruct the U.N. presence in Western Sahara, known as Minurso (the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), to prepare for the referendum on independence that was promised by the international community to my people in 1991. It is time to let us vote. Ahmed Boukhari, New York, NY. The writer represents the Polisario Front at the U.N.
Preserving Iraq’s History To The New York Times, March 11, 2015
Re: “Race to Record and Shield Art Falling to ISIS” (front page, March 9): The Islamic State has caused irreparable harm to the cultural heritage of Iraq, and, indeed, that of the world, through the destruction of the ancient Assyrian capital of Nimrud, Assyrian sculptures at Nineveh and archaeological works of art in the Mosul Museum and elsewhere. Our institutions have released a joint statement deploring these heinous acts. Iraq is one of the birthplaces of human civilization. Damage to its cultural heritage through wanton destruction of archaeological sites and artifacts, as well as looting and trade in archaeological materials, is reprehensible and shows a blatant disregard for our shared humanity. Tolerance of these acts can only lead to further losses of a similar or even greater magnitude. As difficult as it is in these troubled times, we join in calling on international authorities to do what they can to protect the world’s archaeological and cultural materials. We also call on museums and the global archaeological community to alert the appropriate international authorities if they believe they have information regarding objects recently stolen from Nimrud, Mosul and elsewhere in the conflict zone of northern Iraq and Syria. We support the efforts of the legitimate antiquities authorities in the region to mitigate the damage to the archaeological and historic heritage. We pledge to augment our efforts to educate the wider public about the significance of this heritage to humankind. Only through greater understanding of the value of this legacy for modern societies can we hope to stem these terrible losses. Andrew Moore, President, Archaeological Institute of America, Boston, MA
U.S. Weapons in Iraq and Yemen To The Washington Post, March 22, 2015 72
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
So now a significant number of U.S.funded arms have gone absent without leave in Yemen (“U.S. loses track of arms sent to Yemen,” front page, March 18). And earlier, an incredible amount of U.S.-supplied arms and equipment found their way to the Islamic State. Where are the accountability and oversight? Are there any adults in the room? We desperately need a major congressional investigation into poor decisionmaking and misappropriation. There is certainly no need for increased funding. Raymond E. Meyer, Falls Church, VA
President Sisi the Radicalizer? To The Washington Post, March 20, 2015 In the March 15 Outlook commentary “Sisi: ‘Do you want Egypt to become a failed state?,’ ” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asserted his adherence to the “rule of law” and said he “reflects the popular will of Egyptians.” He extolled his government’s alleged march to democracy and insisted on stability and respect for basic civic and political liberties. Unfortunately, none of this is true. Deepening repression in the country is typified by the imprisonment of 40,000 or more charged with political crimes. There is galloping erosion of freedoms of speech and assembly, often under the rubric of laws criminalizing criticism of state institutions and leaders. A crackdown against nongovernmental organizations and the imprisonment of activists, bloggers and human rights figures means closure of political space and its freedoms. The suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters has contributed to the explosion of terrorism. Mr. Sisi’s policies contribute to radicalization in Egypt and his “near abroad.” The strategy hurts prospects for stability. And it should not give confidence to the international investors who attended the recent Sharm el-Sheikh conference on Egypt’s economic future about the safety of investments in a land where the rule of law and the security environment have been severely compromised. Doubling down on arms sales, aid and unqualified support for Mr. Sisi’s government is not what Egypt needs. Renewed international commitment to press Cairo to amend its human rights abuses and establish transparent legal and political frameworks to guarantee the rights of all will, in the long run, do much more to establish stability, a favorable investment climate and a strong partnership with the United States. Charles W. Dunne, Washington, DC ❑ MAY 2015
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Upcoming Events, Announcements —Compiled by Kevin A. Davis & Obituaries Upcoming Events Iyad Burnat, coordinator of the Popular Committee for Freedom and Justice in Bil’in, Palestine, will speak at the 5th and K St. Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC on April 8. Burnat will discuss the death of his son at the hands of the Israeli military, life under occupation, and his nonviolent resistance work. Visit <www. busboysandpoets.com> for more information. Omar Shakir of the Center for Constitutional Rights will speak April 13 at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. His talk, based on a new Human Rights Watch report, is titled All According to Plan: The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt. For more details, visit <www. ccas.georgetown.edu>. Zachary Lockman of NYU will discuss Adventures in Field-Building: On the History of Middle East Studies in the United States on April 16 at the Center for Middle East Studies at UC Berkeley in Berkeley, CA. Visit <www.cmes.berkeley.edu> for more information. The UNRWA Gaza Solidarity 5K will be held May 17 at Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. Proceeds will go toward UNRWA’s Community Mental Health Program in Gaza, which supports children suffering from PTSD and trauma. Visit <www. unrwausa.org/gaza5k> for information and registration. The Arab-American Cultural Festival will take place May 17 in Orlando, FL. Organized by the Arab American Community Center, the event will feature Arabic art, food, live music and other entertainment. Visit <www.aaccflorida.org> for more information. The American Federation of Ramallah Palestine will host its 57th Annual Ramallah Convention from July 2-4 at the Oakbrook Hills Resort in Chicago, Illinois. Visit <www.chicagoramallahconvention2015. com> for updates and registration. Discounted rates for registration before May 1. MAY 2015
Announcements As part of its fund-raising effort toward opening a museum in the Washington, DC area, the Nakba Museum Project of Memory and Hope will host an exhibit from June 12 to 27 titled Reclaiming the Lost Future at the Festival Center in Washington, DC. Visit <www.nakbamuseum project.com> for more information and a link to its Indiegogo campaign. After 30 years of planning, the Bethlehem Museum for Heritage and Culture opened its doors on Feb. 28, 2015. A joint venture by the Arab Women’s Union of Bethlehem and the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, the museum features Palestinian art and artifacts representing the history of Palestine.
Obituaries Nassib Bulos, 95, a prominent journalist and lawyer, died Feb. 2 at his Beirut home. Born in Kafr Yassif, Palestine, he graduated from the Jerusalem School of Law and practiced law in Beirut. Following the 1948 Nakba, he worked for UNRWA and was secretary to the delegation on Arab refugees at the 1949 Lausanne Conference. He was a constant advocate for releasing bank accounts owned by Palestinians and seized by Israel after its founding. In his legal work, Bulos represented many American and English corporations working in the Middle East. Later in life, inspired by his wife, golf champion Claude Ayoub, he cofounded the Golf Club of Lebanon and served as its vice president. A prominent journalist as well, Bulos wrote for Life and Time and reported for Ramallah’s Near East Broadcasting Radio. In addition to his blog, “Wizard of Beirut,” he wrote a memoir, A Palestinian Landscape, and a novel, Jerusalem Crossroads. Naseer Aruri, 81, a noted Palestinian scholar, died Feb. 10 from complications relating to Parkinson’s disease. Born in Jerusalem, he moved to the U.S. to earn his B.A. in political science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. From 1965 to 1998, he was a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. In addition to being a respected academic, Aruri was known for his acTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
BulletinBoard
tivism, and was a member of the PLO’s Central Council, the Palestinian Parliament in Exile, the Palestinian National Council, the Independent Palestinian Commission for the Protection of Citizen Rights, the Arab Organization for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch-Middle East, Amnesty International, the Jerusalem Fund and the International Institute for Criminal Investigations. He also helped draft the Arab Covenant of Human Rights in 1986. In 1968, Aruri founded the Association of Arab-American University Graduates, the largest organization of Arab academics outside the Middle East, and served twice as its president. He also co-founded the TransArab Research Institute, and was the author of numerous books, including Dishonest Broker: The U.S. Role in Israel and Palestine. He will be remembered for his scholarly contributions, his support of human rights around the globe, and his relentless commitment to the Palestinian cause. Luca Ortelli, age unknown, died at his home in Bergamo, Italy after a long battle with lung cancer. The humanitarian doctor worked with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund as a surgeon and served missions in Jericho, Gaza and Hebron in Palestine, including time during the second intifada. Entissar El-Hasaari, 35, a Libyan cultural activist, was assassinated Feb. 24 in Tripoli. She was the founder of the Enlightenment Group, an organization that protested militia control of Tripoli. El-Hasaari’s was the latest in the growing number of assassinations in Libya in recent years, with 230 reported in 2014 alone. Harith al-Dhari, 74, chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars, died March 12 in Amman, Jordan. Known as “the Spiritual Leader of the Iraqi Resistance” following the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation, he was forced to flee Iraq in 2006 after an arrest warrant was issued for him. He subsequently lived in Cairo and Amman. A well-respected Sunni cleric, he was outspoken against Western imperialism and the government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, as well as violent extremism in Iraq. ❑ 73
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AET’s 2015 Choir of Angels
Following are individuals, organizations, companies and foundations whose help between Jan. 1, 2015 and March 11, 2015 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 helped us co-sponsor the April 10 conference, “The Israel Lobby: Is It Good for the U.S.? Is It Good for Israel?” We are deeply honored by their confidence and profoundly grateful for their generosity.
HUMMERS ($100 or more)
ACCOMPANISTS ($250 or more)
Fatima Abdulla, Oak Hills, CA Dr. Bishr Al-Ujayli, Troy, MI Ahmed Ayish, Arlington, VA Dr. & Mrs. Roger Bagshaw, Big Sur, CA Nader Barakat, Moorpark, CA John Carley, Pointe-Claire, Canada Roger W. Carpenter, Westminster, CO Lynn Ellen Dixon, Woodward, PA Kassem Elkhalil, Arlington, TX M.R. Eucalyptus, Kansas City, MO Claire Bradley Feder, Atherton, CA William Gefell, Turnbridge, VT Dr. Fawwaz Habbal, Cambridge, MA Shirley Hannah, Argyle, NY Loretta Krause, Little Egg Harbor Twp., NJ Allen J. MacDonald, Washington, DC Amal Marks, Altadena, CA Shirley O’Neil, Cleveland Hts., OH Peter P. Pranis, Jr., McAllen, TX Neil Richardson, Randolph, VT Dr. Wendell E. Rossman, Phoenix, AZ Henry & Irmgard Schubert, Damascus, OR Mahmoud Zawawi, Amman, Jordan
Anace & Polly Aossey, Cedar Rapids, IA Dr. & Mrs. Issa Boullata, Montreal, Canada John Dirlik, Pointe-Claire, Canada Eugene Fitzpatrick, Wheat Ridge, CO Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, Fort Wayne, IN Maury Keith Moore, Seattle, WA Mr. & Mrs. W. Eugene Notz, Charleston, SC
Forgotten Gaza…
tinian refugees, especially in Lebanon, he noted. Krähenbühl commended President Mahmoud Abbas for visiting Gaza after the Israeli attack, but said that since then there has not been enough cooperation between the West Bank and Gaza. Attendees agreed that the Palestinian Authority should be on the ground showing solidarity and sustained engagement. At the October 2014 Cairo conference international donors pledged $5.4 billion to rebuild Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pledged $212 million in immediate assistance, saying that the residents of the Gaza Strip “need our help, desperately.” Israel damaged or destroyed dozens of factories and major infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water treatment plants and Gaza’s only power station. UNRWA has distributed $93.1 million to assist some 60,000 Gaza families to repair damage to their homes. In January, due to a lack of funds, and unfulfilled pledges, the agency was forced to suspend the cash assistance program. Contributions from donors “dried up,” Krähenbühl said, perhaps because donors fear that Gaza is a
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stories. Or help Palestinian refugees come here and tell their own stories. Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), thanked Krähenbühl for his work helping the Palestinian people help themselves. He’d attended UNRWA schools himself, Awad said, and now his daughter works for UNRWA in Jerusalem. He went on to ask if there was a strategic plan to improve education in the camps. “Everywhere I speak there is someone in the audience who graduated from UNRWA schools,” Krähenbühl responded with a smile. Then he told another story, about a Palestinian refugee from Syria now living in Lebanon’s Ein el Helwe camp—which, incidentally, has a 100 percent success rate in baccalaureate exams. The girl, who lost her father and brother during the family’s escape to Lebanon, put her heart and soul into studying for the baccalaureate and earned the highest possible marks on her exam. Of course, obtaining a job after graduation is another challenge for Pales74
TENORS & CONTRALTOS ($500 or more) Mr. & Mrs. John P. Crawford, Boulder, CO Richard H. Curtiss, Boynton Beach, FL* Gregory DeSylva, Rhinebeck, NY Gary Richard Feulner, Dubai, UAE Ronald & Mary Forthofer, Longmont, CO Brigitte Jaensch, Carmichael, CA Louise Keeley, Washington, DC** William Lightfoot, Vienna, VA William & Flora McCormick, Austin, TX Gerald & Judith Merrill, Oakland, CA Mary Norton, Austin, TX Dr. Robert Younes, Potomac, MD
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
BARITONES & MEZZO SOPRANOS ($1,000 or more) Wilhelmine Bennett, Iowa City, IA Dr. & Mrs. Clyde Farris, West Linn, OR Evan & Leman Fotos, Istanbul, Turkey Dr. & Mrs. Hassan Fouda, Berkeley, CA George Hanna, Santa Ana, CA Judith Howard, Norwood, MA Jack Love, San Diego, CA John Mahoney, AMEU, New York, NY Sahar Masud, Mill Valley, CA Bob Norberg, Lake City, MN John Van Wagoner, McLean, VA
CHOIRMASTERS ($5,000 or more) Donna B. Curtiss, Kensington, MD John & Henrietta Goelet, New York, NY Andrew I. Killgore, Washington, DC Vince & Louise Larsen, Billings, MT *In Memory of Richard H. Curtiss **In Loving Memory of Bob Keeley “money pit.” They may be worried that if they rebuild Gaza, it will be destroyed again in another six months. The future is unsustainable, said Bill Corcoran, president of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). NGOs can’t keep up with the deteriorating situation throughout the Middle East. People are entitled to basic services, but the number of people who need these services has grown while the rhythm of donor contributions has slowed. Even the bad exchange rate for dollars has had a profound effect, Corcoran said. We need more assertive fund-raising and more work with our own government, roundtable attendees agreed. The world can’t hold back on either political or humanitarian support, Krähenbühl stated: “Gaza needs both.” He urged NGOs and their supporters to advocate for Palestinian rights, not just services, and help reinvigorate the international community. Gaza cannot continue to live for years under a blockade. It’s a catastrophic situation. An empty peace process is not enough. People in the region deserve better. For more information, please visit <www. www.unrwausa.org>. ❑ MAY 2015
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American Educational Trust The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs P.O. Box 53062 Washington, DC 20009
May 2015 Vol. XXXIV, No. 3
The aftermath of a March 20, 2015 suicide attack on the Al-Hashush mosque in northern Sanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;a, Yemen. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing, one of two in the capital city that day which killed at least 142 people during Friday prayers. MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images