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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2000, Pages 43-46 Other People’s Mail Some letters by or to other people are as informative for our readers as anything we might write ourselves. A Major Injection of AidTo The Washington Post, Jan. 8, 2000 (as submitted). We are told that “Israel is counting on a major injection of military aid from the United States to ensure that it suffers no net security loss” if it gives up the Golan Heights. (Lee Hockstader, “A Fading View of the Golan,” 1/6/2000). The military aid counted on by Israel apparently totals some $20 billion—this for giving up land conquered over 30 years ago in an aggressive war initiated by Israel. We did not pay Iraq to give up Kuwait. Instead, we launched against Iraq a massive war of destruction, which continues in aircraft attacks and punishing sanctions to this day. Israel is far and away the greatest military power in the Middle East, chiefly because of its massive bankrolling by the American taxpayer. So now Israel needs another $20 billion in military capability, also paid for by the American taxpayer, to pay it for giving up something illegally and unjustly conquered in the first place. Could anything better exemplify the corrupting influence of the Israeli lobby on American national interests and American international morality? John K. Moriarty, Manassas, VA Encouragement for SudanTo The Washington Post, Nov. 27, 1999 (as published). The Post’s Nov. 15 editorial, “Exploiting Sudan’s Agony,” provided several examples of how both the American media and establishment continue to project questionable claims about Sudan. The editorial, for example, referred to the imposition of shariah law upon southern Sudan. Even the United States government in past reports on human rights in Sudan conceded that the Sudanese government exempted southern Sudan from shariah law as early as 1991. The editorial also did not mention the Sudanese government’s repeated offers of an internationally supervised referendum through which the southern Sudanese could choose their own destiny, or of the government’s declaration of a comprehensive cease-fire throughout Sudan. The Al Shifa factory fiasco illustrated how myth has replaced reality in perceptions of Sudan. The Post’s claims about slavery and “ethnic cleansing” are as tenuous and potentially dangerous. A disinvestment campaign will achieve little if anything, except to highlight that the United States is increasingly a hostage to its own demonization of the Sudanese government. Instead of dismissing European and Egyptian efforts in peacemaking in Sudan, the United States should encourage and support this engagement. David Hoile, Director, European Sudanese Public Affairs Council, London, England Regarding Catholic GuiltTo Archbishop Rembert Weakland, St. Francis, WI, Nov. 12, 1999. The Milwaukee Journal of Nov. 11th and 12th printed several articles regarding your address to an interfaith audience acknowledging some guilt on the part of some Catholics who contributed to the attitudes that made the Holocaust possible. I served in the U.S. Air Force from early 1942 to December 1945. Our squadron started at Cairo, Egypt chasing Rommel to Tripoli, and then moved on to Sicily and to Rimini, Italy when the war ended. While near Rome I had the good fortune of seeing and greeting Pope Pius at the Vatican. I attended St. Boniface on 11th and Clarke Streets and graduated from St. Boniface Grade School. I remember asking myself while at the Vatican why the Catholic Church did not soundly condemn Hitler and the Nazis. Today I ask myself why the Catholic Church does not condemn Israel for the evil and terror it perpetuates in Israel and the Middle East. When Jews claim God promised them the Holy Land and apparently conveniently forget God also stated killing and stealing is wrong, I cannot forgive the Catholic Church for failing to publicly condemn those Jews who cause this evil in the Middle East. While I did not hear your talk, I applaud your efforts. I would like to hear similar statements from Jewish community leaders condemning Israel’s present conduct in the Middle East. We need peace in the Middle East so our young men and women will not be called into service to again try to correct evil forces who use God’s name to further their own political agenda by killing and stealing Palestinian lives and land. May God give you the courage and strength to continue to speak out against injustice. The Church’s position on women also must be modified to recognize men and women are equal in God’s eyes. They must be given full access to all of the Church’s offices and functions. John L. Hughes, Milwaukee, WI A Good Catholic UpbringingTo John L. Hughes, Milwaukee, WI, Dec. 9, 1999. It was good of you to take time out to write me that letter. I see you have had a good Catholic upbringing. The ceremony at Congregation Shalom was a very moving one and I think I was able to make that kind of sincere apology because we have created an enormous amount of trust between us. When you have that kind of trust then you can say some of the hard things. I would agree that it is also necessary to say some hard things with regard to the conduct of the leaders of Israel. Usually when I do so with my Jewish friends here in the city, they readily understand what we are talking about but also admit to their own inabilities to really enter into the politics of the State of Israel. But you have a point that we must continue to challenge them. Thanks again for writing. May God be good to you. Most Rev. Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B., Archbishop of Milwaukee Counting Israeli Human Rights ViolationsTo the Peterborough, NH Monadnock Ledger, Dec. 9, 1999 (as published, also published in The Peterborough Transcript on that date). As Dec. 10 is Bill of Rights Day and also the day when we celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which should apply to all people, I thought it would be appropriate to send in a statement by B’Tselem, Israel’s leading human rights group, that was issued at this time in 1998: “There are 30 articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Apart from the article prohibiting slavery, the state of Israel violates each and every one of the Declaration’s provisions in its behavior toward the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.” We can be thankful that there are righteous Israelis who reflect the best values of Judaism. I take this opportunity to salute them. David Van Strien, Peterborough, NH Thirty-Two-Year-Old Shameful SecretTo The Times Leader Mail, Jan. 1, 2000 (as published). “This day will live in infamy.” These words were proclaimed by President Roosevelt after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. But they could just as well be said of June 8, 1967. A United States ship being attacked by Israel managed to get a message through to the flagship of the Sixth Naval Fleet, but U.S. planes were called back before they could come to the aid of the beleagured ship. The USS Liberty was an intelligence ship 13 miles off the coast of Israel. The Israelis were planning to attack Syria, and they did not want any intelligence to break their secret. So they attacked a U.S. ship. Later they claimed it was a mistake, but radio records refuted that unmistakably. One of the Israelis told his commander that this was an American ship, but he was ordered to “attack, attack.” On repeating the information, he was again ordered to attack. The U.S. government must have had advance notice of Israel’s attack on Syria, for when the USS Liberty was being bombed, the U.S. ordered defense jets to return to their carriers without going to the aid of the Liberty . Consequently, 34 U.S. sailors were killed and 171 wounded. Secretary of Defense McNamara and President Johnson should have been impeached for this traitorous act. But after the Israelis could not sink the ship despite bombs and torpedoes and after strafing the lifeboats of the U.S. sailors, the Liberty limped back to Malta and the sailors were ordered by the naval commander to remain silent about the attack. If anyone spoke to the press about the attack, he would be courtmartialed and imprisoned for the rest of his life. It was also “A day that will live in infamy.” President Johnson and Secretary McNamara were never held accountable for this act of treason. Israel was never questioned. No committee of inquiry was ever set up to investigate. Instead, the U.S. government tried to squelch any news of this treacherous attack. Only the continued efforts of the crew—those who are still alive—have kept this “secret” alive. When will the U.S. government bring out the truth? Jacob T. Elias, Nanticoke, PA Statements About Syria and Archeology UntrueTo the Los Angeles Times, Oct. 9, 1999 (as submitted). As a person who has participated in 16 archeological excavations in Syria and whose brother is the retired deputy director of the Syrian Department of Antiquities, I do take exception to Pepperdine Professor John Wilson’s statement (Oct. 6 , E-1) that the Syrian “leadership did not approve of archeology.” This is not merely misleading, it is not true. Syria has a glorious record of permitting foreign missions to excavate in its country. A case in point is UCLA Professor Giorgio Buccellati and Dr. Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati’s excavation at Urkesh and earlier at Terqa or Prof. Paolo Mattiae’s famous discoveries at Ebla. In fact, there are more archeological excavations by foreign scholars in Syria than in Turkey, which is three times the size of Syria. When Prof. Wilson suggests that Syrians have been remiss in not digging at Banias, let me point out that this site was a war zone and, according to the Israel-Syria armistice of 1949, it would have been very provocative if Syria had started excavating there. Furthermore, the Israelis should not be digging nor give permission to Prof. Wilson or anyone to dig in an occupied territory. This is in contradiction to the 4th Geneva Convention, which states an occupying power (Israel) should not be tampering with archeological remains of an occupied area. Lastly, I question Prof. Wilson’s possession of “Middle Eastern artifacts in his home” as mentioned in the caption of the Times photograph. No archaeologist is allowed to remove antiquities from Syria; these objects are regarded as national treasures. If the objects shown in the Times photo are from Banias, this also is in violation of the 4th Geneva Convention of which Israel is a signatory. This states no antiquities should be removed from land under occupation. Samir Twair, Los Angeles, CA The Blame GameTo Mortimer Zuckerman, Editor, U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 21, 1999 (as submitted). In your editorial, “An Impossible Partner,” [Nov. 8, 1999] you blame Yasser Arafat for just about everything except sunspots! Yet you never mentioned the very recent establishment of more “illegal” settlements. Don’t you believe that these additional “facts on the ground” are a significant factor in framing the Palestinian attitude? You also quote from a recent poll of 1,600 Arabs some majority opinions that must be disturbing to a Zionist. In an editorial dated April 1, 1991 in the same publication you stated that before Iraq withdrew from Kuwait it destroyed (true!) that country’s petroleum infrastructure “with critical help from Palestinian employees of the Kuwait Oil Co.” (Your exact words.) It seems to me that: (1) there is little or nothing “secret” about petroleum infrastructure; and (2) Iraq was itself a major extractor, transporter and processer of petroleum—probably pretty much state-of-the art! Therefore, why would Iraq need any help from the Palestinians, let alone “critical” help, to destroy petroleum installations? (And that, in any case, may have even been designed and built by the same people who built Iraq’s!) When I was with the Voice of America many years ago the rule there was never depend on the “local employees” to destroy the radio station to prevent its capture. Because the locals will reason that if the facility remains operable the new owners will most likely use it and hire the same experienced people to do the same jobs. If the facility is destroyed—no more jobs! Who gave you that information—the same person who created the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”? (As far as I know, you weren’t in Kuwait!) Your 1991 editorial followed the above with: “It is difficult to understand the Palestinian mind.” Unfortunately, I find it difficult sometimes to understand the Zionist mind! And, I am hardly alone! Sadly, “anti-Judaism” is likely to persist to some degree in the world until more Jews—especially those expected to know better—“get real.” Roger D. Leonard, Bowie, MD AOL’s Selective CensorshipTo TOS General, America On Line, Jan. 4, 2000. It has become very apparent that no matter how offensive the remarks that are made against Arabs, Arab-Americans, or Muslims, the posts remain on AOL boards with no action taken. The opposite is the case when it comes to messages critical of Israel. I have experienced this on my own. Arabs are called murderers, and the message is never erased and I receive the warning for complaining. One passage from AOL’s Terms of Service spelling out violations is: “Transmit or facilitate distribution of content that is harmful, abusive, racially or ethnically offensive, vulgar, sexually explicit, or in a reasonable person’s view, objectionable. Community standards may vary, but there is no place on the service where hate speech is tolerated.” I have reported 12 instances of hate speech against Arabs within the last 24 hours and not one was erased. Yet any message critical of Israel or of Jews is erased immediately An example of this double standard is the message from “Superhebe” entitled “Baruch Goldstein is my hero.” Baruch Goldstein is the Jewish settler from Brooklyn, NY who entered a mosque in Hebron in 1993 and gunned down 29 innocent Palestinians while they were at prayer. This is the message: Subject: Baruch Goldstein is my hero, Jan. 3, 2000. “Thank God for Baruch Goldstein. Goldstein, a quiet dedicated father, doctor and Orthodox Jew did what other Jews didn’t have the nerve to do. Tired of Arabs committing terrorist acts and then running back to Palestinian territory and relative safety, Goldstein could take no more. Deciding to exact revenge and prevent further acts of terror which he became aware of, he bravely entered a mosque and eliminated 29 future threats against Israel. I personally have only two regrets. It’s a shame he ran out of ammo and a greater shame that he had to lose his life doing this mitzvah.” I have reported this message as being offensive to Arab Americans, but it remains on the boards. I can assure you that if the message praised a Palestinian suicide bomber, it would be erased immediately. The fact is that there is no Arab on these Message Boards who would ever submit such a nasty post. You can go back six months and you will never find offensive remarks by Arabs, or Arab-Americans. Yet there are hundreds of posts similar to the one above from the Jewish side. When we object to these posts, however, we are the ones who are given the warnings and who have our messages erased. This policy must change and I will continue to do my best to change it even if it means writing to Steve Case, CEO of America On Line. James J. David, Marietta, GA Suha Arafat’s RemarksTo the U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 24, 1999 (as submitted). New York Democrats are said to be now engaged in a “dump Hillary” campaign. There may be valid reasons to encourage her to end her quest to represent New York in the United States Senate. Her failure to denounce Suha Arafat’s references to Israeli murder and gassing of Palestinian children is not one of them. Hillary Clinton was correct in not protesting Mrs. Arafat’s talk. She would have exposed herself as an ignoramus had she done so. On July 16, 1990 The Washington Post carried the following heading over a column by Colman McCarthy: “Israeli Soldiers Murder Palestinian Children” This part of the text certainly justified the heading: “In May [1990], a 1,000-page study from the Swedish Save the Children organization, funded by the Ford Foundation, documented that the Israeli army had systematically become a child-killer. “Between Dec. 1987 and Dec. 1988, 159 children were killed by soldiers. The average age of the dead was 10. Between 50,000 and 63,000 children were beaten, gassed or wounded. “More than half of the slain were not near a demonstration when killed. Only 19 percent were involved in stone-throwing. “Even after slaughtering children, the Israelis weren’t content: soldiers disrupted or interfered with more than half of the funerals.” If Hillary is to be dumped let it be for something other than a failure to be a 100 percent toady to Zionism and the State of Israel. There was no “blood libel.” Suha Arafat simply uttered truths that were unpalatable to the ears of New York’s Zionist zealots. Robert E. Nordlander, Menasha, WI (e-mail address: nord@powernetonline.com) Major InfluenceTo The Suncoast News , Dec. 2, 1999 (as published). In his letter of Dec. 1, Norman Gross attacks Charley Reese, Muslims, and the influence of Arab oil money, among other things. In response, there are about 5 million Jews in the U.S. comprising less than 2 percent of the population and between 6 to 8 million Muslims, 40 percent of whom are Black Americans. I could name more than 70 high-ranking officials in the Clinton administration who are Jews or of Jewish ethnicity, among them the secretaries of state, defense, treasury, agriculture, the national security adviser, the U.N. ambassador, the Middle East negotiators, the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Then you have two Jewish Supreme Court justices who are Clinton appointees. How many high-ranking Muslims are in the Clinton administration? Fat zero! Furthermore, the Israel lobby, AIPAC, has contributed millions of dollars to members of Congress, including Florida members and senators. How much influence does Arab oil money have on them? Another fat zero. As far as Suha Arafat accusing Israel of damaging water supplies, this was reported in the June 16 issue of Israel’s newspaper, Ha’aretz. A study conducted by Bethlehem University and David Scarfa found that 60 percent of water samples contained harmful bacteria due to the dumping of toxic chemicals by Israeli industry and the Israeli military. Gross’s “tiny Israel” has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons. It is selling China air-born radar and India surface-to-air missiles despite U.S. objections. It is dragging its feet in giving back 5 percent of the Arab land at the expense of $1.2 billion of our tax money. U.N. Resolution 242 requires Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 border and restore the rights and properties of the 4 million Palestinians living in the Diaspora. “Tiny Israel” controls the U.S. through its powerful AIPAC lobby. That’s why the U.S. taxpayers are paying it $3 billion a year despite the fact that its per capita income is $17,000. Reese is right. If you want to know the truth, get it either from C-SPAN or the Internet. Do not rely on the major media outlets, which are controlled by Israel’s Jewish sympathizers. Zionists like Gross should encourage Israel to abide by U.N. resolutions and establish a secular state where Jews and Arabs have equal rights, because time is not on Israel’s side if it keeps practicing apartheid and race discrimination. David Zein, Tarpon Springs, FL NPR’s Ramadan StatementsTo National Public Radio News, Washington, DC, Dec. 10, 1999. I am disgusted by what I just heard on Morning Edition. When a segment began noting the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, I thought that you might feature a segment educating your listeners about the meaning and importance of this month to many of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, among them several million Americans. But what followed were two brief, irrelevant items which left a totally negative impression and suggested a vindictive spirit rather than a desire to inform. First we were told that the Jordanian authorities prevented 1,000 pilgrims from crossing the border into Saudi Arabia because their buses were not properly licensed. Second, we were told that the Saudi government has strict measures against non-Muslims who act disrespectfully of Ramadan in public. That was it. What relevance does this have to the fasting carried out by most of the 1.5 billion Muslims all over the world? Are these two items supposed to embody Ramadan? Did nothing positive or celebratory occur in the Muslim world worthy of telling NPR’s listeners? It is as if you wish to underline every negative thing done by Muslims or Muslim countries. Have you reported yet that Israeli hotels and businesses are banned from displaying Christmas trees? When was the last time you reported that every single day the Israeli occupation forces prevent not thousands, but millions of Palestinians—Muslims and Christians—from going to their holy sites in Jerusalem? You never mention these things, but it seems at the first opportunity to report something negative about Muslims during Ramadan, it is seized. The item on Ramadan came just after a lengthy report on school prayer in Texas, where an ill-informed student was heard saying that she would not like Muslims to pray at school football games because her people pray to God, and not “some other God.” I know this was included in the report as an example of intolerant opinions that exist. But it was left uncorrected by the reporter, who should have noted that Muslims believe in and pray to the same God as Christians and Jews. To all the Muslims at NPR, I wish you Ramadan Mubarak. Ali Abunimah, Chicago, IL “Friendly Intelligence Service”To The New York Times, Dec. 1, 1999 (as submitted). In your Nov. 30 article on the release of Nasser Ahmed, who has been jailed for three years on secret evidence, Immigration Judge Donn Livingston “questioned the reliability of some government sources, and said one was described as a ‘friendly foreign intelligence service.’” And that he had a “very real concern” that the Egyptian government might be the source of secret evidence because it “was seeking to silence Mr. Abdel Rahman, one of its harshest critics, by persecuting Mr. Ahmed.” It is even more likely that the “friendly intelligence service” is the Mossad. Most of the some 20 immigrants being held on secret evidence are Palestinians, about whom Israel is much better informed than Egypt, and whom Israel has even more reason to silence than Egypt does. Furthermore, Israel enjoys a much “friendlier” relationship with American intelligence agencies than does Egypt. Arthur L. Lowrie, U.S. Foreign Service Officer (ret.), Lutz, FL Protesting Yaron’s AppointmentTo Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, Washington, DC, Dec. 7, 1999. The Center for Constitutional Rights protests the appointment of former Major General Amos Yaron to the position of Director-General of the Israeli Defense Ministry and urges the U.S. government to do likewise. An official Israeli Commission of Inquiry in the Sabra-Shatila massacre in West Beirut in 1982 found that Yaron knew about and allowed to continue for three days the brutal and wanton killing of women, children and men by Phalangist militiamen. Major General Yaron’s appointment is inconceivable, and this action by Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the Israeli cabinet is an affront to the Palestinian people and can seriously impede efforts toward achieving a permanent peace settlement. The Center for Constitutional Rights calls on the U.S. government to urge the prime minister to rescind the appointment immediately. We will also be encouraging human rights organizations worldwide to protest this appointment. Reversing this decision will go a long way toward encouraging the peace process. We strongly encourage you to express your disapproval of this decision by Prime Minister Barak, and to use your considerable influence to effect its reversal. Ron Daniels, Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, NY cc: Prime Minister Ehud Barak Beirut War Crimes EnablerTo Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Washington, DC, Dec. 3, 1999. The National Lawyers Guild has just learned of the recent appointment by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and cabinet approval, of Major General Amos Yaron to the position of Director-General of the Israeli Defense Ministry. The National Lawyers Guild calls on the United States government to fulfill its obligation as a High Contracting Party to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, under Articles 146 and 147, to apprehend, open an investigation and prosecute Major General Amos Yaron for grave breaches and war crimes committed in Beirut, Lebanon in 1982. Yaron was implicated by the Israeli Commission of Inquiry into the 1982 Sabra and Shatila Refugee camp massacre in Beirut, Lebanon, in which approximately 2,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were massacred. In his capacity as Director-General of the Israeli Defense Ministry, Major Gen. Yaron has occasion to visit the United States on official business with United States government personnel, as he recently did the week of Nov. 29, 1999. The United States has jurisdiction to effectuate his arrest and indictment, and it should do so. Founded in 1937, the National Lawyers Guild consists of over 6,000 lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers committed to fighting social injustice in this country and internationally. During its 60-year history, the Guild has been at the forefront of the legal and political struggles of ordinary people to end all forms of oppression and discrimination in our society. Guild members have been active in efforts to hold the United States accountable to international human rights standards on a range of issues. The National Lawyers Guild hopes that a just and lasting peace will be reached in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. This action by newly elected Prime Minister Barak violates international legal norms and is counterproductive to a just settlement between Palestine and Israel. Karen Jo Koonan, President, National Lawyers’ Guild, New York, NY cc: Prime Minister Ehud Barak Nomination an OutrageTo Attorney General Janet Reno, Washington, DC, Dec. 17, 1999. The Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) is outraged at the recent nomination by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak of former Major General Amos Yaron to the position of Director General of the Israeli Defense Ministry. Under the principles of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 (Articles 146 and 147) Yaron is a war criminal, responsible for the murder of more than 2,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians in the 1982 massacres at Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon. Yaron was implicated for his role in the massacre by a 1983 Israeli Commission of Inquiry. As you know, in 1986 Yaron was nominated as the Israeli Military Attaché to the U.S. and Canada. The Reagan administration delayed this appointment for three months due to heavy protests in the U.S. but eventually accepted his Letter of Accreditation. Canada, however, refused the appointment. Yaron left this position after just a few months due to his “cool” reception in the U.S. (according to the Jerusalem Post) and later resigned his diplomatic position “for reasons related to a lingering controversy” about his role in the massacre (also according to the Jerusalem Post). As you also know, Israel is due to receive $1.92 billion in U.S. military aid in the fiscal year 2000 (out of a total aid package to Israel of $2.94 billion). It is unconscionable that the U.S. would disburse any military aid to a defense ministry headed by a known war criminal. CESR urges the U.S. administration to: • Discontinue all military aid to Israel if Yaron’s appointment is confirmed Roger Normand, Policy Director, and Lucy Mair, Middle East Program Coordinator, Center for Economic and Social Rights, New York, NY Suffrage in KuwaitTo The New York Times , Dec. 20, 1999 (as published). Re a Dec. 20 news article about the defeat of a bill to grant full political rights to women in Kuwait: In my view, the observer who predicted that women will vote in the 2003 parliamentary election has it all right. The formation of a national organization for suffrage will help propel the women’s rights movement. Slightly more than one in three working Kuwaitis are women. As this proportion rises, women will want political rights equal to their professional responsibilities. The Kuwaiti Constitution plainly states that all citizens are equal, leaving opponents of the bill no legal rationale for their actions. Shafeeq N. Ghabra, Director, Kuwait Information Office, Washington, DC X
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