cover1_Cover1 9/22/11 10:49 AM Page 1
TOTAL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL: MORE THAN $123 BILLION
upa_ad_c2_UPA C2 November 2011 9/22/11 12:03 PM Page c2
Works to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians, particularly those in the West Bank, Gaza and the refugee camps of Lebanon, and to contribute to the long-term socioeconomic and cultural development of Palestinian society.
For centuries, the direct harmonious relationship between human being and the land sustained Palestinian communities. Palestinians have tilled the soil, raised livestock and interacted with their land as a sign of life. The land continues to play a central role in the economic and cultural life of Palestine. Today this harmonious relationship is threatened. Through UPA-sponsored training, Palestinian women are seeking greater social equality and a brighter future.
Through your generous donations you will help promote sustainable Palestinian agriculture United Palestinian Appeal, Inc. 1330 New Hampshire Ave NW, Suite 104 Washington DC 20036 Tel 202 659-5007 Email: contact @helpupa.org www.helpupa.org UPA Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization all donations are Tax-deductible to the extent available under the law.
toc_3-4_November 2011 TOC 9/22/11 1:39 PM Page 3
On Middle East Affairs Volume XXX, No. 8
November 2011
Telling the Truth for 29 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 In the New Middle East, the Bill Comes Due for Israel’s Intransigence—Rachelle Marshall 10 U.N. Countdown: Final Thoughts Before the Palestinian Bid for Recognition—Four Views
—Ahmad Tibi, Charles O. Cecil, John V. Whitbeck, Gilad Atzmon 14 Once Again, in Full View of the World, U.S. Acting For Israel, Against Its Own Interests—Ian Williams 16 Israeli Drone Attacks on Gaza Leave Bodies Charred and Ripped Apart—Mohammed Omer
18 New Report Identifies Organizational Nexus of Islamophobia—Jim Lobe 20 Ten Years After 9/11, Is the U.S. on the Right Track at Home and Abroad?—Two Views
—Rep. Ron Paul, Rachelle Marshall 22 A Conservative Estimate of Total U.S. Aid to Israel: More Than $123 Billion—Shirl McArthur 22 Sailing 8,000 Miles to Hold a Memorial Service for USS Liberty Fallen, Survivors—Larry A. Toenjes 38 Home, Bittersweet Home—William Parry
SPECIAL REPORTS 26 Remaking the Arab State—Patrick Seale 28 Kabul Attack Continues Taliban Control of War Narrative—Gareth Porter 30 China’s Challenges in the Middle East—John Gee 36 The Hope Fund, an Organization That Lives up to Its Name—Alex Begley
See book reviews p. 70.
ON THE COVER: During a Sept. 20 demonstration in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinians stand near a chair symbolizing the 194th U.N. member state, which Palestine hopes to become. ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
toc_3-4_November 2011 TOC 9/22/11 1:40 PM Page 4
(A Supplement to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs available by subscription at $15 per year. To subscribe, call toll-free 1-800-368-5788, and press 1. For other options, see page OV-3 in this issue.)
Other Voices
Compiled by Janet McMahon
The Truth About Al-Qaeda, John Mueller, www.ForeignAffairs.com
OV-1
The Reason Why the Egyptians Hate Us, Gideon Levy, Haaretz
OV-10
OV-2
After Failed Negotiations, It’s The Only Option Left, Yousef Munayyer, The Boston Globe
OV-10
My $10,000 Mideast Travel Extravaganza, Daoud Kuttab, www.daoudkuttab.com
OV-11
The Global Intifada, Patrick Seale, Agence Global
OV-12
Kashmir: World’s Most Dangerous Border, Eric S. Margolis, www.ericmargolis.com
OV-13
OV-8
Why Pakistan Demands a Veto on Drone Strikes, Gareth Porter, IPS-Inter Press Service
OV-14
OV-9
Lessons of Two Wars: We Will Lose in Iraq And Afghanistan, Stephen M. Walt, http://walt.foreignpolicy.com
OV-15
Israel Wages Lawfare Against Gaza Flotilla, Philip Giraldi, www.antiwar.com How an Anti-Terror Program Became a Jewish Earmark, Nathan Guttman, Maia Efrem & Eileen Reynolds, The Forward
OV-4
Line Between Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic Protests Splits AJC, Rex Weiner, The Forward
OV-7
Blogger Jennifer Rubin Keeps Washington Post Job After Norway Gaffe, Eric Alterman, The Forward Doubts Emerge Over Identity of Terrorists Who Carried out Attack in Israel’s South, Amira Hass, Haaretz
DEPARTMENTS 5 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7 PUBLISHERS’ PAGE
46 ISRAEL AND JUDAISM:
58 WAGING PEACE:
Israel’s Summer of Discontent Is
Transferring Control to
Opening the Eyes of American
Afghanistan
Jews to Its Genuine Reality 32 THE WORLD LOOKS AT THE
—Allan C. Brownfeld
MIDDLE EAST — CARTOONS 48 ARAB-AMERICAN ACTIVISM: 33 OTHER PEOPLE’S MAIL 40 NEW YORK CITY AND TRI-
ADC Policy Conference Explores Impact of 9/11
Shariah in America—Jane Adas 42 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Ambassador of the Year: Oman’s Hunaina Al-Mughairy 70 BOOK REVIEWS: Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and Evolution
STATE NEWS: New York Law School Holds Conference on
69 DIPLOMATIC DOINGS:
48 HUMAN RIGHTS: UNRWA Official and American
Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and
Activist Address Israel’s
Heritage
Blockade of Gaza
—Reviewed by Andrew Stimson
CHRONICLE: Students Learn Ways of Government at CAIR Muslim Youth Leadership Program—Elaine Pasquini 44 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
50 MUSIC AND ARTS: Dialogue Through Poetry
55 MUSLIM-AMERICAN
CHRONICLE: U.N Recognition
ACTIVISM: Compassion and
Of Palestinian Statehood Merely
Mercy in the Wake of
Symbolic?—Pat and Samir Twair
Islamophobia
71 NEW ARRIVALS FROM THE AET BOOK CLUB 72 BULLETIN BOARD 73 2011 AET CHOIR OF ANGELS 37 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
lte_5-6_November 2011 LTE 9/22/11 11:25 AM Page 5
ANDREW I. KILLGORE Executive Editor: RICHARD H. CURTISS Managing Editor: JANET McMAHON News Editor: DELINDA C. HANLEY Book Club Director: ANDREW STIMSON Circulation Director: ANNE O’ROURKE Administrative Director: ALEX BEGLEY Art Director: RALPH U. SCHERER
LetterstotheEditor
Publisher:
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (ISSN 8755-4917) is published 9 times a year, monthly except Jan./Feb., May/June and Sept./Oct. 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 53062, Washington, DC 20009-9062. 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 seven 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.com bookclub@wrmea.com circulation@wrmea.com advertising@wrmea.com Web sites: http://www.wrmea.com http://www.middleeastbooks.com Subscriptions, sample copies and donations: P.O. Box 53062, Washington, DC 20009-9062 Printed in the USA
NOVEMBER 2011
Who Will Benefit? What’s really going on in the Middle East? First Egypt, then Libya, now disruptions in Syria. All enemies of Israel. Am I paranoid about the situation? Who is really going to benefit from all this civil war? It’s a fact that the government of Israel is responsible for the deaths of at least 10,000 Palestinians. The U.S. has repeatedly defended Israeli actions, citing Palestinian rockets which have killed fewer than 25 Israelis. Most homemade rockets ended up in vacant fields. In the latest financial crisis, no mention has been made of the more than $3 billion a year we give to Israel and have for more than 50 years. Also pro-Israel Americans are allowed to send unlimited amounts of cash to Israel tax-free. No other nations gets this aid—and Israel does not need it. Where is our Congress and our president? When Netanyahu addressed Congress, he was given a standing ovation. We have a captive Congress. Will this continue until the people finally wake up? Vernon H. Weiler, Bay City, MI The U.S. Congress may not be captive so much as bought and paid for by organizations and individuals who put the needs of Israel ahead of their own country’s. The most recent manifestation of this failure to represent their constituents was the summer pilgrimage to Israel by one-fifth of the members (81) of the so-called House of Representatives, including half the incoming Republican freshman class. While in Israel, according to the Aug. 11 edition of the Jerusalem Post, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who has received a career total of nearly a quarter of a million dollars ($235,275) in pro-Israel PAC contributions, “said he did not believe America’s financial challenges would have ‘any adverse effect on the economic relationship, or assistance, that we give to Israel.’ “Hoyer said this assessment was bipartisan, and that a similar message will be brought to Israel next week when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) will head up two Republican delegations, numbering 55 congressmen, to the country.” Cantor has received a career total of $217,730 in pro-Israel PAC contributions. While it’s true that money talks, the election of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the Israel lobby’s nemesis, demonstrates that voting Americans can and do cast their ballots in their own, not Israel’s, interests. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
The Israel Connection I am surprised at the lack of coverage in the media (including yours) of the fact that the mass murderer Breivik, reported to be anti-Islam, did not murder Muslims, but rather people at a youth camp who were displaying “Boikott Israel” signs. Your article, “U.S. Islamophobes Distance Themselves From Norway Killings” did cite Breivik’s connection with Islamophobes in this country and elsewhere, but it pretty much missed the connection to Israel, which I see as the main focus of this atrocity. Doris Rausch, Columbia, MD
We must have taken for granted the connection between Islamophobia and Israel, and the latter’s strategy to demonize Muslims in the mind of the West. But you are right, this connection should always be made explicit. See the following letter from a reader who shares your concern.
More on Norway In the Sept./Oct. issue of the Washington Report, the article “Terror In Norway— Two Views” gave two broad reports containing many side issues regarding the terrible tragedy in Norway. However, neither one answered the question as to why the “shooter” perpetrated his heinous crime against that particular Youth Camp. In our search for truth, the below article by Gilad Atzmon gives a more reasonable analysis of that fateful day in Norway. Charles Ferrell, via e-mail The Israeli-born Atzmon’s article, entitled “Was Norway Massacre a reaction to Boycott Israel Camp?,” includes the following points: “The AUF Labor Party Youth Movement have been devoted promoters of the Israel Boycott campaign… “In the Hebrew article that reported about the AUF camp being pro-Palestinian and supportive of the Israel Boycott Campaign, I found the following comments amongst other 5
lte_5-6_November 2011 LTE 9/22/11 11:25 AM Page 6
supports for the massacre: “24. ‘Oslo criminals paid’ “26. ‘It’s stupidity and evil not to desire death for those who call to boycott Israel.’… “It must be made absolutely clear who it was that spread such hate and promoted such terror, and for what exact reasons.” Atzmon’s writing and music—including recordings by his Orient House Ensemble, are available on his Web site, <www.gilad. co.uk>. For his analysis of Jewish views on the Palestinian U.N. initiative, see p. 12 of this issue.
present numbers since the end of the Second World War, knowing that this could in future cause resentment among their own indigenous population. As growing affluence in the West now slows to a near stand-still and economic austerity looms on the horizon, it is only to be expected that the indigenous populations become restive and resent the presence of a growing alien population in their midst continuing to share their diminishing resources All concerned governments in the West, the United Nations, the Muslim countries and Muslim immigrant organizations Foreseeable and Preventable should get together and begin to work on I thank you for publishing the two views contingency plans to prevent a catastrophe from Jim Lobe and Uri Avnery on the Oslo much bigger than what had happened to tragedy in your Sept./Oct. issue. The arti- another Abrahamic tradition under Nazi cles are incisive, timely and merit serious Germany. That monumental catastrophe, attention of all concerned, especially of the which from seed-laying through gestation Muslim immigrants who have settled in to actual culmination took about 25 years, large numbers in Western Europe, the U.S., was also foreseeable and preventable, but Canada and Australia. The tragedy in Oslo was unfortunately allowed to happen. Let and the philosophy that has promoted it, us not make the same grievous mistake this while being reprehensible as seen against time around. Time is of the essence in findaccepted norms of civilized behavior, was ing a solution to this looming threat to nevertheless understandable, foreseeable world civilization, because what took 25 and preventable. Given the history of rela- years to happen the last time even under tions between the two cultures—Judeo- Nazi efficiency could happen a lot faster Christian and Islamic—it is unrealistic to today given the speed of communication expect the predominantly Christian soci- the social media now provide. eties of these countries to go on absorbing With all best wishes for your continued ever increasing numbers of Muslims who, hard work in support of justice, although claiming to be a part of the AbraM. Habib Quader, via e-mail hamic tradition, are not seen as such by Unfortunately, as the previous writers have most in their host countries. They also are noted, these events are not happening in a vacdifferent in matters which, when similar, uum, but are being fed by pro-Israel Islamopromote easy integration with and assimi- phobes (see p. 18 of this issue), so it is difficult lation into the host population. It is to the to ascertain what the unprovoked reaction of credit of these Western predominantly indigenous Westerners might be. Nor can we Christian countries that they had allowed help thinking of the millions of Muslims and their Muslim minorities to grow to their others who were forced to “share” their resources with Western colonial rulers and settlers (as PalestiniOther Voices is an optional 16ans, of course, are page supplement available today). Nevertheless, only to subscribers of the we certainly agree Washington Report on Middle that the safety of innocent Muslims and East Affairs. For an additional non-Muslims alike is $15 per year (see postcard a matter of utmost urinsert for Washington Re gency.
port subscription rates), subscribers will receive Other Voices bound into each issue of their Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Back issues of both publications are available. To subscribe telephone 1 (800) 368-5788 (press 1), fax (202) 2654574, e-mail <circulation@wrmea.com>, or write to P.O. Box 53062, Washington, DC 20009.
6
A Rare Clarification Rarely does your excellent and vital magazine require any clarification or correction. But in commenting on Richard Goldstone’s “retraction” of the U.N. re-
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
port bearing his name (August 2011 Washington Report, p. 18), you say that he “essentially retracted the report’s claim that Israel had intentionally targeted civilians.” According to John Dugard, former U.N. special rapporteur for the OPT, this was NEVER the issue (The Nation magazine, May 2). Rather, it was Israel’s indiscriminate use of force that broke international law. Such overwhelming and indiscriminate force that Israel knew and planned would cause large numbers of civilian deaths. Moreover, Goldstone went on to say “as presently advised I have NO REASON to believe ANY part of the report needs to be reconsidered at this time.” John Freitas, Fresno, CA We thank you for the clarification—and for describing it as “rare”!
Growing Isolation Israel continues to undermine U.S. peace efforts by gobbling up more Palestinian land. It acts with complete impunity, announcing yet another plan to build more than 1,500 new homes on two settlements around East Jerusalem. This announcement was made to coincide with President Obama’s major Middle East speech. By doing so, Israel is increasingly alienating its financial benefactor, the U.S., and further isolating itself from the rest of the world. It has chosen to turn a deaf ear to the political bedlam of its increasingly hostile neighbors which may threaten its very existence. Why does Israel continue to have a choke hold on our peace efforts? Why do we continue to fund Israel’s military machine and apartheid polices denying Palestinians a homeland? Why do we remain silent to Israel’s brutal actions? The recent slaying of 17 peaceful demonstrators should have been vigorously condemned by the Obama administration. Israel’s refusal to adhere to the pre-1967 borders, citing “new realties on the ground” seems to be code language for validating illegal settlements. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Netanyahu is pandering to Israeli right-wing extremists and engaging the U.S. in a high noon showdown using its political and economic clout to torpedo peace efforts. He would do well to heed the advice of 100 prominent former Israeli security officials and leading academics who are vigorously campaigning for an early resolution of the conflict. Jagjit Singh, Los Alto, CA And the White House would do well to heed the ominous prediction of former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami regarding the U.N. vote on admitting Palestine: “You are going to be isolated with us in a very visible way.” ❑ NOVEMBER 2011
publishers_7_November 2011 Publishers page 9/22/11 4:12 PM Page 7
American Educational Trust Israel and U.S. Alone Together Again. It was Israel and the U.S. alone against the world, as represented by the United Nations. President Barack Obama may have won Israeli hearts and minds with his speech to the General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2011 (the day before we went to press), but he lost the rest of the world. In 2009, the then-newly inaugurated president promised re-engagement with the rest of the world, and a U.S. return to multilateralism. His speech was interrupted by applause 12 times. A year later, when Obama expressed hope of welcoming “an independent sovereign state of Palestine” in 2011, he was greeted with thunderous applause. But Obama’s 35-minute U.N. speech this year, 14 months before American voters decide if they’ll return him to office, was…
Met With Silence. His speech emphasized Israeli suffering and lack of security, and ignored Palestinians’. He also declined to criticize Israel for continuing to build illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land (in the civilized world, that’s called theft). Obama’s rejection of the diplomatic effort to have the United Nations recognize Palestine as a member state earned him a Binyamin Netanyahu “badge of honor.” But the rest of the world felt like recalling his Nobel Peace Prize.
“We Can Wait No Longer!” Declared French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his speech to the U.N. the same day. In contrast to Obama, he called for new IsraeliPalestinian negotiations to begin in a month, and for the General Assembly to set a oneyear deadline for the talks to yield an agreement. Sarkozy also urged the U.N. to grant Palestinians non-member observer status. Obama, on the other hand, celebrated the Arab Spring, which has brought freedom and hope to millions across North Africa and the Middle East, but condemned Palestinians to an Endless Winter.
We Agree: Enough Is Enough. But that’s about all we agree with in the full-page ad titled “Tell President Obama: Enough,” placed in the Sept. 19 New York Times by the Emergency Committee for Israel. We’re not surprised, however—or even disappointed. The board members of the Emergency Committee for Israel, which NOVEMBER 2011
Publishers’ Page
placed the ad two days before the president’s General Assembly speech, are Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, who doesn’t fall far from the tree of his neocon father, Irving; right-wing Christian Zionist and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer; and writer and blogger Rachel Abrams, whose neocon credentials include mother Midge Decter, stepfather Norman Podhoretz and husband Elliot, former National Security Council staffer under George W. Bush and author of Faith or Fear: How Jews Can Survive in a Christian America. As for the ad itself…
Subtle It’s Not. Channeling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the ad instructs President Obama to “stand with Israel,” and issues the following orders: 1) that he “deliver a ringing and unqualified defense of Israel” in his General Assembly speech—as we have seen, Obama obeyed—and have the U.S. abandon its membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council; 2) oppose a unified Palestinian government and the Palestinian statehood bid at the U.N.—Obama complied; 3) declare Jerusalem Israel’s undivided capital; 4) reaffirm the 2004 BushSharon letter; and 5) “visit Israel to reaffirm the U.S. Israeli relationship.” We’re surprised the ad didn’t order Obama to…
to remain in Iraq after the December 2011 deadline for withdrawal. Before the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003, car bombs were not part of Iraqis’ daily lives; if we’re lucky, departing Iraq as promised will mean that Americans will not be…
Similarly Terrorized. As Gareth Porter reports on p. 28 of this issue, America is losing control of the narrative in Afghanistan. The Sept. 20 assassination of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, just one week after a deadly 20-hour-long attack on the U.S. Embassy and NATO’s main military base in downtown Kabul, is proof that Americans are perceived as occupiers and Afghans want us out.
Speaking of Saving Money… Jim Horney, vice president for federal fiscal policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, estimates that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of this year will account for about $1.2 trillion of the federal debt. Add that to the yearly $3 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel and that ain’t hay. In fact, it equals the amount that the joint House-Senate “Super Committee” must find by Thanksgiving to cut from the federal budget. It seems like a simple equation to us:
Solve Israel’s Housing Crisis.
Save Money, Save Lives.
On Capitol Hill, the House appropriations subcommittee passed a bill that would end U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority if it pursues U.N. recognition. Its Senate counterpart threatened to cut off U.S. economic aid to Palestinians and close the Palestinian delegation’s office in Washington, DC. But surely the “fair and balanced” thing to do would be to cut aid to both Israel and the Palestinians until they reach a mutually agreeable solution. As an added benefit, American taxpayers wouldn’t save merely $500 million a year, but $3.5 billion, which is…
Speaking of Needing Money…
Seven Times That Amount. It’s Time to Pull the Plug on Wars… In Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, voters elected President Obama because he promised to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. But Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) are arguing for a large force of troops THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
We know our readers around the world are worried about paying their bills as groceries, housing, health care, education and transportation costs soar. Jobs are no longer a sure-thing for hardworking men and women anywhere. So we especially thank our generous angels who open their wallets to help the Washington Report and the American Educational Trust Book Store continue to offer readers alternative views on the Middle East and the U.S. role there. It’s critical that Americans have access to more than just the mainstream media, from Fox News to The New York Times, and know better than to heed the Islamophobes who promote hatred and distrust toward Muslims at home and abroad (see p. 18 of this issue). Help us to fight the good fight together and....
Make a Difference Today! 7
marshall_8-9_Special Report 9/21/11 9:14 PM Page 8
In the New Middle East, the Bill Comes Due for Israel’s Intransigence SpecialReport
By Rachelle Marshall
JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
sentment at Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians. It was undoubtedly an awareness of Israel’s increasing isolation that persuaded Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in late August to depart from Israel’s longstanding policy of responding to any provocation with overwhelming force. The opportunity for such a response came on Aug. 17 when an armed group crossed the Egyptian border near Eilat and killed eight Israelis. Israeli soldiers who returned fire killed three Egyptian officers, a response that angered Egyptians and helped spark the attack on Israel’s embassy. “Israel has to realize Israeli soldiers push back a young Palestinian demonstrator waving his national flag as he takes part in a protest in the West Bank village of Kfar Kadum against the closure of a road by Jewish settlers from the nearby that the days in which illegal settlement of Kadumim, Sept. 2, 2011. our sons are killed without an appropriate and he one conclusion that can be drawn September when Turkey broke off diplo- strong reaction are forever gone,” said Arab with certainty about the momentous matic relations as a result of an Israeli attack League head Amr Moussa. He undoubtedly events that began this past spring with the on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara two recalled Israel’s repeated incursions into peaceful overthrow of Zine El Abedine Ben years ago as it was carrying humanitarian Gaza before 1967, including the February Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt supplies to Gaza. Israeli commandos de- 1955 attack that killed 39 Egyptians and is that Middle East society and governance scended on the ship in mid-ocean and cut short a tentative peace overture by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. are undergoing fundamental and unpre- killed nine passengers. This time, however, Israel immediately Israel’s refusal to apologize for what a dictable changes that are certain to affect IsU.N. review panel called an “excessive and apologized to the Egyptians and blamed rael’s relations with the Arab world. Mubarak’s ousting deprived Israel of a unreasonable” use of force prompted Hamas and other Palestinian militants for neighboring leader who could be relied on Turkey to expel the Israeli ambassador to the attack. The Israeli military escalated its to maintain stability in the region, and un- Ankara and suspend all military agree- air strikes on Gaza, and militants retaliated leashed Egyptians’ long simmering anger at ments. Turkey now plans to challenge Is- by firing dozens of rockets into Israel, Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Rela- rael’s blockade of Gaza at the International wounding an Israeli baby and killing one adult. Despite two cease-fires, Israel contions between the two countries were pro- Court of Justice in The Hague. Whatever the outcome of the current tinued its raids, but the feared repeat of Opfoundly changed on Sept. 10, when thousands of Egyptians besieged the Israeli Em- turmoil, the tacit acceptance of Israel by eration Cast Lead that devastated Gaza two bassy in Cairo as police stood by, and forced traditional Arab rulers may now be a thing years ago did not take place. Nevertheless, at the end of two weeks at Israel to airlift its ambassador back to Israel. of the past. A common theme of anti-govIsrael lost another critical ally in early ernment protests throughout the region has least 25 Palestinians had been killed and been a demand for dignity, freedom and scores badly wounded by the Israeli raids. Rachelle Marshall is a free-lance editor liv- justice. If the emerging regimes are truly A health clinic, sewer facilities, electric gening in Mill Valley, CA. A member of Jewish representative of the movements that erators and city office buildings were badly Voice for Peace, she writes frequently on the brought them to power, their policies are damaged. Meanwhile, there was growing certain to reflect long held feelings of re- doubt that Gazans had been responsible for Middle East.
T
8
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
the attack on Eilat. Hamas and other militant groups denied any involvement, and even though several of the Eilat attackers were killed, there were no signs of funerals or of grieving families in Gaza. Regardless of who was responsible, Israeli leaders were once again able to divert attention from domestic problems to the issue of security and the need for national unity. Before the attack at Eilat, as many as 300,000 Israelis were gathering weekly in Tel Aviv and other cities demanding lower prices, affordable housing, and a more equitable division of income (see p. 46). Immediately following the attack the crowds dwindled to a few thousand. At the height of the demonstrations, as people chanted cries for “social justice,” Israeli author Amos Oz wrote in Haaretz: “The heart of this protest is the affront and outrage over the government’s indifference to the people’s suffering, the double standard against the working population and the destruction of social solidarity.” The protestors’ call for “social justice,” however, applied only to Israelis, not to the three million Palestinians under occupation. The one group devoted to social justice for all was Tent 48, which brought together Israelis and Palestinians whose aim, as one member put it, was “shared sovereignty in a state of all its citizens.” Their hope was that the protestors would realize that a disproportionate share of government spending was going to the military and to maintaining an unjust occupation, rather than to providing for the needs of ordinary Israelis. The occupation is also central to another issue that has come to preoccupy the Netanyahu government. It is the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements that has left Palestinians with no alternative but to seek U.N. membership as an independent state, a decision they held to despite intensive efforts by the Obama administration to dissuade them. “We don’t want to delegitimize Israel. We want to legitimize ourselves,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas maintained. To Israeli leaders, the Palestinians’ decision to achieve their freedom through diplomatic means rather than violence was cause for alarm. This seeming paradox had its source in early Israeli policy. In 1955 Defense Minister Gen. Moshe Dayan urged that a U.S. offer of a security pact with Israel be turned down, saying that such a pact would “handcuff us” by preventing Israel from carrying out reprisal raids against Egypt and Jordan. Reprisal raids, he told Israeli officials, “make it possible for us to maintain a high level of tension among our NOVEMBER 2011
URIEL SINAI/GETTY IMAGES
marshall_8-9_Special Report 9/21/11 9:14 PM Page 9
An Israeli soldier stands guard as Israeli settlers from the illegal West Bank settlement of Itamar march to the Palestinian city of Nablus in protest of Palestinian statehood, Sept. 20, 2011. population and in the army. Without these actions we would have ceased to be a combative people and without the discipline of a combative people we are lost.” Israel’s repeated cease-fire violations and provocations of renewed violence over the decades indicate that Dayan’s words have become ingrained as doctrine. When Abbas announced his intention to go to the U.N. last spring, Israeli leaders immediately began warning that endorsement of Palestinian statehood by the General Assembly would cause an outbreak of violence by Palestinians. Accordingly, the Israeli army began readying Operation Summer Seeds, designed to combat “mass disorder.” Palestinians who are now seeing their crops destroyed, their olive trees uprooted or stolen, and their livestock killed by settlers will now be subject to even greater danger. The army is drawing boundary lines around every West Bank settlement and training settler security teams in “emergency response” operations. Palestinians who come too close to the as-yet-undesignated lines can be tear gassed or even shot. The paramilitary teams are already armed with M-16 rifles and attack dogs. Like the Israeli border guards who shot 75year-old Selma Al Sawarka on Aug. 10 as she tended her goats 600 meters from Gaza’s border with Israel, the settler vigilantes now have a license to pick off Palestinians at will. Any retaliation by the Palestinians is sure to bring on a powerful Israeli response. In fact, Palestinian leaders calling for mass demonstrations in favor of U.N. recognition have strongly renounced the use of violence. The weekly protests in the THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
West Bank against the occupation have long taken the form of nonviolent resistance, even as the Israeli army has intensified its use of tear gas, concussion grenades, and bullets in an effort to deter them. Hundreds of the participants have been arrested. “We do not do Gandhi,” an Israeli official said. Along with arousing a sense of impending crisis at home, the Israel government has made every effort to reduce the number of pro-Palestinian votes in the General Assembly. The Israelis paid for visits this summer by 18 Washington-based ambassadors from Albania, Barbados, Belize, Grenada and several other tiny nations that are members of the General Assembly. They were followed by more than 80 members of Congress—a fifth of the House membership and half of the incoming Republican freshman class—who were guests of the American Israel Education Foundation, a “charity” affiliated with AIPAC, Israel’s powerful Washington lobby. The congressional visitors left behind them at home crushing problems of unemployment and the threat of worsening depression in order to show their support for Israel. “With the upcoming vote in the U.N., which is a very destabilizing event, it is important for us to be there and show what is at stake,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who has received $217,730 in pro-Israel PAC contributions. Freshman Rep. Michael Grimm (RNY) declared, “It is my responsibility to be an able advocate on pro-Israel issues.” He did not explain why it is the responsibility of an American lawmaker to be an advocate for a foreign country. Continued on page 13 9
four_views_10-13_Four Views 9/21/11 8:14 PM Page 10
Four Views
PHOTO ROGER GAESS/EVA SORIANO
U.N. Countdown: Final Thoughts Before The Palestinian Bid for Recognition
Lamis Deek of Al-Awda NY addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, across from the United Nations building in New York, at the conclusion of a Sept. 15 march from Times Square.
Rejection of Palestinian Statehood Denies Freedom By Ahmad Tibi
he international community, the T Obama administration and the U.S. Congress are all likely to be looking at a train wreck later this month—as the United States and Israel stand in the way of the Palestinian statehood effort. President Barack Obama is delaying another people’s freedom. He’s joined by a Congress following the lead of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and also many members of both parties that implicitly—and sometimes explicitly—back Israeli colonization of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. After 20 years of failed negotiations caused largely by Israel’s insistence on retaining parts of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as refusing to Ahmad Tibi is deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset. This op-ed was first published in Politico, Sept. 15, 2011. 10
allow Palestinians the right of return, the Palestinians of the occupied territories are taking their case to the United Nations. They are refusing to allow Washington to kick the can endlessly down the road. More than 130 nations are expected to side with the Palestinians. Only a small number are expected to stand in the way. Yet Washington is determined to place the blame for the coming confrontation on the Palestinians. This is unfair. It is unreasonable to expect Palestinians to give up this nonviolent option. Standing in the way of Palestinian statehood is putting the U.S. squarely on the wrong side of the Arab Spring. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was right when she called on other nations to “get on the right side of history” in Syria. But she appears out of step with regional developments to say this while allowing Israel to dispossess Palestinians. Slightly more than two years ago, Obama still had the self-confidence to make the case for Palestinian statehood in his Cairo speech.
“It is also undeniable that the Palestinian people—Muslims and Christians,” Obama asserted, “have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years, they’ve endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands.…They endure the daily humiliations—large and small—that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own.” He’s spent the past two years backpedaling from those remarks—and his call for “settlements to stop.” His principal negotiator, former Sen. George Mitchell, resigned, reportedly in frustration. Dennis Ross, who has overseen years of failed talks and is viewed as in Israel’s corner, is reportedly now advising the president on how to proceed on Israeli-Palestinian issues. This is viewed by Palestinians as an obstacle to peace and Palestinian statehood. NOVEMBER 2011
four_views_10-13_Four Views 9/21/11 8:14 PM Page 11
It is, however, regarded as a boon to Israeli settlers intent on entrenching themselves in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and thereby scuttling prospects for a future deal. But Washington has failed to reckon with a key consequence of the dilatory practices of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the expansionist practices of his settler allies. Their success makes it more likely the Palestinians will reject a state that is little more than a glorified series of disconnected Bantustans. Already, a younger generation is talking less about two states and more about acknowledging the impossibility of a viable Palestinian state on land subjugated by Israel. This younger generation is beginning to talk instead about equal rights for Palestinians and Jews in one state stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. The idea in short: If Israel is intent on taking our land, then we will no longer stand in the way. But we will insist on one person, one vote. When that movement emerges, Washington will most likely wonder why it didn’t press Israel more vigorously to negotiate with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad regarding a fully viable Palestinian state. Washington, in recent years, has domesticated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Politicians appear to be looking at it less in terms of whether it is good for Israelis and Palestinians and more in terms of whether it is good for re-election prospects. This is contributing to an extremely volatile situation on the ground in the Palestinian territories. Freedom cannot be delayed forever. The question forming today is whether Palestinian resistance will manage to be nonviolent or if it will veer toward the violent aspects of the second intifada. Many of us are pushing for nonviolent resistance—despite the lack of U.S. support for Palestinian nonviolence practitioners, many of whom have been killed, injured and imprisoned by Israeli forces in recent years. Eighty-one members of Congress were in Israel during the August recess. Notwithstanding token encounters with Abbas and Fayyad, the visiting officials largely heard Israeli talking points, rather than being exposed to the discrimination many Palestinians face, both inside the occupied territories and Israel itself. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “I must make two honest confessions to you, my ChristNOVEMBER 2011
ian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate…who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’” Palestinians, too, are tired of waiting and enduring the pain of watching generation after generation grow up under Israeli occupation and control. Congress and Obama are out of step with the times in backing Israel’s endless delays to Palestinian freedom. It’s long past time to move American policy into a 21st century that provides Palestinians with the same freedom and dignity that people elsewhere enjoy. With Israel unprepared to negotiate in good faith and in compliance with international law, it’s altogether appropriate for the United Nations to step in and recognize Palestinian statehood and freedom demands.
A Letter to President Obama By Charles O. Cecil
Dear Mr. President: ust think for a minute—what would Jwhen happen if the United States abstained the Palestinian question comes before the U.N. Security Council in the next week or two? The resolution would pass. The world would be stunned. The United States would enter an entirely new era in our relations with the Muslim countries of the world. The vision you outlined in Cairo for better relations with the Islamic world would take the largest step forward of your presidency. The United States would once again have regained the high moral ground we so often claim to occupy. The energies loosed by the “Arab spring” would continue to be devoted to their own domestic affairs rather than being diverted into condemning the United States. We are hypocrites when we claim to want justice for the Palestinians but we do nothing meaningful to help achieve this. On the other hand, if the United States vetoes the Palestinian request for state-
hood, we will damage our position in the Islamic world—not merely the Arab World—for untold years to come. We will become the object of retribution throughout the Muslim world, and will give new energy to the lagging efforts of al-Qaeda to retaliate against us. I served my country 36 years in the Foreign Service of the United States, 10 assignments in 10 Muslim countries. I know the power of this issue. Why would we want to give new impetus to anti-American sentiment throughout the Muslim world? Mr. Netanyahu’s office has issued a statement saying “Peace will be achieved only through direct negotiations with Israel.” You know, and I know, that Mr. Netanyahu has no intention of concluding a just and fair peace with the Palestinian Authority. His only concern is to continue the inexorable construction of more settlements, creating more “facts on the ground” until the idea of an independent Palestinian state becomes a mere memory of a bygone era. When Israel declared its independence in 1948 it did not do so after direct negotiations with Palestine. If Israel really wants to negotiate with the Palestinians, why would negotiating with an independent Palestinian government, on an equal footing, deter it from engaging in these negotiations? The Reagan administration launched an international information campaign under the slogan “Let Poland be Poland.” It’s time we let Palestine be Palestine. Abstain from this upcoming vote. Just think about it. Sincerely yours, Charles O. Cecil U.S. Ambassador, retired
Thinking Out Loud… By John V. Whitbeck
he normal, orthodox roadmap to U.N. T membership comprises two steps: (1) a recommendation to the General Assembly by the Security Council (requiring nine affirmative votes and NO negative vote—”veto”—by one of the five permanent members) followed by (2) approval by the General Assembly (requiring a twothirds majority of those voting—i.e., ignoring abstentions and no-shows). Nine of the current 15 Security Council members have already extended diplo-
Charles O. Cecil is a former U.S. ambassador to Niger. He also served in Kuwait, Zan zibar, Saudi Arabia, Mali and Oman, as the State Department’s desk officer for Saudi Arabia, and as director of the Foreign Service Institute’s Arabic Language Field School in Tunis.
John V. Whitbeck, an international lawyer who has advised the Palestinian negotiating team in negotiations with Israel, is author of The World According to Whitbeck (available from the AET Book Club).
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
11
four_views_10-13_Four Views 9/21/11 8:14 PM Page 12
matic recognition to the State of Palestine—Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Gabon, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Russia and South Africa, while France, Portugal and the United Kingdom are holding their cards close to their chests but are still generally viewed as potential affirmative votes. Only Colombia, the only South American state which has not yet recognized the State of Palestine, Germany and the United States are hopeless cases. In these circumstances, one might assume that nine affirmative votes were assured. However, it is now widely reported in the media that the United States is moving heaven and earth to try to prevent nine affirmative votes for the admission of Palestine being cast in the Security Council—apparently in the expectation that, if a U.S. negative vote were not technically a “veto” (because there were not nine affirmative votes), the entire Arab and Muslim worlds (and many others elsewhere) would not be as outraged against the United States as they would certainly be by an American “veto.” Presumably, the perceived “low-hanging fruit” are Bosnia & Herzegovina, Gabon and Nigeria. All have significant Muslim populations—in Nigeria’s case, a Muslim majority and membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Bosnia & Herzegovina’s case observer status at the OIC and in Gabon’s case a Muslim president. None are obvious candidates to betray their recognitions and principles under threats of punishment or the inducements of bribes, but the threats or inducements could be massive and persuasive, and the “sovereignty” of Bosnia & Herzegovina (where the ultimate decisionmaking authority is still an international civil servant, not a Bosnian citizen) is dubious. The United States has methods other than explosive “shock and awe” to destroy countries. Yemen has never recovered from its acute misfortune, 20 years ago, to occupy a Security Council seat when the U.S. sought U.N. approval to attack Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait and from its recklessly courageous decision to vote “no” in accordance with its own genuine opinion (and that of almost half of the member states of the Arab League) rather than in accordance with a prudent calculation of its own best interests in light of the easily anticipated wrath of the United States. Two Conclusions: If the United States were to succeed in intimidating France, Portugal and the United Kingdom and suborning Bosnia & Herzegovina, Gabon or Nigeria so as to prevent nine affirmative votes in the Security Council, 12
(1) the outrage against the United States in the Arab and Muslim worlds would be just as intense as if the American negative vote had been technically a “veto,” and the chances of an “elegant exit” from Iraq and/or Afghanistan would be nil (the Vietnam precedent for an undignified exit becoming highly likely); and (2) Palestine should “throw in the towel” on the two-state solution (to adopt the phrase used by Saeb Erakat in his Sept. 7 interview in the Los Angeles Times) and thereafter pursue, by strictly nonviolent means, a democratic one-state solution in all of former Mandate Palestine, free of any discrimination based on race or religion and with equal rights for all. President Mahmoud Abbas has also repeatedly suggested that, after submitting Palestine’s application for full U.N. membership on Sept. 23, he would be open to considering other options and might not press for an immediate or early Security Council vote. (In this regard, one may hope that this month’s rotating Security Council president, Lebanon, would be sympathetic to Palestinian procedural preferences, whatever those might be.) What might be another option which would be preferable to forcing a Security Council vote—one which, if the United Advertisement
! ! ! !
States were to block Palestine’s membership application (either by a technical “veto” or by successful intimidations or bribes of other Security Council members), would definitively disqualify the United States from maintaining its monopoly stranglehold on any “peace process”? I can imagine only one: If the European Union could offer and guarantee both the affirmative votes of all 27 EU member states in favor of a direct application to the General Assembly to upgrade Palestine’s U.N. status from “observer entity” to “observer state” (which would require only a simple majority of those states voting—a sure thing since 126 of the 193 U.N. member states already recognize the State of Palestine) AND an American abstention in the vote on such an upgrade, without any Palestinian commitment, beyond a very limited time period during which negotiations would be pursued in accordance with clear parameters consistent with international law, not to apply subsequently for full U.N. membership and without any Palestinian commitment not to bring suits against Israelis for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court (the principal immediate benefit for Palestine of U.N.-confirmed “state status”). That could be an arrangement which would justify not insisting now on a Security Council vote on U.N. membership for the State of Palestine. If such an accommodation to avoid embarrassing the United States and highlighting the divisions within the European Union is not available, it is my personal opinion that that the Palestinian leadership should remain firm, stand tall and proud and insist upon a Security Council vote on the State of Palestine’s U.N. membership application—and let the cards fall where they may.
Obama, the Palestinian State And Zionist Schizophrenia By Gilad Atzmon
!
!"#$#%&'(#)*+,%#$$-.$%/'0+1#23%4$)-#,5$% '267'827%(-)%0)81#$%82%9-:-;%!"#.%#<6 &,-82%"'(%9-:-2$%(83"$3-2/%3"#%/#&)86 =-38'2$%0-+$#/%>.%$8#7#%-2/%(-)%("8,#% )#*+$827%3'%78=#%+&;%?-$%=-,+->,#%#.#6 (832#$$%3#$381'2.%*)'1%&-)3808&-23$%82% 3"#%@8=-%A-,#$382-%"+1-283-)8-2%0'2='.$% 3"-3%>)'B#%3"#%>,'0B-/#%3'%/#,8=#)%-8/;% 98=#$%='80#%3'%A-,#$3828-2%-2/%C#(8$"% -038=8$3$%("'%'&&'$#%3"#%3')3+)#%'*%9-:-;%%
!"#$% %&&'()*+$,-.(/$0123$4-5/-$6-&78$ 9993:.55)//;<=+&&'<3(&7$ THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
hose who monitor the Hebrew press T and understand the Jewish State may be slightly puzzled to find out that while in the Hebrew press there is only just a little and insignificant attention to the current Palestinian leaders’ drive for statehood, the Israeli English media outlets are Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel and now lives in London. In addition to being a multiinstrumentalist jazz musician and founder of The Orient House Ensemble, he is a prolific writer, his latest book being The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics. His writings and albums are available on his Web site, <www.gilad.co.uk>. NOVEMBER 2011
four_views_10-13_Four Views 9/21/11 8:14 PM Page 13
saturated with news about the prospect of a pro-Palestinian resolution in the U.N. next week. If you want to understand this clear discrepancy between the Jewish Hebrew press and English outlets, then here it is— we are dealing here with a clear split within the Jewish collective psyche. I guess that some may be surprised to learn that Israel and most Israelis actually want the Palestinian initiative to go ahead and to succeed. They want a Palestinian State because this is the only solution that would save the “Jews only State” from a demographic meltdown. Recent polls in Israel prove that the majority of Israelis are very excited about the “Two State Solution.” Not only are the Israelis not threatened by the idea of a Palestinian State, they actually love it, for it would settle their reality within a framework of international law. Also, you may want to bear in mind that the Kadima party, which won the last two elections in Israel, has been and still is devoted to “disengagement,” a clear separation between the “Jews” and the Palestinians by means of unilateral Israeli withdrawal. In other words, Palestinian statehood achieves the exact same goal; it removes Israelis from any responsibility to territories it once occupied and destroyed. It is obvious that some elements in Israel oppose the Palestinian U.N. initiative: I guess that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is not too happy about it. West Bank settlers may also be very angry, but for some reason even they are relatively quiet these days. And yet, the Jewish Lobby around the world totally opposes the Palestinian U.N. initiative: it clearly holds a very simplistic image of an expansionist Jewish State from the “river to the sea.” And as it seems, it is not going to give up on its dream very soon. What we see here in practice is a clear identity crisis or even a schizophrenic counterflow of aspirations between the Israeli and the Diaspora Zionist. While the Israelis are reverting to the old Jewish Ghetto attitude—they prefer to shrink, stay together and surround themselves with vast and impenetrable concrete walls—the Diaspora Zionist Jewish narrative is confrontational, belligerent, hawkish militant and expansionist. They want it all, with the Palestinians or without them. Once again we notice that Israel and Zionism have evolved into two separate and opposing discourses. While Israel is seeking to maintain its racially oriented identity through the politics of segregation, the Diaspora Zionist discourse is still insisting on solving the Jewish Question by the means of a conflict with no end. But let us for a moment look at America; NOVEMBER 2011
let’s try to understand how the world’s “single superpower” is handling this Judeocentric schizophrenic apparatus. President Obama and his administration are obviously very confused. On the one hand, they are subject to some relentless pressure inflicted by the Jewish Lobby. The Lobby doesn’t leave the American administration with much room to maneuver. But on the other hand, both the American administration and Israeli government do realize that, as far as Israel and its “security” are concerned, the Palestinian U.N. initiative is not such a bad idea at all. In fact, Israel cannot pray for more than that. It is clear by now that President Obama is not going to be saved by any of the socalled “America’s best friends.” For AIPAC and the Lobby, Obama is an instrument. By now the Lobby is used to regarding American politicians as their subservient puppets. Israel, on the other hand, is not going to save America either. It is too suspicious of the current administration. Israel is basically tired of the current American administration. It will be happy to see Obama beaten. Consequently, the American administration is heading toward an inevitable humiliation in the U.N. It will have to veto a decision voted for by many of America’s allies. This is clearly a disaster for Obama. And yet, one man can save America from its doomed fate. This man is no other than the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Only Abbas and the PA can let America off the hook. But the meaning of it all is also very embarrassing. It means that the Palestinian President Abbas (who is a relatively weak figure in Palestinian politics as well as in international diplomacy) is the only person who can save our world’s “single superpower” from a diplomatic fiasco. I cannot make up my mind whether this is funny or sad, but let me tell you, it is certainly volatile. The time is certainly right for America, Britain and the West to find the strength to oppose Zionist lobbying and the power of Jerusalem. ❑
President Barack Obama several months ago that final borders be based on the borders as of June 4, 1967, and determined in negotiations with Israel. The administration’s apparent turnabout suggests that the American Israel Education Foundation got its money’s worth. Not so the American people, however, whose security depends on a rational and even-handed Middle East policy rather than slavish devotion to Israel. Americans would have benefited far more had their congressional representatives observed at first hand some of the realities of Palestinian life under occupation. They did not see, for instance, a family sitting in the ruins of their home after it was demolished by Israeli bulldozers. Nor did they visit an emergency room in Gaza in which doctors were treating children with terrible burns, or with bodies filled with shrapnel, as a result of Israel’s most recent missile strikes. The legislators might be better informed if they had witnessed the ordeal of 12-yearold Islam Tamimi, who was awakened at 2 a.m. by Israeli soldiers, dragged from his home blindfolded and handcuffed, and taken to an interrogation center. There, as Catrina Stewart of the London Independent reported on Aug. 27, he was grilled hour after hour while he begged to be allowed to sleep. Finally, delirious from exhaustion, the youngster offered to say anything the Israelis wanted him to say, including giving the names of men in his village. He then signed a confession in Hebrew, a language he does not understand. According to the Independent, at least 7,000 Palestinian children like Islam have been detained since 2000, almost all of them subjected to physical abuse while in custody. Some of those children are likely to grow up asking why America was willing to bomb Libya in order to help Libyans achieve their freedom, but threatened to punish the Palestinians for trying peacefully to achieve theirs. ❑ Advertisement
Israel’s Intransigence… Continued from page 9
The U.S. consul general in Jerusalem, Daniel Rubinstein, warned in late August that if the Palestinian Authority seeks to upgrade its position at the U.N. General Assembly, “The U.S. will take punitive measures against it, including a cut in U.S. aid.” Yet according to Haaretz, the Palestinian draft resolution to be submitted to the U.N. is almost identical to a proposal made by THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
13
williams_14-15_United Nations Report 9/22/11 1:54 PM Page 14
Once Again, in Full View of the World, U.S. Acting for Israel, Against Its Own Interests
United Nations Report
By Ian Williams
DON EMMERT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
to thwart the consummation he himself had promised the year before. This year, Obama restated the administration line: “Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations...Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians—not us—who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and on security, on refugees and Jerusalem.” He omitted any direct threats or references to the Palestinian application for membership, or even Palestine’s attempt to upgrade its status at the U.N. The diplomatic silence might have avoided irritating the Palestinians, and perhaps slightly camouflaged the humiliation of what is, after all, still the world’s Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (seated at left) holds his head in his hand as he listens to U.S. biggest military and economic President Barack Obama address the 66th U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 21, 2011. power, pandering to the crazed ideologues of a small rogue state he U.N. vote on Palestine is an oddity. mising administration in the Palestinian on the opposite side of the world. The threatened veto rewards a U.S. No one can be sure what benefit the Authority—and, contrary to Israeli Palestinians get from it, and there is good rhetoric, not as a means to kill Oslo, but to “ally” which had defied a plea to halt setreason to believe that its main current mo- maintain flickers of life in that Zombie-like tlement building and had humiliatingly tivation is an earnest desire on the part of structure as it shambles toward the mirage announced a round of illegal construction during a visit by Obama’s vice president, President Mahmoud Abbas’ administra- of a two-state solution. However, whatever Abbas’ motives, and Joe Biden. tion to show some progress—any progress In return, Washington has lost what litat all, in fact—from its appeasement to Is- no matter how inadvertently he has hit the right target, the illogical fury of the Israeli tle trust it had with the newly enfranrael and the U.S. On one level, the Palestinian move to up- reaction, and the servile echoing of it by chised Arab electorates; alienated major regrade its status is the continuation of a long the Obama administration, should vindi- gional powers like Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and lost its credibility with march through international institutions cate him. Not since the British and Canadians the two-thirds or more of U.N. members that developed momentum in the 1990s. That upgraded the Palestinian delegation to burned the White House in 1813 has who have recognized Palestine or indicated that of a unique observer mission just frac- American foreign policy been so publicly an intention to do so. If Obama does not do enough damage, tionally short of statehood, and restated and and humiliatingly trashed. And it is all Congress is likely to cause even more. In strengthened resolutions and expressions of self-inflicted. As Obama reminded the international the heyday of American power, Congress international law on the conflict. But why revive the issue now? Many delegates, an American president stood at began to cut funding for the U.N.—over Palestinians see it as a diversion and a the podium of the General Assembly in the Palestinian issue. The assumption was means to shore up a corrupt and compro- September 2010 and looked forward to that the U.N. needed the U.S. more than welcoming a Palestinian state within the vice versa. That is no longer quite as true, Ian Williams is a free-lance journalist based year—but a year later he was ordering his and congressional threats to defund the at the United Nations and has a blog at diplomats to join with Israel to take every U.N. and its agencies if the members of the <www.deadlinepundit.blogspot.com>. measure, including abusing the U.S. veto, organization vote for some form of Pales-
T
14
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
williams_14-15_United Nations Report 9/22/11 1:41 PM Page 15
tinian statehood will enhance the damage to American prestige—and leverage— when Washington wants something from the U.N., as it increasingly does. With the parlous state of the U.S. economy and its overstretched military, Washington will indeed be going back to the U.N., but will find it more difficult than ever to get the legitimation it wants and needs. On the Israeli side, reports of Israeli “diplomacy” suggest that harangues to foreign ambassadors and ministers by rightwing Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are predictably counterproductive. If countries pay any attention, it is to the American dummy, not the Russian-Israeli ventriloquist, since American power, even rapidly evaporating as it is, is still substantial. Perhaps the one hint of self-interested lucidity in the White House and State Department is the realization of just how much damage an American veto would do to Washington’s standing in the world. However, the efforts to get other countries to “help” by not supporting the Palestinian bid in the Security Council presume a global public that is all of below average intelligence. Widely advertised, the U.S. was hoping to squeeze enough weak links to ensure that the resolution would not get the nine necessary positive votes. Do Obama and Clinton really think that the rest of the world would not know who had brought about the defeat? Or that those countries dragooned in would not resent being forced to share the blame? Quite apart from any effects on Palestinians, the U.S. maneuvers can hardly help its professed larger projects in the United Nations: democratization, enhancing the rule of law, and prevention of crimes against humanity. It not only does truth to the rumors of double standards spread so assiduously by sundry dictators and their friends, but if the U.S. were successful in suborning European and other allies, it strips away Washington’s credibility when it comes to advocating, for example, the Responsibility to Protect. In short, not only is there no rational self-interest for the U.S. in thwarting Palestine’s efforts, it actually detracts from American interest. However, it is based on the fatally flawed policy introduced by Bill Clinton, which was to bypass international law and insist that the road to peace lay through bilateral negotiations. So a Sumo wrestler steals the tricycle of a diapered toddler, and the solution is put them in the area together for a fair fight to settle the issue. Which brings us to the Israeli motivation NOVEMBER 2011
for combatting this. In the words of Macbeth, the Israeli narrative is “a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Certainly Lieberman’s harangues to diplomats seem to be counterproductive, not least because they all remember that the Quartet, the U.S. president, the U.N. and even, very grudgingly, Netanyahu himself, all have accepted that the road to peace is a two-state solution, with boundaries based on the pre-1967 armistice line. So why should the full force of Israeli hasbara, the John Boltons, Eli Wiesels, Alan Dershowitzs and the rest of the crowd, not to mention the full resources of the U.S. State Department, be marshaled against the Palestinian resolution? To begin with, of course, Netanyahu accepts a Palestinian state the way he would welcome a melanoma. He was only kidding. Many of those screaming behind him would not even pay lip service to the idea. They repudiate the whole idea of a Palestinian state and resent any implication of Palestinian rights in any part of Israel and the territories it illegally occupies. Many such hysterical supporters in the U.S. are also deniers of Obama’s American nationality and have campaigned furiously against him and the Democrats, which adds extra poignancy to Obama’s pandering to them. They will still hate him. There is also a rational, albeit cynical, point. A Palestinian state, whether a member of the U.N. or not, can and would be accepted as a state member of the International Criminal Court—indeed its application to sign the Convention establishing it is already under consideration. That has profound implications for Israeli civil and military leaders. While the country that kidnapped Eichmann and brought him to justice has not signed the convention, its citizens would be liable for crimes committed in the West Bank and Gaza if ratification followed statehood. But there is also an element in the psychopolitics of extreme Zionism which reminds THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
them that they are indeed people of the law. Although the interminable court proceedings about land-grabs and civilian rights invariably lead to ratification of occupation misdeeds, they do go through the process! One is reminded of some of the evasions of Talmudic exegesis such as the idea that a telephone wire around an area can make it an enclosed part of one’s backyard. While the rest of the world regards the territories as occupied, Israel refers to them as “disputed,” because, they say, no state had recognized title to them. Of course, a Palestinian state would unravel any notional telephone wire the courts might hitherto have accepted around the boundary. In the end, one does have to wonder what the Palestinians as people get out of the U.N. bid. But certainly, the embarrassment it has caused to Obama and Clinton have made them take Palestinian positions more seriously than they have in the past, while removing any residual illusions that some Palestinian leaders might have that the U.S. is an honest broker in the conflict. Obama, reportedly, shares the detestation that most reasonable people have for Netanyahu, so one can only welcome anything that makes the partnership more uncomfortable for him. ❑ (Advertisement)
15
omer_16_Gaza on the Ground 9/22/11 11:30 AM Page 16
Israeli Drone Attacks on Gaza Leave Bodies Charred and Ripped Apart Gazaon the Ground
By Mohammed Omer
Forensic Challenges
t Gaza City’s Shifa hospital, Dr.
AAyman Al Sahabani studied
PHOTO IMAD OMER
the medical file of 2-year-old Islam “Most casualties arriving at the hosQreqa with growing alarm. The todpital have visible black burns,” Dr. Al dler, along with his 29-year-old faSahabani said. He has noticed, howther and 32-year-old uncle, a physiever, that the areas surrounding these cian, had been traveling on a mowounds are different from what he torcycle Aug. 20 when it was struck has observed in the past. They are by a missile fired from an Israeli “crusted burns,” he explained, and drone. The three were killed inseveral of the bodies were mangled, stantly, and a woman and four “horrific and unrecognizable.” nearby pedestrians were injured. It Neither the doctors in Gaza’s hoswas Islam’s second birthday. pitals nor representatives of human The child’s body was charred, rights groups have been able to scorched and ripped apart, his interclosely examine the remnants of the nal organs spilling out through a missiles fired by the Israeli air force. massive gash in his abdomen. It was But Jaber Washah, deputy director the appearance of these wounds of the Gaza-based Palestinian Center which concerned Dr. Al Sahabani, for Human Rights (PCHR), was able who had told the Washington Report to conduct a cursory examination, that Israel’s bombing of Gaza, which and described it as evidence of “war began Aug. 19 and continued until crimes and crimes against humanity.” Aug. 26, was causing “horrendous Israel is using “internationally proburns, and [tearing] parts of flesh to hibited weapons and ammunitions shreds.” Not only did these wounds similar to those used on the civilian result in either permanent deformipopulation in Operation Cast Lead,” ties or instant death, but they were he asserted. In addition, Washah different from those caused by Issaid, he, too, is now seeing new rael’s previous attacks on Gaza— types of burns on victims’ bodies. even when it used white phospho“Before the 2008-9 Israeli attack rus in its 2008-9 Operation Cast on Gaza, we had a forensic laboraLead assault. Al Sahabani had never tory which could determine and seen wounds quite like this before. specify which weapons are used on In the hospital’s intensive care Gaza,” Washah explained in a stateunit, Abdullah Badwai, 24, lay in ment to the Washington Report. bed, his body obscured like a A Palestinian injured in an Israeli air strike is brought to “The laboratory was one of Israel’s mummy’s, with bandages covering Shifa hospital in Gaza City. first targets in the Operation Cast burns from a missile’s shrapnel. AcLead attack on Gaza. Given the siege cording to his attending physicians, the burning pieces of plastic,” he recalled. and restrictions imposed on Gaza, Israel is Another patient in the intensive care effectively preventing Palestinians from reburns are so severe they have spread to and wreaked havoc on his internal organs. unit was 19-year-old Mansour Al Qerem, building the forensic laboratory.” “We were sitting quietly, having a talk who was injured when a drone-fired misBecause Gaza’s scientists thus are unable with my friends, when a drone fired a mis- sile landed near him as he was walking to conclusively identify the types of sile at us; two of my friends were killed down the street. Shrapnel from the explo- weapons Israel is deploying, they cannot and I was injured,” Badwai explained in a sion struck him in the cranium, broke document their attacker’s violations of infaltering raspy voice. His cousin Shadi bones in his right arm and left leg, and ternational law in a manner that would Badwai also survived, and had removed caused him to lose his right leg. He suf- stand up in international courts. some of the shrapnel before the ambulance fered cuts and burns on the left side of his In a press release describing a field inarrived. “Some of the shrapnel were like body, as well as damage to three fingers. vestigation it conducted, the Gaza-based According to Deeb Al Baatch, Al Qerem’s Al Mezan Center for Human Rights Award-winning journalist Mohammed Omer nurse, the teen’s condition remains unsta- charged the Israeli occupation forces with reports on the Gaza Strip, and maintains the ble. He “lives on respirators,” she added, carrying out “deliberate [missile] attacks” Web site <www.rafahtoday.org>. He can be and “has sustained fluid in his brain due to on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Ministry direct shrapnel” hits. reached at <gazanews@yahoo.com>. Continued on page 19 16
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
Project1_December 2010 Template 10/28/10 3:47 PM Page 17
lobe_18-19_Neocon Corner 9/22/11 11:37 AM Page 18
New Report Identifies Organizational Nexus of Islamophobia NeoconCorner
By Jim Lobe The Islamophobia megaphone How a tight network of anti-Muslim, anti-Islam foundations, misinformation experts, validators, grass roots organizations, religious right groups, and their allies in the media and in politics profoundly misrepresent Islam and American Muslims in the United States
COURTESY CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS
The Islamophobia echo chamber The religious right The misinformation experts
Pat Robertson
Rep. Peter King
John Hagee
Rep. Sue Myrick
Ralph Reed
Rep. Allen West
Franklin Graham
Rep. Renee Elmers
The funders
Rep. Paul Broun
Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy Donors Capital Fund Richard Mellon Scaife foundations Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation The Russell Berrie Foundation
Becker Foundations
Daniel Pipes at the Middle East Forum
Anchorage Foundation/ William Rosenwald Family Fund
David Yerushalmi at the Society of Americans for National Existence
The Fairbrook Foundation
$42.6 million over 10 years
Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch and Stop Islamization of America Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism
The political players
The media Spreading myths and lies about Islam and American Muslims
Rep. Michele Bachmann
Fox News Channel David Horowitz Freedom Center Pamela Geller and Atlas Shrugs Washington Times The National Review Christian Broadcast Network Clarion Fund Rush Limbaugh Sean Hannity Mike Savage Glenn Beck
The grassroots organizations Brigitte Gabriel’s ACT! For America Pamela Geller’s Stop Islamization of America Eagle Forum Tennessee Freedom Coalition State Tea Party movements American Family Association
Mark Levin Bryan Fischer
small group of inter-connected foun-
Adations, think tanks, pundits and
bloggers is behind the 10-year-old campaign to promote fear of Islam and Muslims in the U.S., according to a major investigative report released in Washington Aug. 26 by the Center for American Progress (CAP). The 130-page report, Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America (viewable online at <www.ameri canprogress.org/issues/2011/08/pdf/islam ophobia.pdf>, identifies seven foundations that have quietly provided a total of more than $42 million to key individuals and organizations that have spearheaded the nation-wide effort between 2001 and 2009. They include funders that have long Jim Lobe is Washington, DC bureau chief for Inter Press Service. Copyright © 2011 IPSInter Press Service. All rights reserved. 18
been associated with the extreme right in the U.S., as well as several Jewish family foundations that have supported rightwing and settler groups in Israel. The network also includes what the report calls “misinformation experts”—including Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), Daniel Pipes of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum (MEF), Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, David Yerushalmi of the Society of Americans for National Existence, and Robert Spencer of Stop Islamization of America (SIOA)—who are often tapped by television news networks and right-wing radio talk shows to comment on Islam and the threat it allegedly poses to U.S. national security. “Together, this core group of deeply intertwined individuals and organizations manufacture and exaggerate threats of ‘creeping shariah,’ Islamic domination of the West, and purported obligatory calls to THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
violence against all non-Muslims by the Qur’an,” according to the report whose main author, Wajahat Ali, described the group as “the central nervous system of the Islamophobia network.” “This small band of radical ideologues has fought to define shariah as a ‘totalitarian ideology’ and legal-political-military doctrine committed to destroying Western civilization,” the report said. “But a scholar of Islam and Muslim tradition would not recognize their definition of shariah, let alone a lay practicing Muslim.” Nonetheless, the group’s messages receive wide dissemination by what the report calls an “Islamophobia echo chamber” consisting of leaders of the Christian Right, such as Franklin Graham and Pat Robertson, and some Republican politicians, such as presidential candidates Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. Other key disseminators include media NOVEMBER 2011
lobe_18-19_Neocon Corner 9/22/11 11:37 AM Page 19
figures, especially prominent hosts on the Fox News Channel and columnists in the Washington Times and the National Review; as well as grassroots groups, such as ACT! For America, local “Tea Party” movements, and the American Family Association, which are behind current efforts by Republican-dominated state legislatures to ban shariah in their jurisdictions. The report also cited the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), a press-monitoring agency created in Washington in 1998 by former officers in the Israel Defense Forces that translates selected items from Middle Eastern print and broadcast media, as a key part of the broader network, providing it with material to bolster its claims regarding the threat posed by Islam. MEMRI, which has just been awarded a State Department contract to monitor anti-Semitism in the Arab media, has often been accused of selectively spotlighting media voices that show anti-Western bias and promote extremism. Judging by recent polls, the network has proved remarkably successful, according to the report, which cited a 2010 Washington Post poll that showed that 49 percent of U.S. citizens held an unfavorable view of Islam, an increase of 10 percent from 2002. The same network also succeeded in inciting a national controversy around the proposed construction of an Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan—the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”—which, according to Gaffney and others, was intended to celebrate the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and “to be a permanent, in-our-face beachhead for shariah, a platform for inspiring the triumphalist ambitions of the faithful.” “It’s remarkable what a small number of people have achieved with a small group of committed and generous donors,” said Eli Clifton, a co-author of the report and a national-security reporter at CAP, a think tank which is close to the administration of President Barack Obama, who has himself been a prime target of the Islamophobic network. The report, which was funded by the financier George Soros’ Open Society Institute (OSI), comes at a particularly sensitive moment—just two weeks before the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and less than a month after the murders of 76 people in Norway by Anders Breivik, whose Internet manifesto not only echoed themes propagated by the key U.S. Islamophobic ideologues, but also quoted directly from their writings in dozens of passages. Indeed, Spencer’s blog, “Jihad Watch,” NOVEMBER 2011
a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, another group identified by the report as part of the Islamophobic network, was cited 162 times, while Pipes and the MEF receive 16 mentions, and Gaffney’s CSP another eight. According to the report, “Jihad Watch” has been supported via the Horowitz Center primarily by the Fairbrook Foundation, which is run by Aubry and Joyce Chernik. Between 2004 and 2009, Fairbrook provided nearly $1.5 million to Islamophobic groups, including Act! For America, CSP, the Investigative Project, and MEF. The Cherniks also supported the farright Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and Aish Hatorah, a far-right Israeli group behind the U.S.-based Clarion Fund, which produced the video, “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” that was, in turn, heavily promoted by the Islamophobic groups featured in the report. Breivik praised it in his manifesto. Some 28 million DVD copies of the “Obsession” film were distributed to households in key swing states on the eve of the 2008 presidential elections in an apparent effort to sway voters against Obama. Some $17 million in funding for their distribution was provided by a Chicago industrialist, Barry Seid, according to a Salon.com report published last year, and was channelled through Virginia-based Donors Capital Fund, which includes several prominent right-wing and neoconservative figures on its board. Donors to the fund have also contributed $400,000 to the Investigative Project and $2.3 million to the MEF between 2001 and 2009, according to the report. Other major donors to Islamophobic groups include several foundations controlled by Richard Mellon Scaife, including $2.9 million to CSP and $3.4 million to Horowitz’ Freedom Center. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, which has often coordinated its political philanthropy with Scaife’s foundations, provided some $300,000 to MEF, $815,000 to CSP and $3.4 million to the Freedom Center. In addition to more traditional charitable activities, both Scaife and Bradley have long been major supporters of far-right and neoconservative causes. Other major donors included the Newton D. and Rochelle F. Becker Foundations, the Russell Berrie Foundation, and the Anchorage Charitable Foundation and William Rosenwald Family Fund, according to the report. In its mission statement, the Russell Berrie Foundation cited as one of its prinTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
cipal goals “fostering the spirit of religious understanding and pluralism.” “The intellectual nexus of the network is well understood,” said Faiz Shakir, CAP’s vice president. “We know it’s driven primarily by hatred against Muslims; what we don’t know is what are the motivations of the funders. We don’t know to what extent they are aware of what is being funded,” he said. Horowitz denounced the report in a statement issued on its Web site, calling it a “typical fascistic attempt to silence critics and scare donors from supporting their efforts to inform the American public about the threats we face from the Islamic jihad.” Efforts to obtain comments from MEF and CSP were not successful. ❑
Israeli Drone Attacks… Continued from page 16
of Health spokesman Dr. Ashraf Al Qedrah has asked the international community for help in determining the exact nature of the lethal weapons Israel currently is using against the residents of Gaza.
Israel’s GHOST Drone At an exhibition last August in Washington, DC, Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) unveiled its latest secret unmanned aerial vehicles: a four-kilogram miniature drone known as GHOST. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, IAI head Yitzhak Nissan described GHOST as being “at the forefront of technology thanks to years of experience and knowledge acquired in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles.” Since 2004 the Israeli military has relied predominantly on drones in its raids on Gaza, according to PCHR field researcher Samir Zaquot. PCHR has accused Israel of using Palestinians “as a field experiment after developing modified versions of its cannon shells, cast lead bullets and gas weapons, many of which necessitate amputation of the limbs and [cause] deep damage to different human organs.” Israeli officials continue to deny allegations regarding the use of banned weapons. However, commenting on the Qreqa case and Israel’s public statements boasting of the ability of its drones to pinpoint targets precisely, with little margin of error, Washah pointed out that “this rules out Israel’s allegations of errors during air strikes, and thus confirms that Israel has used deadlier weapons on civilians without distinction.” ❑ 19
views_wars_20-21_Two Views 9/22/11 11:39 AM Page 20
Two Views CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com
Ten Years After 9/11, Is the U.S. on the Right Track at Home and Abroad?
Foreign Occupation Leads to More Terror By Rep. Ron Paul
en years ago shocking and horrific acts T of terrorism were carried out on U.S. soil, taking over 3,000 innocent American lives. Without a doubt, this action demanded retaliation and retribution. However, much has been done in the name of protecting the American people from terrorism that has reduced our prosperity and liberty and even made us less safe. This is ironic and sad, considering that the oft-repeated line concerning the reasoning behind the attacks is that they hate us for who we are—a free, prosperous people— and that we must not under any circumstances allow the terrorists to win. Though it is hard for many to believe, honest studies show that the real motivation behind the Sept. 11 attacks and the vast majority of other instances of suicide terrorism is not that our enemies are bothered by our way of life. Nor is it our religion, or our wealth. Rather, it is primarily occupation. If you were to imagine for a Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. 20
moment how you would feel if another country forcibly occupied the United States and had military bases and armed soldiers present in our hometowns, you might begin to understand why foreign occupation upsets people so much. Robert Pape has extensively researched this issue and goes in depth in his book Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It [available from the AET Book Club]. In fact, of 2,200 incidents of suicide attacks he has studied worldwide since 1980, 95 percent were in response to foreign occupation. Pape notes that before our invasion of Iraq, only about 10 percent of suicide terrorism was aimed at Americans or American interests. Since then, however, not only is suicide terrorism greatly on the rise, but 91 percent of it is now directed at us. Yes, the attacks of 9/11 deserved a response. But the manner in which we responded has allowed radicals in the Muslim world to advance a very threatening narrative about us and our motivation in occupying their lands. Osama bin Laden referred to us as “crusaders” with a religious agenda to convert Muslims, Westernize their culture, and take control of their resources. If we had targeted our response to only the thugs and
criminals who attacked us, and refrained from invading countries that had nothing to do with it, this characterization would seem less plausible to the desperate and displaced. Blaming Islam alone is grossly misleading. Instead, we chose a course of action that led to the further loss of 8,000 American lives, left 40,000 wounded, and has hundreds of thousands seeking help at the Veterans Administration. We are three to four trillion dollars poorer. Our military is spread dangerously thin around the globe, at the expense of protection here at home. Not only that, but we have allowed our freedoms to be greatly threatened and undermined from within. The PATRIOT Act, warrantless searches and wiretapping, abuse of habeas corpus, and useless and humiliating searches at airports are just a few examples of how we’ve allowed the terrorists to “win” by making our country less free. Suicide terrorism did not exist in Iraq before we got there. Now it does. There are no known instances of Iranians committing suicide terrorism. If we invade and occupy Iran, expect that to change, too. Sometimes it can be very uncomfortable to ask the right questions and face the truth. When a slick politician comes along and gives a much more soothing, self-congratulating version of events, it is very tempting to simply believe what we would like to hear. But listening to lies does not make us safer, even though it might make us feel better about ourselves. The truth is that ending these misguided wars and occupations will make us safer, more prosperous, and more free.
U.S. Influence in Mideast Fades In Wake of Arab Awakening By Rachelle Marshall
en years ago U.S. forces in Afghanistan T had the Taliban on the run, and the Bush administration was preparing to overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain, confident that his regime would be only the first to fall in its plan to replace existing NOVEMBER 2011
views_wars_20-21_Two Views 9/22/11 11:39 AM Page 21
Arab rulers with regimes responsive to American and Israeli interests. The 9/11 attacks gave the Bush administration the opportunity it needed to extend America’s dominance over the Middle East. But the neocons’ plans went tragically awry, since then costing the lives of nearly 5,000 Americans and at least 150,000 Iraqis and Afghans. According to the Eisenhower Study Group at Brown University, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have to date drained the U.S. treasury of nearly $4 trillion, roughly 30 percent of the federal debt. That sum will increase by another $2 trillion in coming years as 150,000 wounded veterans receive needed medical care and other benefits. The costs to Iraq and Afghanistan have been incalculable. President Barack Obama claims his goal is to leave behind functioning states capable of defending themselves, but there is currently no prospect of such an outcome. Iraq and Afghanistan are today two of the most corrupt nations in the world, and Afghanistan is one of the poorest. The effort to build a reliable Afghan army continues to falter; 24,590 soldiers, 1 in every 7, walked off the job in the first six months of 2011. Prisons hold 19,000 suspected insurgents. The wars that Washington promised would bring freedom to the people of both countries have instead resulted in fractured societies plagued by unemployment and violence, while their U.S.-backed rulers do little other than reap the profits from an influx of foreign aid. This grim picture is only too vivid in the minds of Arab protesters who have every reason to reject U.S. involvement in their cause. The Egyptians and others demanding an end to corrupt dictatorships are also aware that those regimes were long supported and armed by the U.S. Where rulers have been replaced, the new leaders have little reason to trust us. According to Chas Freeman, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, “We didn’t ingratiate ourselves with either the former regimes or the incoming ones. We’ve not found new friends and we’ve lost old ones. As a result, our influence in the region is probably the lowest it’s ever been.” Even partners in America’s ongoing wars show questionable allegiance to Washington. Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki maintains friendly relations with Syria and Iran, and has gone so far as to accuse Israel of taking advantage of the Arab protests. “We must take notice and be careful not to Rachelle Marshall is a free-lance editor living in Mill Valley, CA. A member of Jewish Voice for Peace, she writes frequently on the Middle East. NOVEMBER 2011
be the prey of this usurping country,” he said, undoubtedly more concerned with defending his own actions in suppressing domestic protest than in expressing support for the Palestinians. In Pakistan, where the Obama administration has intensified its drone attacks, with reports of heavy civilian casualties, hatred of America is increasing, according to Dennis C. Blair, director of national intelligence from 2009 to 2010. In an Aug. 15 New York Times op-ed, Blair argues that the U.S. “should instead be pursuing the sort of comprehensive social, diplomatic and economic reforms that Pakistan desperately needs and that would advance America’s long-term interests.” There are few if any signs that Washington is taking such advice. The same is true of Afghanistan, where President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly urged that U.S. forces call a halt to night raids and drone attacks, and refrain from rearresting or in some cases assassinating Taliban members who have come over to the government’s side. The Taliban recently posted on its Web site a statement saying it is willing to negotiate peace even before all foreign troops are withdrawn. “The Taliban’s public position has undergone an evolution,” said Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. representative in Afghanistan. So far there has been no public response from the U.S., and meanwhile nightime raids, assassinations and arrests continue. The current emphasis on combatting terrorism with military power is certain to continue, with much of the action carried out by personnel who operate below the radar. Even if Obama should withdraw all but a few thousand troops from Iraq by December, a strong U.S. military presence will remain. The administration is greatly expanding the American Embassy in Baghdad, which is already the largest in the world, and its operations will be supported by thousands of paramilitary security contractors. The CIA will remain in Iraq and so, undoubtedly, will U.S. Special Operations forces. The Special Operations Command has a budget of nearly $10 billion this year, and is assigned to more than 70 countries. The highly trained commandos now carry out raids and assassinations over much of the world. Considering that Washington officials wear blinders when it comes to distinguishing between national liberation forces and messianic extremists, and apply the word “terrorist” to resistance groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as well as to alQaeda, the activities of the Special Forces and the CIA frequently backfire, with increasing resentment of the U.S. as a result. One such incident recently came to light THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
in Libya.When Obama announced his decision to go to war in support of Libyan rebels last April he portrayed Col. Muammar Qaddafi as a ruthless killer, claiming without evidence that Qaddafi was prepared to massacre his own people. It came as a surprise, therefore, to learn that the CIA has maintained close ties with Qaddafi’s spy agency since 2004. Documents found at the abandoned offices of Libya’s intelligence services revealed that between 2004 and 2007 the U.S. sent at least eight suspected terrorists to Libya to be interrogated by a service notorious for its brutality. As part of a CIA program known as extraordinary rendition, suspects were abducted in various parts of the world, routinely tortured, and held for years without trial in secret prisons. Scores of innocent people who fell victim to the program and were later freed have publicized their ordeals but have received no apologies from the U.S. One of the documents contained in the Tripoli files concerned the CIA’s capture of a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which was dedicated to the overthrow of Qaddafi. The CIA promised the Libyans it would deliver the wanted man “to your physical custody, similar to what we have done with other senior L.I.F.G members in the recent past....We are committed to developing this relationship for the benefit of both our services.” In fact,the methods used to pursue and detain suspected terrorists seem designed to increase hostility to the U.S. One of the kidnap victims was Abdel Hakim Belhaj, who was seized by the CIA in Bangkok while on his way to Malaysia with his pregnant wife. There, Belhaj said, he was tortured by CIA agents before being sent back to Libya to face further torture and imprisonment. Belhaj today is a top rebel military commander in the forces that have overthrown Qaddafi. Neither he nor the many other Islamists among those forces are likely to favor warm relations with the U.S. and Israel. The same is true of the Palestinians who persist against all odds in their struggle for self-determination and human rights. An America led by a president who opposes their bid for recognition at the U.N. and calls Israel “the homeland of the Jewish people,” as Obama did last May, is likely to have neither influence nor credibility with future Palestinian leaders. An Arab diplomat said recently of America’s weakening grip in the Middle East, “The people in the region say, ‘Why should we listen?’” If Obama hopes to play a positive role in the future of the Middle East, he will have to come up with a plausible answer. ❑ 21
mcarthur_22-23_November 2011 Template 9/22/11 11:42 AM Page 22
A Conservative Estimate of Total U.S. Aid To Israel: More Than $123 Billion CongressWatch
By Shirl McArthur he current estimate by the Washington T Report on Middle East
TABLE 1: Total Direct U.S. Aid to Israel (millions of dollars)
Affairs of cumulative Military Economic Immitotal U.S. direct aid to IsFiscal Year Total Grant Grant grant ASHA D.O.D. Interest All Other rael is $123.202 billion, updating the figure in 1949-2000 87,387.85 37,594.9 27,551.5 1158.9 126.25 4,279.0 1,724 14,953.3 our November 2008 2001 3,911.05 1,975.6 838.2 60.0 2.25 950.0 85 0.0 issue. Because parts of 2002 3,117.65 2,040.0 720.0 60.0 2.65 225.0 42 28.0 U.S. aid to Israel are 2003 4,024.15 3,086.4 596.1 59.6 3.05 250.0 29 0.0 buried in the budgets of 2004 3,063.25 2,147.3 477.2 49.7 3.15 350.0 26 9.9 various U.S. agencies or 2005 3,013.15 2,202.2 357.0 50.0 2.95 355.0 46 0.0 in a form not easily 2006 3,427.20 2,257.0 237.0 40.0 0.00 385.0 51 457.2 quantified—such as the 2007 3,003.65 2,340.0 120.0 40.0 2.95 450.0 50 0.7 early disbursement of 2008 2,922.40 2,380.0 0.0 40.0 3.90 450.0 48 0.5 aid, giving Israel a direct benefit of interest 2009 2,810.10 2,550.0 0.0 30.0 3.90 198.2 26 2.5 income and the U.S. 2010 3,035.70 2,775.0 0.0 25.0 ? 202.4 28 5.8 Treasury a correspond2011 3,485.10 3,000.0 0.0 25.0 ? 415.1 45 ? ing loss—it is virtually impossible to arrive at Totals 123,202.25 64,348.4 30,897.0 1,638.2 151.05 8,509.7 2,200 15,457.9 an exact dollar amount. Our latest estimate is a Sources: The columns showing military aid through ASHA are from CRS Report RL33222: U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel, plus conservative, defensible the FY ’11 continuing resolution, H.R. 1473. The columns showing D.O.D. aid and interest are from WRMEA reporting and research. The last column is from the CRS report plus WRMEA reporting and research. accounting of U.S. direct aid to Israel. It does not The various loan guarantees extended to Israel are not included in these totals, because no U.S. Government include the indirect funds have been transferred to Israel. The U.S. underwrote loans to Israel from commercial institutions. benefits to Israel resulting from U.S. aid, nor the substantial indirect or consequential raeli defense industry. As a result, accord- until FY ’07, and in ’06 they were excost to the U.S. as a result of its blind sup- ing to the Congressional Research Service tended again through FY ’11, with a port for Israel. Most significantly, perhaps, (CRS), between 2001 and 2008 Israel was “carryover” provision that Israel may draw it does not include the costs resulting from the seventh-largest arms exporter to the on unused U.S. guarantees through FY ’12. the U.S. invasion and occupation of world, with total sales of $9.9 billion. Also CRS reported that Israel has not borrowed Iraq—hundreds of billions of dollars, in contrast with other countries receiving any funds against these guarantees since thousands of U.S. and allied casualties, and U.S. military aid, who must purchase FY ’05, speculating that it perhaps views untold tens of thousands of Iraqi killed through the Department of Defense (DOD), the guarantees as a “last resort” option and wounded—which is widely believed Israel deals directly with the U.S. compa- should their normal source of funds—unin the Arab world, and by many Ameri- nies, with no DOD review. guaranteed local and international bond iscans as well, to have been undertaken for suances—become too expensive. Loan Guarantees the benefit of Israel. Among the real benefits to Israel that are Another indirect benefit to Israel is the Subsidies for Israel’s Illegal Colonists not counted as a direct cost to the U.S. tax- loan guarantees that Washington has ex- And Colonies payer is the provision allowing Israel to tended to Israel since 1972. While these A real benefit to Israel that represents anspend 26.3 percent of each year’s military have not yet cost the U.S., they have en- other indirect, but unquantifiable, cost to aid in Israel rather than from American abled Israel to borrow from commercial the U.S. taxpayer is the private, tax-exempt companies (no other recipient of U.S. mili- sources at more favorable terms and lower money collected by charitable American tary aid gets this benefit), which has re- interest rates, since the U.S. guarantees Jewish groups and then sent to support Issulted in an increasingly sophisticated Is- payment of the loans should Israel default. rael’s colonists (“settlers”) and colony-related Most recently, the FY ’03 war supple- causes in occupied Palestinian territories, inShirl McArthur, a retired U.S. foreign service mental appropriations act authorized $9 cluding by groups designated by the U.S. as officer, is a consultant based in the Wash- billion in loan guarantees to Israel over foreign terrorist organizations (see Novemington, DC area. three years. In FY ’05 these were extended ber 2007 Washington Report, p. 30). 22
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
mcarthur_22-23_November 2011 Template 9/30/11 4:19 PM Page 23
In July 2010, The New York Times published a lengthy article on these â&#x20AC;&#x153;charities,â&#x20AC;? reporting that hundreds of millions of dollars have flowed to settlers and settlement-related causes, including to support settler extremists in Hebron and East Jerusalem. While most of the money appears to have gone to purposes that are legal under U.S. laws, the Times reported, it added that these funds have â&#x20AC;&#x153;also paid for more legally questionable commodities: housing as well as guard dogs, bulletproof vests, rifle scopes and vehicles to secure outposts deep in occupied areas.â&#x20AC;? Since every tax-exempt dollar that goes to the colonies represents a loss of, conservatively, 20 cents to the U.S. Treasury, that means that the U.S. taxpayer has indirectly subsidized Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illegal colonies to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or more.
Components of Israel Aid As with previous Washington Report estimates of U.S. aid to Israel, this report draws largely from CRSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; latest report on â&#x20AC;&#x153;U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel,â&#x20AC;? which uses available and verifiable numbers, primarily from the foreign operations appropriations bills. Table 1 on the facing page is based on the appendix to that report plus this magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reporting and research, especially for the columns showing DOD funds and interest income to Israel resulting from the early disbursement of aid. Not counting the huge sums being spent in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid since World War II. The $3 billion or so per year that Israel receives from the U.S. amounts to about $500 per Israeli. The largest amounts have been military grants (Foreign Military Financing, or FMF) and economic grants (Economic Support Funds, or ESF). In August 2007 the U.S. and Israel agreed on a new, 10-year aid plan, beginning in FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09 and calling for no ESF and incremental annual increases in FMF, reaching $3 billion by FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11 and remaining at that level through FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;18. Another ongoing item is so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;migration and refugee assistance.â&#x20AC;? This originally was intended to help Israel absorb Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union, but was expanded in 1985 to include â&#x20AC;&#x153;refugees resettling in Israel.â&#x20AC;? In fact, however, Israel doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t differentiate between refugees and other immigrants, so this money subsidizes all immigrants to Israel. Israel also receives regular grants from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Schools and Hospitals NOVEMBER 2011
TABLE 2: Foreign Aid and DOD Appropriations Legislation Since FY 2007
FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;07 Defense Foreign Aid FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08 Defense Omnibus FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09 Defense Foreign Aid FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10 Defense Omnibus FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11 Defense Foreign Aid
Basic Documents Conference Report
Public Law
H.R. 5631 H.J. Res. 20 H.R. 3222 H.R. 2764 H.R. 2638 H.R. 2638 H.R. 3326 H.R. 3288 H.R. 1473 H.R. 1473
P.L. 109-289 P.L. 110-5 P.L. 110-116 P.L. 110-161 P.L. 110-329 P.L. 110-329 P.L. 111-118 P.L. 111-117 P.L. 112-10 P.L. 112-10
H.Rept. 109-676 H.Rept. 110-434 H.Rept. 110-497
H.Rept. 111-366
Notes: H.R.=House Resolution; S.=Senate Resolution; H.Rept.=House Report; the â&#x20AC;&#x153;public lawâ&#x20AC;? is the final, binding version, as signed by the president. In FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;07 defense was passed separately and foreign aid was included in the continuing resolution, H.J. Res. 20, which continued appropriations at the previous yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s levels, with some exceptions. In FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10 defense was passed separately and foreign aid was included in the consolidated, or â&#x20AC;&#x153;omnibus,â&#x20AC;? bill. In FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11 both defense and foreign aid were included in the continuing resolutions, H.R. 2638 and H.R. 1473.
Abroadâ&#x20AC;? (ASHA) program. A significant amount of aid to Israel comes from the DOD budget for so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;joint defense projectsâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;although to date the Pentagon has shown little interest in these projects for its own use. Previous Washington Report estimates identified about $7.694 billion to Israel from the DOD budget through FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08. To that has been added amounts for FYs â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11, as shown in Table 1. Of the $415 million shown for FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11, the most significant amount is the $205 million appropriated to support Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Domeâ&#x20AC;? short-range missile defense system. A significant part of U.S. support for Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense program is the deployment to Israel in 2008 of the X-Band radar system to detect incoming missiles. Since this system is U.S.-owned and -operated (meaning the constant presence on Israeli soil of U.S. troops and defense contractors), its costs are not reflected in these numbers. Table 1 also shows a conservative estimate of Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest income resulting from the early disbursement of U.S. aid. Assuming that Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aid money is drawn down over the course of each year, a 2 percent interest rate is applied to one-half of the aid for FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10, and a 3 percent rate for FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;All Otherâ&#x20AC;? column on Table 1 reflects information from the CRS report, plus this magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reporting and research, giving amounts from other U.S. departments and agencies. Our 2006 report uncovered $456.7 million in previously unreported THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
grants and endowments, mostly to U.S.-Israeli scientific organizations. The two largest are the BIRD Foundation (research and development) and the BARD Fund (agricultural research). The BARD Fund gets about $500,000 a year from the Agriculture Department. In addition, in each of FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10, Congress appropriated $2 million from the Energy Department for the U.S.-Israeli Energy Cooperation Program, and in FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10 the Energy Department announced that it would contribute $3.3 million to the BIRD Foundation for clean energy projects. For those who wish to look up more details, Table 2 above gives citations for the foreign aid and DOD appropriations bills for the past five years. â?&#x2018; (Advertisement)
-53,)-3
"!+% #!+% 4HERE S ALOT MORE YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOUR MUSLIM NEIGHBORS
6JG /WUNKO .KPM VJG NCTIGUV PGYURCRGT HQT CPF CDQWV VJG /WUNKO %QOOWPKV[ KP &% /& CPF 8# #XCKNCDNG CV OQUV /QUSWGU #TCD +PFQ 2CM CPF 2GTUKCP TGUVCWTCPVU CPF ITQEGTKGU KP VJG ITGCVGT 9CUJKPIVQP $CNVKOQTG OGVTQRQNKVCP CTGC #XCKNCDNG (TGG
0HONE &AX
WWW -USLIMLINKPAPER COM 23
toenjes-liberty_24-25_Special Report 9/22/11 11:43 AM Page 24
Sailing 8,000 Miles to Hold a Memorial Service for USS Liberty Fallen, Survivors SpecialReport
By Larry A. Toenjes
PHOTO L. TOENJES
The S/V Liberty at the site of Israel’s 1967 attack on its namesake, the USS Liberty.
am writing this on my sailboat, the Lib-
Ierty, in Larnaca, Cyprus. Just nine days
ago, my crewmate Rusty Glenn and I were in the exact location, just off the Sinai Penninsula, where Israeli air and naval forces killed 34 Americans and wounded 174 others aboard the American ship USS Liberty. Although that attack occurred nearly 45 years ago, on June 8, 1967, it was never formally investigated by the U.S. Congress. Israel said it was a “tragic mistake.” The survivors say it was a deliberate attack. Lifeboats were shot up and stretcher-bearers on deck were machine-gunned. Those were very deliberate acts which Israeli authorities deny. The attack occurred in international waters off the coast of Egypt while the Liberty was monitoring communications during Israel’s Six-Day War, which it initiated against its neighbors. Most Americans are unaware of that attack because the cover-up began even before the smoke had cleared, the wounded cared for, and the dead counted (see AsLaurence A.Toenjes, who received his doctorate in economics from Southern Illinois University, is retired from the University of Houston’s Department of Sociology, where he was a researcher with The Sociology of Education Research Group. 24
sault on the Liberty by James M. Ennes, available from the AET Book Club, and <www.ussliberty.com>) The cover-up occurred because President Lyndon Johnson did not want to embarrass Israel, thus alienating the powerful Israel Lobby, which would then pour money into his opponent’s campaign. Johnson, in an action that still outrages me, even recalled rescue flights! The cover-up continues to this day, which is why I undertook this voyage. Congress never formally investigated the incident because members of Congress are intimidated by the pro-Israel Lobby. That same Lobby picked up the travel expenses for 81 members of Congress to visit Israel this very summer, as I was sailing to the site of Israel’s attack on the Liberty. Apparently new members need to be “oriented” before voting on the appropriation that gives Israel $8 million in American taxpayer dollars per day. Refusal to participate in the trip would mark a member of Congress as unfriendly to Israel, and the pro-Israel Lobby would work to defeat him or her in the next election. As we approached the attack site the question as to whether we would encounter any opposition from the Israeli navy loomed ever larger. Not only were the killing of nine civilians aboard the Mavi Marmara last year and the jailing of the skipper of the U.S.THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
flagged Audacity of Hope earlier this summer on our minds, but another incident we were aware of also fed our anxieties. This involved a flotilla of several dozen sailboats that were visiting a number of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. In all cases they had notified the countries in advance of their coming, filed crew lists and kept the relevant authorities apprised of their progress. Yet as they entered Israeli waters they were met by at least one armed patrol boat that circled them in an arrogant, menacing manner, pointing their machine gun at them as it did so. This was not a comforting experience. To try to avoid such an incident we kept the Israelis fully informed of our intentions, through our communications with the U.S. naval attaché in Tel Aviv. He also kept the U.S. Sixth Fleet command informed of our presence. I asked him specifically if he could please tell the Israeli navy not to confront us in a hostile manner and point guns at us. After all, we were not challenging the Gaza blockade, we were in international waters, our intentions were peaceful. Commander Palm, the U.S. naval attaché, responded to this request as follows: Mr. Toenjes: We have no indication that the INF would harass your vessel, based on your reported route to the point of interest and then onto El Arish. Your coordination with us has allowed [us] to share your intended path for the cognizance of regional maritime authorities. This however is no guarantee of their behavior as sovereign forces operating in international waters. [underscore added] The following is a response from the Sixth Fleet: “Sixth Fleet cannot guarantee the security of S/V Liberty. Sixth Fleet recommends that is [sic] S/V Liberty is concerned about its safety and security that it should return to its point of origin.” [underscore added] Best Regards and VR CDR Rob Palm Naval Attaché, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, Israel In other words, the fact that the U.S. gives Israel $3 billion each year does not impair Israel’s right as a sovereign nation to threaten American citizens engaged in lawful, peaceful acts in international waters. The U.S. Sixth Fleet, in turn, can use NOVEMBER 2011
toenjes-liberty_24-25_Special Report 9/22/11 11:43 AM Page 25
its power to intimidate and coerce nations that offend Israel, but it may not use its force to protect Americans from the menace of Israeli military forces. It is my contention that an awareness of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty and the subsequent official cover-up of that incident provides an entry point into a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of Israel and the Israel Lobby on U.S. Middle Eastern policy in recent decades. Congress has not avoided an investigation into the Liberty incident merely because it would require a little time and effort. That investigation has not occurred because Israeli interests and the Lobby do not want it to occur. They do not want any such investigation for the same reason that they prefer that Americans do not have a clear picture of the reasons why there are some five million Palestinian refugees today. They do not want it known that
there is a majority Jewish population in the State of Israel because of the ethnic cleansing that occurred during the foundation of that state. It is because of widespread public ignorance of these issues that members of the House or the Senate suffer no cost when they vote “yes” on the annual $3 billion in military aid to Israel, or when they sign letters of support for Israel, or when they vote for resolutions condemning the Palestinians for attempts to reclaim what was taken from them. Drawing attention to the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty requires that the Lobby respond. The Lobby must defend official Israeli spokespersons who deny that the Israeli torpedo boats shot holes in the Liberty’s life rafts, for example, as described by U.S. Navy crewmen who survived the attack. Supporters of the veterans of the Liberty should ask their representatives in the House and Senate to sign letters calling for
the investigation that never occurred. If they fail to sign the letter, that fact should be an issue in their campaign for re-election. Their opponents in their primary elections, and in their general elections, should make an issue of it and thereby support those U.S. servicemen who were the victims of the attack on their vessel In undertaking this 8,000-mile voyage I merely wanted to exercise my right as an American citizen to proceed to a point in international waters where a grave injustice was perpetrated against U.S. sailors and express my dismay that that injustice is being extended by Congress’ timidity. Members of Congress never miss an opportunity to say to a U.S. service man or woman, “We thank you for your service!” But their service is not praised if doing so would embarrass the State of Israel, the pro-Israel Lobby, or diminish campaign contributions. ❑
Memorial Service for Victims of Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty at the Site of the Attack, 12 Miles off the Egyptian Coast, Sept. 8, 2011 The following is an excerpt from the statement read as part of our memorial service at the site of the attack on the USS Liberty as we attempted to honor those who were killed there. upon our presidents and Congress relative to Middle East policy, We are here to commemorate the lives of those who died at this I realized that I must add my voice to those who decry this state spot on June 8, 1967 in an attack by Israeli air and naval forces.… of affairs. Eventually, I realized that the place where I could make I did not personally know the 34 men who died aboard the USS my voice best heard was the very spot where those 34 American Liberty in 1967. I don’t even remember hearing about the attack voices were silenced, and where the cover-up that silenced those on the Liberty at the time it happened. It was lost in the dramatic who survived the attack began. news of Israel’s stunning victories in the Six-Day War. But just as For decades now, survivors Joe Meadors, Jim Ennes, Phil Tourthe consequences of that war are still being felt, so, too, are the ney and many others have sought to get Congress to formally inconsequences of the Israelis’ air and sea attack on the Liberty. vestigate the attack on the USS Liberty, to put them under oath It may never be determined exactly why Israeli fighter jets and and take their testimony. Such an investigation has not occurred. torpedo boats attacked the Liberty. If it were indeed a tragic case These men have not been heard. of mistaken identity, as the Israeli government has always claimed, This voyage to the site of the attack was undertaken as a way to it would nevertheless have been an embarrassment to that napay respect to those who were killed and to demonstrate to tion. If it were a deliberate attack on an identified U.S. ship, as surthose who survived that they are not forgotten.… vivors and high U.S. officials maintain, it would also have been an [W]e have sailed some 8,000 miles, to the spot where the USS embarrassment because the courageous men of the USS Liberty Liberty was attacked on June 8, 1967, and to tell our fellow citirefused to let their ship sink. It remained afloat, stark testimony zens, and citizens everywhere, that that incident is not forgotten. to the brutal attack that had occurred. We urge a new willingness to let the remaining survivors of that Therefore, no matter the cause, the incident was an embarattack have their day in Congress, to testify as to events that day, rassment to Israel and showed it to be, at minimum, an unreliable under oath, to the best of their ability. Let Congress thank these ally. For U.S. domestic political reasons, the president of the men for their service by having the decency to listen to them at United States, his administration, and subsequently Congress did last, before all of them, too, have died. Stop the cover-up. everything possible to hush it up, indeed to cover it up. There It is my impression that the one other official act that would do may be legitimate debate about the reason for the attack, but the most to heal the wounds of the survivors of the attack on the there is no debate about the cover-up that followed. USS Liberty, and to pay respect to those who died, would be for The cover-up had enormous consequences. For the men who the Congressional Medal of Honor that was awarded to their survived the attack, the cover-up signaled to them that their govskipper, Commander William L McGonagle, to be re-issued by ernment did not value them. It told them that their own obserPresident Barack Obama. He should do so personally and pubvations made during the Israeli attack on their ship were irrelelicly, and this time the ceremony should be held in the White vant, that the truth of the matter was less important than the next House itself, rather than in an obscure location elsewhere. We presidential and congressional elections. urge all Americans, especially U.S. veterans, to support this reFor the Israelis, the cover-up sent the message that they could quest. I supported, and still support, President Obama. I call on act in any way they pleased and the U.S. would support them.… him to support the men of the USS Liberty.… —L.A.T. As I became aware of the lock that the pro-Israeli interests have NOVEMBER 2011
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
25
seale_26_Special Report 9/22/11 1:43 PM Page 26
Remaking the Arab State SpecialReport
LEON NEAL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By Patrick Seale
U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene A. Cretz (r) listens to the American national anthem during the official reopening and flag-raising ceremony of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Sept. 22, 2011. he Arabs face a formidable task—noth-
Ting less than rebuilding the entire state
structure and system of government in countries as diverse as Tunisia and Egypt, Libya and Yemen. In Syria, too, the Ba‘athist state is almost certainly doomed, whether President Bashar al-Assad survives at its head or not. It has lasted 48 years, ever since the Ba‘ath party seized power in 1963. If it is to outlast the present uprising, it would need to be profoundly recast and remade in order to accommodate several neglected forces in Syrian society—sects, ethnicities, tribes, disgruntled intellectuals and the rural poor among others. What form of government will replace the rickety Arab structures, some of which have already been brought down, while others are still fighting to survive? What Patrick Seale is a leading British writer on the Middle East. His latest book is The Struggle for Arab Independence: Riad elSolh and the Makers of the Modern Middle East (Cambridge University Press). Copyright © 2011 Patrick Seale. Distributed by Agence Global. 26
state structures will replace the old autocracies, with their bankrupt one-party rule and their all-powerful military and security apparatus? This is the key question posed by events not only in Damascus, but also in Tunis, Cairo, Tripoli and Sana’a. This is the great unknown. The monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula (with the exception of Bahrain) stand out as islands of relative stability in the current upheaval—possibly the most radical since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. They are protected by their oil wealth, but not by that alone. Modernized and reformed over the years, their traditional systems of government have, in most cases, proved responsive to the needs of their citizens. They have provided reasonably good governance, whether in the United Arab Emirates or Qatar, in Kuwait or Oman, or indeed in Saudi Arabia itself, the dominant power in the Peninsula. Good governance would seem to be the secret of their continued legitimacy. We all know—because it has been said so often—that the revolutionaries of the THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Arab Spring want social justice, jobs, freedom from police brutality and arbitrary arrest, a chance to advance in life, better prospects for themselves and their families, a fairer distribution of their country’s resources, an end to corruption by a privileged elite, dignity and respect from their rulers. In a word, good governance. That, above all, is what the Arab world would seem to want, rather than democracy on the Western model, of which the Arabs have had little experience; and for which they have little appetite, if it means any form of Western tutelage. A problem as yet unresolved is the future role of Islamic parties in the countries which are experiencing, or have experienced, revolutions. In Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen these Islamic movements are now above ground and will undoubtedly figure prominently in the new structures of power. In Syria, the Muslim Brothers—the regime’s main enemy since the 1970s—cannot be indefinitely suppressed and will have to be accommodated, one way or the other. Al-Qaeda—a radical Islamic movement not to be confused with the Islamic mainstream—is active in Yemen, engaging in almost daily gun battles with government forces. In Algeria, an Aug. 26 terrorist attack, claimed by al-Qaeda, against a barracks at Sharshal in the north of the country, killed 18 and wounded many others. Algeria has so far refused to recognize Libya’s Provisional National Council precisely because the Council and its agencies include jihadists wanted for crimes in Algeria. Some members of Qaddafi’s family have fled to Algeria and found refuge there. For many Arabs, indeed for most Muslims, the West is highly suspect, and its current rampant Islamophobia a source of angry bewilderment. America’s blind support for Israel—for its aggressions against its neighbors and its long and cruel oppression of the Palestinians—is a source of great rage, latent and largely impotent so far, but for how long? The West’s colonial past in the region has also by no means Continued on page 29 NOVEMBER 2011
dish_network_c2_Dish Network November 2011 8/9/11 1:46 PM Page 27
porter_28-29_Special Report 9/22/11 1:45 PM Page 28
Kabul Attack Continues Taliban Control of War Narrative SpecialReport
PADEK BERRY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By Gareth Porter
In Kabul, Afghan men hang a banner of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, leader of the country’s High Peace Council, the day after he was assassinated in his home Sept. 20 by a suicide bomber posing as an emissary from the Taliban. en. David Petraeus wrote in his 2006
Gcounterinsurgency manual that the
U.S. command headquarters should establish a “narrative” for the counterinsurgency war—a simple storyline that provides a framework for understanding events, both for the population of the country in question and for international audiences. But the Sept. 13 Taliban attacks on multiple targets in Kabul, including the U.S. Embassy and U.S.-NATO headquarters, are the latest and most spectacular of a long series of operations that have given the insurgents the upper hand in establishing the narrative of the war as perceived by the Afghan population. Those attacks and other operations that generated headlines in 2010 have been aimed at convincing Afghans that the TalGareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. Copyright © 2011 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. 28
iban can strike any target in the country, because they have their own agents within the Afghan government’s military, police, and administrative organs. In the wake of the latest attacks, the Taliban war narrative achieved a new level of influence when a political opponent of President Hamid Karzai associated with a prominent Pashtun warlord charged that the Taliban could not have pulled off such a sophisticated set of coordinated attacks in the center of the capital without help from within the Afghan security apparatus. The Taliban have mounted three highprofile attacks in Kabul over the past three months involving suicide bombers and commandos with rocket-propelled grenades. In late June, six suicide bombers attacked the Intercontinental Hotel, the favorite spot in the capital for Westerners to hold conferences, which left the hotel in darkness for many hours. And in August, the insurgents carried THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
out a much more complex attack on the British Council, a semi-governmental agency involved in organizing cultural events. The attack involving a suicide bombing at a key intersection in western Kabul followed an attack on the police checkpoint guarding the British Council and a suicide car bomb that destroyed the wall around the Council and allowed the team of suicide attackers to enter the compound. Attacks on the capital were supposed to have been made impossible by a “Ring of Steel” around the city. After the Taliban had carried out an attack in downtown Kabul in January 2010, the Afghan police, with funding and advice from the U.S. military, set up a system of 25 security checkpoints around the capital that is guarded by 800 officers of the Kabul City Police Command battalion. Nevertheless, the insurgents were able to smuggle weapons, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers, through the cordon and sustained an all-day attack on the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters. For the first time, a prominent political figure in Kabul has charged that the attackers must indeed have had help from people within the Afghan government’s security apparatus. Mohammed Naim Hamidzai Lalai, chairman of the Parliament’s Internal Security Committee and a political ally of powerful Pashtun warlord Gul Agha Sherzai, charged that the “nature and scale of today’s attack” showed that the Taliban had gotten “assistance and guidance from some security officials within the government who are their sympathizers,” according to The New York Times. “Otherwise it would be impossible for the planners and masterminds of the attack to stage such a sophisticated and complex attack in this extremely well-guarded location without the complicity from insiders,” he said. Central to the Taliban strategy has been a series of assassinations of top Afghan NOVEMBER 2011
porter_28-29_Special Report 9/22/11 1:45 PM Page 29
government figures that has demonstrated their ability to place their own agents within the most secure spots in the country. In mid-April, a Taliban suicide bomber wearing a policeman’s uniform was able to penetrate security outside the Kandahar police headquarters and killed the provincial police chief. On May 28, a Taliban suicide bomber who had been able to gain access to the governor’s compound in Takhar province detonated his suicide vest in the hallway outside a meeting room and killed the police chief for northern Afghanistan, Gen. Mohammad Daud Daud. In July, Ahmed Wali Karzai, the halfbrother of President Karzai and the Mafiastyle political boss of Kandahar province, was killed by the longtime head of his security detail, Sardar Mohammad. Mohammad had been trusted by U.S. Special Forces and the CIA, who had very close ties with Wali Karzai. But Mahmoud Karzai, another brother of the president, told Julius Cavendish of The Independent a few days after the assassination that Mohammad had made a trip to Quetta and had met with the Taliban, and that he had been getting phone calls in the middle of the night. The Karzai family had concluded that Mohammad had been recruited by the Taliban to kill Wali Karzai, according to the brother. Perhaps the most important element in building the Taliban narrative has been the constant drumbeat of attacks by Afghan soldiers and policemen on U.S. and NATO troops. According to official NATO figures, between March 2009 and June 2011 at least 57 foreign troops, including 32 Americans, were killed in at least 19 such attacks. U.S. military and intelligence officials reluctantly concluded that most, if not all, of the attacks had been the result of recruitment by the Taliban intelligence service of Afghan security personnel to kill U.S. and NATO troops, at obvious risk to themselves. In June, the U.S. decided to send an unknown number of counterintelligence agents to tighten procedures for identifying troops who might be more likely to be recruited by the Taliban. Adding to the Taliban war narrative was the carefully planned breakout of nearly 500 prisoners from the security wing of Sarposa prison in Kandahar City after a few prisoners spent months digging a 1,000-foot tunnel. The breakout was possible only with the help of a Taliban underNOVEMBER 2011
ground agent or sympathizer who provided copies of keys to the cells, with which Taliban prisoners involved in the plan could unlock the cells of their fellow prisoners so they could escape through the tunnel. Two weeks later, the Taliban carried out a complex attack on key government targets in Kandahar city, including the governor’s office, the Afghan intelligence agency and the police station. The offensive in Kandahar involved seven explosions across the city, six of which were the result of suicide bombers. The Taliban were able to strike freely in Kandahar despite what Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard had called a “ring of stability”—a security cordon that was supposed to keep Taliban fighters from getting into the city. In February 2010, Menard, who was commander of Task Force Kandahar for ISAF, had boasted that, with a total of nearly 6,000 U.S. and Canadian troops deployed against Taliban forces in Kandahar Province, “I can literally break their back.” But the Taliban continued to operate freely in the city. As Peter Dmitrov, a former Canadian military officer who was working as a security consultant to NGOs in Afghanistan, observed last November to the Canadian Press, “The ring hasn’t really shut closed in any way, shape, or form.” The U.S. war strategy has been based at least in part on convincing Afghans that the United States would remain in Afghanistan indefinitely and that the Taliban would weaken. But the Taliban war narrative that it is able to penetrate even the tightest security and cannot be defeated appears to have far more credibility with Afghans of all political stripes than the narrative put forward by U.S. strategists. ❑
The Arab State… Continued from page 26
been forgotten—whether in Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, to name only the most obvious countries. The horrors of the Italian occupation between the wars have not been erased from Libyan minds. Many Libyans will be grateful for the help Britain, France and the United States gave in defeating Muammar Qaddafi, but many others will resent the bombing of their country during the holy month of Ramadan. There is a level of grievance and aspiration in the revolutions of the Arab Spring THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
which the West has largely ignored. This is the thirst for national independence. The Arabs have pursued the goal of national independence—not from their rulers but from external powers—ever since the First World War. But they have not yet fully achieved it. It is very much on their current agenda. Consider for a moment the impact on opinion of America’s invasion, occupation and destruction of Iraq. Imagine the displeasure and anxiety many feel about the vast American bases in the Gulf. Reflect about the bitter resentment aroused by America’s massive subventions to Israel, which allow it to expand its settlements in Palestinian territory, besiege and bomb Gaza, in defiance of the whole Arab and Muslim world and of international law. Imperialism is alive and well. The Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty of 1979 is a very sore point for many Egyptians, and indeed for many Arabs. It removed Egypt from the Arab line-up, condemning it to American-financed impotence, while exposing the rest of the Arab world to Israeli power. Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982, during which it killed 17,000 Lebanese and Palestinians, was a direct consequence of the treaty. Egyptians certainly do not want another war with Israel, but the treaty is a badge of shame which many would like removed. In the eastern Arab world, there are some who detest the strength Hezbollah has acquired in Lebanon, who dread the role of Iran in Arab affairs, and who want to destroy the Alawi-dominated regime in Syria. But there are many others who understand that the Tehran-DamascusHezbollah axis has been the main obstacle to Israeli and American hegemony in the region. If the axis is brought down—as Israel and its American friends fervently desire—there are many who fear that the region will lose what little independence and deterrent capability it has managed to acquire. There is thus a wider geopolitical dimension to the battles being waged inside several countries across the region. National independence—freedom from imperialist and Israeli pressures of one sort or another—is what the revolutionaries demand, in addition to good governance at home. In dealing with the Arab Spring, the West would be wise not to seek to shape events too blatantly in its own interest—or risk an unpleasant backlash. It is high time the Arabs were left alone to determine their own destiny. ❑ 29
gee_30-31_Islam and the Near East in the Far East 9/22/11 11:57 AM Page 30
China’s Challenges in the Middle East
Islam and the Near East in theFar East
LIU JIN–POOL/GETTY IMAGES
By John Gee
President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan (l) and Chinese President Hu Jintao at a June 29 signing ceremony at Bejing’s Great Hall of the People. he changes that took place in the Mid-
Tdle East in the first half of this year
may have posed even greater problems of adaptation for China than they did for Western countries. With a declared policy of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, and no links with revolutionary parties or insurgent groups in the area since the end of the 1970s, Beijing has been able to build friendly ties with practically all countries in the region. Its view that non-interference John Gee is a free-lance journalist based in Singapore, and the author of Unequal Conflict: The Palestinians and Israel. 30
extends to extreme restraint in criticizing other governments for human rights violations and not lending support or encouragement to opponents of established regimes was appreciated by those in power. Its major interest in the recent past has been to expand economic ties and especially to gain an increased share of Middle Eastern oil and gas exports to meet its own rapidly expanding needs. Its main difficulty was that other countries and international energy companies had got there first. Longstanding trading partnerships that were working well for suppliers and buyers alike were not going to be abandoned to the advantage of a newcomer, so THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
China had to be alert to new opportunities and ready to compete with other interested parties. It also went where others hesitated to go, either because of the dangers involved or because of the low international standing of a country’s government. Hence China’s involvement in Sudan. Western states have been critical of the government of Omar al-Bashir for its actions toward the country’s minorities. While the war between north and south was brought to an end by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed by the Khartoum government and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the continued conflict in Darfur still brought al-Bashir a hostile media and governmental criticism in the West. Beijing occasionally criticized the Sudanese government and urged action to end the Darfur conflict, while acting diplomatically to restrain action against Sudan at the United Nations. It concentrated on developing economic relations while Western companies acted warily. China became the largest buyer of Sudanese oil exports and Chinese firms gained a strong presence in the country. A complication for China was that most of the oil was in the south. Despite its official policy of non-interference, Sudanese oppositionists saw Beijing supplying arms to the government and sending Chinese workers into southern Sudan to work in developing oil extraction—which they certainly regarded as taking sides. However, China moved nimbly to defend its interests after the CPA was signed. The CPA provided for oil revenues to be shared between the northern and southern administrations. It called for a period of peace followed by a referendum in southern Sudan to decide whether the South would remain part of a single Sudanese state or become independent. In January 2011, the South voted 98.83 percent in favor of independence, and the world’s newest state was declared on July 9. China was prepared. It discussed the future of its ties with Khartoum and welcomed al-Bashir to Beijing on June 26, despite the International Criminal Court having declared him wanted on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. Meanwhile, it held talks with southern repreNOVEMBER 2011
gee_30-31_Islam and the Near East in the Far East 9/22/11 11:57 AM Page 31
sentatives, receiving David Deng Athorbei, a southern envoy, in April. It immediately recognized South Sudan when it became independent and supported its admission to the United Nations, at the same time calling for the international community to normalize relations with Sudan. Earlier in the year, China had reacted to protests against the Mubarak regime in Egypt by declaring its opposition to foreign intervention and refraining from supporting calls by President Barack Obama and some other Western leaders for Mubarak to step down. It was plainly uncomfortable both at the downfall of a friendly leader and at the manner of his going. China opposed NATO’s intervention in Libya, but on June 3 it announced that Zhang Zhiliang, China’s ambassador to Qatar, had exchanged views with Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, chair of the Benghazi-based National Transitional Council. The changes in the Arab world have illustrated the difficulties of China sustaining its previous foreign policy. It no doubt will sustain its stated commitment to its five principles of peaceful coexistence but, given its new international weight, Beijing may find it increasingly difficult to sustain an ap-
proach that is seen to favor incumbent regimes, however they took power and however they rule, when their people revolt.
“Obedient Wives Club” Finds Limited Support Many of the problems in society “are caused by disobedient wives who do not bring joy and happiness to their husbands and who do not serve their husbands well,” said Maznah Taufik, spokeswoman for the Obedient Wives Club, according to Malaysiakini, an online Malaysian news service. Founded May 1 in Jordan, the club was launched in Malaysia on June 4 and acquired an Indonesian branch within the month. By the end of July, it claimed to have a membership of over 1,000 worldwide. Vice president Dr. Rohaya Mohamed reportedly told the New Straits Times that “a man married to a woman who is as good as or better than a prostitute in bed has no reason to stray. Rather than allowing him to sin, a woman must do all she can to ensure his desires are met.” Journalists from The Malay Mail who subsequently interviewed Fauziah Ariffin, the club’s national director, reported that she thought their views had been “misunderstood and mis-
interpreted. When we said that husbands should treat their wives like first-class prostitutes, we were not putting wives on the same level with prostitutes. We were talking about first-class elite types, not street hooker types.” The Malaysian press reported that the Obedient Wives Club was established by ex-members of a group called Al-Arqam, banned by the authorities in 1994 for its “deviant” views. In 2009, they had established a Polygamy Club, to promote men having two or more wives. The Polygamy Club gained publicity at its launch, but has not gone on to great success, although a 2005 survey by a local university, Universiti Putra Malaysia, had estimated that just over 10 percent of Malaysian Muslim men and around five percent of Chinese and Indian men had more than one wife. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Jalil, said, “To hinge fidelity, domestic violence and the fulfilment of a husband’s responsibilities purely on a wife’s capacity to be obedient, stimulate sexual arousal...is not only demeaning to wives, but to husbands as well,” reported Reuters. This is probably the view of most Malaysians now. ❑
(Advertisement)
NOVEMBER 2011
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
31
cartoons_32_November 2011 Cartoons 9/21/11 8:35 PM Page 32
CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com
OLIPHANT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SYNDICATEDUNIVERSAL UCLICK. REPINTED WITH PERMISSION
THE WORLD LOOKS AT THE MIDDLE EAST
Morning Herald, Sydney
KHALIL BENDIB
CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com
The Economist, London
The New York Times Syndicate, NY
CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com
CWS/CARTOONARTS INTERNATIONAL www.cartoonweb.com
The Muslim Observer, Livonia
Khodnevis.org, Canada
32
National Post, Toronto
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
opm_33-34_Other People's Mail 9/22/11 1:45 PM Page 33
Other People’s Mail Compiled by Deena Zaru and Dale Sprusansky
U.S. Policy Breeds Turmoil To The Boston Globe, Aug. 25, 2011 How can the Israeli consul general to New England, Shai Bazak, write that it is the Palestinian people who have been refusing to embrace “the two-state vision’’ while Israel has been urging them to grasp the opportunity for statehood? And how can more than 80 members of the U.S. House choose this moment to go on a junket to Israel, rather than attending to their constituents at home? Are they checking out how Israel uses the $3 billion in taxpayers’ money that we give them every year? Contemplating cutting it? Unfortunately, that is not likely. Yousef Munayyer (“After Failed Negotiations, it’s the Only Option Left’’) is right—the United States has been anything but an “evenhanded mediator.’’ There will be endless turmoil and destruction in the region if Israel is permitted to continue its colonization of Palestinian territory and if our onesided Middle East policy does not change. Nancy Murray, Cambridge, MA
Jackson’s Israel Trip To The Chicago Tribune, Sept. 2, 2011 Thanks for the excellent op-ed by Prof. Rashid Khalidi on Rep. Jesse Jackson’s shameful trip to Israel, a trip paid for by an offshoot of the pro-Israel lobby. So many of our friends and family members are out of jobs and our economy is in shambles. Instead of joining a trip intended to get our members of Congress to continue to support over $3 billion in U.S. military aid going to Israel every year, Rep. Jackson should be investing in our communities here in Chicago. Military aid to a country that has stripped Palestinians of their civil rights for decades is simply wrong, and Rep. Jesse Jackson should not be a part of that. Miryam Rashid, Chicago, IL
What About Palestinians? To The Miami Herald, Sept. 3, 2011 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s column, “To Protect Israel at U.N., Money Talks,” could have been written by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and maybe it was. She completely disregards the brutal occupation and the continuing stealing of Palestinian land. NOVEMBER 2011
Not a single word was said about Palestinian concerns. This is not impartiality, as demanded by her position as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the citizens of this country. It is pandering to the Jewish community. This issue concerns national security and America’s standing in the world and is of paramount importance and shouldn’t be politicized. Israel continues to flout international and U.S. demands to stop settlement building deemed illegal by international law. This month, Israel announced the building of 277 homes in the West Bank settlement of Ariel in addition to the construction of 1,600 housing units in the West Bank in defiance of international and U.S. wishes. Who is the obstructionist to peace talks? Israel is. Israel is responsible for her isolation from the community of nations. It could not do this without the $3 billion yearly support (which should be reevaluated) that the United States grants Israel and the unquestioned support of Congress. These actions by Israel, among others, further diminish our influence in the Middle East, work against the best interest of the United States and expose us to more hatred and terrorism. Why shouldn’t the Palestinians go to the U.N. for recognition? They have no other options. Leonard Torres, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mideast Miscalculations To The New York Times, Sept. 20, 2011 Thomas Friedman’s opinion article “Israel: Adrift in a Sea Alone” portrays a grim picture of the near-future Mideast and lays the blame clearly at the feet of the current inept Israeli government. Now that the frustrated Palestinians are going to the United Nations to achieve internationally recognized statehood, Israel will no longer be able to negotiate and make “painful concessions” without reference to past U.N. resolutions, the Geneva Conventions and international law. Now that the Israelis have forced U.S. foreign policy under increased public scrutiny, Israel will find itself with a much-weakened ally. It may take a long time to erase the impact of these errors, but the sooner the Israeli voters take corrective action the better for all concerned. Ronald Barbour, Vancouver, WA THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
The Middle East Peace Path To The Washington Post, Sept. 20, 2011 The United States should vote to accept Palestinian membership in the United Nations. The Arab Spring has brought freedom to millions across North Africa and the Middle East. The United States has supported such movements in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria. Do the people of Palestine deserve less? U.N. membership will provide hope to Palestinians that a nonviolent path to peace is viable, thereby strengthening their moderate leaders. I urge President Obama to follow in the footsteps of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela and mobilize international support for nonviolent transformation of society. By recognizing Palestinians’ right to self-determination, he can earn the Nobel Peace Prize that he was awarded with such high hopes three years ago. Edward Ost, Bowie, MD
On Anti-Semitism To The New York Times, Aug. 22, 2011 While I applaud Roger Cohen’s call for diaspora Jews to “be vociferous in their insistence that continued colonization of Palestinians in the West Bank” must end, I take issue with his opposition to “those who, ignoring sinister historical echoes, propose ostracizing Israeli academics and embrace an anti-Zionism that flirts with anti-Semitism.” The movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions as a means to press Israel to respect human rights and international law is very specific in not targeting individual Israeli academics, but rather institutions that collaborate with the Israeli colonial enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territories. The conflation of criticism of Israel, or Zionism, with anti-Semitism is the first refuge of the defenders of Israel right or wrong, and is belied by the active involvement of Jews in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Alan Meyers, Cambridge, MA
Credit Due for Arab Spring To The Chicago Tribune, Sept. 2, 2011
Former Vice President Dick Cheney claims that Arab democracy movements were inspired by the invasion of Iraq. In reality, they were started by a Tunisian fruit 33
opm_33-34_Other People's Mail 9/22/11 1:45 PM Page 34
vendor and made possible by cell phones and social networking. The Iraq war is immensely unpopular in the Middle East and is a perfect example of how NOT to create a democracy. The Bush administration had no plan for the occupation. Cheney himself triggered the insurgency by ordering the Iraqi army disbanded—overruling the CIA and the Pentagon. Cheney taking credit for “the Arab spring” would be like an arsonist taking credit for any improvements in the housing market. Mike Mosser, Chicago, IL
$360 Million Lost to Taliban To The Seattle Times, Aug. 26, 2011 Seems to me we’re partially financing the enemy’s war against us [“$360M Lost to Insurgents, Criminals in Afghanistan”]. And just think of the social programs that could have been saved right here at home, or the job creation it might have enabled, etc. Whether the accounting system utilized by American financial experts in charge of pouring billions into another country, with or without war, is antiquated, one can’t say. A related article claims bigger defense cutbacks would weaken the United States. It’s my position that throwing money into the hands of your opponent impacts the chances at victory to a far greater extent than shrinking the defense budget altogether and using what you have more prudently and effectively. Michael E. White, Brush Prairie, WA
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Libya To UK’s The Guardian, Aug. 24, 2011 I was disappointed to see Jonathan Steele joining those who, focusing narrowly on the fissiparous tendencies in Libya, insist on analyzing it through the lens of Afghanistan and Iraq, and see the Western powers as the principal arbiter of Libya’s future. This ignores a rather different story that places the Libyan people at the center: the powerful sense of national unity the struggle against the regime has generated across all regions and groups; the accompanying sense of national identity (“One Libya, one tribe”); the proud Libyan nationalism that led the opposition to oppose external intervention until Qaddafi’s forces were poised to enter Benghazi; the creation of local bodies of self-government in the liberated areas; the emergence of a current of young people, often well-educated and diverse in their cultural affinities (if their Tshirts are anything to go by), who have literally invested their lives in this conflict. 34
Western analysts should acknowledge the diverse complexity of Libya’s situation and the possibilities it contains. Accounts which focus only on the storm clouds bolster those voices who, even before the armed struggle is resolved, are calling for the disarming of the popular forces so that the future of Libya can be decided by a cosy accord of elites, domestic and Western. We need to be careful lest one-sided, negative prognostications turn into self-fulfilling prophesies. Brian Slocock, Chester, UK
Picking up Pieces in Libya To The Guardian, Aug. 25, 2011 I have been delighted to see the media resume using the word “rebel” in regard to the opponents of Qaddafi. Why for the past eight years they have chosen to use a different word, “insurgent,” for armed opponents of governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Does the word selected depend on whether we endorse the government? Patrick Bolster, Bristol, UK
Coming Together To the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 11, 2011 The heinous acts of Sept. 11, 2001,
WRITE OR TELEPHONE THOSE WORKING FOR YOU IN WASHINGTON. President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20500 (202) 456-1414 White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111 Fax: (202) 456-2461 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Department of State Washington, DC 20520 State Department Public Information Line: (202) 647-6575 Any Senator U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3121 Any Representative U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3121
E-MAIL CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE E-mail Congress: visit the Web site <www.congress.org> for contact information. E-mail President Obama: <president@whitehouse.gov> E-mail Vice President Joe Biden: <vice.president@whitehouse.gov>
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
committed by misguided Muslims, triggered a flurry of reactions toward my American Muslim community. While I myself have experienced some negative reactions, what I remember is the loving random acts of kindness from those around me. One memory stands out. A week before 9/11, my family and I moved to a new home in a new city. I remember thinking to myself after the attacks, what would the neighbors make of us? It was an incredibly draining and turbulent time. But not one week after 9/11, I received the following note from one of my new neighbors: “I am sorry we have not had the opportunity to meet in person. I know times are strange now, but when you are ready, I’d love to meet you.” There are no words that could describe how I felt as I read the note. I stood there reading, tears in my eyes, and I felt reassured that things would be fine. And as we approach and remember the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I take this opportunity to salute all of you who have looked beyond the stereotypes and prejudices; who were able to accept and interact with American Muslims as the human beings we all are. Thank you! Noha Alshugairi, Newport Beach, CA
Treat Us as Equals To the Detroit Free Press, Sep. 10, 2011 I was 3 years old when two hijacked airliners crashed into the Twin Towers. That event affected the rest of my life in ways other Americans may not realize because I am Arab American. The hijackers were Arab. For nearly my entire life, it has seemed that people think that every Arab or Arab American is a terrorist. In many ways, I am just like every other American teenager. I like hip-hop music. I watch “Sponge Bob” shows. I have a feather hair extension. I have relatives from a different part of the world, but that doesn’t mean I’m not American. So my mother wears a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women. Does that mean you shouldn’t talk to her? No. As a Muslim, I pray a different way than Christians do. But don’t we all pray in our own ways? I hope as I grow up that people stop thinking of Arab Americans as terrorists. The tears and pain this attack brought will never be forgotten—even by Arab Americans like me, who were just babies when the towers fell. Jamila Nasser, Dearborn, MI ❑ NOVEMBER 2011
century_one_books_ad_35_Century One Books Ad -- November 2011 9/22/11 5:13 PM Page 35
Re
emple
A NEW THEORY IN LIGHT OF ANCIENT LITERARY EVIDENCE ece centl ntly y unco ncover vered ed arc archae h eolo ological al and hi histo storic rical al evi eviden dence ce may y now ow asic i pre r mbring bri ng int nto o seri serious ous qu quest estion a bas ise se of co conte nt mpo m rar ary y bibl b b ica c l arch archaeo ae lWeste W s rn ogy: Th ogy The e assu a su umpt mp ion i that the We part r of th he orr â&#x20AC;&#x153;wa â&#x20AC;&#x153;waili il ngâ&#x20AC;? Wa W ll l was a once a p wish is Te T mpl ple, e des d tro royed y yed in n first fi rst-ce -centu n ry Jew of 66 to 70 7 CE CE. the h Ro Roman ma /Je /JJ wish war o
â&#x20AC;&#x153;...the arguments regarding the size of Fortress Antonia, based on Josephus and other evidence we have about Roman military encampments, must be addressed. Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis is so bold that it cannot be ignored.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Prof. James D. Tabor, Chairman Dept. of Religious Studies UNC Charlotte Jerusa alem l m Forgot, In Th Thee Temp Temples le that Jer h tor o ian Dr Dr. E Erne r esst L. L Mar Martin in noted his t getther h a col c lec ctio tion n of of long ng-we ves to wea d seldo d m-cited dom ed ey eyewitne ess acdor o mant and nt off ancie entt and nd me medi m dieval JJe erusale rusalem m counts ompe mpelli ling ng pre pr mi mise: e: Sim Simply ply, to present a co w lle lled d rectang n ula lar sstru truc cture ure r tha t t is is the wa rpiece of me metro trop poliitod day the e gr grand an centerpi o tan n Je Jerussale alemâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;a mâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;assu ssum med by on one and all to be the h wa w lls ls of o th he e Seco Se nd d Templeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;w was in in e Roman For ortre ress Ant Antoni on a, and nd th he e fact the ructure r in n fi only stru first rst-ce entu n ry Jerusa salem lem son the th five-tho th usa u nd-str trong ong able to garriso Roman Rom a 10t 10 h L Le egion. gi n Surpriisingly gly, the th pre pr sen se t We Western tern Walll has bee be n o offi fficia cially lly ac accep c pted t d as th ted the w sttern wall wes wa of o He H rod dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ss Tem Temp ple e on only ly since sin e the e 16 6th h cen centur tury, y, follow owiing ga - ong ng â&#x20AC;&#x153;da â&#x20AC;&#x153;dark rk age agesâ&#x20AC;? s of lo cen enturies-lo lost st kno know wledge and edg d mis i inf inform ormation. o By y con connec n tin ng a se s rie iess of of hist his i tori o cal ori c uesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;h â&#x20AC;&#x201C;histori rical ca re recor co ds, d , ea early rly â&#x20AC;&#x153;d dotsâ&#x20AC;? tsâ&#x20AC;? and clue pil ilgri g msâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; m ey eyewi e itne ew tness ss acc accoun ountsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; sâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Mar Martin tin inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legant antly ly rec reconc oncile iless many many se s emp em pre mise eleg th lay of ingly ing y con contra tradic dictor ory y acco acco ount unts of the the land and and th the e pos positio tionin ning o off bui buildin dings gs in Her Herodi odian n Jer Jerusa usalem le . tnesss For ex examp ample, le early l eyewiitn accoun acc untsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; tsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;inc includ luding in Jo Josep sephus hu â&#x20AC;&#x201C;pl p ace pl ce the e he heigh ghtt of of the the Tem mple p e att a diz dizzyi ying ng 40 sto torrie ies,, a prep pr post ostero erous us figur gure e when w en p itiioni pos on ng it on n the pr prese esent n Har H ramamesh-Sh esh Shari ariff or â&#x20AC;&#x153;T â&#x20AC;&#x153;Temp emple le Mou M unt n â&#x20AC;? Mart nt. Martin, in, n ee et how oweve er, pla p ace ces th he e Temp Temple le 600 fe sou outh, h an and d over ove th t e Giho Gihon n Spri Spring ng in the h Ci City ty of Dav David, d, wi with h its ts foundati nd tions ons runnin run n ng g deep d ep into the he pr preciipit pitous ous Ki K dro d on n V ley Val y, a anot noth her de d tai aill ofte often note n ed b by y earl rly y tr vel tra velers ers to Je Jerus rusale alem. g fou founda n atio t n ston ones F the Fur therr, the t huge Mazar zar in th he e lat late u ove unc v red d by Pr Prof. Ma me ensi n ons sixties exactlly ma atch h the dime hus in describing the given by Josseph
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Antonia was a fortress overlooking the Templeâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Josephus, Antiquities, Book 20
Actual Temple Site? It is 600 feet south of Fort Antonia
Steps where Double colonnades, Pontius Pilate as reported by â&#x20AC;&#x153;washed his Western Wall eyewitness handsâ&#x20AC;? of the Roman Temple Josephus, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesus problem.â&#x20AC;? connected the Praetorium Temple precinct with Fort Antonia.
Slated flagstones surround Fort Antonia for protection.
Southeast corner is a 40-story building in elevation. Traditional site where Ya'akov, a tzaddik, the brother of Jesus,was hurled to his death. Valley of Kidron Azazel Bridge Exit waters from Gihon Spring. Both Tacitus and Aristeas report the Temple sat directly over a â&#x20AC;&#x153;gushingâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;inexhaustable supplyâ&#x20AC;?of water.
Bridge of the Red Heifer that leads to the Mount of Olives.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;None of the Jewish Temples were ever built in the area of the Dome of the Rock. Although a popular theory, it is free from any support from biblical sources. Martin is the first modern scholar to realize this.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dr. George Wesley Buchanan
1SPG &NFSJUVT t 8FTMFZ Ç°FPMPHJDBM 4FNJOBSZ
sto tones nes of For ortress ess Ant Antoni onia a, n not ot the Te Templ mple e walls wal ls. An And d whil hile e plac placing ng th the e Temp Temple les ov r tth ove he Dom Do e of of th the Roc Rock k has has be become ome establ est abliished hed Temple T mp e Mo Mount unt lo lore, re, th there ere iis no ref refere e enc ence in eiithe therr Scri Scriptu pture re or ea early y sec ecu ularr sour ources ces as assoc sociat iating ng ei eithe therr Temp T mple le w th a na with natur t ral al out outcro croppi pping ng of roc rock. k aturall ph pheno enomen menon on that did did The natu Th relevan vance ce to the he Te Templ mplles esâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lo loca cahave hav e grea g t rel tionss iss runnin tio run u ning g wate waterr. Cla Classi ssical cal wr write ters rs and e eyewi ew tne tnesse ssess Taci Tacitus tu an and d Aris Ar stea te s both bot h desc de crib ribe e the the sec second ond Te Templ mple e as as â&#x20AC;&#x153;si â&#x20AC;&#x153; it-
ting over ti over an ev everer fl flowi owing ng spr sp ing ngâ&#x20AC;? with h hausti s bl sti b eâ&#x20AC;? su ble supply a â&#x20AC;&#x153;gus â&#x20AC;&#x153;gushin hin ingâ&#x20AC;? gâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;i â&#x20AC;&#x153; nexhau of wat water er fl flowi owing ng int into o and out u of of th he wa err sou ource ce Tem mple p .N No o such such na naturall wat has e ha ever er exi existe sted d on on the the HaramH ra -esh Har e -Sh S ariff. premis m e, mi e, dep d ic icted abo ab ve ve, Martin Mar tinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre ershows sh ws the ma m ssi sive ve Fortre ress s Ant Antoni on a over loo ookin king g the the Sec Second nd Te Templ T mple. e Hi H s book k presen pre sen nts a deta detaile iled d, centurry-b y-by-c y-cent entury ry chroni chr nicle cle of ho how w the the e relligi ig gious ous au utho horitiess of all th three ree Ab Abrah rah hami a c cree eds d los ostt tthe os he knowle kn wledge dge of wh where r th he Temp T mple le sto stood. o .
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything you ever knew about Jerusalem is wrong.â&#x20AC;? )FSTIFM 4IBOLT &EJUPS JO $IJFG #JCMJDBM "SDIBFPMPHZ 3FWJFX .BHB[JOF December, 1999
Few modern scholars have a better working knowledge of Temple Mount topography than Dr. Ernest L. Martin. Over a 5-year period, Dr. Martin worked with noted archaeologist Prof. Benjamin Mazar and Hebrew University in extensive excavations on Mt. Zion.* His research on other topics has been included in such standard works as Handbook of Biblical Chronology, and his books have garnered favorable reviews from such noted theologians as F. F. Bruce and W. H. C. Frend. *TIME magazine, September 3, 1973
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguments are very persuasiveâ&#x20AC;? Prof. Jack Finegan, Author, Handbook of Biblical Chronology
www wh www. whom omov oved ed dth thettem mpl ple.com 3 E A S Y W AY S T O O R D E R T O DAY ! iews ws and dg gra raph phic ics visiit: t Forr mo Fo more revie
e: www.WhoMovedTheTemple.com 1. O On nline 2 C 2. Cal a l: 1-800-852-8346 aill coup upon on n to: Cent Boo ooks 3. Mai 3 n uryOne B nt Grrove ve Blvd B vd. Sui S te e 300-JR JR, Pasa a den na, a CA 911 9 05 0 111 1 So South S u h Or Orange G
Locating Herodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Temple Lo in nL Lig ght off Anc cien i t Eviidenc d nce. Literary Ev 900 min minute te Interview orge g with wit h Prof o . Geor Wesley Wes W ey Buchanan on 2 audi a dio CDs. Ds $14.95
!The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot - Softcover Book, 485 pages - $24.95 !Locating Herodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Temple in the Light of Ancient Literary Evidence. Two CD Set - $14.95 14.95 !Special Temple Mount Update Report - FREE with every order!
_ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Name _ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________________ _ City/State/Zip !CHECK ENCLOSED ____________________________________________________________________________________ Please charge my: !VISA !MASTERCARD !AMERICAN EXPRESS !DISCOVER ____________________________________________________________________________________ Credit Card No. Exp. Date _ ____________________________________________________________________________________
Sec. Code _ Signature (card orders only) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Please add $4 per item Shipping & Handling.
TOTAL $ CA residents add 9.75% sales tax. ____________________________________________________________________________________
begley_36-37_Special Report 9/22/11 1:47 PM Page 36
The Hope Fund, an Organization That Lives up to Its Name SpecialReport
By Alex Begley
STAFF PHOTO A. BEGLEY
tests. The Fund hopes that one way to solve this problem is by asking volunteers and mentors to Skype with prospective students to help improve their English skills. As an indication of the impressive level of accomplishment of Hope Fund participants, of this year’s 19 returning students at least seven have made the Dean’s List consistently; almost all are club leaders, have outside internships or are involved in a volunteer group; at least four have outside jobs to help finance their education; two are involved in sports; one is a fraternity member; and one is pursuing a quadruple major. The numerous awards and honors come as no surprise to anyone who Seated at table (l-r): Fahim Qubain, Karim Anchassi, Ahmad El Achwah, Reem Zeidan and Helen has met and spoken with these fuQubain. Standing (l-r): Pam Bailey, Mahmoud Thaher, Nisreen Zaquot, Minna Al-Barqi, Caroline ture leaders. They are young, hunKatba, Ibrahim Abu Nada, Samer Anabtawi, Nancy Qubain and Rayyan Yassin. gry, smart, educated—and ready to take on the world. Taking on the world is an expensive ens tensions between Israel, Egypt and to graduate cum laude, earning degrees in Palestine erupted into violence in physics, math and biochemistry—setting deavor, however. Although some students Gaza and along the Egyptian border on the a very high standard for future Hope have been able to raise enough money on their own to cover their non-tuition exAug. 18, thousands of miles away in Wash- Fund students! The Qubains and 10 of this year’s 35 penses, this year the Hope Fund will pay ington, DC 35 Palestinian college students were waiting to end the day’s Ramadan Hope Fund students (a few had not yet ar- at least $90,000 to cover expenses for infasting with an iftar dinner at Busboys and rived in the U.S. because of visa issues) vis- coming freshmen—in addition to at least Poets. They spoke enthusiastically about ited the Washington Report offices on Aug. $46,000 that it will pay for the returning their studies and future plans, and if they 17. The new and returning Palestinian stu- students. That $136,000, however, reprewere worried about their families in Pales- dents will be attending such higher insti- sents an investment in the future, in stutine they did not reveal it. Long accus- tutions as Georgetown University, Amherst dents who otherwise would have much tomed to facing violence with a brave College and Illinois College. The college or fewer prospects. Hope Fund participants come from lowfront, these students were now anticipat- university provides each student a full ing an experience shared by their Ameri- scholarship, for a total this year of $2.1 mil- income families in Palestinian refugee can counterparts: the first week of school. lion. The Hope Fund covers all other costs, camps in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank Every year for the past decade, the Hope including visas, transportation, textbooks, and Gaza Strip. Many have siblings whom their parents struggle to support. All have Fund has provided the best and brightest and even clothing. We at the Washington Report are not the worked hard to reach the top of their high young Palestinians, many of them refugees, who otherwise could not afford higher ed- only ones to be impressed by the Hope school class and passed rigorous testing to ucation, with full scholarships to an Amer- Fund students; they are sought by many be accepted into the Hope Fund program, ican college. In 2001, Dr. Fahim Qubain Ivy League schools as well. This year, ex- which partners with fellow educational and his wife, Nancy, launched the Hope ecutive director Helen Qubain said, 12 col- non-profit Amideast to help find the most Fund by securing full scholarships to lege scholarship had to be turned down qualified candidates. One student even Roanoke College in Virginia for two Pales- because there were not enough qualified taught himself English in an effort to imtinian students. The students would go on candidates. This is due primarily to the prove his chances. These students do not always have the fact that many high-achieving Palestinian Alex Begley is administrative director and students don’t have the opportunity to opportunity to study physics, biomedical intern coordinataor for the Washington Re- practice their English enough to get the engineering, business, computer science, high scores they need on standardized economics, and political science in their port on Middle East Affairs.
A
36
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
begley_36-37_Special Report 9/22/11 1:47 PM Page 37
own country. After completing their education in the U.S., Hope Fund students— many of whom go on to pursue a master’s or Ph.D.—are required to return home so that the skills and experience they have gained can be put to use in places like Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Gaza. Aside from gaining a top education at an American university, the Hope Fund students realize that they also have another important role—as ambassador for their country and their culture. Some said they had been warned of the ignorance of American students. “They aren’t ignorant, as they say,” opined 18-year-old Caroline Katba, who will be a freshman at Amhurst, “they just don’t have the resources.” When she attended high school for a year in the United States, Katba found herself welcomed with a smile by students in Tennessee. It was “kinda strange,” she recalled with a laugh. Samer Anabtawi, a standout quadruplemajor senior at Illinois College who started the first Amnesty International chapter at his school, also understands the importance of being an ambassador. “What I learned from the Hope Fund is resilience,” he said. “The key is empowering people.” Empowering Americans and Arabs alike with knowledge is the first step in bridging the gap between the two communities—something that the Hope Fund students are doing with enthusiasm, intelligence and élan. For more information about the Hope Fund, visit <www.thehopefund.org>. ❑
IndextoAdvertisers Alalusi Foundation . . . . . . . . . . 37
Advertisement
Alalusi Foundation
Iraq Orphans Project (IOP) February 2010 – September 2011
War and violence in Iraq have taken more than a million lives. The Iraqi government has estimated that the number of orphans could be as high as Five Million—almost half of the children in Iraq. Fall – Winter 2009 ► Received reports of Iraq orphans problem. February 2010 ► The Iraq Orphans Project initiated. May 2010 ► 69 Iraqi orphans sponsored. September 2010 ► 110 Iraqi orphans sponsored. December 2010 ► 244 Iraqi orphans sponsored, and blankets distributed to all these children and their families. April 2011 ► 349 Iraqi orphans sponsored in Baghdad, Diala, Mosul, Anbar and Basra. June 2011 ► 426 Iraqi orphans sponsored in Baghdad, Diala, Mosul, Anbar, Basra, and Kut. August 2011 ► 20 additional orphans sponsored in Diwaniya. September 2011 ► More than 500 Iraqi Orphans sponsored throughout Iraq.
Millions of Orphans in Iraq are Still in Desperate Need.
The Atlas of Palestine . . . . . . . . 15
You can help!
CenturyOne Books . . . . . . . . . . 35
If you are concerned, sponsor an Iraqi orphan:
Dish Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
$ 400 will provide one year’s basic support for one child. $ 40 provides one month's sustenance for one child. $ ______ other amount
FolkArtMavens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Gaza: Symbol of Resistance . . . 12 Helping Hand for Relief and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Kinder USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Muslim Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Radio Baladi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 United Palestinian Appeal (UPA) . . . . . . Inside Front Cover NOVEMBER 2011
Please send checks to: Alalusi Foundation Iraq Orphans Project 1975 National Ave. Hayward CA 94545 Call (510) 887-2374 or E-mail alusi.1421@yahoo.com www.alalusifoundation.org Alalusi Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Tax ID # 91-2158518
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
37
parry_villages_38-39_The Nakba Continues 9/21/11 8:39 PM Page 38
Home, Bittersweet Home By William Parry
PHOTOS W. PARRY
The Nakba Continues
ABOVE: The spring that serves the Hiteen mosque. RIGHT: Refugees pose by the mosque’s intact minaret. his summer my wife’s brother, Amin,
Ttook us off-roading on a brief tour
around Tiberius to see a handful of the 675 Palestinian villages and towns systematically depopulated and destroyed in 1948, on the foundations of which are built what is today called Israel. We had two excellent and indispensible books to guide and inform us: The Return Journey: A Guide to the Depopulated and Present Palestinian Towns and Villages and Holy Sites by Salman Abu Sitta and the Palestine Land Trust, and Walid Khalidi’s All that Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. The former is essentially a road atlas that overlays maps of 1948 Palestine with present day maps of Israel and the West Bank, so that one can travel throughout Israel and visit all of the accessible villages and holy sites, with historic Arab names and the renamed Hebrew versions side by side. KhaWilliam Parry is a free-lance writer and photographer based in London. His book, Against the Wall, is available from the AET Book Club. 38
lidi’s book, as its preface states, “amounts to a snapshot of each of the destroyed villages prior to 1948, including statistical, topographical, historical, architectural, archeological, and economic material; the circumstances of the village’s occupation; and a description of what remains.” Within a couple of hours we had visited five destroyed villages. Sejera, where the famous Palestinian political cartoonist Naji al Ali was born, is now impinged upon by the illegal Israeli settlement Ilanya. We went on to Sirin, ’Ulam and Hadatha. Where villages once stood and thrived for centuries, if not millennia, cow pastures or cattle yards now dominate. In each village, the original homes are simply strewn rubble in a grassy THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
landscape and the wells remain, often used for the cattle. In Sirin, a dozen curious but wary cows contemplated us as we stood by the well, surveying the past and present. A few hundred yards away was a farm building flying the Israeli flag. A few miles inland from Lake Tiberias is Hiteen. Approaching it, there are cattle yards to the right and, to the left, the remains of a few dozen homes, the boundaries of which are marked by sabra (prickly pear) trees. These natural “fences” are one of the first signs to look for when searching for destroyed Palestinian villages, as the plants are nearly impossible to kill and they continue—albeit a little erratically after 63 years—to demark properties destroyed in 1948. (Forests are another sign: according to Abu Sitta’s book, the Jewish National Fund “has planted around 100 forests or parks on lands taken from 372 Palestinian villages.”) The ruins of Hiteen’s mosque and its intact minaret, with a spring where worshippers would have performed their ablutions, are the most extant ruins of the village. In the late 13th century, Khalidi notes, Salah al-Din defeated Crusader armies and secured the Galilee at Hiteen. It is also where a number of prominent figures from the early Islamic period were born or died, and the site of the prophet al Nabi Shu’ayb’s shrine, important for Druze to this day. Makbula Nassar, an activist and journalist living in Haifa, has roots in Hiteen—her mother, Samiyeh, was 11 in 1948 when the family was forced to flee for safety, eventually settling in Arrabeh. Her family often marks Nakba Day—when Israelis are celebrating their “Independence Day”— by going to Hiteen to highlight the crimes committed in the founding of the State of Israel and to celebrate their heritage and keep alive their connection with their ancestral village and its “fighting spirit.” “We go there to ‘live’ and ‘be’ in a place that is our home, our land,” she explains. “We clean the land and the area, we enjoy NOVEMBER 2011
parry_villages_38-39_The Nakba Continues 9/21/11 8:39 PM Page 39
the fruit from the trees, the beauty and the spring. It’s like celebrating any holiday, but on—and marking—our land.” Any time there’s a significant family celebration, she adds, families originally from Hiteen go there to celebrate it, to retain and reinforce that connection with their roots.
PHOTO W. PARRY
In an e-mail exchange, Abu Sitta tells me that the reason The Return Journey is in Arabic, Hebrew and English simultaneously is that in a single volume he can reach several intended audiences. “Arabic, of course, is for Palestinians returning to their homes or living already in Palestine,” he elaborates. “Those returning on a visit visa are obviously those refugees whose families have been expelled from their homes from 1948. The intention was to enable the owners of the land and destroyed homes to find the location of their villages and see the remains of these villages, like the cemetery, the mosque or the church. This is, of course, the purpose of continuing their struggle to return and to rebuild these villages. “English-language is intended for the many supporters of Palestinian rights who come from many countries in the world,” he continues. “Hebrew is for young Israelis who would like to break out from the bubble of the denial which [their] Israeli education put them in. A young Israeli should be able to know when he is driving on Highway 65, for example, that he is driving on the land of such and such villages, whose people have been uprooted. Therefore the destroyed landscape and the existing landscape sum up the conflict. This shows it is not a hopeless case,” Abu Sitta points out, “because we can restore rights and we can
PHOTO W. PARRY
The Return Journey
All that remains of Sejera, birthplace of the famous Palestinian political cartoonist Naji al Ali.
lulled into artificial righteousness by denying the history which made Israel, namely the destruction of Palestine. It is…a case of collective amnesia suffered by the Israelis. There can be no peace in the Middle East, or no peace in Israeli souls themselves, without breaking out from the self-imposed amnesia,” he argues. “An obvious symptom of this collective amnesia is the plethora of the continuously publicized myths which Israelis propagate all the time.” Among such myths he cites the “land without a people for a people without a land” refrain adopted by the early Zionist colonizers, and false claims that the Palestinian refugees of 1948 were ordered to flee by Arab armies. “I have never seen, as a history reader,” he adds, “another example in which so many myths, lies and fabrications have been created. The reason is, of course, obvious: the Israelis do not have a legal claim on the land, nor a legal justification for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.” Home remains where the heart is. For the world’s 10 million Palestinians—88 percent of whom “still live in Palestine and a 100mile ring around it,” according to The Return Journey—many of those homes are in the 675 destroyed villages in present-day Israel, and are celebrated in songs, poems and stories, continuing Hardy sabra trees mark the site of destroyed Palestinian homes in Hiteen in front of a farm building their passage from generation to flying Israeli flags. generation. ❑ NOVEMBER 2011
rebuild the destroyed stone, since the uprooted person is not destroyed.” Our visits to the destroyed villages took place as Israeli civil society was being ‘inspired’ by the winds of the Arab Spring, with unprecedentedly large numbers of Israelis taking to the streets to protest, of all things, the national housing shortage. Israel’s far-right government used the protests to cast in a positive domestic light announced plans for further settlement expansions. Most Israelis seemed convinced by the government’s premise that building more homes on illegally occupied Palestinian territory would help alleviate the domestic affordable housing shortage. Abu Sitta has an explanation for this cognitive dissonance: “The Israelis have been
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
39
adas_40-41_New York City and Tri-State News 9/22/11 12:00 PM Page 40
New York Law School Holds Conference on Shariah in America
New York City and Tri-StateNews
STAFF PHOTO J. ADAS
By Jane Adas
Muhammad Fadel (l) and Frank Vogel. ew York Law School hosted an im-
Nportant symposium Aug. 26 on
shariah in America. The topic is timely, even urgent, given that half our states have anti-shariah laws in their legislative pipelines. Yet few Americans have even a vague idea of what shariah means. As Frank Vogel, who founded Harvard Law School’s Islamic Legal Studies Program, explained, shariah is God’s law, derived from the Qur’an and sunnah, the practice of Prophet Mohammed. Islamic law evolved from fiqh, which is how the Qur’an and sunnah are interpreted. Fiqh guides actions rather than beliefs—and, being interpretation, is human and fallible. By the 13th century, four schools of Sunni and one of Shi’i interpretation had developed. Because there are several schools of thought, Vogel noted, there is much tolerance of each other’s views and choice as to which school to follow. The counterpart of shariah in Judaism is halacha. Michael Broyde, professor of law at Emory University Law School and a member of Beth Din of America, the Jane Adas is a free-lance writer based in the New York City metropolitan area. 40
largest Jewish law court system in the country, spoke about Jewish law. For a thousand years, from around 900 AD until the Holocaust, Broyde said, Jewish law courts served a vibrant commercial role in Europe. With their common religion, language (Yiddish), and court system, Jews were able to cross boundaries that inhibited international commerce. In America, however, with its secular legal system that did not discriminate, there was a lack of interest in establishing Jewish law courts. The first attempt did not take place until the 1930s, and it failed. Broyde described the second attempt in 1962 as no great success until it was revised in 1995, a process in which Broyde himself was involved. There are now Jewish arbitration courts throughout the U.S., and Broyde proudly pointed out that their decisions have not yet been overturned in civil courts. Based on what Beth Din of America has learned from its “30-year experiment” of adapting Jewish law to the U.S. reality, Broyde offered advice for practitioners of Islamic law on how to establish a voluntary but binding arbitration process through Islamic courts. Beth Din produced detailed and neutral rules of procedure “in THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
lawyers’ English” rather than referencing the Torah or Maimonides, he said, and created an appellate process not available in traditional Jewish law. Broyde emphasized that Beth Din arbitrators must be “dualtrained” in both Jewish law and in the American legal system. He observed that Jewish law courts have served a stabilizing function within the American Jewish community. Rather than refer to religious versus secular law, Muhammad Fadel of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law said he prefers to think in terms of jurist’s law, of which fiqh is one example, and state law. Islamic law recognizes both, he pointed out, with state law always valid provided it is consistent with the public good and does not command sin. Fadel observed that issues that are a source of conflict between the two, such as polygamous marriage, often involve rights rather than duties—no one is obligated to take a second wife. Because Islam distinguishes between theological doctrines, which are “set in stone,” and legal doctrines, which are not, Fadel said that Islamic law is therefore subject to reform. He suggested that the growing fear of shariah and hostility to Muslims might be due to the concept of ummah (the faith community of Islam), meaning that some Islamophobes perceive Muslims’ transnational ties of solidarity as inconsistent with loyalty to the nationstate. For such people, Fadel concluded, it is more important to understand the U.S. Constitution, especially the First Amendment, rather than the complexities of Islamic law. Asifa Quraishi of the University of Wisconsin Law School discussed the positives and negatives of shariah law with regard to issues of family law. On the one hand, she noted, an Islamic marriage contract builds in financial independence for a woman even if she chooses to stay home, and her property is exclusively her own. On the other hand, men have unilateral access to divorce, and the laws governing inheritance and child custody are unequal. Quraishi advocates promoting the evolution of a new fiqh, one which is authentically Muslim but compatible with U.S. NOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTOS J. ADAS
adas_40-41_New York City and Tri-State News 9/22/11 12:00 PM Page 41
Speaking at the New York Law School conference were (l-r) Michael Broyde, Sadiq Reza and Asifa Quraishi. legal and cultural practices. For now, she questions what the shariah bans hope to accomplish, other than further alienation. Sadiq Reza teaches at New York Law School and hosted the symposium. He argued that some practices that people associate with Islam, such as honor killing and female genital cutting, do not originate in Islam and are not limited to Islam. He acknowledged that there are unpleasant doctrines in Islam, such as disallowing the possibility of marital rape, but pointed out that this was also true in most states in the U.S. until the 1970s. The problems, he concluded, are not unique to Muslim society and can be overcome by re-interpreting scripture, as Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan called for in 2005. Sadiq said he has found no interest whatsoever among American Muslims in implementing shariah in the U.S. and considers the fear of it exaggerated. By coincidence, on the day of the symposium the Center for American Progress released a report entitled Fear, Inc. The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America (see p. 18). The report names seven foundations that have given more than $40 million over the past decade to anti-Islamic think tanks run by self-proclaimed nonMuslim experts on shariah: Frank Gaffney, David Yerushalmi, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer and Steven Emerson. Their mischaracterization of shariah has been picked up by some on the religious right—Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Ralph Reed and Franklin Graham—and amplified by certain media outlets such as the Fox News NOVEMBER 2011
Channel, the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Pamela Geller’s blog “Atlas Shrugs,” and the Reverend Moon-owned Washington Times. According to the report, “This small network of people is driving the national and global debates that have real consequences on the public dialogue and on American Muslims.” Fear, Inc., which can
be read at <www.americanprogress.org>, appears to validate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s remarks at an Aug. 3 press conference responding to critics of his decision to appoint a Muslim judge to the state Supreme Court: “This shariah law business is crap. It’s just crazy. And I’m tired of dealing with the crazies.”❑
(Advertisement)
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
41
pasquini_42-43_Northern California Chronicle 9/21/11 8:47 PM Page 42
Students Learn Ways of Government at CAIR Muslim Youth Leadership Program
STAFF PHOTOS PHIL PASQUINI
By Elaine Pasquini
Northern California Chronicle
Saeeda Islam, programs coordinator for CAIR-SV, who is in her last semester at California State University at Sacramento. Among other duties, Moussa guided the students to different venues within the Capitol and conscientiously enforced senatorial protocol and manners, including no drinking or eating in the chamber. The student “senators” took seriously the Latin phrase Senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri (“It is the duty of a senator to protect the liberty of the people”) which adorns the cornice of the ornate Senate chamber.
ABOVE: Participants in CAIR’s Muslim Youth Leadership Program in the Senate chamber of Sacramento’s Capitol after their mock legislative session. RIGHT: Students in a mock hearing on the Senate floor of the Sacramento Capitol. or the seventh consecutive year, out-
Fstanding high school students from
throughout California gathered in Sacramento July 28 for the annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) held by the California chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). During the intensive four-day event, 55 young men and women—the largest group to participate in the program’s history—attended workshops on public speaking, media relations and government activism. The students’ hands-on training in the legislative process, held in the committee rooms of the state Capitol, culminated in a mock legislative debate on the Senate floor. “For me, the program was important in order to acquire the skills needed to become a future leader,” Faiza Zahid, a high school junior from Los Angeles told the Washington Report. The training programs were a confidence builder for Nassim Durali. “My favorite part of the program was the workshop on public speaking,” she said. “It helped me break out of my shell and I hope to impleElaine Pasquini is a free-lance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. 42
ment this in my community by voicing my opinion and networking with more people.” Asked what he learned and would take back to his community, Imaan Taghavi replied thoughtfully, “Being able to listen better to others. I hope to be able to take that back home and be a better Muslim in my community.” Learning about the bills and being able to voice his opinion was important, Rahim Saddiq said: “I want to get involved with CAIR in San Diego and to be a voice for the Muslim community.” The endeavor of basically bringing the classroom to the halls and committee rooms of Sacramento’s 137-year-old historic state Capitol was accomplished by a cadre of hard-working individuals, not only from CAIR, but also from the California state Assembly and Senate. Sarah Moussa, senior field representative to assemblymember Roger Dickinson, served as conference co-chair, along with THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Sitting in on an elections committee hearing, Moussa was impressed with how quickly the student legislators absorbed the legislative process during their crash course on debating public policy issues and preparing bills for presentation on the Senate floor. “The students asked analytical policy questions that the real legislators ask,” she observed. As chief clerk in the mock legislative floor session, Mufaddal Ezzy, a policy consultant to California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, instructed the students in parliamentary procedure and legislative rules and customs. On the last evening of their program, the NOVEMBER 2011
pasquini_42-43_Northern California Chronicle 9/21/11 8:47 PM Page 43
STAFF PHOTO E. PASQUINI
STAFF PHOTO PHIL PASQUINI
vowed Lubin. “The children of group celebrated at a dinner, Gaza have the right to speak which featured several special out.” speakers. Museum officials did not reFormer CAIR-SV president spond to telephone calls or eRashid Ahmad—founder of the mails from this reporter. MYLP—explained how he fashioned it after a similar program Rally for Syria of the Sacramento-based Asian Pacific Islander American Public Some 100 human rights supAffairs Association (APAPA), a porters rallied in San Franlongtime supporter of CAIR. cisco’s Union Square on Aug. Pointing out that the majority of 20 in solidarity with thousands California Supreme Court juswho have been protesting in tices and 130 council members cities throughout Syria calling are Asian, Ahmad said, “They for President Bashar Assad to have so much empowerment A drawing by a young Gazan from “A Child’s View From Gaza,” step down. and that is the model we have the exhibit banned by the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland. Many protesters held signs tried to follow in the MYLP.” proclaiming “Assad: The People Addressing the importance of engaging homes, and family members bleeding and Want U Out” and “Syria Wants Democracy with minority groups within the commu- being carried on stretchers, was “inappro- Now,” while others waved flags—both the nity, assemblymember Mariko Yamada, priate.” 1932 black, white and red Syrian flag with MECA, however, has learned that there three stars, and the two-starred Syrian Arab who grew up in an African-American community after her family was released from a was a concerted effort by Zionist organiza- Republic flag. Japanese internment camp, told the crowd, tions in the San Francisco Bay Area to presContrary to claims by the Syrian govern“When you come to understand that we sure the museum to reverse its decision to ment, members of the Free Syria Bay Area share the same legacy of discrimination, display the children’s artwork. who organized the rally told the WashingIn addition to images of the Israeli assault, ton Report, this is not a sectarian or relipoverty and hatred, we can use that power and turn it around to positive forces no the exhibit included writings and drawings gious struggle. Instead, it is an effort by all matter how difficult that may be, and that of the children’s dreams for the future, self- Syrians, regardless of their religious or ethportraits, and photos taken by the kids nic background, to call for an end to the is what we must carry with us.” themselves. Also included are photos of the oppressive Assad rule of the past four Gaza Children’s Art “Inappropriate,” “Maia Murals” completed in Gaza this sum- decades. ❑ Say Oakland Museum Officials mer by artists from the Break the SiAnnouncement of the cancellation of a lence Mural Project, part of an internalong-planned exhibit titled “A Child’s View tional campaign focusing on every From Gaza” has outraged human rights human being’s right to clean water. The supporters from the San Francisco Bay Area Gaza murals were painted on schools to New York City and around the world. that have received water purification The art created by Gaza youngsters aged 7 systems built by MECA (see August to 14 was to be shown at Oakland’s Mu- 2010 Washington Report, p. 46). “This exhibit is in keeping with the seum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) from museum’s mission statement,” Lubin Sept. 24 to Nov. 13. The Berkeley-based Middle East Children’s told the Washington Report. “It has feaAlliance (MECA), organizer of the project in tured children’s art from the Iraq war partnership with MOCHA, had just sent out and children’s art about the Holocaust. notices of the exhibit featuring artwork by But we understand all too well the Palestinian children following Israel’s Cast enormous pressure the museum came Lead assault on Gaza in 2008 and 2009 when under. We are not the first organization museum officials abruptly cancelled the pro- to be pressured by the Jewish Federagram, which also would have included chil- tion or the Zionist community. But who dren’s activities, poetry readings by Deema wins? The only winners are those who Shehabi and Lorene Zouzounis, and a car- spend millions of dollars censoring any criticism of Israel and silencing the tooning workshop with Khalil Bendib. MOCHA board president Hilmon Sorey voices of children who live every day advised MECA executive director Barbara under military siege and occupation. Lubin and associate director Ziad Abbas of Our basic constitutional freedom of the museum’s decision to cancel the show speech loses. But the big losers in all of because, he said, “the board was caught off this, once again, are the children in guard” and “had no articulated policy.” Ba- Gaza, who always lose.” “We will be at the museum as sched- Next to a woman holding a Syrian flag, another sically, he said, it was decided that the exhibit, which featured children’s drawings of uled for the opening on Sept. 24, either woman holds her sign with a saying by Martin Israeli warplanes dropping bombs on inside or holding the artwork outside,” Luther King, Jr. NOVEMBER 2011
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
43
twair_44-45_Southern California Chronicle 9/21/11 8:50 PM Page 44
U.N. Recognition of Palestinian Statehood Merely Symbolic?
Southern California Chronicle
STAFF PHOTO S. TWAIR
By Pat and Samir Twair
Palestinian statehood speakers (l-r) Jim Prendergast, emcee; Dr. Brice Harris, Dr. Mahmood Ibraham and Randy Heyn-Lamb.
sembly, the Los Angeles Episcopalian Diocese hosted an Aug. 21 panel discussion emceed by Jim Prendergast on “The Pending United Nations Resolution on Palestinian Statehood.” Occidental College Professor Emeritus Brice Harris reviewed the procedure for U.N. consideration of an application for membership; Cal Poly Pomona Professor Mahmood Ibrahim argued on behalf of the Palestinian position; and Randy Heyn-Lamb addressed Israel’s opposition. Dr. Harris explained that statehood membership requires nine of 15 votes in the Security Council, providing no permanent member votes against it; the General Assembly requires a two-thirds vote. Inasmuch as the U.S. was expected to veto the application, Harris said all the General Assembly can do is upgrade Palestine’s status from “Observer Mission” to “Observer State.” This will be a symbolic lift for the Palestinians, Harris opined, but Israel will continue to build illegal settlements on Palestinian land and to repress the Palestinians despite repeated U.N. resolutions against these actions. “One good reason for the U.N. to vote for Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles. 44
Palestinian statehood membership is because Israel says no,” countered Dr. Ibrahim. “Statehood would empower the Palestinians to press for sanctions on Israel until it abides by international law.
Israeli, American Paraticipants Discuss Gaza Flotilla Campaign
STAFF PHOTO S. TWAIR
month before the convening of the
A66th session of the U.N. General As-
Angeles Jews for Peace. Shapira gained international attention when he authored the 2003 Pilots’ Letter which he signed along with 26 other Israeli pilots who refused to drop bombs on civilian areas in Gaza and the West Bank. They were dismissed from the air force, but weren’t prosecuted, Shapira contends, because a trial would have given the dissenters a public forum. The high-profile dissident and former officer in an Israeli Black Hawk helicopter squadron speaks publicly in Israel, Europe and the U.S. In 2010, he was aboard a small boat in the Gaza flotilla that carried harmonicas, toys and letters destined for Gaza. His boat, along with its passengers and crew, were apprehended by the Israelis. This year Shapira joined the crew of a larger vessel that departed from Athens on July 1 headed toward Gaza. “We knew we’d be stopped,” he said, “and when we were intercepted, our boat carried a huge banner with the words: ’Who’s the God of the Greek Sea Poseidon or Bibi?’” Hughes-Thompson, who has made six trips to the West Bank and Gaza, said she became interested in the plight of the Palestinians when she saw camera footage of 12year-old Mohammed al-Doura, cowering in
(L-r) Jeff Warner, Mary Hughes-Thompson and Yonatan Shapira at an Aug. 7 panel on the Gaza flotillas. Israeli peace activist Yonatan Shapira and Mary Hughes-Thompson discussed their experiences aboard international flotillas trying to break Israel’s crippling blockade of Gaza at an Aug. 7 panel in the Westside Pavilion moderated by Jeff Warner of Los THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
his father’s arms in Gaza before he was shot to death in a fusillade of Israeli bullets on Sept. 30, 2000. She sailed on the first boat to Gaza in August 2008 and this year was aboard the Canadian boat, Tahrir, bound again for the besieged territory. NOVEMBER 2011
twair_44-45_Southern California Chronicle 9/21/11 8:50 PM Page 45
demned,” Bennett explained: “Many times in the context of religion or as a repercussion to what is perceived as ‘bad’ behavior, individuals are condemned. But who determines what is ‘bad’? I’ve found that bigotry exists everywhere, and to some degree in all of us…no matter how open-minded and evolved we think we are. To recognize this and to have a good laugh at the same time is my goal.” In her monologue, Bennett laments how her Indiana kin were baffled by her husband’s practice of praying five times a day, or assumed Islam is a country. She hopes to add more characters to extend the show to one hour. “Right now the emphasis is on my people—American folks—and we need to open it a bit,” she said. She briefly visited her husband’s family city of Alexandria, Egypt. Each October, the couple, who were married in 2009, visit Nour’s parents in Doha, Qatar, where Bennett’s father-in-law is a pediatric surgeon for Cornell University’s overseas medical school. Her next performance will be Oct. 6, 8 p.m., at Working Stage Theatre. For reservations and tickets call (323) 521-8600. Bennett will perform her show the first Thursday of every month as long as there is a demand from theatergoers.
During the question-and-answer period, Shapira noted that Israeli helicopters would not have hovered above the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in 2010 if there were any possibility passengers were armed. In Shapira’s opinion, worldwide exposure of the level of lies Israel uses has made the Gaza flotilla voyages worthwhile. “Even Israelis don’t believe its lies,” he said. “Israel really fears the nonviolent struggle of the Palestinians,” Hughes-Thompson added. “Unfortunately, the Zionists are too entrenched in the U.S.—particularly in Congress. If the U.S. goes broke, it will stop filling Bibi’s begging bowl.”
Syrian Opposition Leader Predicts Assad Departure
STAFF PHOTOS S. TWAIR
Several dozen Syrian-Americans gathered Aug. 13 in Anaheim’s Medan el-Tahrir restaurant to watch Syrian opposition leader Riad Saif speak via Skype from Damascus about the ongoing revolution. They also heard from Ausama Monajed, director of the Londonbased Strategic Research and Communications Center, who discussed developments in the then-five-monthold opposition to President Bashar Assad and his Alawite generals. Following his remarks, Monajed responded to questions from the audience, including these writers. According to Monajed, “Many in CSUN Symposia, Reception the Syrian military fear retribution and are waiting for the right time to In honor of its new Middle Eastern defect. They’ll soon join our ranks and Islamic Studies program (MEIS), when bigger cracks appear in the California State University at Northregime’s structure through Syria’s isoridge (CSUN) will present an inaulation from the international commugural symposia on campus Nov. 9 TOP: Ausama Monajed. ABOVE: Dr. Mohammed Nour and 15 on “The Middle East Across nity and drastic financial setbacks.” Responding to claims that the Syr- and Shelley Bennett. the Curriculum.” ian opposition is hopelessly fractured, Mindful of the academic signifithe British-educated economist said that cept that Shelley, who grew up in a town a cance of MEIS to the university, CSUN art dozens of opposition groups are uniting into few miles from Santa Claus, IN, isn’t an or- history Professor Owen Doonan has excoalitions. Indeed, a month later, on Sept. dinary Midwesterner, and her Egyptian- tended the “Azimuth-Ascension” exhibi15, the Syrian National Council was formed American husband, Dr. Mohammed Nour, tion of two major Tunisian artists (see in Istanbul. Of its 140 members, represent- is an anesthesiologist at the prestigious Sept./Oct. 2011 Washington Report, pp. 38ing Syria’s political, regional, ethnic and re- UCLA Medical Center. 39) at his nearby New Sahara Gallery. At 6 ligious diversity, 52 percent belong to the Bennett, who’s had roles in the soap p.m. Nov. 9 conference speakers and facnew grassroots movements born in the rev- opera “As the World Turns,” Ian Smith’s ulty members will gather for a reception in olution. Sixty percent of SNC members are “Happy New Year” and “Machine Head” the gallery, located at 18860 Nordhoff Ave. inside Syria, the rest are abroad. and appears in Bill Maher’s documentary, in Northridge. When asked to venture a prediction on “Bright Day!,” decided to write “ConEminent Middle East scholar Juan Cole the conclusion of the Assad regime, Mona- demned,” a one-woman show about her will be the keynote speaker at the Nov. 9 jed replied: “Soon Bashar will leave or be Midwestern relatives’ and friends’ lack of symposium. Other notable participants at forced to leave.” understanding of her husband’s Muslim the inaugural event will be Los Angeles County Musum of Art curator Linda Kopractices. Humor in Marriage to a Muslim The 45-minute production, still a work- maroff and Dr. Dwight Reynolds of UniActress/comedian Shelley Bennett has cre- in-progress, debuted Sept 1 to a full house versity of California, Santa Barbara. For more information on the symposia, eated a side-splitting look at what it’s like for at the Working Stage Theatre in Hollywood. Asked why she chose the title “Con- mail <nayereh.tohidi@csun.edu>. ❑ a gal from Indiana to marry a Muslim. ExNOVEMBER 2011
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
45
brownfeld_46-47_Israel and Judaism 9/21/11 8:55 PM Page 46
Israel’s Summer of Discontent Is Opening the Eyes of American Jews to Its Genuine Reality Israel andJudaism
URIEL SINAI/GETTY IMAGES
By Allan C. Brownfeld
An Israeli man sleeps in a tent camp in Tel Aviv, Aug. 4, 2011. he summer of 2011 has seen gigantic
Tpopular protests in the streets of Tel
Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and other Israeli cities. Perhaps for the first time, many Americans—and American Jews in particular—are beginning to view Israel in realistic rather than mythical terms. “Even by the standards of a famously querulous country,” The Washington Post editorialized Aug. 23, “these demonstrations, and the urban tent cities they have spawned, are something new, not just because of their size. Lacking recognized leaders, fixed goals or allegiance to any political party, the rallies have morphed from lowgrade anger over the price of cottage cheese...to broad manifestations of genuine discontent with the nation’s social contract.” A number of factors have contributed to the growing unrest, including the concentration of wealth in the hands of just a few families, a swollen defense budget, subsidies for the ultra-Orthodox, and a housing shortage caused, many protesters believe, by the Allan C. Brownfeld is a syndicated columnist and associate editor of the Lincoln Review, a journal published by the Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, and editor of Issues, the quarterly journal of the American Council for Judaism. 46
cost of settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Indeed, in the midst of the demonstrations, the Interior Ministry announced in August the building of 1,600 additional units and plans for 2,700 more. Hagit Olfran, a leader of Peace Now, an Israeli group that opposes settlements and monitors their expansion, accused the government of exploiting the housing crisis in Israel to promote its settlements policy, which she said was meant to undermine prospects for a Palestinian state. A Peace Now report found that the Israeli government is using over 15 percent of its public construction budget to expand West Bank settlements, which house only 4 percent of Israeli citizens. According to the Adva Center, a research institute, Israel spends twice as much on a settlement resident as it spends on other Israelis. Israeli journalist and photographer Dimi Reider and Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian columnist with the newspaper Al Quds, wrote that “much of the lack of affordable housing in Israeli cities can be traced back to the 1990s, when the availability of public housing in Israel was severely curtailed while subsidies in the settlements increased, driving many lower-middle-class and workingclass Israelis into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip—along with many new immigrants. IsTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
rael today is facing the consequences of a policy that favors sustaining the occupation and expanding settlements over protecting the interests of the broader population. The annual cost of maintaining control over Palestinian land is estimated at over $700 million.” Writing in the Aug. 19-25 issue of the International Jerusalem Post, Gershon Baskin, founder and co-director of the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), reported: “A couple of nights ago I sat in a tent camp in the center of Jerusalem. I listened to a brilliant young man. He spoke about all the social and economic ills of Israel, and what needs to be done to correct them. I agreed with every word. In turn, I took the microphone to respond. I said that I agreed with all that was said, but I look eastward and note that 250 meters away there are 300,000 permanent residents of Jerusalem who are devoid of political rights, their economic rights fall far short of an Israeli in the poorest neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and not one word is said about them. Why? Because they are Palestinians.” Asked Baskin: “How can we talk about social justice when one-third of the population of our capital city is not even part of the discussion?...So, young people...I ask you how long do you think you can hide from the injustice between Jews and Arabs NOVEMBER 2011
brownfeld_46-47_Israel and Judaism 9/21/11 8:55 PM Page 47
in Israel? How long can you scream demands for social justice while we deny another whole people their basic rights of freedom, liberty and self-determination?… There can be no justice in Israel if we deny our neighbors their piece of justice as well.” Discussing the summer demonstrations, however, Reider and Abu Sarah noted that, “Had the protesters begun by hoisting signs against the occupation, they would most likely still be just a few people in tents. By removing the single most divisive issue in Israeli politics, the protesters have created a safe space for Israelis of all ethnic, national and class identities to work together...While some of their demands can be met without addressing the settlements...Israel will never become the progressive social democracy the protesters envision until it sheds the moral and economic burden of the occupation.” Between March 2006 and early 2011, according to the Knesset research center, the average salary in Israel rose by 2.6 percent—but the Consumer Price Index rose by 25 percent. Salaries in Israel are the third lowest of all the countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), while consumer prices are among the highest.
Increasing American Awareness As more and more Israelis express dismay about developments in their country, Americans increasingly are becoming aware of them and their views. Writing in the Aug. 26 issue of The Forward, Leonard Fein cited the Web site of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (<www.acri.org. il>), which asked, “What Happened To Us? How did Israel become a country impossible to live in with dignity?” “Such a question, so put, will most likely be greeted with accusations of ‘alarmism, exaggeration, provocation.’ At least on this side of the ocean,” Fein noted. “While America’s Jews know that all’s not well in Israel, unless they follow the news from Israel quite carefully, they have little idea of just how frayed the socio-economic fabric has become.” That democracy is under attack in Israel has become abundantly clear. The Knesset’s approval by a 47-to-38 vote of a ban on any public call for a boycott against Israel or its West Bank settlements, making such action a punishable offense, has been widely criticized. As The New York Times editorialized on July 18, “Israel’s reputation as a vibrant democracy has been seriously tarnished...We are opposed to boycotts of Israel, but agree this is a fundamental issue of free speech...Advocates said the law was NOVEMBER 2011
needed to prevent efforts to ‘delegitimize’ Israel, but no country can be delegitimized if it holds true to its democratic principles.” Many American Jewish voices have been heard in opposition to this legislation. In its July 22 issue, The Forward declared that “No attempt to threaten or censor can hide the fact that, for 44 years, Israel has ruled another people with its own legitimate, national aspirations, and it is in everyone’s interests, including those of the United States, to negotiate an end to this impasse.” While major American Jewish organizations may maintain an “Israel-right-orwrong” philosophy and continue their traditional role as, in effect, a defense attorney for a foreign government, they are increasingly isolated in that posture. It is clear that American Jewish opinion is moving in quite a different direction.
On the Brink of Apartheid In his book A New Voice For Israel (Palgrave Macmillan), J Street founder Jeremy BenAmi notes that although AIPAC claims to represent the traditional Jewish voice in American politics, surveys reveal that only 8 percent of American Jewish voters support its political positions. He goes on to argue that Israel’s occupation over another people is a threat to both American and Israeli longterm interests and also violates the very letter of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which promises equality to all, regardless of race, religion or gender. According to BenAmi, Israel is on the brink of becoming an “apartheid state” and losing its status as a moral beacon to Jews and as the safe and democratic haven its pioneers sought to create. The American Jewish community would serve Israel’s interests far better by taking a conciliatory pro-peace position instead of the stance represented by AIPAC, Ben-Ami writes. He calls for a strong American Jewish voice for active U.S. intervention in the Middle East that will bring about the end of occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state. More and more Jewish voices are being heard in criticism of the direction in which Israel is now moving. New York Times columnist Roger Cohen wrote on Aug. 21 that “Jews, with their history, cannot become the systematic oppressors of another people. They must be vociferous in their insistence that continued colonization of Palestinians in the West Bank will increase Israel’s isolation and ultimately its vulnerability.” Americans for Peace Now (APN) adopted a resolution in July supporting the call of its Israeli sister organization, Peace Now, to actively resist the new anti-boycott legislaTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
tion. APN, in fact, joined in with its own call for a boycott of products from West Bank settlements. Much of the rage this summer, explained Prof. Yossi Yonah of the Department of Education at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, stems from the cultural rifts in Israeli society and widespread disappointment at what is perceived as the failure of the Zionist dream to produce a more moral and ethical society. “The Zionist project is in deep crisis,” he stated. “The country is so fragmented that it has become difficult to articulate the concept of ‘the good society’ that could unite us.” For years, according to Yonah, Israelis have been explicitly told by their leaders that social issues must take a back burner to the existential problems of security. This, he argued, is a deliberate policy: “Politicians know very well how to create a sense of panic, as if the Iranians are about to launch the atomic bomb this second or the hordes of Islamic fundamentalists are about to break down our gates. And the media... plays right along. In the face of such threats the people will always prefer stability— even the illusion of stability—over democracy, social justice or human rights.” As Joseph Dana wrote in the June 17 issue of The Forward, Israel has maintained the myth that its occupation of the West Bank is “temporary.” He writes: “One particular success of Israel’s 44-year control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been the government’s ability to convince the Israeli population of the temporary nature of the occupation...Some Israeli scholars such as Bar Ilan University lecturer Ariella Azoulay and Tel Aviv University professor Adi Ophir have proposed that without this perceived temporariness and external character of the occupation, Israel would have a hard time maintaining its mandatory military conscription. A greater number of citizens would question the long-term objectives.…Quite simply, Netanyahu’s rejection of the two-state solution as defined by the 1967 lines reflects a shift in the way most Israelis have come to understand the occupation, forcing them to see it not as a temporary measure but as a permanent fixture of Israeli reality—a reality that might cost Israel its standing in the international community.” The developments during the summer of 2011 reveal an Israel far different from the one many Americans—and, in particular, Jewish Americans—believed to exist. Fortunately, viewing things as they actually are is an important first step toward adopting realistic policies and analyses. ❑ 47
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 48
Arab-American Activism
An American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) policy conference held Sept. 8 at ADC’s Heritage Center in Washington, DC focused on the impact of 9/11 on civil rights and liberties, especially for Muslim and Arab Americans. National security and counter-terrorism policies now include racial profiling at airports, surveillance of “suspect” events, specifically Muslim religious gatherings, and recruiting informants to spy on citizens. Speakers discussed how specific policy changes affected and continue to affect the lives of Arab Americans by infringing on their rights, specifically in terms of racial profiling and employment discrimination. Panelists emphasized the importance of building coalitions and mobilizing Araband Muslim-American communities in the fight for civil rights. Urging participants to battle discrimination as a unified front, they also agreed that Arab Americans could become more vocal and engage in social issues like the economy, and not restrict themselves to issues of national security or be limited by an inferiority complex. Before the community can fight for its civil rights, individuals should embrace their identity and reject the subconscious—and at times conscious—belief that Arab Americans are not entitled to the same rights as other “true Americans,” panelists emphasized. A unified community should highlight commonalities between Arab Americans and be proactive, engaging in direct communication with government organizations. As a nation based on democratic institutions, panelists agreed, the U.S. should not violate its principles in the name of national security. —Deena Zaru
ADC Panel Looks at “Coalition Building in the Post-9/11 Era” Over the past 10 years the Arab-American community has developed a deeper understanding of how to navigate the American political system. More importantly, explained panelist Suehaila Amen, vice president of the Lebanese American Heritage Club, it needs to form coalitions with other communities who have been affected by past discrimination in order to better voice its concerns and benefit from each other’s activism. According to Egyptian-American Khaled Beydoun, co-founder of Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN), the Arab48
STAFF PHOTOS J. DEILLON
ADC Policy Conference Explores Impact of 9/11
(L-r) Margaret Huang, Suehaila Amen and Khaled Beydoun.
(L-r) Sahar Aziz, Rajdeep Singh, Ehsan Zaffar and Mazen M. Basrawi. American community also needs to embrace the ethnic and religious diversity of the Arab world and pay more attention to the broader Arab world, not just the Levant, if it wishes to strengthen its community’s voice. Margaret Huang, executive director of Rights Working Group, also called for the mobilization of the Arab-American community, which she said should cross community and ethnic boundaries in order to help end discrimination. —Jean-Pascal Deillon
ADC Panel Examines Civil Rights and Liberties Since 9/11 the assault on civil liberties has been evident and still persists, with discrimination affecting the Arab-American community. Sahar Aziz, associate professor at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, argued that all citizens are entitled to the same treatment, no matter what background they may come from. No citizen should have their loyalty questioned because they are part of a certain racial group or religious community. While the panel emphasized the progress the government has made in combating discrimination, Aziz stressed that “eternal vigilance is the price of freedom,” because the government is not a dependable entity in combating discrimination. Ehsan Zaffar, policy adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, Civil Rights and Liberties Division, explained that, from THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
his experience, the Arab-American community needs to talk to government, question policy and engage regularly with government officials to affect immediate change. As part of the coalition building effort Rajdeep Singh, director of the Sikh Coalition’s Law and Policy Office, shared mutual grievances that the two communities can work together to rectify. For more information on ADC visit <www.adc.org>. —Jean-Pascal Deillon
Human Rights UNRWA Official and American Activist Address Israel’s Blockade of Gaza The Palestine Center in Washington, DC hosted a July 19 event addressing the Gaza blockade and the recent opening of the Rafah crossing. Matthew Reynolds, head representative with the United Nations Relief Works Agency’s (UNRWA) Washington, DC office provided a brief overview of the agency, including data about the number of people benefitting from UNRWA’s food programs, temporary shelters, education and health services. Contrary to what many believe, the camps are not actually run by UNRWA, Reynolds said. Rather, the political authorities run the camps, with UNRWA in charge of providing basic services. Describing Gaza’s situation as dire, Reynolds said that improved life and NOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTO A. LAHLOU
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 49
Matthew Reynolds (l) and Josh Ruebner discuss the physical and diplomatic barriers at the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
NOVEMBER 2011
truckloads of food it takes to keep Gazans from starving, he cited Dov Weisglass, a senior Israeli government official widely reported to have said, “the idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet but not to make them die of hunger.” Ruebner framed the Gaza blockade in the context of a larger rationale that Israel can’t be held accountable for its actions because it might disturb ongoing or upcoming peace negotiations. This was the same logic President George W. Bush used when he tried to undermine the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) historic 2004 ruling on the illegality of the separation wall, he pointed out. It was also the rationale behind the condemnation of the Goldstone Report following Cast Lead, Israel’s 200809 war on Gaza. This rationale excuses Israel’s illegal actions in favor of what Ruebner called the “mirage of negotiations.” On the question of why the number of people crossing into Rafah has gone down since the initial surge, Ruebner noted that the Egyptian transitional regime has now restricted the passage of males aged 18 to 40—a large chunk of the population attempting to use the checkpoint. Israel’s blockade limits the free movement of goods, services and people in Gaza, all fundamental to a successful economy. The environment in Gaza doesn’t allow UNRWA to carry out the “work” part of its mandate. When a political solution is finally implemented, Reynolds concluded, Gaza will have a well-educated workforce ready to take on the challenge of developing the Strip.
National Building Museum Cancels Public Award Ceremony For Caterpillar Craig and Cindy Corrie and representatives from numerous organizations that advocate for a just peace in the Middle East delivered a petition signed by more than 7,000 individuals and over 140 regional, national and international groups to the National Building Museum in Washington, DC asking it to rescind its designation of Caterpillar Inc. for its prestigious Henry C. Turner Prize on Sept. 14. Due to pressure from social justice groups across the country, the museum cancelled its Turner Prize public award ceremony scheduled for that night. The campaign to urge the National Building Museum to rescind its award to Caterpillar Inc. was spearheaded by the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice based in Olympia, WA. The organization was founded to continue the work of Rachel Corrie, an American civilian killed in 2003 when she was crushed to death by a weaponized Caterpillar D9-R bulldozer driven by an Israeli soldier as she tried to prevent the Israeli military from demolishing a family’s home in Rafah, Gaza. Caterpillar has a long history of designing and supplying
PHOTO COURTESY SALSA.DEMOCRACYINACTION.ORG
economic growth depend “100 percent on lifting the blockade,” which suffocates the economy, creates unemployment and isolates the Gazan population—half of which is under the age of 18, and 80 percent of which depend on foreign aid. To enter Gaza and deliver aid, UNRWA uses only the official Israeli crossings at Erez in the north and Kerem Shalom in the south. The situation is “inconvenient,” Reynolds said, as the Erez crossing is used primarily for staff and Kerem Shalom is too small to accommodate the building material and aid projects approved by Israel. Reynolds described UNRWA’s relationship with the Israel Defense Forces as a “complicated but working relationship,” noting that the technical problems that arise between the two parties are amplified by political disputes. On the issue of the Freedom Flotillas, Reynolds said “there would be no need for any of this if the blockade was lifted.” Josh Ruebner, national advocacy director for the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation, a coalition of over 350 organizations working against Israeli occupation and toward a settlement of the conflict in accordance with international law, focused on the political implications of the Israeli blockade. He called the U.S. response to the recent Rafah opening “consistent and ambiguous,” showing neither clear endorsement nor condemnation. It falls in line with the U.S.’s larger policy toward Israel’s blockade of the 140-square-mile strip, he said. The only pressure Washington puts on Israel, Ruebner said, is to ensure that the basic needs of Gazans are met. Noting that Israel has calculated exactly how many
Both speakers shared their hope and optimism for the future. Reynolds, who has spent much time in Gaza, described a growing apathy among the older population, but also the simultaneous optimism of a new generation that looks ahead positively, despite tremendous difficulties. Ruebner said he was “very optimistic” about the future, adding that the growing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign, which Archbishop Desmond Tutu supports (see this issue’s “Other Voices” supplement), has made Israel aware of its growing isolation in the world. The situation cannot be maintained, Ruebner argued, adding that things could potentially get worse before they get better, as with the end of South African apartheid. —Alia Lahlou
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
49
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 50
50
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
the challenges of “protecting national security, combating cyber crime, and protecting intellectual property.” Posner said he wants to shift the focus from the various acts of online repression taking place to the psychology behind the oppressor’s actions. “What causes a regime to perceive the Internet as such a profound threat that it is willing to damage its country’s economy by choking bandwidth, blocking content, or even shutting down the network entirely?” he asked. “These are the acts of governments that fear their own people. In cracking down on the Internet they expose their own lack of legitimacy...these crackdowns also indicate a basic lack of understanding that free speech…is harder than ever to suppress in the digital age.” Posner also criticized Iran’s “halal Internet”—which would avoid censorship issues by creating a government-sanctioned, Islam-friendly version of the World Wide Web—as “isolating.” “So let’s be honest,” he said, “governments that respect the rights of their citizens have no reason to fear a free Internet. The Internet didn’t topple the governments of Tunisia or Egypt, the people did.” Outlining some of the positive effects free and open Internet access can have on citizens and a country’s economy, Posner said he opposed oppressive censorship and monitoring and quipped, “Don’t shoot the Instant Messenger!” Jacob Weisberg, editor-in-chief of the online magazine Slate, then questioned Posner about the “crackdown in Syria.” Posner diplomatically noted that the U.S. is committed to reinforcing support for free speech and human rights in Syria, but added, “This is not about us; it’s about the Syrian people.” When the questions turned to the U.S. role in aiding the movements, Posner said that the administration’s position is to emphasize that the greatest change comes from within and that the focus would be on reinforcing domestic voices. —Alex Begley PHOTO COURTESY NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION
equipment used by the Israeli military to demolish Palestinian homes, olive trees and farmlands. Caterpillar equipment also has been used in the killing and injury of Palestinian and international civilians. Craig Corrie, Rachel’s father, said, “We hope to help the National Building Museum better understand the role of Caterpillar Inc. in the Israeli occupation, and how CAT continues to supply the Israeli military knowing their equipment is being used to Jacob Weisberg (l) and Michael H. Posner. commit human rights violations. We hope, too, to encourage the museum to Internet freedom as a basic human right. use this opportunity to explore issues re- As has been seen, youth in the Middle East lated to construction and destruction in and North Africa used social media to areas of conflict and specifically in areas of unite. Exiled Tunisian blogger and Global occupation.” Voices’ advocacy director Sami Ben GharSydney Levy with Jewish Voice for Peace bia gave a quick rundown of Internet disstated, “The National Building Museum has sension in his country, starting with the canceled its event honoring Caterpillar— first arrest of a blogger in 2001 for posting and this is a good first step—but the mu- a poll critical of the state. Initially, he seum should be consistent in its decision noted, the government only targeted small and cancel the award altogether. Rewarding activist groups that criticized the governCaterpillar privately is like opposing Pales- ment. As blogs became more popular, so tinian home demolitions by daylight, but did the practice of interrogating and acsupporting them under cover of night.” cusing activist bloggers, leading to a peIn a related development, the Presbyter- riod of self-censorship in Tunisian online ian Church’s Committee on Mission Re- forums, save for a few “hardcore” activists sponsibility Through Investment (MRTI) dedicated to “breaking the wall of fear.” recommended on Sept. 9 that Caterpillar In 2007, former Tunisian President Zine Inc. be added to the divestment list of the El Abidine Ben Ali blocked video-sharing General Assembly of the Presbyterian sites like Dailymotion and YouTube. The Church (USA). In its announcement, MRTI following year he shut down Facebook for stated, “Caterpillar has profited from sales 10 days, until the unrest surrounding the of its products to Israeli military and civil- shut-down forced him to relent. Over the ian authorities, including its D-9 bulldozers next two years, more and more Web sites— which are used to demolish Palestinian such as Metacafe, Flickr and Blip.tv—were homes and construct settlements and Is- closed to Tunisians, pushing Internet acraeli-only roads on Palestinian land, acts tivists toward the only online forum still deemed illegal under international law. The available to them: Facebook. According to company has never accepted responsibility Gharbia, so apprehensive was President for how its products are used and has not Ben Ali of the reaction from shutting down responded to requests for dialogue since Facebook again that it remained unblocked 2009 from MRTI or other religious groups.” throughout the revolution. —Delinda C. Hanley Because of this migration from other social media to one single site, Tunisians Revolution in 140 Characters or Less from all different backgrounds were now Future Tense, a collaboration among Ari- corralled in one area, making the organizazona State University (ASU), the New tion of protests that much easier. ConferAmerica Foundation (NAF) and Slate, ence moderator and NAF president Steve hosted a July 13 conference at NAF’s Coll pointed out the very deep roots that Washington, DC offices on “How to Ignite, technology had in the Arab Spring, even or Quash, a Revolution in 140 Characters before first protests took place. Michael H. Posner, assistant secretary of or Less.” The half-day event brought together experts in the online media field state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, presented the Obama and public officials. Earlier this year, Secretary of State administration’s views and policies supHillary Clinton declared U.S. support for porting Internet freedom while navigating
Music & Arts Dialogue Through Poetry The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Middle East Program hosted a distinctive event on July 28: a reading of Dr. Akbar Ahmed’s latest book, Suspended Somewhere Between. NOVEMBER 2011
Dr. Akbar Ahmed discusses his book Suspended Somewhere Between. Ahmed, a native of Pakistan, is a professor at American University and a widely acknowledged authority on Islam and interfaith affairs. The collection of poems, written over the course of five decades and three continents, deals not only with the commonly assumed suspension between cultures or religions, but also with the struggle between the quest for serenity and the desire for material security, family and humans’ relationship with nature. Accompanying Ahmed was IranianAmerican scholar Farzaneh Milani, who spoke of poetry as a window into society that political science books cannot offer. During the last years of the Pahlavi dynasty, she noted, Iranian poets and writers virtually predicted the revolution. “Poetry is not poetry unless it is brutally honest,” said Ahmed, who echoed the idea that poetry, even with a political edge, accurately reflects society. The informal gathering included poetry readings and comments from several audience members, including Moroccan Ambassador to the U.S. Aziz Mekouar and religious leaders from the Washington, DC area. To view a Webcast of the event, visit <www.wilsoncenter.org/event/isuspended -somewhere-betweeni>. —Alia Lahlou
UNconditional: An Artist’s Rendering Of the U.N. “Games” The Jerusalem Fund Gallery at the Palestine Center in Washington, DC held an opening reception for artist Nadira Araj, whose exhibition “UNconditional” was on view from July 8 to 26. “UNconditional” is an artistic rendering of the “games” the United Nations has played with the Palestinian people over the past six decades. NOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTOS K. CLOOS
STAFF PHOTO A. LAHLOU
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 51
Nadira Araj shows her playing cards with excerpts from vetoed U.N. resolutions pasted on the back (see inset). The work consists of a long line of playing cards Araj collected from Palestinians socializing in coffee shops, with sets of cards arranged chronologically into the U.N. Security Council resolutions relating to Palestine. On the backs of the cards are excerpts from these resolutions. The joker cards represent a veto. “It’s a stressful life,” Araj said of Palestinians living in the region. “This type of art gives me peace.” At the end of the line, cards cascade in random order to represent potential future resolutions. Words on the backs of the cards are the most commonly used terms in the resolutions. On the floor beneath the chronology, at the end, Araj created a pile of trash—using items like used coffee cups and labels from Palestinian products that she brought with her—among discarded playing cards to symbolize the way she feels the U.N. has a tendency to throw away the Palestinians like trash. Araj, a lecturer in business administration at Bethlehem University, expresses herself through her artwork and jewelrymaking. A selection of her sterling silver “Peace Next to Your Heart” jewelry collection, crafted by casting olive leaves, was available for purchase at the showing, and Araj wore several of the pieces herself. “They are part of me,” she said of her jewelry. “The olive leaves for us in the Middle East have a meaning. It’s a holy tree, the olive tree.” Each piece is handmade by casting unique olive leaves in a process that takes nearly 36 hours. Many of the chains for her necklaces also are handmade, each taking hours to construct from scratch. Araj spoke of a great desire for PalestiniTHE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
ans and Israelis to live side by side peacefully. The idea to use playing cards to construct “UNconditional” was inspired by the decks of cards created during the Bush administration to depict the most-wanted terrorists, she said. Araj explained that she created the piece because she wanted people to be aware of the situation and push for the implementation of resolutions like the one currently on the table to create a Palestinian state, which will be up for vote in September. “If it’s implemented,” she said, “people will live peacefully together.” —Kassondra Cloos
“Whispers of Palestine” Inspiration for Bassima Mustafa’s first solo photo exhibit, “Whispers of Palestine,” which was on display at the Jerusalem Fund’s Gallery in Washington, DC from Aug. 12 to Sept. 23, came from her travels in Palestine with her mother, Amnah, during the summer of 2004. Bassima was born in Amman, Jordan to Palestinian parents who became refugees after the 1967 Six-Day War. She and her family moved to New Jersey when she was 3, and she eventually became a history teacher. Her passion for history, especially that of the culturally rich regions of the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, and her love for photography is evident in her work, which has been exhibited at many events sponsored by ArabAmerican organizations. It’s Mustafa’s belief that history is best viewed from a personal perspective, and that individual stories add richness to a people’s collective history. The history of Palestine is interwoven with its land and architecture, she has learned over the course of 51
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 52
Fast Times in Palestine excerpts, reviews, order information and more are available at <www.fasttimesinpalestine. wordpress.com>. —Lisa Mullenneaux
STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
Summer Voices of Palestine Film Series Challenges DC Audiences
Bassima Mustafa stands near her photographs of Palestine. many trips. They are as integral to understanding Palestine as are the people of her beautiful homeland. —Delinda C. Hanley
Pam Olson Launches Fast Times in Palestine
STAFF PHOTO L. MULLENNEAUX
This wasn’t where I expected to end up at age 23—jobless, planless, and lying through my teeth to Israeli border security. I’d graduated a year earlier, in 2002, with a physics degree from Stanford only to realize I had no interest in spending any more young years in a basement lab doing problem sets. So begins Pam Olson’s memoir of a young woman from a small town in Oklahoma who travels to the West Bank—first Jayyous, then Ramallah—to find out what American news isn’t telling her. In short order, she finds herself reporting for The Palestine Monitor, serving as foreign press
Pam Olson uses storytelling to move readers and change minds with her book Fast Times in Palestine. 52
coordinator for Mustafa Omar Barghouti’s 2005 presidential run, and witnessing Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip. “When I went to Jayyous,” Olson told a crowd of about 100 attendees at her July 7 book launch in Manhattan, “I expected Palestinians to be angry and bitter, especially toward me as an American, because of what they have suffered for more than 60 years. But I found the opposite. They were welcoming and indomitable, still struggling for basic human rights, for the most part nonviolently.” Olson was interviewed at the Palestine Project-sponsored event by PalestinianAmerican Noor Elashi, who is at work on her own memoir—about her father Ghassan—imprisoned, she said, for allegedly “funneling millions of dollars to a terrorist group, Hamas.” Elashi asked whether the fact that Olson is neither Israeli nor Palestinian presented a challenge for her. “It never occurred to me that my experience as a non-Jew and non-Muslim wasn’t worthwhile,” the author replied. In fact, Olson is especially interested in reaching readers as politically naïve as she was before moving to the West Bank. “I’d like to be a bridge for those [Americans] so naïve they find Middle East politics intimidating.” She sees her target audience as Americans in their 20s, “ideally those who’ve taken the Birthright trip to Israel,” Olson joked. Only storytelling, not statistics, can move readers and change minds, she emphasized. Olson’s narrative includes joyous weddings, banquets, harvests, concerts and romance, as well as the terror and upheaval of occupation. “If irony could be bottled and sold,” she said, “Palestine would be far richer than Saudi Arabia. I tried to use humor to convey (and survive) the craziness.” THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in Washington, DC presented their popular “Voices of Palestine” summer film series every Wednesday from June 29 to July 27. The first in the series of six films was “The Time That Remains,” (109 minutes/2009) directed by Elia Suleiman. Both difficult and enjoyable to watch, it explores the everyday lives of the Arab-Israeli community, and is largely shot in areas and homes where Suleiman’s family once lived. Inspiration for the film can be traced to his father’s diaries, letters sent by his mother to her family, who had fled the Israeli occupation and thus lived outside its borders, and the director’s own recollections. The film progresses from 1948 to the present era, and is brimming with humorous scenes, despite its characters’ difficulties. The second film screened was “Shooting Muhammad” (50 minutes/2009), which proved to be one of the more difficult to
watch. Directors Francesco Cannito and Luca Cusani’s film follows Muhammad, a 21-year-old Palestinian who attends classes at an Israeli university. It is hard enough being an Arab within an Israeli institution—but his school is also situated in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel. The act of going to class not only raises issues for him, but also creates a number of external NOVEMBER 2011
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 53
The summer’s final film, “Occupation Has No Future” (84 minutes/2010), directed by David Zlutnick, studies Israel’s military and the powerful roles it plays both within Israeli society and in the occupation. The film also focuses on those young Israelis who refuse to serve in the military, as well as a number of Palestinian, Israeli and international community peace activists. The film demonstrates that the illegal occupation of Palestine has no role in the future of the state of Israel, and that occupation hinders any peace from actually happening. —Layla Gama
difficulties and challenges. “(No) Laughing Matter” (54 minutes/2010), directed by Vanessa Rousselot, depicts a young filmmaker who sets off to look for humor in the West Bank and later, by Skype, in Gaza—places where most people would doubt any could be found. At first she finds only disillusionment, but slowly she begins to uncover a whole rich culture of humor. From classic Palestinian jokes mocking the residents of Hebron, to self-deprecating comments about everyday life, this film reveals a different side to the conflict. Despite the harsh realities of life, Palestinians still have hope and humor that persists even in the worst conditions. The fourth week featured two films back to back. “One Family in Gaza” (22 minutes/2011), directed by Jen Marlowe, is an-
NOVEMBER 2011
Longtime journalist Robin Wright discussed her latest book, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World, at a July 13 event at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. Wright has reported for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and numerous other publications—from more than 140 countries on six continents—and is the author of six previous books. Currently, she is also a U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) Wilson Center distinguished scholar. Wright said the Arab Spring, or Arab Winter—which, the author stressed, is a more historically accurate name for the ongoing upheavals across the region—are the latest major events to make an impact on the politics of the region. Others include the end of the Ottoman Empire, the Islamic revolution in Iran and the creation of the state of Israel. Wright, who has covered six wars and the two Palestinian intifadas, argued that women, who are finding and using their voices, are a decisive political force today. Ordinary citizens are rejecting militancy and violence and using civil disobedience to convey their message. Yet their govern-
STAFF PHOTO L. GAMA
other difficult film to watch. Based on the Awajah family, the film shows Wafaa describing the execution of one of her children, 9-year-old Ibrahim, who was killed during Israel’s January 2009 assault on Gaza. While she is speaking, her children play in the rubble of their former home. Like his wife, Kamal Awajah also struggles to help the rest of his surviving children heal. While many in the West perceive Palestinians in Gaza as either victims or terrorists, the Awajahs challenge such stereotypes as they try to rebuild their lives as best they can. The second of the two films, directed by Francesco Cannito and Luca Cusani, was “Inshallah Beijing” (54 minutes/2009). It follows the members of the Palestinian Olympic team as they train and travel from the West Bank to China to compete in 2008 Summer Olympic games. In addition to depicting the obstacles they face, such as poor training equipment and limited space in which to practice, the film also shows the dedication of the team’s coach and the resilience of the athletes who give it their all.
Robin Wright’s Latest Book Rocks The Casbah
Robin Wright holds her latest book, which focuses on rage and rebellion in the Islamic world. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
ments have repeatedly bloodied their own people, she noted. Some of those victims, including Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian street vender who set himself on fire, did not try to kill anyone else, but sought to bring shame on their government. This has proven to be far more effective than military force. All 22 Arab countries will be tested and changed, Wright predicted. In the second part of her book, “YouTube Imams and Satellite Sheikhs,” Wright describes such innovators as Ahmed Al Shugairi, founder of the popular satellite TV program, “What would he have done?” The show is based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and what he would have done when confronted with a variety of modern scenarios. For example, one episode secretly filmed what pedestrians do when they discover a wallet in the street. The program’s aim is to teach the next generation about the goodness of Islam. Wright described another movement that has been growing, most notably in Egypt, called the “Pink Hijab,’ made up of young Arab Muslim women who are committed to their faith, their femininity and their human rights. Instead of wearing traditional black hijabs, these women are choosing to wear more brightly colored styles. It is estimated that in Egypt today, more than 80 percent of women wear the hijab. One of the leaders of Pink Hijab, Egyptian feminist Dalia Ziada, is also responsible for putting on Egypt’s first Human Rights Film Festival, despite repeated attempts by members of the former Mubarak regime to have it shut down. Another important aspect of Rock the Casbah that Wright discussed was the culture of change. Music, she said, especially hip hop, has had a huge and powerful impact all over the Middle East. Artists include Tunisian-born and -raised El General, who was very critical of President Zine Ben Ali. Klash, a young man from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, calls himself the King of Rap. The members of DAM, a hugely successful Palestinian rap group, are Arab Israelis from Lyd, or Lod, in Israel. In one song, DAM artists—who rap in both Hebrew and Arabic—describe Palestinians as being a dove living under a hawk’s regime. Other artists include K’naan from Somalia, and England’s Mecca 2 Medina. The impact of these artists and the message they spread is changing the Middle East, Wright said. Rock the Casbah is now available from the AET Book Club (see insert). —Layla Gama 53
Omani Weaving and Embroidery at Washington, DC’s Textile Museum
The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Asia and Middle East Programs held a July 27 book launch for Riaz Mohammad Khan’s newest book, Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism, and Resistance to Modernity. Khan, the former foreign secretary of Pakistan and ambassador to China from 200205, has spent nearly 40 years in Pakistan’s diplomatic service. His book discusses events in Afghanistan since the end of the Soviet invasion from a Pakistani perspective. Khan focused his talk on two main issues covered in his book. The first was the stabilization of Afghanistan. The fact that American troops have not been able to neutralize the 20,000 or so Taliban soldiers in the region shows that this issue cannot be solved militarily, he argued. Instead he believes that it is “all in the government,” and that leadership must come from within Afghanistan. Khan pointed out that if and when the U.S. withdraws, the Taliban will remain under international surveillance, as India, China and Pakistan all have interest in their actions. The fact that half of the Pakistani population is Pashtun refugees, he added, connects Pakistan very closely with its neighbor. The Taliban’s presence in Pakistan also has created tension between the two. Khan went on to discuss U.S.-Pakistan relations, reviewing the continual peaks and drops in the complicated relationship, and concluding that it need not have a final definitive status. In the end, he said, the fact is that Pakistan and the U.S. have important mutual interests for peace. With regard to the recent increase in distrust after Osama bin Laden’s death, Khan stated firmly that bin Laden “was able to escape the sights” of the government. —Helen Goelet
The crafts of Oman were celebrated at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC with a special lecture and demonstration of Omani weaving and embroidery. Neil Richardson, co-author of The Craft Heritage of Oman, described his anthropological studies, while embroiderer Houda Salim Al Hashmi and weaver Hameeda Hamed Al Musalmi displayed their skills. The event was sponsored by the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center (SQCC) a program of the Middle East Institute. Richardson has over 12 years’ experience in heritage-based projects, primarily in the Sultanate of Oman. He and his colleagues worked closely with Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, a first cousin of the sultan and Oman’s national heritage and culture minister, on The Craft Heritage of Oman to record the diversity of craft traditions throughout the country and help keep them alive. The authors interviewed thousands of artisans from all nine of Oman’s provinces, representing lifestyles both settled and nomadic and terrain that ranges from coasts to mountains to deserts. They soon realized that the best approach would be an anthropological perspective driven by the real-life context of people, lands and culture. As he showed slides including highlights from the 15,000 images they collected, Richardson stressed that while many of the objects are beautiful, their primary purpose is utilitarian. Each item had been integral to daily life, whether it was used to carry water or to demonstrate social status. While recognizing the threat that globalization and modernization can pose to traditional ways of life, Richardson said he and his colleagues see many reasons to be optimistic about the future. He noted that artisans have demonstrated a great willingness to return to their crafts if related economic opportunities are created, which has made a series of Craft Revitalization Projects sponsored by the government of Oman very successful. He also gave some examples of how old techniques are being adapted to new uses. Woven car trappings including covers for gear sticks and dashboards look similar to gear that used to be made for camels. Richardson even had a picture of a pickup truck with a bed full of camels enjoying the ride. The reception from international audiences has also been encouraging. In recent years, Omani crafts have been featured at
STAFF PHOTO H. GOELET
Book Launch for Khan’s Afghanistan And Pakistan
Riaz Mohammed Khan discusses Pakistan. 54
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
PHOTO COURTESY THE CRAFT HERITAGE OF OMAN
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 54
venues including the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in 2005 and the British Museum. Shortly before this demonstration, Houda Salim Al Hashmi and Hameeda Hamed Al Musalmi attracted large crowds to their booth at the Santa Fe Folk Art Market and were featured on one of its posters. The Middle East Institute’s SQCC is named for Sultan Qaboos Bin Said al Said, the sultan of Oman. Established in 2005, it provides educational resources and outreach programs that promote greater public understanding and awareness among the United States, the Sultanate of Oman, the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region. More information about the two-volume set The Craft Heritage of Oman is available at <www.craftheritageofoman.com>. —Anne O’Rourke
Middle East Films Expose Human Rights Abuses Human Rights Watch and the Film Society of Lincoln Center presented 19 films at the 22nd annual festival in New York, June 1630. Four were set in the Middle East, and one theme dominated: the power of the media to impact human rights. By incorporating the Internet, mobile phones, TV and even security cameras, said festival director John Biaggi, “filmmakers are advancing the art of filmmaking and bringing human rights stories to a broader audience.” Blog posts and tweets became a lifeline for Iranian pro-democracy activists in the violent crackdown after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election in 2009. In “The Green Wave” (2010), filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi uses animation, online NOVEMBER 2011
PHOTO COURTESY HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:18 PM Page 55
Iran’s youth hold a candlelight vigil in “The Green Wave.”
NOVEMBER 2011
by internationals condemned. Giulia Amati and Stephen Natanson use footage from B’Tselem and interviews with Breaking the Silence’s Yehuda Shaul, Haaretz’s Gideon Levy, activist Uri Avnery and the settlers themselves to lift the lid on a city Levy calls “the place of evil.” —Lisa Mullenneaux
Muslim-American Activism Compassion and Mercy in the Wake of Islamophobia On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, United for Change and Zaytuna College hosted “United We Stand: One Nation, One Destiny” at the Washington, DC Convention Center. The conference brought together Muslim leaders, interfaith leaders and activists to discuss how the Muslim-American community should
STAFF PHOTO D. ZARU
posts, interviews and video footage shot by citizens risking their lives to demand political change. Following the screening, Ahadi and legal expert Dr. Payam Akhavan answered questions about this searing portrait of election fraud and its aftermath. “Repression continues,” Akhavan told the audience. “I believe that any regime that resorts to such violence is desperate. The Green Revolution may be temporarily crushed, but I think it’s a time bomb.” “12 Angry Lebanese” (2009) is the new name for Reginald Rose’s play “12 Angry Men,” as envisioned by theater director Zeina Daccache. Her film documents her work with 45 inmates in Lebanon’s largest prison and how drama therapy changes their lives, the audience’s lives and the attitudes of prison staff. Prison is also the temporary home for women in Afghanistan’s Badum Bagh who are accused of “moral crimes” like adultery and escaping domestic abuse. Filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian follows three of these women as they face trial for their “Love Crimes of Kabul” (2011). Labeled “outsiders” for their defiance, the audience sees how these young women support each other, learning skills they need to negotiate their freedom. But we are left wondering what future they have in present-day Kabul. Hebron is home to 160,000 Palestinians and 600 Israeli settlers in the city center— plus more than 2,000 Israeli soldiers assigned to defend the illegal settlers. “This is My Land…Hebron” (2010) documents, among other things, the settlers’ powerful hatred of their Arab neighbors and their conviction of the righteousness of their cause. The eviction of even one more Arab family is seen as a victory and interference
respond to the hostile Islamophobic political environment that took hold after the 9/11 attacks. The Washington Report’s booth sold books and Palestinian solidarity items and provided free sample copies of the magazine. “This conference intends to give the American-Muslim community a unified action plan on how to respond to challenges of our time,” media relations director Soraya Salam told the Washington Report. “As Muslim Americans, we suffered the most after 9/11,” she said, “because we did not only suffer an attack on our country and the death of Muslims due to 9/11, but we also faced the greatest backlash in the form of ideological and physical violence.” In keeping with the conference themes of mercy and compassion, the first of three panels was called “Mercy: Precursor to Unity,” and featured Dr. Altaf Hussain, the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi movement, who discussed spirituality as a catalyst of mercy in a Muslim’s life. Imam Zaid Shakir, cofounder of Zaytuna College, addressed mercy as a distinguishing trait of Muslim theology, law and life. “Mercy is one of the foundations for unity,” he told the Washington Report. “If we can’t understand each other’s plight, then it becomes very difficult for us to come together in a positive way. If we can look at the history and narrative of the other person, then we have a basis to come together.” Former Turkish Parliamentarian Dr. Merve Kavakci Islam drew on personal experiences to discuss the role of compassion in building cross-cultural bridges. Relating a story about a young woman who is embarrassed to tell her friends that she goes to the mosque to pray, she said, “This is a
(L-r) Dr. Altaf Hussain, Imam Zaid Shakir, Anya Cordell and Dr. Merve Kavakci Islam discuss building cross-cultural bridges. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
55
problem in us.” We must teach our children to walk tall, head up, she said. “We should see ourselves as having the same rights, liberties and values as other people.” Of all the Muslim communities in the world, Kavakci said, Muslim Americans are in one of the best positions to make a difference. She urged Muslim Americans to “take advantage of the pillars of democratic institutions like freedom of expression, thought and religion and use them as outlets to fight discrimination.” The second segment featured Imam Siraj Wahhaj, the leader of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), who related stories of Henry David Thoreau and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who he described as “true patriots” and as examples for the Muslim community. “As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘people confuse dissent with disloyalty,” Wahhaj said, urging the community to speak out against injustice. A key to fighting for one’s rights is first and foremost embracing them, the imam concluded. Shaykh Muhammad al-Ninowy, imam of Masjid Al-Madina in Norcross, GA, discussed how Muslims can draw on the Qur’an and the life of the Prophet to learn lessons on mercy. In the wake of the current hostile political environment, leaders and attendees discussed how Muslim Americans should use their spirituality to respond proactively and compassionately to demonizing sentiments perpetuated by mainstream media outlets. In that struggle, Dr. Hussain said, the key is to not become “spiritually arrogant or spiritually extreme.” Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), discussed recent Islamophobic incidents, including former New York Mayor Ed Koch’s claim that there are “hundreds of millions” of Muslim terrorists; Rep. Peter King’s (RNY) hearings on the radicalization of Muslim Americans; and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain saying that if he were to win the election, he would never assign a Muslim to his cabinet. Following his comments, Cain met with Imam Magid and other Muslim leaders and later apologized for offending the Muslim community. “I met with Cain for two hours and fifteen minutes and that experience taught me that I should not close my door to anyone,” said Magid. “We are here to engage anyone who wants to know us, but we reject the Muslim community being used in the coming election to take a shot at the President and to associate the economic downturn or anything taking place in this country with the fear of Muslims.” 56
Imam Magid told the Washington Report that demagogues are using Islamophobia to further their political goals by playing on the fear of Americans during this time of uncertainty, when the economic downturn has left many jobless and struggling. Some politicians are using Muslims and Arabs as a football. “They want to score points, sometimes with their donors, sometimes they are catering to the far right and others,” Magid said. “This is a cheap shot.” In each program segment, the speakers focused on a very clear call to action. “I hope that the conference has helped the American- Paul Monterio (l) speaks at the iftar dinner as Imam Talib Muslim community in how to Shareef listens. specifically respond to Islamophobia and how to use our own faith as a service members fighting in Iraq and means of fostering peace in a hostile envi- Afghanistan. There are Muslim symbols on ronment,” said attendee Nafisah Hankins, a American tombstones dating from the New York resident. 1800s, and more recently on graves in ArThe conference’s final segment featured lington Cemetery for soldiers who fought in Oxford University’s Dr. Tariq Ramadan, World War II, Vietnam and Iraq. Visitors University of Michigan’s Dr. Sherman Jack- can learn the history behind the lovely U.S. son, Georgetown University’s Dr. John Es- Eid stamp. They can also see a Washington posito, and British author and commentator Report cover photo depicting MuslimKaren Armstrong, among others. After dis- American girls, their faces reflecting sorrow cussing compassion, they concluding by at a candlelight vigil following the attacks reading the Charter for Compassion, created on 9/11. by Armstrong, which ends with the followVisitors can read about the history of Eliing words: jah Muhammad, an African-American reli“Born of our deep interdependence, com- gious leader who led the Nation of Islam passion is essential to human relationships from 1934 until his death in 1975. The legand to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to endary professional boxer Muhammad Ali, enlightenment, and indispensable to the born Cassius Clay, has his own wall, along creation of a just economy and a peaceful with other Muslim heroes. global community.” —Deena Zaru Dianne Dale discussed her book The Village That Shaped Us, which examines the Iftar Celebrates America’s Islamic history of the Anacostia community where Heritage Museum the Islamic Heritage Museum is located. Imam Talib Shareef, a retired U.S. Air Force Patsy Fletcher from the DC Historic Preserchief master sergeant and imam for the his- vation office gave a presentation on the historic Masjid Muhammad in Washington, tory of the former Clara Muhammad School DC, welcomed guests to an iftar dinner at (CMS) building, which now houses the muAmerica’s Islamic Heritage Museum and seum. The CMS building was built in 1924 Cultural Center on Aug. 26—one of four as a carriage and paint shop, she said, and fast-breaking dinners hosted by the mu- was owned by James Beall, a descendant of the family that once owned and freed the seum during Ramadan 2011. The museum, located in the Clara enslaved Muslim Yarrow Marmood back in Muhammad School at 2315 Martin Luther the late 1700s. Imam Talib spoke about common conKing Ave. in southeast Washington, DC, is a must-see destination for visitors to the na- cerns of Americans—Muslims, Christians tion’s capital. Each room captures the rich and Jews alike—and the interests of human heritage and valuable contributions of Mus- beings to serve humanity. Special guest Paul lims in America throughout history, from Monterio, the religious liaison associate diformer African slaves to current military rector for the White House Office of Public THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 56
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 57
Engagement, shared President Barack Obama’s Ramadan greetings and expressed the President’s vision of faith-based community engagement. Everyone then tucked in to a fantastic iftar dinner. —Delinda C. Hanley
Examining the Anti-Shariah Movement in America
STAFF PHOTO H. GOELET
In light of the ongoing controversy regarding Islam and shariah in America, the Center for American Progress hosted a July 26 discussion at its Washington, DC headquarters to clarify the issue. The Center’s director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative, Sally Steenland, and Shireen Zaman, executive director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, introduced the discussion by panelists Prof. Asifa Quraishi, Rev. Dr. Welton Gaddy and Faiz Shakir. Contrary to a belief that has swept through the nation since the 9/11 attacks, “American Muslims are not part of an American sleeper-cell,” Zaman said. The increase in hate crimes against Islam in America proves that the country’s open and diverse vision of a religiously free community “has become clouded,” she lamented. Professor Quraishi, a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and an assistant professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School, explained what shariah meant to her as a Muslim, and also its greater meaning in Islam. Directly translated, shariah means “divine path,” or “street.” According to Quraishi, the broader understanding is that shariah is the path God wants his followers to take. The answers of how God wants you to lead your life are not always written, she elaborated, but are interpretations taken from the Qur’an known as fiqh laws, which Muslims follow in order to
serve God through shariah. Quraishi noted that the many different schools of fiqh have caused confusion over shariah to spread in the West. People simply do not understand that shariah is not a specific set of laws, she said, and that Muslims follow their own fiqh to fulfill shariah. The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of Interfaith Alliance, stated that “all religious law stems from one purpose: how do I show my commitment to God?” Because of the differing interpretations of shariah within Islam and its historical presence in various Islamic-ruled nations, he noted, some fear has grown among Americans over Islam’s growing presence in this country. Concern has been raised in the past few months as such politicians as Herman Cain and Michele Bachman warn their followers that shariah will soon replace U.S. law. Since there is no equivalent in Christianity, Reverend Gaddy noted, “Christians look at it with a little bit of a blind eye.” He also pointed out, however, that many Americans are trying to bring Christianity into the U.S. law, and opined that “American people believe in religious freedom for themselves, not for others.” In his opinion, those Americans most opposed to shariah are the very ones who want Christianity to become more and more involved in the government. “Those who think shariah is a threat to the United States Constitution simply don’t understand the Constitution,” Reverend Gaddy concluded, directly calling out Herman Cain on his charge that Shariah’s growing presence is a threat to the American Constitution. Wrapping up the discussion, Faiz Shakir, editor of Think Progress and vice president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, observed that it’s “crazy” that the government has taken a religious matter and made it political. A
(L-r) Faiz Shakir, Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, Prof. Asifa Quraishi and moderator Matthew Duss. NOVEMBER 2011
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
small network of influential right-wing politicians wants to create a sense of danger in order to “divide and conquer,” he argued. They are aware of the fear that was spurred in the aftermath of 9/11 and that Americans who are afraid of Islam will follow this voice. These same politicians “want to criminalize Muslim involvement in America” and ultimately “stop Islamization of America,” Shakir said. By citing examples of inhumane interpretations of shariah under the Taliban and others, he concluded, the distinction between Islam and shariah has become increasingly narrow. The American response to the July 22 massacre in Norway was immediate and obvious: it had to be an Islamic fundamentalist attack. However, as it emerged that the perpetrator in fact was a Norwegian Christian fundamentalist, the panelists agreed that Americans should have been embarrassed about their hasty accusation. They see their mission as educating the American people about the true nature of shariah and Islam—and, most importantly, about how they are different. —Helen Goelet
Muslim Leaders Advocate Islam’s Democratic Ideals The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held its 63rd annual convention July 1 to 3 in Harrisburg, PA. Prior to the gathering, leaders from Ahmadiyya, the oldest American Muslim organization in the United States, briefed reporters on the American and Islamic concepts of freedom and democracy on June 30 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The Ahmadiyya movement, founded in 1889 in India, considers Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) the messiah. Ahmadiyya’s American community was established in 1920 and others are now found in 195 countries. Representatives at the press conference discussed the topics their annual convention planned to address, including, “The Holy Qur’an on Trial: Our Verdict.” Imam Mubasher Ahmad explained, “The Qur’an is a book that is often misunderstood…it is our job as Muslims to understand the book and remove the misunderstandings by showing the beauty and charm of this exciting book…” Another topic, presented by Dr. Arshad Khan, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Scientist Association, was “Science vs God—the Great Debate.” This subject is controversial, he acknowledged, but went on to make the point as a Muslim scientist 57
STAFF PHOTO A. SALEH
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 58
(L-r) Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, Ahmadiyya spokesman Harris Zafar, Dr. Waseem Sayed and Imam Mubasher Ahmad. that both science and religion are needed for balance. “According to Islam, there is no versus,” he explained. “Science is in harmony…there are limits to what religion can do to someone and what science can do to someone…As a scientist I cannot prove that God exists, but as a Muslim, I believe that God exists.” Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah discussed maintaining morality in the online world. Thanks to new technology, he noted, everything is virtually available online to anyone. “We use smart phones to do dumb things,” he pointed out. “Morality cannot be legislated; we must raise the quality of God consciousness in ourselves…” Dr. Rehmatullah concluded by stating that according to the Qur’an, one must repay evil with good. Islam has been hijacked by a few, he said, but it is now up to all of us to see past those who are giving an inaccurate representation of Islam. —Awrad Saleh
Muslims for Life Honors 9/11 Victims with Month-Long Blood Drive
goal is to collect 10,000 bags of blood in more than 200 blood drives in the month of September to save 30,000 American lives, in memory of the victims of 9/11, according to Naseem Mahdi, national vice president of Ahmadiyya USA. “We want to show our solidarity and respect for those we lost by spending this month in a way that will help save lives,” Mahdi told reporters. Showing unusual bipartisan spirit, members of the U.S. Congress attended one blood drive at the Rayburn House on Capitol Hill on Sept. 7. Members of Congress including Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) supported the effort by donating blood themselves. —Delinda C. Hanley
Waging Peace Transferring Control to Afghanistan
58
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
STAFF PHOTO K. CLOOS
PHOTO COURTESY AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) held a July 8 policy briefing titled “Afghanistan, Pakistan: A Race for The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA Success” at its Washington, DC headquarlaunched a nationwide campaign called ters. Speakers Dr. Anthony Cordesman, the “Muslims for Life,” at the National Press Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy for Club in Washington, DC on Sept. 1. Their CSIS, and CSIS senior fellow Stephanie Sanok discussed the effects of the U.S. military’s efforts in the region in the face of an impending withdrawal deadline set by President Barack Obama earlier in July. The key question Cordesman posed with regard to withdrawal is not whether the region will be stable while the U.S. leaves, but rather what the state of the region will be postwithdrawal. “Do you have an Afghanistan stable enough to go forward (L-r) Qudus Malik (Ahmadiyya Muslim Community with limited outside aid and adlocal coordinator for public affairs), Amjad Mahmood vice, with some confidence the Khan (national director for public affairs), Naseem structure will hold together Mahdi (president) and Rep. Keith Ellison. after you leave?” he asked.
“The acid test isn’t what happens up to 2014—the question that really matters is what happens afterwards.” While he detailed great success over the past few years on behalf of international efforts to train Afghan troops and strengthen the economy, Cordesman also said the gains that have been made have been correctly defined as “fragile.” With an estimate that the war in Afghanistan will end up costing the U.S. government some $800 billion, he said he doesn’t know whether the U.S. is willing to contribute an additional $7 to $9 billion in aid per year to assist the Afghan government in an effort lasting until 2020. Sanok discussed the Afghan economy, which has experienced a great deal of growth in the past 10 years, with the forestry and fishing industry worth $2.6 billion—more than twice as much as the $900 million manufacturing industry, showing the importance of agriculture. But much of the economic growth in the country occurred between 2008 and 2009, she noted, with an emphasis on manufacturing and retail trade. Sanok emphasized that this growth was spurred by the money pumped into the economy by the U.S. military—a military which is now withdrawing from the country and taking its money with it. “I think it’s important to know who has the money in Afghanistan, and it’s not USAID,” Sanok said. “So the long-term implications of that lead one immediately to assume that there will be some sort of recession in the Afghan economy. How big that is remains to be seen and that is dependent on the pace of the withdrawal— and is that just troops, or how much money will be taken out of Afghanistan as well?” With relatively little time until the U.S. withdraws its resources, Sanok said, gov-
Dr. Anthony Cordesman. NOVEMBER 2011
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/22/11 11:02 AM Page 59
ernance plays a key role in ensuring Afghan economic and national security stability. But the transfer of governance from the U.S. to Afghanistan needs to occur slowly and carefully, she stated, and only when the Afghan government is capable of taking control. Otherwise, there is a great risk for things to fall apart quickly—which, she said, should not come as a surprise. “What do you need first, the chicken or the egg?” Sanok asked. “What do you need first, stability from a security standpoint or stability from an economic standpoint?...They do feed on each other and I don’t think we quite understand that relationship as well as we should.” —Kassondra Cloos
Ambassador Peter Tomson Discusses The Wars of Afghanistan
STAFF PHOTO K. CLOOS
The Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC held a July 13 book signing by Ambassador Peter Tomsen, former American special envoy to the Afghan resistance, who discussed his new book: The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers. Robert Hathaway, director of the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, introduced Tomsen and briefly explained the importance of his book as we begin to see the end of “America’s longest war.” Hathaway pointed out that “this is not the first time a great power has found itself stuck in Afghanistan, which Hathaway dubbed ‘A-baby.’
Ambassador Peter Tomsen’s new book. NOVEMBER 2011
Tomsen began his remarks by saying that he wrote the book because he felt that the American people had no knowledge of Afghanistan’s traditional, tribal, ethnic, religious or historic background—and that this was something he felt was imperative for a country at war to understand and acknowledge. He described his book as essential to understanding the mistakes that have been made in the war in Afghanistan and how they affected our position today. According to Tomsen, we need to “climb out of the Afghan political cauldron” and break the country’s cycles of war—something we must figure out how to do both from within Afghanistan and from without. His book is divided into four sections, the first of which provides an overview of Afghanistan’s history and culture, highlighting modernization in Afghanistan, and the Soviet invasion of 1979. The second section delves more deeply into the Soviet invasion and follows the nine-year war up to their departure. It also explores Pakistan’s importance to Afghanistan and its vital role during the Soviet occupation. He also discusses Gen. Muhammed Zia ul-Haq, president of Pakistan during the war, and his efforts to spread Islamic radicalism, which had blossomed in Pakistan. According to Tomsen, Zia was planning on “exporting terrorism” around the world. The book’s third section is dedicated to Tomsen’s time as special envoy to the Afghan resistance. His mission was to bring a political settlement to Afghanistan and to let the Afghan population find its own way to self-determination during a time when multiple outside forces were interfering in the “civil war” that was taking place. The book’s fourth and final section focuses on the post-9/11 era and the many mistakes America made by not truly understanding where it was going. While Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) continued to organize and re-equip the Taliban fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Washington made a big mistake: in Tomsen’s opinion, the coalition took the burden of war entirely upon itself, when it should have involved Afghans instead. Tomsen concluded with recommendations for the future of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the regional and global involvement in the war. At the top of his list were de-Americanization and Afghanization. Only then, he said, will “A-baby” truly be a country of its own at last. —Helen Goelet THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
American University Hosts 9/11 Dialogue In an effort to reflect on how relations between the United States and the Muslim world have progressed since September 2001, American University’s School of International Service hosted a Sept. 1 dialogue at its Washington, DC campus titled “Reflections on the Eve of 9/11: What’s Changed? What Hasn’t?” Moderated by Dr. James Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service, the dialogue featured Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, and Dr. Shana Cohen of Cambridge University’s Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths. Intended as an event to promote cultural understanding, much of the discussion centered on how the Western and Muslim worlds could better foster an environment of mutual respect and tolerance. Ambassador Ahmed directly addressed this topic in his opening comments when he stressed the importance of an American foreign policy centered on the principles of compassion, understanding and reaching out. Washington failed to adopt such a policy following the attacks on Sept. 11, the ambassador noted, and instead responded with anger. Emphasizing the fallacy of such an approach, Ahmed reminded the audience of Benjamin Franklin’s warning that “what begins in anger ends in disaster.” Agreeing with Ahmed’s comments, Cohen added the importance of not viewing Muslims as others. Such an approach, she cautioned, advances the “us versus them” mentality that has hindered relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world. Ahmed further noted the challenge that distorted images pose to cultural understanding. Recalling the many anti-American conspiracy theories he has heard throughout the Muslim world following Sept. 11, Ahmed reflected on how they create and perpetuate a climate of distrust. He also criticized American think tanks that promote the “hatred of Muslims,” citing the role they play in corrupting the way Americans view Islam. Noting the challenge misinformation and conspiracy theories pose to dialogues, Ahmed commented that such dialogues often begin at “negative one” due to false preconceived notions. Much of the ensuing question-and-answer session focused on what could and should be done to advance the U.S. relationship with the Muslim world. In response to one student’s question, Ahmed noted the importance of face-to-face contact, stressing 59
STAFF PHOTO D. SPRUSANSKY
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 60
Dr. James Goldgeier (l) and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed discuss U.S. foreign policy over the past 10 years.
9/11 Commission Reflects on Progress In an effort to assess the effectiveness of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a Sept. 8 panel discussion at the Newseum in Washington, DC. The panel featured former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, chairman of the 9/11 Commission, and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN), who served as vice chairman. Moderated by Steve Coll, president of the New America Foundation, the panel also featured Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), Mary Fetchet, founder of Voices of September 11, and Carie Lemack, founder of Families of September 11. The panel discussion was part of the Center for National Policy’s 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit titled “Remembrance, Renewal, Resilience.” While the event, attended by many who 60
lost loved ones on 9/11, was at times discouraging, it also displayed the resiliency and determination of the Sept. 11 families. Recalling the tremendous lobbying effort it took to get the George W. Bush administration to agree to the formation of a 9/11 commission, Fetchet and Lemack gave deeply personal accounts of their efforts to find meaning through the loss they suffered. Fetchet, whose 24-year-old son died that day, described how she felt it was her maternal duty to “connect the dots,” and could not understand why government officials were failing to do so. Lemack, whose mother was aboard the American Airlines flight that crashed into the North Tower, noted that on numerous occasions the Bush administration rebuffed her request for the creation of a 9/11 panel, saying that they wanted to look forward, not toward the past. Reflecting on the creation of the commission, Hamilton recalled the great emphasis placed on bi-partisan consensus building, which he described as “hard work.” Praising Kean’s patience in building a consensus, Hamilton noted that without unity the commission’s results would have lacked legitimacy. It was critical for the commission to
Wilson Center Panel Addresses Future of Terrorism, U.S.-Arab Relations Seeking to provide a balanced and forwardlooking approach toward analyzing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a Sept. 12 panel discussion titled “The Na-
PHOTO COURTESY THE WILSON CENTER
that “active diplomacy” in an interdependent world was the best way for America to “build bridges.” Both he and Cohen emphasized the important role young people play in engaging the world and developing relationships that dismiss stereotypes. While the dialogue largely focused on U.S.-Muslim relations, the recent Arab revolutions were also a matter of interest. Cohen stressed that the uprisings were driven by rising food costs and anger toward oppressive authoritarian regimes, rather than religion. While both Cohen and Ahmed were optimistic that the revolutions will have a positive end result, Ahmed was quick to caution that revolutions are “strong beasts” that can “lead to any place.” He cited two challenges facing post-revolution societies as creating a sense of citizenship among all peoples and ensuring that strongmen don’t fill the void of leaderless countries. —Dale Sprusansky
focus solely on the facts, he added, and only offer judgment regarding recommendations so that Americans could come to their own conclusions. In assessing how well the U.S. government has implemented the commission’s recommendations, the panelists lamented the fact that Congress has still failed to solve the issue of first-responder communication. Hamilton described the lack of attention given to this issue as a “pure and simple outrage,” characterizing it as “a remarkable failure of leadership.” Collins pointed to the inability of rescue teams to communicate following Hurricane Katrina as an example of how little progress has been made in 10 years. Describing this issue as one of his top priorities this legislative session, Lieberman reflected the sentiment of the panel when he commented that Congress needs to stop nitpicking over the details of a new communications system and simply pass a much-needed bill. The panelists agreed that the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), recommended by the commission in an effort to streamline communication among intelligence agencies, represented significant progress. Under the DNI, Hamilton noted, communication among agencies now operates on a “responsibility to share basis,” rather than a need to know basis. Nevertheless, pointing out that the U.S. is still not at the place where intelligence is “seamlessly shared,” Hamilton suggested that the president be more forceful in giving the DNI full authority over intelligence matters. —Dale Sprusansky
(L-r) David Ignatius, Mike Rogers, General McChrystal, Michael Leiter, James Zogby and Bruce Hoffman. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
tional Conversation—9/11: The Next Ten Years,” moderated by David Ignatius, associate editor and columnist with The Washington Post. A day after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the date itself was referred to rather infrequently, as much of the panel’s focus was on understanding the future of terrorism and Arab political opinions. Addressing the potential threat posed by terrorists, Prof. Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, stated that U.S. actions in the past decade have caused terrorist groups to become disorganized and fractionalized. Thus, Hoffman explained, the terrorist threat has evolved over the last 10 years. Groups that are currently unknown will become the biggest threat to national security, he emphasized. Michael Leiter, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, added that the progress made in technology over the past 10 years has heightened the risk that more technologically advanced weapons will become accessible to terrorists. Therefore, he pointed out, the fractionalization of terrorist groups and their loss of power are in part offset by their increased access to dangerous weapons. Aside from terrorism, panelists addressed how the Arab street views the United States. Dr. James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute, which conducts frequent polls in Arab countries, warned that the attitude toward Islam in American political discourse is sending a message to Muslims that they “don’t belong in our world [in America].” He lamented the fact that U.S. approval ratings in the Arab world are currently lower than they were when President George W. Bush left office, saying that these figures “scare the heck out of me.” Zogby stressed the fact that, postArab Spring, Arab public opinion now matters, as governments throughout the region will now become more responsive to the public pulse. Describing the Arab uprisings as a “huge strategic opportunity,” Leiter argued that the uprisings demonstrate that al-Qaeda has done a “fabulous job of poisoning its own message,” and warned the U.S. not to get too deeply involved in domestic Arab politics. In addressing how the U.S. must move forward in its approach to the Arab world, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former commander of the International Security Force in Afghanistan, stressed that the U.S must engage the region and not rely solely on force. There was some disagreement among the panelists on the subject of U.S. drone atNOVEMBER 2011
tacks. While Zogby said he was “horribly offended” by them, both Leiter and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, defended the use of drones. Leiter described drones as the “most effective tool to eliminate threats” and save lives, while Rogers emphasized the painstakingly long process officials go through in order to ensure such attacks do not put civilians at risk. —Dale Sprusansky
California Commuters Urged to End U.S. Military Aid to Israel
PHOTO COURTESY NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FRIENDS OF SABEEL
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 61
A cable car ad calls for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
Bay Area public transit systems, including San Francisco’s fabled cable cars, sported eye-catching ads in August calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. Part of a year-old national campaign, the ads depict Israeli and Palestinian grandfathers, each holding a grandchild, calling for an end to the military assistance in the interest of building “peace with equality and justice.” The ad campaign in Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco was sponsored by Northern California Friends of Sabeel, the local affiliate of an international peace movement initiated by Palestinian Christians to bring justice and peace to the Holy Land through nonviolence and education. Co-sponsors included Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, the Middle East Children’s Alliance and Bay Area Women in Black. The U.S. currently provides Israel with $3 billion in military assistance annually— more than $340,000 per hour—despite Israel’s open defiance of stated U.S. policy, United Nations resolutions and international law. “American aid encourages its violation of international law and moral conventions and creates serious problems for us around the world,” said NorCal Sabeel member Hassan Fouda, one of the organizers of the ad campaign. “Congress is planning deep cuts in social security, unemployment compensation, educational grants and other programs that help vulnerable Americans. Transferring billions of taxpayers’ money to Israel now is immoral. Americans need to speak up and be heard.” The ads are part of an initiative launched in October 2010 by a Chicago-area community group called the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine. NorCal Sabeel followed with ads in several BART stations THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
last December. Since then, similar ads have appeared in transit stations, on buses, or on billboards in Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ; and Albuquerque, NM. More cities are planning their own campaigns soon. The ads now appearing in the Bay Area feature photos of Jeff Halper, a Minnesotaborn Israeli professor and co-founder of the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), and Salim Shawamreh, a Jerusalem-born construction supervisor whose home has been destroyed by Israeli wrecking crews, then rebuilt by volunteers four times since 1998—and a grandchild of each. —Delinda C. Hanley
Iowans Continue Weekly Vigil in Des Moines Iowa peace and social justice advocates continued their weekly vigil in Nollen Plaza on Sept. 1. “There are ways of resolving conflict in the world without war, and it’s important to remind people of that,” said Gil Landolt, president of Veterans for Peace Iowa Chapter 163. Holding a placard declaring “No More War, Nukes, Lies,” Landolt said he is optimistic. “It would be very positive to work on all three of those. That’s the way I feel today,” said Landolt with a smile and a laugh. “Maybe it can never totally be done, but we can work in that direction.” Renee Espeland, a supporter of the vigil since its beginning on Nov. 11, 2004, said she experiences a religious component in the vigil. “I’m out here because we need to be a visible presence somewhere in this city at least once a week. I don’t attend a formal religious institution, so I consider this my disciplined worship.” After the vigils, Espeland said, the group 61
STAFF PHOTO M. GILLESPIE
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 62
(L-r) Renee Espeland, Eloise Cranke, Megan Felt and (not pictured) Gil Landolt protest each week. crosses the street to visit the offices of their elected representatives, Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA). “Sometimes we bring informative print outs, sometimes we bring formal statements, sometimes we just write something while we’re there and sign our names,” she explained. “We try to keep a relationship going with the staff.” According to Espeland, Grassley always replies. “Even though we don’t like what he says, he has been very consistent in giving us a response,” she noted, “but Senator Harkin refuses to respond to anything.” “I continue to believe that we need to get out of Iraq. We need to get out of Afghanistan. We need to get out of Libya and every other place where we think war is the answer. It isn’t the answer,” said Eloise Cranke, another longtime supporter of the vigil. “War doesn’t bring peace,” she insisted, “and I just continue to try to remind people of that.” Cranke readily admitted that she is a bit frustrated by the seemingly endless wars. “Absolutely, but I keep coming. I don’t think you give up just because you get frustrated.” She does what she can to raise awareness of the need for peace, Cranke said. “It isn’t much, but it’s what I can do.” —Michael Gillespie
Passengers from The Audacity of Hope, one of 10 ships in Freedom Flotilla 2, met at Manhattan’s All Souls Unitarian Church on Aug. 2 to report on their attempt to bring hope—and thousands of love letters—to Palestinians in Gaza. Missy Lane narrated a slide show, and panelists Jane Hirschmann, Nic Abramson, Naomi Brussel, Brad Taylor, Ann Wright, Gabriel Shivone and Libor Koznar spoke about the challenges and exhila62
Shared Communities Program Visits Washington, DC
Israeli Arab and Jewish mayors visited the Busboys & Poets bookstore in Washington, DC on June 19 as part of the Shared Communities program of Givat Haviva, a nonprofit educational institute founded in 1949 in the Wadi Ara region of central Israel. The mayors discussed their grassroots effort to bring Arabs and Jews together in meaningful ways by creating and carrying out projects of their own design to address community needs. The mayors represented the Panelists (l-r) Jane Hirschmann, Missy Lane, Brad Taylor and first pair of communities that have established such a partnership. Naomi Brussel. PHOTO COURTESY DESERTPEACE/BUD KOROTZER
Gaza Freedom Flotilla Veterans Vow To “Sail On”
ration of their Athens experiences. They described how pressure from the U.S. and Israel thwarted a year-long effort of fundraising and organizing to prepare a U.S. ship for the humanitarian mission to Gaza. But, they said, support from the Greek people touched them deeply. Retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright reminded the large audience that, only a year earlier, she and Adam Shapiro had reported at the church on the seizure by Israeli commandos of ships in the first Freedom Flotilla. Nine Mavi Marmara passengers—one of them an American—were murdered and 50 injured in the raid. That 2010 event gave birth to the idea of an American ship, which activist Laurie Arbeiter suggested be named after President Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope. The speakers thanked audience members over and over for donating time, money and resources to make the U.S. Boat to Gaza a reality, and applauded the creativity that helped bring media attention to the desperate condition of Gazans. “But,” explained Wright, “Israel used a new tactic for this flotilla. There was no confrontation with Israeli police as there had been in 2010. Instead they brought their blockade all the way to the shores of Greece.”
According to Wright, Greeks did not support the law passed by their government in June that forbade any ship from sailing to Gaza. “They were horrified that the sovereignty of Greece had been undermined by Israel,” she said. Nic Abramson described the resistance in Athens’ Syntagma Square to the government’s austerity measures, and a July 3 vote by protestors to support the Flotilla. He noted that 600 Greeks marched with internationals to the Ministry of Public Safety to present their demand that the ships be allowed to sail, then marched to the Israeli and U.S. embassies. “At this event and at our hunger fast,” Abramson said, “we sang peace songs back and forth to each other.” In addition to the Greek ministry’s ban on the departure of ships “with Greek and foreign flags from Greek ports to the maritime area of Gaza,” two flotilla ships allegedly were sabotaged, and the U.S. ship’s “seaworthiness” was challenged by the Israel Law Center. But the mission also attracted public figures like Mustafa Barghouti, who ate dinner with passengers on the Audacity of Hope. “I was working the galley,” Brad Taylor recalled, “and had the honor of serving this famous doctor, legislator and advocate for Palestinian unity. He thanked us for our work.” Despite Flotilla 2’s failure to carry its cargo to Gaza, spirits ran high among passengers and organizers, whose energies and commitment are unabated. They are gearing up for September events surrounding the possible U.N. General Assembly vote on Palestinian statehood. “We’re here to keep it going,” concluded Missy Lane, “and to work for the liberation of Palestine.” —Lisa Mullenneaux
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
proach change gradually Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal at and with modest expec- the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in tations. Given that this Washington, DC on June 30. Patriarch appearance on their Twal had spent the previous 10 days meetweek-long speaking tour ing with prominent Americans, including in the United States coin- Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religious cided with Father’s Day, and civic leaders along the East Coast on a they disclosed that they trip organized by the HCEF. had something else in The Latin Patriarchate and Monmouth common: both are fathers University Prof. Saliba Sarsar took this opof three children. When portunity to describe the American Uniasked how their families versity of Madaba, Jordan, which will feel about their work, open its doors in October 2011. This nonGaash said he’s always in- profit university, with classes taught in spired by his kids and English, belongs to the Latin Patriarchate (L-r) Mayors Chaim Gaash and Nazia Masrawa, Yaniv Sagee, Israeli representative to Givat Haviva USA, and Riad Kabha, enjoys their support. of Jerusalem. AUM will be sure to attract Masrwara said his wife is students from all over Jordan, as well as director of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace, Givat Haviva. busier than he is and his from other Arab countries, and will no Nazia Masrawa is from the Arab town of whole family agrees with what he’s doing. doubt have a positive impact on peace and Givat Haviva Institute, which began as prosperity in the region. Kfar Kara, with a population of 17,000, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Ambaswhile Chaim Gaash is from the Jewish the national education center of the Kibtown of Pardes Hanna, with 32,000 resi- butz Federation in Israel, has won several sador Maen Areikat, chief representative dents. They’ve signed a pioneering agree- awards of distinction, including the of the PLO delegation to the U.S., and ment for cross-sector collaboration. Over UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in other diplomats, clergy, church leaders and the next three years, the program seeks to 2001. It’s dedicated to promoting mutual heads of organizations attended the recep—Delinda C. Hanley build similar alliances between 20 pairs of understanding and dialogue, civic equal- tion. communities around common values, pro- ity and cooperation between divided Rallies Support Palestine groups in Israel. jects and goals. Givat Haviva’s Northern Branch has de- Becoming U.N. Member State The main objectives include generating dialogue, creating sustainable frameworks, signed a program for Israeli Arab high Students for Statehood (SFS) held a series of building capacity and activating joint pro- school educators called “Holocaust Study: rallies and actions across the United States jects. There is also a research component to Recognizing the Historical Experience of on Sunday, Sept. 4, to support Palestine beenable academic experts to study the pro- the Jewish People.” To get more informa- coming the 194th member state of the gram and replicate its lessons around the tion or make a donation, visit <www.gi- United Nations. The Washington, DC vathaviva.org>. —Anne O’Rourke protest in front of the White House ocworld. Masrawa and Gaash described how curred on the same day during Labor Day they’ve begun their work by focusing on Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal weekend as rallies in New York City and Alwomen, the elderly and youth. These Welcomed to Washington, DC bany, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Blacksburg, VA; groups were chosen because they were rel- The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Chicago and Jacksonville, IL; Cleveland, atively more receptive and would be likely Foundation (HCEF) and Donald Cardinal OH; Minneapolis, MN; Sacramento, CA; to influence others. After initial meetings Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, co- and Boise, ID. SFS advocates for Palestine’s that started out tense, the women decided hosted a dinner reception to honor the admission to the U.N. because it will into create a recipe book and the crease the chances of reaching retired men are looking at a just and lasting peace for the ways to share their leisure time Palestinian people and an end together. Some 250 Arab and to Israel’s illegal occupation of Jewish students already have Palestine. participated in environmenStudents from the Univertally oriented art workshops as sity of Maryland, George part of the “Together for The Washington University, Environment” series for eleGeorgetown, American Unimentary school children. Fuversity, George Mason, Uniture plans include after-school versity of Virginia and Univeractivities for teens and comsity of the District of Colombia munity youth theater. gathered to chant: “People, As Masrwara said, “Alpeople can’t you see. Palestine though we have lived in close should be free,” “Peace, not proximity for decades, our war. Member state 194,” and communities are alienated “We are ready, we won’t wait. from one another. This is what (L-r) Dr. Saliba Sarsar, HCEF president Sir Rateb Rabie, Lady Rocio Palestine as a member state.” we aim to change.” The two Rabie, HCEF vice president Dr. Hugh Dempsey, Patriarch Fouad Twal Kira Stoykl, who taught mayors agreed that they ap- and Cardinal Donald Wuerl. English at Bourj el Barajneh PHOTO BY RAY’S PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY HCEF
STAFF PHOTO A. O’ROURKE
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 63
NOVEMBER 2011
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
63
STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 64
Students for Statehood protest in front of the White House. camp in Lebanon, was there to support the resolution, she said, because, “They want a home. They’ve been waiting 63 years.” Palestinian American Nadia Ghannam said, “We need to be a little more proactive and also have patience. Statehood will happen.” A middle-aged tourist passing by, Ms. Layton from England, told the Washington Report: “I support these young people. I took a tour to Israel in March and I saw everything. Israel is putting up horrible flats anywhere they want.” When asked what she would tell Americans, Layton said, “Go over there and see for yourself. Look what they’re doing to Bethlehem.” Yazan Mustafa, a senior at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, helped organize the rally. Mustafa, a Palestinian, said he planned to be in New York City when the U.N. General Assembly meets, along with thousands of supporters of Palestine from across the world. “Of course, full membership of the United Nations would not solve all of our problems,” Mustafa said. “But it would be a start on the road to ensuring that we are able to live in peace with our neighbors, and it would be in the interests of the region, the U.S, and the rest of the world to support our cause....Palestine is ready, and we have been for a long time.” —Delinda C. Hanley
According to Ambassador Cretz, the U.S. will support the rebuilding efforts of Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) leadership by being there when help is needed. Pointing out the danger of being perceived as a Western imperialist power, he noted that Libyans want to lead themselves. The address was followed by a panel discussion moderated by MEI President Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin and featuring Mark Ward, USAID deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), and Travis Gartner, director of community stabilization at IRD. The panelists discussed the role of the international NGO sector in Libya’s transitioning process. At a Sept. 1 international conference on Libya in Paris, Ward and a small group of donors met with leaders of the NTC’s reconstruction efforts who told them that Libyans don’t want money as much as they want outside expertise to assist them in building institutions, dealing with the press, conducting elections and building a civil society. “We can help them with experts who can go in for a while and help them out until they can cover these needs on their own,” said Ward. As the NGO community rallies around Libya, Gartner said that a community ac-
tion, grassroots-level program is needed to foster democracy and stabilization. “It starts with fostering citizen involvement in the decision-making process and facilitating the creation and training of community action groups,” he explained. However, Gartner emphasized, in order for NGO work to be successful, the proliferation of weapons, which has been rampant during the Arab Spring, needs to be controlled by the “disarming, demobilizing and reintegration of militias.” The need for security at such a time is paramount. Cretz specified that NATO’s mission is to protect civilians in the process of stabilization from regime loyalists and the threat posed by the freedom of Col. Muammar Qaddafi and his sons, Saif and Mutassim. During the question-and-answer session, Cretz was asked to comment on the devastation caused by NATO’s bombings of civilians. “NATO has been very careful in terms of their targeting,” the American ambassador replied. “I don’t think that there have been many instances where one could argue that the NATO mission has veered much from number one: making sure that there was a no fly zone; and number two: that its main mandate of protecting civilians was honored most of that time or all of that time.” Amnesty International has called upon NATO to investigate allegations of civilian deaths that have taken place over the past few months. As the NATO mission continues, member nations will determine their stance on supporting the NTC over the next few months. As of mid-September, approximately 65 nations had already pledged their support to the NTC. —Deena Zaru
Turkey’s Relations with Arab States And Israel The Middle East Institute’s Center for Turkish Studies hosted its Second Annual Conference on Turkey, June 25 at the University Club in Washington, DC. Entitled
“[The U.S.] is not going to be engaged in the kind of nation-building [in Libya] that we were in Iraq or Afghanistan,” said U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz in a Sept. 7 speech at the National Press Club in Washington, DC co-hosted by the Middle East Institute (MEI) and International Relief and Development (IRD). “We do not have the resources,” he explained, “and the situation does not lend itself to that.” 64
STAFF PHOTO D. ZARU
Ambassador Cretz Reports on Humanitarian Situation in Libya
(L-r) Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, Ambassador Gene Cretz, Travis Gartner and Mark Ward discuss future U.S. assistance in rebuilding Libya. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTO A. LAHLOU
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 65
(L-r) Dr. Malik Mufti, Dr. Lenore G. Martin, Ambassador Dr. Alon Liel, the Hon. Suat Kınıklıoğlu and Kim Ghattas.
NOVEMBER 2011
the two nations since the late 1940s, when Israel was established. Liel referred to the Oslo process of the 1990s as a “love affair…a dream come true” that proved that a close relations between Israel and Muslim states are possible. This was succeeded by tension during the second intifada, improved relations during Turkey’s mediation between Israel and Syria, and another low following the 2008-09 war in Gaza. The Mavi Marmara incident, in which Israeli Defense Forces killed nine Turkish activists aboard a flotilla headed to Gaza, led to a “total collapse” of the relationship. Israel is ready to “express sorrow” and offer compensation, Liel said, but Ankara demands a full official apology. Fear that Israeli soldiers could be brought to court, along with “national honor,” make an apology “unthinkable” under the current government coalition, he said. Turkey is a key state in keeping Israel connected to the Middle East, added Liel, who noted that Pervez Musharraf on Bin Laden the Arab Spring has left Israel with no ally Controversy, U.S.-Pakistan Relations in the region. Former Pakistani President Pervez MusharDr. Lenore G. Martin, author and politi- raf delivered an address on “The State of cal science professor, commented on the U.S.- Pakistan Relationship” at a July Turkey’s foreign policy in the context of 22 event hosted by the Woodrow Wilson neighboring Iran. The two states share Center, in Washington, DC. In her introconverging interests in the field of energy, duction, former congresswoman (D-CA) containing Kurdish separatism, and trade and now Wilson Center president Jane and investment, she pointed out. However, they diverge on questions of nuclear programs, potential roles in Iraq, and influences on other states in the region. Turkey uses soft power and economic and diplomatic relations to extend its influence, Martin said, while Iran’s use of hard power is evident in its arming of what the West calls “subversive forces.” Ankara is concerned by Iran’s nuclear arms but nonetheless is opposed to the sanctions placed on the country, she said. The impending U.S. withdrawal from Iraq may open the way for Iranian influence, Gen. Pervez Musharraf denies that the Pakistani eswhile Ankara wishes to reduce tablishment knew Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts. STAFF PHOTO A. LAHLOU
“Change Within and Beyond Borders: Turkey’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Agenda,” the day-long conference featured keynote speeches by and panels featuring politicians, journalists and academics. Veteran journalist and State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas moderated an afternoon panel on Turkey’s foreign policy. The Honorable Suat Kınıklıoğlu, a leading member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), discussed Turkey’s rising influence with its neighboring countries. Ankara is following a policy of reintegration with countries in the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa, he explained, through economic partnerships, people-to-people contact, and the lifting of visa restrictions. Turkey’s stance toward the Arab Spring has been to encourage leaders to open up and respond to people’s demands for reform, all the while advocating for nonviolence and the respect of sovereignty. Kınıklıoğlu encouraged domestic transformations that are led and owned by the people, with as little influence from abroad as possible. Regarding Turkey’s close relationship with Syria, Kınıklıoğlu said that Ankara maintains contact with the authorities in Damascus as well as with the opposition movement. Since the uprisings began in Egypt, he said, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has urged his Syrian counterpart to reform. Turkey is particularly affected by the unrest in Syria, he noted, with more than 10,000 Syrian refugees on the border, which Kınıklıoğlu said will remain open. As Muslim countries look to Turkey as an example of religious and secular cohabitation, Kınıklıoğlu said he hopes Turkey can influence events in the region in a moderate and progressive manner, offering guidance and expertise. Ambassador Dr. Alon Liel, former director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and author of numerous books on Turkey, focused on Turkish-Israeli relations, tracing the history of “sharp ups and downs” that has marked dealings between
the Shi’i-Sunni divide. Both states are vying for influence in Syria, Martin added—Turkey through support for the Syrian people, Iran through military support to President Bashar Al-Assad, whose fall could be a huge loss to Iran. In essence, Martin argued that Turkish soft power can reduce instability in the region, while Iranian hard power can escalate it. Dr. Malik Mufti, also an author and professor of political science, called Ankara’s growing regional engagement a natural evolution of its foreign policy. The Turkish model is a “relatively successful” balance of secular nationalism and Islamic popularism, he said. In addition to an economic effect, Turkey’s reintegration in the Middle East could lead to changing power dynamics in the region, such as a potential role in reconciling opposing parties in Syria. The panel ended with a lively questionand-answer session and audience input. Asked about Turkey’s bid to join the EU, Kınıklıoğlu noted that Turkey is a different country than it was in 2005, when it first applied for membership. “The Turks are no longer sleepless about the EU accepting them,” he said. “The sun will still rise the next day.” For podcasts and transcripts of the day’s panels, visit <www.mei.edu/TurkishCen ter/AnnualConferenceonTurkey/2011/ 2011Podcasts.aspx>. —Alia Lahlou
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
65
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 66
66
for Pakistan’s sensitivities and sovereignty. Internally, he added, Pakistan has to tackle the problem of extremism by stopping the promotion of militancy in schools, religious establishments and organizations. Resolving the decades-old Kashmir conflict with India is also necessary, the former president pointed out. In a question-and-answer session moderated by Bob Hathaway, director of the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, Musharraf reiterated the fact that no one in the Pakistani establishment knew of bin Laden’s whereabouts. “You don’t have walls around your houses,” he reminded the audience, referring to the idea that bin Laden’s house in Abbodabad was unusually large or strange for its high walls. He completely repudiated the idea that the military hid anything from him, as he is a trusted and longtime member of the military establishment. Acknowledging that individual members of the Pakistani military may have extremist sympathies, Musharraf described the general direction of the military as “positive,” with a strong code of military law, and strategy made at the top echelons. According to Musharraf, former President Benazir Bhutto “didn’t respect” the deal the two of them had signed; Pakistan was to drop all corruption charges against her in exchange for her agreeing to return to the country only after the elections. Her assassination as she was campaigning for the presidency, along with Musharraf’s confrontation with the judiciary, is what led to the drop in his popularity, he argued. There currently is a leadership vacuum in Pakistan, Musharraf said, hinting at a possible return to politics, as he plans to end his self-exile in London and return to Pakistan in 2012. Describing himself as “a man of war, but also a man for peace,” Musharraf concluded by saying that he
strives to achieve peace precisely because he has known the ravages of war. —Alia Lahlou
What Lies Ahead for America in Arabia and the Gulf? In the midst of great ferment and upheaval in the Middle East, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) hosted a Sept. 15 panel discussion on the relationship and future dynamics between the U.S. and the Persian Gulf states. Moderator Dr. John Duke Anthony, NCUSAR president and CEO, began by highlighting the necessity of such a conference in light of recent events in the Middle East. The first panelist, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman and founder of the Gulf Research Center, examined factors affecting the U.S. in the region, specifically credibility and capability. Whenever Washington pursues a policy unfavorable to the Gulf it loses credibility, Dr. Sagar explained. Unlike the conflict in Afghanistan, he noted, the war in Iraq was not seen in the Gulf as a war of necessity. The Gulf states are concerned that objectives have not been met and that a vacuum filled by an empowered Iran will likely be what’s left once the U.S. withdraws from Iraq. Other issues Sager cited as having damaged U.S. credibility in the Gulf include both its policy toward Iran and its actions concerning Palestine. While the U.S. supports human rights and cares for the people in some countries enveloped in the Arab Spring, Sager said, he went on to ask: “Is there a difference between the people in Tunisia and the people in Palestine?” Alluding to the financial difficulties in both Iraq and the U.S., Sager concluded by asking, “Do I want a weak U.S.? Do I want a humiliated U.S.? No. I want a U.S. that believes its own values.” Dr. Christian Koch, director of the Gulf Research Center, stated that while the Arab Spring has not affected the legitimacy of
STAFF PHOTO J. DEILLON
Harman outlined some of the challenges that have affected the relationship between the two nations, including Pakistani sales of nuclear technology to North Korea in 2005, the contested 2007 elections, Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, and the recent controversy surrounding Osama bin Laden. Retired General Musharraf spoke at length about the trust deficit between the United States and Pakistan. He was saddened to see the deterioration of the relationship, he said, especially after years of cooperation when he was chief executive, from 1999 to 2001, and president, from 2001 to 2008. “Pakistan finds itself in the eye of the terrorism storm,” said Musharraf, as he presented an historical overview of the rise of militant extremism in the region. Placing today’s extremist groups in the context of U.S. and Pakistani efforts to fight the Soviets after the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, he dubbed the years 1989-00 a “period of disaster,” as the U.S. “abandoned” the region after the fall of the Soviet Union and retreated without any rehabilitation of the mujahideen, who had been “armed to the teeth” and who coalesced into today’s al-Qaeda. Musharraf reminded the audience that Pakistan has been allied with the West since its creation in 1947. Since 1989, however, he said, there has been a policy shift against Islamabad, with India becoming a strategic ally in South Asia. Pakistan was “used, ditched and betrayed,” Musharraf said. Public antipathy toward the U.S. is a result of the latter’s meddling with Pakistan’s affairs, the general continued. Many Pakistanis view the U.S. condemnation of Pakistan’s nuclear program as an affront to their national pride. Pakistan’s nuclear program is the guarantor of its integrity and security, Musharraf said. He called the “indiscriminate” U.S. drone attacks and the collateral damage they cause, along with the American strike against bin Laden inside Pakistan, an assault on Pakistan’s sovereignty. Regarding the ongoing controversy over bin Laden’s assassination, Musharraf refuted allegations that Pakistani authorities were complicit in protecting or shielding the al-Qaeda leader. “This is an absolute case of negligence, not complicity,” he claimed. Looking ahead, Musharraf warned that a confrontation between the U.S. and Pakistan would be “most unwise.” The two countries must restore trust, he emphasized, with Islamabad proving that the bin Laden affair was not a case of complicity, and Washington showing greater concern
(L-r) Dr. Christian Koch, Dr. Mustafa Alani, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and Dr. John Duke Anthony discuss future relations between the United States and Gulf countries. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
governments in the Gulf, their ability to provide good governance has been under siege. Because their governments and systems have not been unresponsive to these events, according to Koch, today the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have an increased willingness to act in favor of their national interest, not always with the U.S. in mind. Dr. Koch argued that this has also been a result of “a feeling of an increased uncertainty about what U.S. foreign policy in the region is,” as well as a loss of U.S. resolve in the region. In addition, the GCC has progressed since its inception to become a central organization for development in the Gulf. Moreover, other regions of the world, including Europe and Asia, recently have started to focus more on the Gulf. Dr. Mustafa Alani, senior adviser and research program director at the Gulf Research Center, explained that Washington can expect a restructuring of decision-making in the Arab Spring countries. While military coups have historically been common in the Middle East, popular uprisings are a novelty in the region. “We are going to witness a major shift,” he predicted. “The new foreign policy and especially relations with the U.S. and these new emerging regimes are going to have a popular influence.” The “easy days for the U.S. to walk into a room and let the dictator sign any paper you want are over,” he added. Dr. Alani also addressed the fact that Islam is a political religion and with the advent of the Arab Spring it is inevitable that Islam will play a role in politics. Islamist governments will be very careful in future dealings with the U.S. The type of “moderate Islam” we will see being politically active is what is needed to fight extremist Islam, Dr. Alani argued. The moderate Islam associated with the Arab Spring undermines the ideology and effectiveness of extremists, who were unable to achieve their goal of removing oppressive dictators from power. He cited as an example of this the Salafi movement which, since the popular uprisings, has started to rethink its ideological position. The panel also addressed the issue of Yemen, the poorest and most unstable country in the Gulf. In Sager’s opinion, the fragmentation of Yemen’s political system and the lack of infrastructure, along with the influx of Somalian refugees, should make it a priority for aid and development. Alani pointed out that Yemen hosts al-Qaeda’s elite, and that the last two failed terrorist attacks on the U.S. were carried out by individuals trained in Yemen. He went so far as to predict that if the U.S. and the internaNOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTO M O’SULLIVAN
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 67
(L-r) Trita Parsi, Vipin Narang and Joseph Cirincione discuss vulnerable nuclear arsenals. tional community do not cooperate to help the country develop, Yemen is sure to become a combination of Afghanistan and Somalia. —Jean-Pascal Deillon
Nuclear Arms Experts Discuss the New World of Proliferation The Washington, DC-based New America Foundation (NAF) hosted a June 29 panel discussion on the possession, proliferation, disarmament and future of nuclear weapons in the international community. Moderated by Peter Bergen, director of NAF’s national security studies program, the panel featured several experts on nuclear policy including Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund. Cirincione began the discussion with an overview of American and Russian nuclear arsenals, which together compose 95 percent of the entire world’s nuclear capacity. For these two states, he pointed out, “arms control is the new realism” for political and military figures alike, and both states will continue to make strides toward reducing nuclear arsenals. The anachronistic nature of nuclear warfare for Washington and Moscow, however, is not equally applicable to the Middle East and Asia, where nuclear weapons continue to occupy key roles in national defense and foreign policies, specifically for China, Pakistan and India. Sustained military exchanges between these countries, Cirincione warned, undoubtedly would constitute a “world war” and carry economic and ecological consequences affecting the entire globe. Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at MIT, emphasized that Pakistan’s military perceives nuclear arms as an essential deterrent against either an Indian or U.S. invasion. As a result, Pakistan, with China’s assistance, is expanding its nuclear program faster than any other state, primarily to dissuade India from building up its conventional military. Narang described Beijing’s policy of nuclear cooperation with Islamabad and the level of support it THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
is providing as “unprecedented in the annals of nuclear proliferation,” adding that it may be the model for nuclear proliferation across states in the future. The security of Pakistan’s and India’s nuclear arsenals is vulnerable in both countries to internal threats, he acknowledged. However, Cirincione pointed out, even given internal instability in both India and Pakistan, it is highly improbable that a terrorist organization would ever gain access to nuclear weapons. It would be far more likely—given their shared border and history of multiple armed exchanges in the past century—to see India and Pakistan caught in nuclear war. The environmental effects alone of such an encounter would have the potential to destroy the world’s agriculture, he noted. Trita Parsi, president and founder of the National Iranian American Council, provided insights on Iranian nuclear proliferation and the public view from within Iran on nuclear weapons. America has a core assumption about Iranian nuclear aspirations, Parsi observed—specifically that Iranians, recognizing Israeli and Pakistani nuclear capabilities, must want nuclear weapons as well, and that this desire cannot be eliminated (although Iran’s capability to create nuclear weapons can be). In reality, he pointed out, Iran has a complicated history of nuclear considerations dating back to the Shah, who explored the potential of nuclear armament because he feared war with the U.S.S.R. In 1972, Iran and Egypt together called for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, hoping to prevent Israel from deploying its own arsenal of nuclear missiles. Not only was Iran’s nuclear program halted completely in 1979, following the Islamic Revolution, but it was never restarted at any point during the Iran-Iraq war of the following decade. Today, Iran’s nuclear policy is directed by a small set of political elites and is impervious to the ongoing domestic struggle between Ayatollah Khomeini and President 67
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 68
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian public wants their country to hold a leadership position in the Middle East, but realizes this cannot be attained by simply “outgunning” Iran’s neighbors. Within Iran’s political arena, Parsi added, we are starting to see arguments emerging against nuclear weaponization, although this is still the minority view. On the question of Israel’s nuclear arsenal and how it relates to the need for global cooperation on nuclear disarmament, the panel was united in agreeing that Israel no longer can shield itself from negotiations and multilateral efforts. Indeed, nuclear weapons no longer play an essential role in Israel’s defense, especially since conventional warfare and neighboring countries do not threaten the state. Today its defense priority is terrorism and nonstate actors—neither of which justifies long-range nuclear capabilities or Israel’s significant nuclear holdings. Iran’s slowed commitment to expanding its nuclear capabilities also delegitimizes the argument that Israel needs the bomb to protect itself against the Islamic Republic. Cirincione asserted that the time has come for Israel to take its nuclear arsenal “out of the basement” and put it on the table in order to further an open, cooperative and meaningful discussion on halting nuclear proliferation. In the end, the panel conveyed that the international community’s conventional World War II mentality on nuclear weapons must be left behind in exchange for a renewed consideration of nuclear weapons in a changing landscape. It is now far more likely that we stumble into nuclear conflict by miscalculation than by intention, Cirincione concluded. —Mathew O’Sullivan
over the past six months. The general fielded tough questions from moderator William Quandt, renowned professor of Middle East affairs, as well as from audience members, many of whom watched from an overflow room. “The Egyptian people own their armed forces,” said Elassar, praising the military’s nonviolent response to the protests that began in January. “We are not dictators,” he insisted. The SCAF wishes to expedite the transition period, Elassar said, adding that the majority of Egyptians support it, with only a minority demonstrating against its rule thus far. The SCAF simply cannot cater to every faction’s demands and agenda, he said. On the question of foreign involvement in Egypt, Elassar claimed that certain countries—which remained unspecified— violate Egyptian laws by providing money to unregistered NGOs. Egypt wants support and respect for its sovereignty, he said, not interference. The SCAF defends its refusal of foreign election observers on the grounds of national sovereignty. The military itself has “no red lines” about the drafting of the new constitution, and does not intend to interfere with future judicial matters, he claimed. Elassar insisted that the Egyptian armed forces are not an extension of the old regime, but rather are ready to “play any role the Egyptian people ask [of it].” On the potential political role of the Muslim Brotherhood, the general argued that the Mubarak regime gave them “more credibility than they deserve,” and estimated their support base at about 25 percent. All factions who are committed to the constitution can participate politically, he added. Elassar affirmed that the new Egypt plans on upholding its foreign policy commitments, including its peace treaty with Israel. He did stress, however, that the new elected government will have to listen and
reflect Egyptian public opinion, while the international community must adapt to regional changes. —Alia Lahlou
Diversity Poses Challenges in South Sudan
STAFF PHOTO A. LAHLOU
United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) photographer Tim McKulka presented his book We’ll Make Our Homes Here at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC on Sept. 8. His is the first book to include photos from all of Sudan’s 25 states— and, following the succession of the South in July, will be the last. “I envision this book to be a peace-building tool for Sudanese to see the totality of their nation,” McKulka said. “It is not about promoting unity or separatism, but to document the multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-religious country that existed all the way up to the separation of the South.” The book features photographs and writings by Sudanese on what their country means to them, how it defines them and how they, in turn, define it. Jok Madut Jok, a professor of African studies at Loyola Marymount University in California and contributor to the book, and Nureldin Satti, the UNESCO representative in Ethiopia, Djibouti, the African Union and IGAD, spoke about the challenges moving forward. The discussion was moderated by Wilson Center senior scholar and former British Ambassador Alan Goulty. “So far the South has been brought together by a shared history of opposition to the North, as Southerners were brought together by suffering,” said Jok. However, he maintained, a national collective identity needs to be fostered on such practical bases as language, beliefs and practices in order to unify the South for positive reasons. According to Jok, the South’s governSCAF Member Defends Transition ment is planning cultural celebrations, war Rule in Egypt memorials for various groups, museums and other projects to accommoThe United States Institute date the new country’s diof Peace hosted a July 25 versity. discussion with Maj. Gen. “Cultural programs can Said Elassar of Egypt’s only work in collaboration Supreme Council of the with all other sectors, particArmed Forces (SCAF), the ularly education,” Jok told military body that has govthe Washington Report. “You erned Egypt since President have to identify certain valHosni Mubarak’s ouster in ues through a South SuFebruary. This timely event, danese National Curricutitled “Beyond Tahrir: The lum.” Trajectory of Egypt’s TransiIn doing so, he added, tion,” took place in the conSouthern Sudanese will text of renewed protests over the SCAF’s handling of Maj. Gen. Said Elassar (l) and William Quandt describe the military body need to determine what unifies some 70 ethnic groups, the country’s political affairs now governing Egypt. 68
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
NOVEMBER 2011
STAFF PHOTO D. ZARU
activisms2_49-69_November 2011 Activisms 9/21/11 6:19 PM Page 69
Author Tim McKullka (l) and Prof. Jok Madut Jok. intermarriages that have taken place. “We may have broken away as an entity, but we are still connected,” explained Jok. “The Southerners have left a lasting impression on North Sudan.” Without positive connections with each other, Satti said, neither the South nor the North could become prosperous.
without alienating others, as was the case in the North. Prior to the July separation referendum in the South, there had been a constant cultural exchange between Sudan’s two major regions, largely due to the four million Southerners living in the North, Southern labor migrants in Khartoum, and the many
He cited as one of the biggest challenges that will face the South the economic limitations imposed on the South by the Northern National Congress Party’s (NCP) blocking of trade routes and embargoing of goods, which have made financial stability even more difficult for the already underdeveloped South. While the region is rich with oil, poverty in the North had been rampant, Satti pointed out, adding, “The oil curse in Africa is ubiquitous here.” One of the things that make oil a double-edged sword, he said, is that if the government does not need to tax its citizens to make money, it no longer has to be accountable to the people. This can result in an inequitable division of the country’s assets, and the failure of oil wealth to trickle down to the public. One of the challenges facing both the South and North, Jok concluded, is finding alternate sources of income so that both countries are not limited by revenue from oil alone. —Deena Zaru
Diplomatic Doings Ambassador of the Year
NOVEMBER 2011
Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) signed a MOU earlier this year to establish the Oman-U.S. Joint Business Council, the first bilateral entity of its kind between the two nations. George Salem of the global law firm DLA Piper cited Ambassador Al-Mughairy as
an “architect” of the U.S.-Oman Federal Trade Agreement, which entered into force in January 2009. Her posting to Washington, Salem concluded, “provided a huge boost to the United States, to the Arab world, and to Arab women. She exemplifies an effective ambassador.” —Delinda C. Hanley
PHOTO COURTESY NUSACC
The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) presented the Sultanate of Oman’s Ambassador to the United States Hunaina Al-Mughairy with its Ambassador of the Year Award at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC on July 20. Ambassador Al-Mughairy has spent a total of 16 years in the United States—the last five as the first Arab woman ambassador in Washington. Her role as ambassador has been an amazing experience, she said. “It has given me an opportunity to meet with a wide range of U.S. government representatives and business leaders in order to build upon the already excellent relations that exist between our two countries....I have visited 35 states all across this great nation, and the hospitality of the American people is truly remarkable.” David Hamod, NUSACC president and CEO, commended Al-Mughair for her diligence in attracting investment to the Sultanate. Oman’s commercial relations with the United States improved greatly last year when the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Oman to promote small and mediumsized enterprises in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration. More recently, the Oman Chamber of
David Hamod (r) presents Ambassador Hunaina Al-Mughairy with NUSACC’s Ambassador of the Year award. THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
69
book_review_70_Book Review 9/21/11 9:22 PM Page 70
Books Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and Evolution By Hanan Karaman Munayyer, Olive Branch Press, 2011, hardcover, 576 pp. List: $200; AET: $160.
Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage By Widad Kamel Kawar, Rimal Publications, 2011, paperback, 449 pp. List: $50; AET: $45. Reviewed by Andrew Stimson With roots thousands of years old, Palestinian costume is a rich tradition that evolved over time to form through color and pattern a visual language revealing the wearer’s heritage, ancestry, and affiliations. During the 1948 Nakba, however, Jewish and then Israeli forces demolished hundreds of Palestinian villages and towns (see p. 38) and dispossessed hundreds of thousands of their residents, disrupting centuries-old textile trading networks and threatening to extinguish altogether this vibrant practice. Indeed, by the 1950s many fabrics produced specifically for the Palestinian market had disappeared forever, and local styles went into decline. When the 1967 war forced even more Palestinians from their homes and into refugee camps, much of what remained of the traditional textile industry collapsed. For many Palestinians, the war and its aftermath made clear the need to preserve their culture as a way to affirm national identity and maintain their attachment to their land. Despite the odds, traditional embroidery practices were reborn in the refugee camps. Embroidery produced in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza not only helped provide many families with a stable income, but grew into one of the most enduring foundations of Palestinian cultural heritage. Hanan Munayyer’s Traditional Palestinian Costume and Threads of Identity by Widad Kawar represent vital contributions toward the preservation and documentation of traditional Palestinian costume. Both books contain hundreds of beautiful glossy color photos from two of the world’s largest collections of traditional Palestinian cosAndrew Stimson is director of the AET Book Club. 70
tume. Each also explores in a distinct way the history of Palestinian costume. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Munayyer and her husband, Farrah, took out a home equity loan and bought more than 65 traditional dresses from a Jerusalem antiques dealer. Following further acquisitions, the couple committed themselves to promoting Palestinian art and culture eventually founding the Palestinian Heritage Foundation. It was while doing research in 1987 for a documentary film that could be disseminated to educational institutions, libraries and individuals that Munayyer began to piece together a history of costumes and crafts in the Middle East spanning more than 4,000 years. The result of more than 23 years of research, Traditional Palestinian Costume is not only a sizeable book brimming with beautiful multi-page color photos, but an invaluable resource for students and admirers of Palestinian culture. The book’s first section, which explores the origins of Palestinian costume, represents the most comprehensive study of its kind. Combining recent archeological discoveries with original research, Munayyer traces the origin of the motifs found in Palestinian costume and jewelry by analyzing ancient engravings, carvings and other artifacts dating as far back as the 11th century BC. Subsequent sections cover regional variations and historical contexts. This reviewer shares the Munayyers’ hope that visitors one day will be able to view these pieces in a museum. Threads of Identity offers a more intimate look at the preservation of Palestinian embroidery by focusing on author Kawar’s own story, as well as the personal histories of the women who created the pieces in her collection. Considered one of the foremost authorities on the subject, Kawar interviewed embroiderers from Bethlehem to Gaza, and from Ramallah to the Bedouin tribes of the Naqab. Each section of the book focuses on a specific region, presenting historical research as well as THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
personal stories and striking images. Kawar’s own story is as fascinating as those of the women she interviews. Born in the Nablus area of the West Bank, Kawar returned from her studies at the American University of Beirut in 1950 to find her homeland devastated by the Israeli occupation. As a student of Arab history and sociology, she became convinced that she needed to preserve the Palestine of her childhood by collecting costumes and information about them from their owners. After moving to Amman with her husband, she traveled often to the West Bank and to refugee camps in Jordan, purchasing costume pieces and listening to the women’s stories. To Kawar, each textile represents a woman’s life, its aesthetic value inseparable from its human history. In a particularly powerful passage, she describes her reaction at a party in which wealthy Palestinians and foreign women were dressed in newly purchased traditional Palestinian costumes. Refugees recently dispossessed from their rural villages by the 1967 war had sold many of the dresses, normally kept as family heirlooms, in an effort to support their families. “The costumes appeared to me as ghosts,” Kawar writes, “separated from their original owners by tragedy. Such experiences made me realize the urgency of preserving the traditional costumes and spurred me on to expand my endeavors to collect.” Both Munayyer’s and Kawar’s works are testaments to their devotion to help reassert Palestinians’ national identity and their right to freedom, dignity and independence. ❑
NOVEMBER 2011
book_catalog_71_November 2011 9/22/11 11:22 AM Page 71
AET Book Club Catalog Literature
*
Music
*
Film
*
Monographs
*
More
Fa l l 2 0 1 1 Europe’s Alliance with Israel: Aiding the Occupation by David Cronin, 2011, Pluto Press, paperback, 200 pp. List: $35; AET: $26. Journalist David Cronin examines the European Union’s presentation of itself as an honest broker in the Middle East and exposes its increasing accommodation of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Cronin argues that recent trade agreements between the EU and Israel have made Israel a member state of the Union in all but name. Concluding his revealing account, Cronin calls for increased international activism to help halt the EU’s slide into complicity.
The Words and the Land: Israeli Intellectuals and the Nationalist Myth by Shlomo Sand, translated by Ames Hodges, Semiotext(e), 2011, paperback, 264 pp. List: $16.95; AET: $14. The author of The Invention of the Jewish People examines how Jewish and Israeli intellectuals contributed to the foundational myths of the Jewish nation. One by one, he identifies and calls into question the foundation myths of the Israeli state, beginning with the myth of a people forcibly uprooted, a people-race that began to wander the world in search of a land of asylum.
What Does a Jew Want?: On Binationalism and Other Specters edited by Udi Aloni, Columbia University Press, 2011, paperback, 280 pp. List: $19.95; AET: $14. Contributors Slavoj Zizek, Alain Badiou, Judith Butler and others ask the question: Will a new generation of Israelis and Palestinians dare to walk together toward a joint IsraelPalestine? Through a collage of meditation, interview, diary and essay, Aloni and his interlocutors offer a personal, intellectual and altogether provocative account rich with the insights of philosophy and critical theory.
Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and Evolution by Hanan Karaman Munayyer, Interlink Publishing, 2011, hardcover, 576 pp. List: $200; AET: $160. Representing more than 25 years of extensive field research and the culling of museum resources and publications from around the world, Traditional Palestinian Costume expertly documents the evolution of textile arts in Palestine. Lavishly illustrated with more than 500 full-color photographs from the acclaimed Munayyer Collection, this volume is a must-have for textile enthusiasts and lovers of Palestinian culture.
Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage by Widad Kamel Kawar, Rimal Publications, 2011, paperback, 576 pp. List: $50; AET: $45. The culmination of years of research and collecting of Palestinian costumes, textiles and artifacts, Threads of Identity celebrates the lives of the women responsible for keeping this vital tradition alive. Color photographs of textile artifacts on virtually every page, and interviews with women who witnessed key events of the 20th century, distinguish this immense, deep and thought-provoking history.
The Road to Tahrir: Front Line Images by Six Young Egyptian Photographers by Assaf, Attia, Dalil, Kaldas, Mo & EL-Shazly, American University in Cairo Press, 2011, paperback, 154 pp. List: $24.95; AET: $19. In January 2011, six young Egyptian photographers found themselves in the midst of history as they followed the demonstrations converging on Tahrir Square. Presented day by day as the revolution grew in strength, the photos in The Road to Tahrir create a visceral experience, connecting the reader with the protesters’ fear, struggle and joy.
Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East by Asef Bayat, Stanford University Press, 2009, paperback, 320 pp. List: $21.95; AET: $16. Before the Arab Spring, many in the West viewed the Middle East as frozen in its own traditions and history—a land of mosques and minarets, veiled women, despotic regimes and desert sand. This prophetic book reveals how, under the shadow of authoritarian rule, religious moral authorities and economic elites, ordinary people in the Middle East effected meaningful change. Life as Politics is an indispensable look into the forces that made the Arab revolts of 2011 possible.
Crossing Mandelbaum Gate: Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956-1978 by Kai Bird, Scribner, 2011, 448 pp. List: $18; AET: $15. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author describes his early years in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, delivering an original and illuminating perspective on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Convinced of the importance of Palestinian self-determination, Bird presents a vivid chronicle of a life spent between cultures and a consummate history of a region in turmoil. An indispensable addition to the literature on the modern Middle East.
Israeli Rejectionism: A Hidden Agenda in the Middle East Peace Process, by Zalman Amit & Daphna Levit, Pluto Press, 2011, paperback, 216 pp. List: $30; AET: $23. Delving into the “peace process” to find out why so little progress has been made, the authors find overwhelming evidence of Israeli rejectionism as the main cause for the failure of peace. They demonstrate that the Israeli leadership has always been against a fairly negotiated peace and have deliberately stalled negotiations for the last 80 years.
Shipping Rates Most items are discounted and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Orders accepted by mail, phone (800-368-5788 ext. 2), or Web (www.middleeastbooks.com). All payments in U.S. funds. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Please make checks and money orders out to “AET.”Contact the AET Book Club for complete shipping guidelines and options. U . S . S h i p p i n g R a t e s : Please add $5 for the first item and $2.50 for each additional item. Canada & Mexico shipping charges: Please add $11 for the first item and $3 for each additional item. International shipping charges: Please add $13 for the first item and $3.50 for each additional item. We ship by USPS Priority unless otherwise requested. NOVEMBER 2011
L i b r a r y p a c k a g e s (list value over $240) are available for $29 if donated to a library, or free if requested with a library’s paid subscription or renewal. Call the Book Club at 800-368-5788 ext. 2 to order. AET policy is to identify donors unless anonymity is specifically requested.
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
71
bull_board_72_November 2011 Bulletin Board 9/22/11 1:48 PM Page 72
Upcoming Events, & Obituaries —Compiled by Andrew Stimson Upcoming Events: The Palestine Center will host the exhibition “Of Refuge, Of Home,” featuring artwork by former AET Book Club director Adam Chamy, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 28. Chamy’s works explore identity, myth and home through a series of family portraits and installations that weave themes of migration, roots and belonging. The opening reception will be Sept. 30, 6-8 p.m., at 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington DC. For more information, call (202) 338-1958. The Middle East Children’s Alliance presents an Evening with Ali Abunimah with Special Guest Alice Walker, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612. Ticket sales will benefit the Maia Project: Clean Water for the Children of Palestine. For more information visit <www.mecaforpeace.com> or call (510) 548-0542. The Seattle Arab Festival will be presented by the Arab Center of Washington Oct. 8 and 9 at the Seattle Center House, Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, WA 98109. This year’s theme is “AlNoor: Illuminating Arab Culture, History and Cuisine,” highlighting Arab history, contributions, heritage and traditional cuisine. To volunteer, e-mail <volunteer@arabcenterwa.org> or visit <www. arabcenterwa.org>. The American Task Force on Palestine will host its 6th annual Gala Oct. 19 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, 1150 22nd St. NW, Washington, DC. Distinguished Palestinian Americans who will be honored include Maha Freij, Hanan Munayyer, Nawaf Soliman and Maysoon Zayid, and internationally recognized Palestinian-American musician and composer Simon Shaheen and Ensemble will perform. To purchase tickets visit <www.americantaskforce.org>. The American Arab Chamber of Commerce will hold its 19th Annual Building Economic Bridges Gala Oct. 19, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Fairlane Plaza, 300 Town Center Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, contact the Chamber offices at (313) 945-1700. The Arizona Arab American Festival will be held Oct. 22, 12 to 9 p.m., at the 72
Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012. The nonpolitical, non-religious festival, established to build community pride nationwide, showcases a diversity of music, arts and cultures. For more information visit <www.arabamericanfestival.com>. Sabeel DC Metro will host a one-day symposium, Jesus, Justice, Palestine-Israel: Challenging the Politics of Empire, featuring Prof. Richard Horsley, and Sabeel founder Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, Oct. 29 from 9:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Ravensworth Baptist Church, 5100 Ravensworth Rd., Annandale, VA. Reservations are $30, $10 for students, and include lunch. Contact Paul Verduin at (301) 518-5551 or <phverduin@gmail.com>, or Susan Bell at <avocets@bell.nu>. The Arab American National Museum will hold its 8th Annual Museum Gala Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Henry Hotel, 300 Town Center Dr., Dearborn, Michigan 48126. The event will feature a live fashion presentation curated by the renowned Iraqi-Jordanian designer and historian Hana Sadiq. For more information visit <www.arabamericanmuseum. org> or call (313) 582- 2266.
Obituaries: Clair E. George, 81, a former CIA official famous for his involvement in the Irancontra scandal, died Aug. 11 of cardiac arrest in Chevy Chase, MD. George, who held a number of high-level positions at the CIA, including directing global espionage activities for the agency in the mid1980s, was convicted of lying to Congress during investigations into the White House-led operation to covertly sell weapons to Iran via Israel and divert the profits to Nicaraguan contras. After joining the CIA in 1955, he advanced through the ranks by working in undesirable and dangerous posts around the world, eventually becoming Beirut bureau chief in 1975, at the beginning of Lebanon’s civil war. In the early 1980s, he was promoted to the top management ranks, and became embroiled in the Iran-contra affair. George initially denied that the CIA was involved in the operation, and later apologized, saying he had been trying to protect the agency. He said he had had reservations all along but did not push hard enough to stop it outright. In September 1991, he was indicted on 10 counts, including making false statements to Congress and obstruction. After THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
BulletinBoard an initial mistrial, a federal jury convicted Mr. George in December 1992 of two felony charges of perjury and misleading Congress. That Christmas Eve he received a presidential pardon from President George H.W. Bush. Prolific Iranian-American film director Reza S. Badiyi, 81, died Aug. 20 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. His film credits include “Get Smart” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” and he set a Directors Guild of America record for directing the most hours of television series episodes. Born in Arak, Iran, Badiyi graduated from the Iran’s Academy of Drama and went on to make 21 documentaries, including “Flood in Khuzestan,” which was screened internationally to generate awareness of the natural disaster. After seeing the film, U.S. State Department representatives invited Badiyi to study film at Syracuse University. Prior to leaving his homeland, he was the shah’s personal cinematographer, traveling with him throughout Iran. Badiyi began directing for American television audiences in the late 1960s, and went on to work on such notable shows as “Mission Impossible,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Baywatch” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He remained passionate about his Iranian heritage, reciting Persian poetry from memory. In 2010, the Iranian-American community celebrated his 80th birthday at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Lucille Marie Findley, 93, who was married to Congressman Paul Findley (R-IL) for 65 years, died of cancer Aug. 21 at Barton W. Stone Home in Jacksonville, IL. A dedicated advocate for social justice both locally and abroad, she was, according to the State Journal Register, “interested in the Middle East, and believed that personal relationships could overcome prejudice and ignorance, leading to eventual peace.” A graduate of the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing, she served as a flight nurse in the Pacific Theater during World War II. She met her future husband while stationed on Guam, and they were married in a simple wedding at the residence of her hometown Catholic priest in Stoughton, Massachusetts. The Findley family and friends have established the Lucille Findley Memorial Foundation to provide scholarship funds to students at Illinois College for educational travel to and from the Middle East, with the aim of promoting understanding through personal contact. ❑ NOVEMBER 2011
angels_73-74_r1_November 2011 Choir of Angels 9/21/11 7:14 PM Page 73
AETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2011 Choir of Angels Following are individuals, organizations, companies and foundations whose help between Jan. 1 and Sept. 12, 2011 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. We are deeply honored by their confidence and profoundly grateful for their generosity.
HUMMERS ($100 or more) Americans For a Palestinian State, Oakland, CA Ahsen Abbasi, Leesburg, VA Catherine Abbott, Edina, MN Jeff Abood, Silver Lake, OH Diane Adkin, Camas, WA Dr. M.Y. Ahmed, Waterville, OH Emeel & Elizabeth Ajluni, Farmington Hills, MI Raji Akileh, Tampa, FL H.R. Alalusi, Moraga, CA Haroune Alameddine, Canton, MI Dr. & Mrs. Salah Al-Askari, Leonia, NJ Hamid & Kim Alwan, Milwaukee, WI Louise Anderson, Oakland, CA Dr. Nabih Ammari, Cleveland, OH Sylvia Anderson de Freitas, Paradise Valley, AZ Dr. Abdullah Arar, Amman, Jordan M. Arefi, West Bloomfield, MI David & Kathryn Asfour, Vallejo, CA Dr. Robert Ashmore, Jr., Mequon, WI Fuad Baali, Bowling Green, KY Alma Ball, Venice, FL Dr. Sami Baraka, Wyandotte, MI Rev. Robert Barber, Parrish, FL Jamil Barhoum, San Diego, CA Stanton Barrett, Ipswich, MA William Battistoni, Dickinson, TX Joseph Benedict, Mystic, CT George Wesley Buchanan, Gaithersburg, MD John Carley, Pointe-Claire, Canada Ouahib Chalbi, Coon Rapids, MN Patricia Christensen, Poulsbo, WA Donald Clarke, Devon, PA Joan & Charles Collins, Willard, MO Dr. Robert Collmer, Waco, TX Mr. & Mrs. Rajie Cook, Washington Crossing, PA William Coughlin, Brookline, MA Walter Cox, Monroe, GA Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Curtiss, Herndon, VA Taher & Sheila Dajani, Alexandria, VA Dr. Hassan Dannawi, Macon, GA Glenn Davenport, Corvallis, OR Amb. John Gunther Dean, Paris, France Lee & Amelia Dinsmore, Elcho, WI Dr. George Doumani, Washington, DC Gloria El-Khouri, Scottsdale, AZ Kassem Elkhalil, Arlington, TX Osamah Elkhatib, Dubuque, IA NOVEMBER 2011
M.R. Eucalyptus, Kansas City, MO Dr. & Mrs. Hossam Fadel, Augusta, GA Mr. & Mrs. Majed Faruki, Albuquerque, NM Barbara Ferguson & Tim Kennedy, Arlington, VA Paul Findley, Jacksonville, IL Elisabeth Fitzhugh, Mitchellville, MD Patrick Flynn, Yorba Linda, CA Robert Gabe, Valatie, NY Ken Galal, San Francisco, CA Joseph & Angela Gauci, Whittier, CA Ahmad & Shirley Gazori, Mill Creek, WA Dr. & Mrs. Frederick Guenther, Newtown, PA Joyce Guinn, Germantown, WI Raymond Haddock, Spotsylvania, VA Dr. Wasif Hafeez, West Bloomfield, MI Dr. Marwan Hajj, Towson, MD Allen Hamood, Dearborn Heights, MI Erin Hankir, Ontario, Canada Shirley Hannah, Argyle, NY Robert & Helen Harold, West Salem, WI Prof. & Mrs. Brice Harris, Los Angeles, CA Masood Hassan, Calabasas, CA Albert Hazbun, El Dorado Hills, CA Alan Heil, Alexandria, VA Dr. Colbert & Mildred Held, Waco, TX Rich Hoban, Cleveland Heights, OH Veronica Hoke, Hillcrest Heights, MD Edmund Hopper, Hilton Head Island, SC Dr. Sami Husseini, Ithaca, NY Said Jibrin, Bethesda, MD Anthony Jones, Alberta, Canada Omar & Nancy Kader, Vienna, VA Akram Karam, Charlotte, NC Mr. & Mrs. Basim Kattan, Washington, DC Martha Katz, Youngstown, OH Ambassador Robert Keeley, Washington, DC Gloria Keller, Santa Rosa, CA Rev. Charles Kennedy, Newbury, NH Susan Kerin, Gaithersburg, MD Dr. Mazen Khalidi, Grosse Point Farms, MI Akbar Khan, Princeton, NJ Dr. M. Jamil Khan, Bloomfield Hills, MI Majid Khan, Bloomfield Heights, MI Dr. & Mrs. Assad Khoury, Potomac, MD N. Khoury, Pasadena, CA Paul Kirk, Baton Rouge, LA Donald Kouri, Quebec, Canada Ronald Kunde, Skokie, IL Kendall Landis, Media, PA
William Lawand, Mount Royal, Canada Fran Lilleness, Seattle, WA J. Robert Lunney, Bronxville, NY Helen Mabarak, Ann Arbor, MI Robert Mabarak, Grosse Pointe Park, MI A. Kent MacDougall, Berkeley, CA Peter MacHarrie, Silver Spring, MD Farah Mahmood, Forsyth, IL Dr. Asad Malik, Rochester Hills, MI Joseph Mark, Carmel, CA Trini Marquez, Beach, ND Martha Martin, Paia, HI Tom & Tess McAndrew, Oro Valley, AZ Ken Megill, Washington, DC Ben Monk, St. Paul, MN John & Ruth Monson, La Crosse, WI Maury Keith Moore, Seattle, WA Robert Moran, Richmond, VA Ahmed Mousapha, Madinah, Saudi Arabia Liz Mulford, Cupertino, CA John & Gabriella Mulholland, Alpharetta, GA Charles Murphy, Upper Falls, MD Joseph Najemy, Worcester, MA Jacob Nammar, San Antonio, TX Neal & Donna Newby, Mancos, CO Howard & Mary Norton, Austin, TX Mr. & Mrs. W. Eugene Notz, Charleston, SC Michio Oka, El Sobrante, CA Dr. Ibrahim Oweiss, Kensington, MD John Pallone, Rapallo, Italy Edmond & Lorraine Parker, Chicago, IL Jim Plourd, Monterey, CA Patricia & Herbert Pratt, Cambridge, MA Catherine Quigley, Annandale, VA Cheryl Quigley, Toms River, NJ Dr. Amani Ramahi, Lakewood, OH Mr. & Mrs. Duane Rames, Mesa, AZ Nayla Rathle, Belmont, MA Vivian & Doris Regidor, Pearl City, HI Frank & Mary Regier, Strongsville, OH Dr. William Reid, Glen Allen, VA Kyle Reynolds, Cypress, TX Neil Richardson, Randolph, VT Sean Roach, Washington, DC Rose Foundation/Wheeler and Makdisi Fund, Oakland, CA Dr. Wendell Rossman, Phoenix, AZ Brynhild Rowberg, Northfield, MN Edward & Alice Saad, Cheshire, CT Gabrielle & Jalal Saad, Oakland, CA Hameed Saba, Diamond Bar, CA Denis Sabourin, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
73
angels_73-74_r1_November 2011 Choir of Angels 9/21/11 7:14 PM Page 74
Ma-moun Sakkal, Bothell, WA Dr. Yahya Salah, Amman, Jordan Anis Salib, Huntsville, AL Betty Sams, Washington, DC Dr. H.I. Sayed, Charlottesville, VA Elizabeth Schiltz, Kokomo, IN Dr. Abid Shah, Sarasota, FL Mahmud Shaikhaly, Hollywood, CA Richard Shaker, Annapolis, MD Theodore Shannon, Middleton, WI Lewis Shapiro, White Plains, NY Lt. Col. Alfred Shehab, Odenton, MD Kathy Sheridan, Mill Valley, CA Shahida Siddiqui, Trenton, NJ Lucy Skivens-Smith, Dinwiddie, VA James Smart, Keene, NH Glenn Smith, Santa Rosa, CA Edgar Snell Jr., Schenectady, NY David Snider, Airmont, NY John Soderberg, Foley, AL Gregory Stefanatos, Flushing, NY Mubadda Suidan, Atlanta, GA Beverly Swartz, Sarasota, FL Thomas & Carol Swepston, Englewood, FL Mr. & Mrs. Ayoub Talhami, Evanston, IL Dr. Yusuf Tamimi, Hilo, HI Joan Tanous, Boulder, CO Cheryl Tatum, Owensboro, KY John Theodosi, Lafayette, CA Charles Thomas, La Conner, WA Charles & Letitia Ufford, South Bristol, ME Paul Wagner, Bridgeville, PA Joseph Walsh, Adamsville, RI Carol Wells & Theodore Hajjar, Venice CA John V. Whitbeck, Paris, France Arthur & Marianne Whitman, Auburn, ME Nabil Yakub, McLean, VA Raymond Younes, Oxnard, CA Bernice Youtz, Tacoma, WA Munir Zacharia, La Mirada, CA Dr. Henry Zeiter, Lodi, CA Hugh Ziada, Garden Grove, CA
ACCOMPANISTS ($250 or more) Michael & Jane Adas, Highland Park, NJ Khaled Al-Maeena, Jeddah, Saudia Arabia A.R. Armin, Troy, MI Heidi Beck, Cedarville, CA Elizabeth Boosahda, Worcester, MA Michael Boosahda, Worcester, MA Dr. & Mrs. Issa J. Boullata, Montreal, Canada William Carey, Old Lyme, CT William Coughlin, Brookline, MA Mr. & Mrs. John Crawford, Boulder, CO 74
Mohamed Dabbagh, Mahwah, NJ Ron Dudum, San Francisco, CA Dr. Rafeek Farah, New Boston, MI Eugene Fitzpatrick, Wheat Ridge, CO E. Patrick Flynn, Carmel, NY Bill Gartland, Rio, WI Ray Gordon, Venice, FL H. Clark Griswold, Woodbury, CT Fahd Jajeh, Lake Forest, IL Issa & Rose Kamar, Plano, TX Sandra La Framboise, Oakland, CA Matt Labadie, Portland, OR Barbara Leclerq, Overland Park, KS Jack Love, Escondido, CA Anthony Mabarak, Grosse Pointe Park, MI John Malouf, Lubbock, TX Eric Margolis, Toronto, Canada Jean Mayer, Bethesda, MD Bill McGrath, Northfield, MN Alice Nashashibi, San Francisco, CA John Parry, Chapel Hill, NC Ambassador Ed Peck, Chevy Chase, MD*** Hertha Poje-Ammoumi, New York, NY Sam Rahman, Lincoln, CA Henry Schubert, Damascus, OR Yusef & Jennifer Sifri, Wilmington, NC Mae Stephen, Palo Alto, CA Michel & Cathy Sultan, Eau Claire, WI Union of Arab American Journalists, Dearborn, MI John Van Wagoner, McLean, VA James Wall, Elmhurst, IL Nigel Wright, Delmar, NY Ziyad & Cindi Zaitoun, Seattle, WA****
TENORS & CONTRALTOS ($500 or more) Mohamed Alwan, Chestnut Ridge, NY Drs. A.J. and M.T. Amirana, Las Vegas, NV Dr. Lois Aroian, Willow Lake, SD Kamel Ayoub, Hillsborough, CA Dr. Joseph Bailey, Valley Center, CA Graf Herman Bender, North Palm Beach, FL Rev. Ronald C. Chochol, St. Louis, MO Lois Critchfield, Williamsburg, VA Richard Curtiss, Boynton Beach, FL Douglas A. Field, Kihei, HI Michael Habermann, Hackettstown, NJ Hind Hamdan, Hagerstown, MD Ambassador Holsey G. Handyside, Bedford, OH Salman & Kate Hilmy, Silver Spring, MD Brigitte Jaensch, Carmichael, CA Amb. Clovis Maksoud, Washington, DC Paul Meyer, Iowa City, IA
THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
Bob Norberg, Lake City, MN William O’Grady, St. Petersburg, FL Gennaro Pasquale, Oyster Bay, NY Phil & Elaine Pasquini, Novato, CA Ruth Ramsey, Blairsville, GA Dr. Mohammed Sabbagh, Grand Blanc, MI Mr. & Mrs. Donn Trautman, Evanston, IL David Willcox, Harrison, AR
BARITONES & MEZZO SOPRANOS ($1,000 or more) Asha Anand, Bethesda, MD The Estate of Pascal Biagini, Drexel Hill, PA G. Edward Brooking, Jr., Wilmington, DE Aston L. Bloom & Rev. Rosemarie Carnarius, Tucson, AZ Joe Chamy, Colleyville, TX Luella Crow, Eugene, OR Dr. & Mrs. Rod & Carole Driver, West Kingston, RI Linda Emmet, Paris, France Dr. & Mrs. Clyde Farris, West Linn, OR Gary Richard Feulner, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Evan & Leman Fotos, Istanbul, Turkey Dr. & Mrs. Hassan Fouda, Berkeley, CA Mary Ann Hrankowski, Rochester, NY** Vincent & Louise Larsen, Billings, MT William Lightfoot, Vienna, VA Rachelle Marshall, Mill Valley, CA John McLaughlin, Gordonsville, VA Luella Moffett, Virginia Beach, VA Ghulam Qadir, MD & Huda Zenati, PhD, Dearborn, MI Mark Sheridan, Alexandria, VA
CHOIRMASTERS ($5,000 or more) Caipirinha Foundation, San Francisco, CA Dick & Donna Curtiss, Kensington, MD*† John & Henrietta Goelet, Meru, France Andrew I. Killgore, Washington, DC* *In memory of Grace Perolio **In memory of John Hrankowski ***In honor of the marriage of Marianne Tralewski and Harry Dennis ****In memory of Rachel Corrie † In memory of Said Jibrin NOVEMBER 2011
helping_hand_c3_Helping Hand C3 November 2011 9/20/11 4:00 PM Page c3
cover4_cover4 9/22/11 2:34 PM Page c4
American Educational Trust The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs P.O. Box 53062 Washington, DC 20009
November 2011 Vol. XXX, No. 8
At an anti-U.S. rally in Ramallah the day after President Barack Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sept. 21 speech to the U.N. General Assembly, demonstrators hold Palestinian flags in front of flags of countries supporting the Palestinian bid for statehood. MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images