Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, December 1997, Pages 3, 97-102

Letters to the Editor

The Monument to Dr. Baruch Goldstein

1. I won one. See the attached letter by Jay Silverman from the Daytona Beach News Journal. After it was published I called the editorial desk and got a surly, ignorant woman who said she was the one who approved the letter. I asked her what books she had read on the subject. None. I asked if she had heard of the WRMEA. No. I called the managing editor. He was on vacation. I called his boss, the executive editor. I stated that the Silverman letter was a crock (in nice words, of course) and asked if he had ever seen a WRMEA. No. I asked if I could send him a recent copy (I had a spare, luckily). OK. I even offered to buy him a year's subscription if he liked what he saw. I haven't heard back on that offer yet, but at least my letter got printed and a few people may have the curiosity to inquire further.

2. On page 7 of the March 1995 issue of WRMEA was a photo that hit me like a brick between the eyes. It was of the monument being constructed in Kiryat Arba around the grave of Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Muslim men and boys at prayer in the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron in 1994. That photo says more about the real attitudes of the Jewish settlers and the governments (Israeli and American) that support them than all the lying letters, columns and talking heads put together. Talk about a "terrorist infrastructure"!

Is there any way I can get hold of a recent, larger photo of the site showing the monument as completed, preferably with some settlers around it doing whatever it is they do to pay homage to their "martyr." I want to send copies to each of my three representatives in the Congress, the president and to Ms. Albright. I doubt that she visited that particular memorial during her recent trip to Israel.

3. Please believe that I am not just being a troublemaker when I ask the following. I have often thought it and even asked it aloud without any sort of rational answer (when the Bible enters a discussion I know that further discussion is futile), but never heard anyone else say it.

So many writers of columns and letters seem compelled to repeat the same formula words, almost like chanting a mantra. The words go something like: "I believe in the right of Israel to exist in peace within secure and defensible borders."

Why? Why should "...any nation so conceived and so dedicated" as Zionist Israel "long endure"?

Jack C. McMonigle, Edgewater, FL

1. Congratulations on your letter in the News Journal (which we are reprinting in "Other People's Mail," starting on page 85) refuting the pathetic platitudes previously published. 2. We've asked an Israeli photographer for an update on the Kiryat Arba shrine to Goldstein. 3. Actually the mantra comes from U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 of Nov. 22, 1967 which calls for "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict" (the June 1967 war) and Arab acknowledgement of Israel's "right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." This was the firm policy of six U.S. presidents from Johnson through Bush, and the Oslo accords were "premised" upon its land-for-peace formula. President Clinton came into office giving lip service to Resolution 242 as well, but now that he realizes he is stuck with an Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who pledged in his 1996 election campaign that Israel would give up no more land for peace, neither Clinton nor Secretary of State Madeleine Albright seem to mention Resolution 242 anymore. It's pretty clear evidence, if any is needed, that it is the Israeli tail that wags the American dog, and not vice versa as both apologists for Israel and some left-leaning Palestinians would like us to believe.

Let Your Message of Truth Continue

In response to your letter of May 15, 1997, please accept my gift to a highly regarded publication, a check for the amount of U.S. $1,500.

Hoping that the response to your letter will be positive and that your message of truth will continue in the future.

Jamil S. Habbas, London, England

Thanks to the magnificent response of readers like you we're here to stay through 1997 and setting our sights on 1998.

A Fearless Media Source

The Washington Report is the only media source that is not afraid to publish material that the Israeli lobby does not want published in the U.S. Your magazine has done more for presenting the Zionist plan to eliminate the Palestinians from their homeland than any of the other media.

James Sherrill, St. Pauls, NC

The Human Face Presented

The Washington Report gives me more than the other side. It confirms and reaffirms what the general press is unable to do, that is that there is indeed a human face on the peoples of the Middle East and Islamic world! The one-dimensional cardboard stereotypes even found in some other specialized Middle East publications are not found in the WRMEA. Thank you all!

Anonymous, Pennsylvania

Moving Back to Turkey

The purpose of this letter is three-fold: I wish to change my address, as I am returning from Oregon to live and work in Turkey. I also wish to renew my subscription for another two years ($110). I would like to make a further donation of $100. You may use these funds in any manner that you wish.

I continue to wish you the best and, whenever I can, I will continue to support your efforts. Living in the Middle East, I fully realize the great value of your magazine. I have seen awareness grow on the part of Americans about the region thanks to all of your efforts. There is a long way to go, but you are certainly helping those of us who live in and know about the area feel less alone. Many thanks.

Linda Thain-Ali, Malatya, Turkey

You Question the Juggernaut

Yours is the only U.S. publication that presents the Arab side of the issues in the Middle East in a context meaningful to Americans. Put another way, yours is the only voice to question, much less criticize, the pro-Israeli juggernaut in Washington. Keep us informed about these matters. The regular media outlets won't or can't.

Rev. Charles A. Kennedy, Newbury, NH

Are You Self-Defeating?

I really enjoy the Washington Report, but the constant drumbeat about going belly up makes me wonder if I should give my money to what may be a sinking ship. I don't have money to expend on a project which may not continue. Hence, your pleas for money may actually be self-defeating. I understand your bind, but many of us have limited financial resources ourselves. Good luck.

Joe Daunt, Lansing, MI

Actually the gratifying response from our readers both to last November's and this May's funding requests are all that saved us in 1997. The disaster was a huge shortfall in late 1996 when we took a former major donor at his word, budgeted for eight issues, and then, after we'd printed them, realized his promises were not going to be kept. The members of the Angels' Choir for 1996 and 1997 dug us out, and whatever we realize on the November 1997 funding appeal will lay the foundation for a smoother 1998, inshallah.

Against Brainwashing

The main thing that gives significance to the Washington Report is the ability to take the same news that appears in the mass media and put a different perspective on it. This new perspective helps rational thinking humans to make conclusions for themselves rather than being brainwashed into a conclusion by media bombardment.

I agree with most of your analyses of Arab land conflicts, but I disagree with your position against Iran.

Elizabeth Kunkel, Morris Plains, NJ

God Bless You

To A.E.T. (publisher of the Washington Report)—God bless you.

Ed Sylvester, Scotland Neck, NC

Slowing Down at 90

I first became interested in the "Israeli problem" when Representative Findley and Senator Percy were run out of office by the AIPAC. I have followed this "problem" ever since, and my source of information was mainly through the Washington Report. I have sent my copies regularly to Australia, Mexico and France, to friends and relatives there, and have shared information with local groups. I would like to volunteer to do more but I am not very mobile, as the weight of my 90 years begins to be a bit bothersome. All good wishes for your continued efforts.

Louisa Pandolfi, Homewood, IL

Actually, until we read your letter we had thought the weight of our years had become a bit bothersome. But never mind.

Branch Out to Asian Affairs

You keep us informed with your truthful insights on Middle Eastern events. You are an invaluable channel for such accurate accounts of events to reach the public. Please consider publishing a Washington Report on Asian affairs (Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, etc.).

Nagi Awass and Bik Yeung-Awass, Amherst, NY

It takes all of our resources to report on U.S.-Middle East affairs. Both the publisher and executive editor have lived and worked in Asia and we would love to initiate a Far Eastern report, too, if we could find an angel for it. But, frankly, we think the need is not so urgent because, so far as we know, varying and objective points of view are available from the mainstream U.S. press, although perhaps not the in-depth coverage and insights you are looking for.

Which Region is Israel In?

While thumbing through my issues of the Universal Almanac, 1992 and 1995, some interesting information caught my eye. This was the listing of AIDS Cases By Nation and Territory or Region. The territories or regions listings of selected countries were the African region, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean region, European region, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region. In the two issues I have, Israel was listed under the European region, yet the countries surrounding Israel were listed under the Eastern Mediterranean region.

If Israel were listed under the Eastern Mediterranean, it would have one of the highest number of AIDS cases relative to the other countries listed. But, being listed under Europe, the number of cases of AIDS is relatively low.

This reporting leads to all sorts of questions: i.e., Are Israelis trying to disassociate themselves from the Middle East? Does Israel want to look good to immigrants? Was the error deliberate on someone's part? Why? Why? Why?

There are many other questionable points that could be made of this. It seems to me that this is just another bit of smoke screening that the Israelis are hiding behind.

W. R. Canaday, Foley, AL

When it comes to charts of immigration to the U.S. you won't find Israel listed at all. The "why" is that the Israeli government is concealing from its own people how many sabras and Russians are pulling out, just as are many of the American immigrants to Israel.

Algeria's Elections a Mockery

Liberty for the Muslim World is of the opinion that the current "democratic" exercise in Algeria is futile. By holding the parliamentary elections, the Algerian military authorities only seek to consolidate their control and legitimize their hegemony in the name of democracy. At least 60,000 Algerians have lost their lives for the military junta's project to materialize, namely the project of establishing a system of governance that is above questioning or checking. Clearly, the current exercise has been designed, and was only permitted to proceed, in order to give rise to a rubber stamp parliament.

Liberty for the Muslim World sees that the holding of the elections in such an atmosphere only confirms the suspicion that the new era will be none but an extension of the previous one. It is indeed regrettable that the leaders of participating political parties have failed to see that the generals who intervened in order to ban and destroy FIS will not hesitate to intervene once more if they feel that the interests of the minority they represent are being threatened. Undoubtedly, the interests of the elite which squandered national funds and ruled the majority by terror are incompatible with the interests of the people. The sudden birth of a political party that represents the ruling elite is a clear indication that Algeria is heading toward a future dominated by a single-party dictatorship of the type that existed when the National Liberation Front (FLN) was the only political party for the military junta.

Liberty for the Muslim World, London, England

A Must-Read Publication

Being from the Arab world and from Africa-Algeria, having lived in the West—both in France and in the USA—and having experienced anti-Arab and anti-Muslim "isms," I find the WRMEA to be informative, thorough, balanced, impressive and, most importantly, a must-have and must-read publication for anyone with an interest in being fair-minded and well-informed on issues which concern the Arab world and its diaspora, Islam, justice and self-determination in particular. As an Arab American I am proud of the courage demonstrated by all those who are involved with the publication of the WRMEA. As an educator and scholar I have often used your articles. As one who travels, I have taken your magazine with me to show others outside the USA that not everyone, nor every publication, is biased against Arabs, the Arab world and Islam. I wish you had more on North Africa, particularly Algeria, and on Arabs in Europe (particularly France). My comments do not need to be anonymous. I am proud of your publication and I stand behind my words, firmly.

Dr. Soraya Mekerta, Atlanta, GA

We would like to have more on Algeria and on Muslims in Europe, too. The light is in the window for correspondents from either.

My Congratulatory Letters

On 19 July I wrote to all 18 congressmen and senators who sent a letter to President Clinton on May 7 objecting to the Jewish settlements in Har Homa with my congratulations for their courage. I have received only one reply so far, and that is included with this letter. It is from the writer of the letter to Clinton, Congressman Nick Rahall II. He also included a copy of Clinton's reply to him of June 17. I hope this will be of use to your excellent publication.

Ted Byrd, Merritt Island, FL

P.S. Your director of circulation, Delinda Hanley, wrote me June 17 that she was "looking into" honoring Discover Cards. If you do honor Discover and do it without further delay my wife, Edeltraud, and I will contribute $1,000 to your "Choir of Angels." God bless AET and WRMEA.

We reported on the Rahall letter in our August issue (p. 28) but didn't have space to print the text. So this time, thanks to you, readers will find the Rahall text and the names of 16 co-signers (the 17th, Mike Doyle, changed his mind) and the Clinton response in "Other People's Mail" starting on p. 85 of this issue.

Thanks for your letter and, ahem, Delinda Hanley has added Discover to the list of credit cards we honor, along with American Express, MasterCard and VISA. Readers can use Discover cards now, and it will be added to our subscription forms when we get the next batch printed.

Am I Your Only Mennonite Subscriber?

Here are three more articles for your consideration from one of your Mennonite readers (am I your only Mennonite subscriber? I hope not!) for your "Other Voices" column. They may be too long or too religious for your magazine, but I'm sure you will find them interesting. One is from Sojourners, the July-August 1997 issue, titled "A Squandered Opportunity." The other two are from the July 8, 1997 issue of The Mennonite, titled "Get Off the Tour Bus" and "A Holy Land Torn By Division." Here are their addresses and phone numbers to get permission to reprint:

Sojourners , 2401 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009, (202) 328-8842;The Mennonite, 722 Main Street, P.O. Box 347, Newton, KS 67114, (316) 283-5100.

If you cannot reprint any of these, hopefully you can at least print the titles and addresses so your readers can get copies if they are interested. Printing the information about the alternative Holy Land tours could be especially helpful to your readers. I will continue sending you articles that I think you and your readers would be interested in unless you ask me to stop, but I doubt you will. By the way, I'm really pleased that the subscription I bought for my town's public library is on their shelf! Keep up the great work!

Lee Pfahler, Goshen, IN

First, you're certainly not our only Mennonite reader. U.S. Mennonites are well ahead of most of the "liberal" churches on human rights for Palestinians and about a half-century ahead of most other evangelical denominations. We salute the Mennonites for being real Christians,seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. If all other U.S. Christians had followed their example, the Israeli-Palestinian dispute would have been settled long ago and Israel, Palestine and their immediate neighbors might be enjoying a benign climate of tolerance to match their benign physical climate. Please keep on sending articles. If we have space you'll find "Get Off the Tour Bus" from The Mennonite in this issue's "Other Voices" starting on p. 132. You may also be interested in our plans to expand "Other Voices" next year into a supplementary publication, outlined in the publishers' page at the back of this issue.

Inciting Violence in the Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is quoted as saying, "We'd like to see them stop the incitement for violence." His reference was made toward the Palestinian security officials in his meeting with U.S. envoy Dennis Ross.

In my opinion the Palestinian security officials are doing a magnificent job considering all the obstacles they face. If anyone needs to stop the incitement for violence it's Netanyahu and his Israeli government for demolishing the homes of innocent Palestinians, confiscating Arab land for Jewish settlers, and imposing collective punishment on all Palestinians.

So, considering Israel's hard-line tactics, even before the latest bombing, Mr. Netanyahu needs only to look in the mirror to see who really incites violence. Facing all these obstacles, the Palestinian security officials should be commended, not condemned.

James J. David, Brig. Gen., retired, Georgia Army National Guard, Marietta, GA

Why Tax-Free Bonds for Israel?

The Washington Report published a copy of my letter to the IRS & Security Exchange Commission, filing a criminal complaint regarding the offering of Israeli bonds, claimed in the bond prospectus to be U.S. tax-free. I also sent copies to my congressman.

I have no proof of being effective. However, at the conclusion of my efforts, I called the broker who was offering the bonds. He told me that the tax-free goods were no longer being offered. I again wrote to the IRS and to my congressman and asserted that the tax-free claim for a bond issue of about $950 million for about 8 percent was a premeditated effort to cheat the IRS out of about $200 million in taxes over 10 years, and that the bond agencies should be criminally charged. As you would expect, there has been no action.

In one of the letters to the WRMEA, the question was raised as to the legality of funding Israel by the U.S. I had previously written to my local newspaper and tried to develop interest in this question. I proposed that funding Israel violated the U.S. Constitution which states (Amendment Article I): "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion..." Yet Congress has passed laws of appropriation that respect the establishment of the Jewish religion in Israel, where some citizen rights are based on religious tests, like the law of return. I would be interested in comments.

Dr. Robert J. Fritz, Schenectady, NY

So would we. It seems to us that in providing foreign aid to Israel and in granting IRS tax-exempt status to donations in the United States that go to Israeli non-profit groups and foundations, the U.S. government is subsidizing racial and religious discrimination that would be grossly illegal in the U.S. We don't want our tax dollars to be spent on Israeli activities that are repugnant to us personally, and we think it is illegal for the federal government to force us to do so. Readers who have further insights on this matter, such as attorneys for municipalities or other jurisdictions that are being asked to grant tax- exemption to contributions to such organizations as the Jewish National Fund, which places restrictive covenants on all of the land it purchases with U.S. donations, are invited to contact us.

Where Does the Energy Come From?

To begin with, I can't figure out where your executive editor, as a retired foreign service officer, finds the time and energy to do so much writing, answer so many letters and carry out a tremendous amount of editing and so many other activities. God bless him.

I always read with interest "Other People's Mail." Some of the letters are superbly written with great ideas. However, I do feel some emphasis also should be placed on "unpublished" letters, if space permits!

Since my own retirement over five years ago, I reside mostly in Europe, and usually read the International Herald Tribune, which is published by both The New York Times and The Washington Post. I have probably sent about three dozen letters to the Herald Tribune over the last five years, but you may be surprised to learn that only one of them was published—after being thoroughly edited and condensed!

Perhaps if more attention is given to unpublished letters by WRMEA, it may have its impact on mainstream papers, which usually deny the truth to the public on the Middle East. Besides, it may also reduce the sense of frustration experienced by the authors of the letters. An example is my last letter, enclosed, which went unpublished!

Again, many thanks for your tremendous efforts.

Mohamed Alwan, Altea (Alicante), Spain

Your letter to the Herald Tribune is unpublished no longer since it's in "Other People's Mail," starting on p. 85 of this issue.

News and U.S. Relations

No other publication than WRMEA reports accurately or fairly news from Mideast countries, or U.S. relations with these countries. I would sorely miss this publication if it no longer existed. I feel a genuine interest in all the people who put out the WRMEA. They are splendid!

Mildred Wentner, Fertile, MN

You're right! They're also underpaid, especially those volunteers who aren't paid at all.

For Your Viewing Displeasure

I was gravely disturbed by these advertisements which appeared in The Nation magazine on p. 35 of their July 21, 1997 issue and p. 29 of their Aug. 11/18, 1997 issue, the photocopies of which I have enclosed for your viewing displeasure.

Are the people in this organization (and I'm sure many more with similarly warped viewpoints) simply profoundly ignorant to a dangerous degree, or are they perfectly aware of the silly games of deception which they play on a readership whose intelligence they insist on insulting? Is the readership all too sadly one which would be receptive to such ideas, or trash, rather. Well, I shouldn't make any assumptions. After all, I am one of their readers (The Nation, that is). So I'll restrict my comments to FLAME, which stands for Facts and Logic about the Middle East, the group by which "this ad has been published and paid for." Perhaps this was a misprint for "Farce and Lies about the Middle East."

I am a relative newcomer to the AET and WRMEA (and ADC and CNI), directed to you by your Southern California correspondent, Pat Twair, through the Beirut Times (and probably the Holy Spirit Himself). Thank God I found out about your organization. As Pat predicted, you've opened up "a whole new world" to me.

Anyway—two things:

First, does the AET take out ads in newspapers, magazines, etc.? Would it be reasonable or desirable to consider something in The Nation as a sort of response—not a direct response, but just to present a different view? How about other magazines or other media in general?

Second, I was wondering if perhaps one or both of these ads in whole or in part could be reproduced or at least their text reprinted in theWRMEA with an accompanying story or commentary. I figure it might serve as a reminder of the challenges facing the AET and its constituency (which may then also have the effect of inspiring support and enthusiasm—you know, anything to keep us focused and eager to contribute). Anyhow, you know best, so do as you will.

One final request. In the WRMEA of Oct./Nov. 1997, p. 81, a letter to the editor was reprinted, entitled, "Find Friends Elsewhere." I am donating a subscription to the author, I'm assuming you have his address. Just let me know what happens. If it doesn't work out, I'll just make it an AET donation and you can cancel the free book, but please let me know first.

Thanks! You're doing a superb job.

Dr. Ray Kyriakos, Shrewsbury, MA

We sometimes use statements from FLAME ads as the "myths" in our regular "myths and facts" columns, but can't afford paid advertising to refute this one-sided, deceptively worded bilge. It's disappointing that The Nation accepts such garbage without at least an editorial disclaimer. Generally FLAME can only get its ads into publications likeNew Republic, Atlantic Monthly, U.S. News and World Report and other Zionist-owned periodicals whose reports on Middle East affairs are just as one-sided and misleading as the ads.

Thanks for your serious contribution to the Campaign for a Sound American Foreign Policy. It will help the lawyers handling "The Case Against AIPAC" defray some of the unexpected expenses resulting from the appeal by the Solicitor General of the United States against the 8 to 2 decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that the Federal Election Commission must enforce its own rules requiring the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Israel's Washington, DC lobby, to disclose where it gets and how it spends all of its money. When the suit was initiated eight years ago to require this super "political committee" to comply with the same rules all other political committees observe, the complainants, who include the publisher and executive editor of this magazine, didn't dream they would have to take on first AIPAC, then the FEC, and now the Department of Justice. As the nearly unanimous Federal Appeals Court decision demonstrates, there is no way the Clinton administration can defeat the case on its merits. Apparently Clinton's pro-Israel political appointees now hope to beat it on a technicality of some sort. In any case, the lawyers will hang in there but do need help with the considerable expenses. Thanks also for the gift subscription which we've initiated.

Speaking of "silly games" by FLAME, read on for a letter to us from its president.

Letter From FLAME President

I have just received your Oct./Nov. 1997 issue which, as always, is most informative. I also note with regret that you have somewhat of a financial problem. I include a small check to help things along. Really, I wish it were more, but I am a senior citizen and you know how it is.

I want to thank you for reprinting my letter regarding the USS Liberty in your previous issue. And, of course, I read your extensive comments on my letter with much interest. I didn't necessarily agree with all of it, of course.

I note that in the current issue, Mrs. Selma Abdo of Syracuse, NY describes me as an "Israeli apologist." I don't really know what that means and, frankly, I never thought of myself in those terms. (Does Israel need "apologists"?)

One thing puzzles me about your current issue: You show a little girl who has obviously been hurt on the front cover. She seems to have been battered and I suppose she is a Palestinian girl. I don't find the picture explained. I do, however, believe that it might refer to the article on p. 7, "The Grotesque Situation in Hebron," which, on p. 8, shows a picture of 8-year-old Lena Rizk in the hospital after having five rubber bullets and 30 centimeters of her intestines removed.

I asked myself two things in connection with the picture: (1) Where in the world was this 8-year-old girl when she was hurt by those rubber bullets? She must have been mixing it up with those teenage boys who were hurling stones at Israeli troops (in the knowledge that they would not be fired upon with live ammunition, but, at the most, only with relatively harmless rubber bullets). (2) The blanket on her hospital bed is labeled in Hebrew. My Hebrew-speaking friends tell me that the word reads "Hebron." What would an Arab girl be doing in an Israeli hospital? Could this possibly be an error by your photographer or by your publisher and could it be that this little girl is actually an Israeli girl?

I certainly would be grateful for your reply! I am always looking forward to getting your fine magazine and certainly hope that you will be able to stay in business.

Gerardo Joffe, San Francisco, CA

We suppose that it is your position as president of Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME), which inserts Likud-line advertisements in strongly pro-Israel magazines that prompted reader Selma Abdo to describe you as an "Israeli apologist." In answer to your first question, we'll repeat the front cover caption at the bottom of page 4 (table of contents) of the Oct./Nov. issue: "Front cover: A battered Palestinian girl is led by her parents from the hospital after she was set upon and beaten up by a roving gang of children of Hebron's Jewish settlers inside an area of Hebron under the 'protection' of Israeli soldiers." The photo was taken and caption prepared by Israeli national Ruben Bittermann. The story of Lena Rizk is fully related in the text to the immediate right of the photo but, since you obviously missed it, perhaps it bears repeating in the words of the American author, Jane Adas, of New Jersey: "When we later visited one of the hospitals, we saw eight-year-old Lena Rizk with five rubber bullets in her abdomen, which necessitated the removal of 30 centimeters of her intestines. Lena was walking up the street holding up her identity card when she was shot. The bullets were of both the round and cylindrical types, indicating that they came from at least two rifles."

Your apparent reading difficulty may explain why you seem to believe that rubber bullets are "relatively harmless." In fact they have a lead or steel core with a rubber or plastic coating and they can, and often do, maim, blind or kill the victim, depending upon where they strike and the distance between the soldier's gun and the victim. But then, Lena Rizk's case says it all. We thank you for your $5 contribution and your letter, which sheds some light on the caliber of information in the FLAME advertisements and in your Aug. 20 fund-raising appeal mailed to us charging that the "peace process" is "endangering" the "very survival of the state of Israel."

What Do They Learn?

I was appalled by the picture on the cover of your Oct./Nov. 1997 edition—the cute little Palestinian girl beaten by Israeli children in Hebron!

Aren't some of their parents, at least, intelligent enough to realize how much they resemble the "storm troopers" who used to beat up children just because they were Jewish?

What do they learn in their yeshivas?

Roger D. Leonard, Bowie, MD

A Brazen Advertisement

The advertisement in The New York Times, Sept. 17, by Americans for a Safe Israel is a brazen piece of propaganda and a dastardly insult to the American public.

In brief, it reveals the desperation of the Zionist battalions in America trying to camouflage the continuing state-terrorism of the State of Israel. The history of the past half- century shows that American interests have been severely hurt by the astronomical funding for this country.

The Trojan horses are on the offensive. Let the American Republic beware!

Robert Lyon, Professor Emeritus, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

You're Fair and Non-Vitriolic

I am not planning to renew although I enjoyed your report and distributed it fairly widely, especially at UNC-Asheville. I hope this has resulted in one or more subscriptions for you. I find myself receiving more subscriptions and other reading material than I can keep up with.

Mine was a gift subscription from a friend, in response to my asking him where he was getting his, to me, virulent anti-Israeli rhetoric. I do not find you a source for the kind of unfounded assertions I thought I was hearing from him. I find you fair and non-vitriolic, while clearly espousing a point of view. As a member of the Policy Committee of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, I particularly appreciated your response to our Quaker position on a shared Jerusalem. As a member of a religious group which has historically supported both Jews and Arabs at different times and under different circumstances, and who sometimes finds it difficult to know what constitutes "fair and objective" in the current extremely volatile Middle East, I have been especially impressed with your coverage.

Although I do not feel able to resubscribe at this time, I certainly wish you continued public support and success.

Bettina Wolff, Lake Lure, NC

Many Costs of Israel

You keep me informed—and in an enraged mood till the next copy of theWRMEA arrives. I am a radio broadcaster and will start this Monday reading the letters to "other" media and will be discussing what Israel costs the American people, financially, emotionally and spiritually and how detrimental Israel is to U.S. security and reputation. I greatly appreciate reading in your magazine the clear-headed and "sane" opinions of "other" Jews too. Thanks a million.

Name Withheld

You didn't indicate whether or not we should withhold your name. But given the fact that you're in the media which is subject to more advertiser pressure than even you may realize, we erred on the side of caution.

Fair, Open Articles

I appreciate any fair open articles on the Middle East. Most U.S. sources are blatantly pro-Israel and many are ignorant or even hostile regarding Arabs, in particular the Palestinians. I am enclosing samples of my recent articles for the Jordan Times, which has been really good about giving me a forum. Thank you—keep up the good work.

Dr. A. Clare Brandabur, Irbid, Jordan

You Shocked Me

A few days ago I had a visit from my nephew, who gave me three of the latest issues of your marvelous magazine. I was shocked and surprised at the quality and frankness of the articles and news related to the Middle East, and the Arab issues in particular—especially in the United States, where it is the fashion to bash Arabs in the media and in the political arenas.

Thank you for your honesty and fairness and keep up the good work! Needless to say, I phoned in my subscription even before I finished the first copy. I showed these magazines to many of my friends and co-workers and a lot of them promised to subscribe and spread the word of your wonderful work.

Ismail Hammad, Oakland, CA

Do us a favor. Hound those friends until they do subscribe. You have no idea how crucially important every new subscription is to our survival.

A Lucille Barnes Fan

I hope you can continue in your present format. I find it all interesting but sometimes I get so upset I can't read it all at once! I like your writer Lucille Barnes. I wish you could devote more space to India-Kashmir and to Bosnia.

DJ, town withheld.

The Link Article

It was with great interest that I read your executive editor's article on U.S. aid to Israel in the current issue of The Link. Section V on the Israel lobby was particularly informative.

In that section the word "theoretically" could probably have been omitted in the following two sentences:

"AIPAC's rule is to support friendly incumbents, regardless of party. Theoretically, the rule applies even if the friendly incumbent is not Jewish and the challenger is."

In the early 1980s Neil Goldschmidt, at that time governor of Oregon, announced that he would run as a Democratic candidate against Bob Packwood, a Republican, who was up for re-election to the U.S. Senate. As you probably know, Packwood was then, and continued to be until his resignation from office, one of two or three ringleaders of the Israeli lobby in the Senate. Goldschmidt was called in by leaders of the Jewish community in Portland who asked him to drop out of the race. He was told that it was much more in the interest of Israel to have a Gentile supporter of Israel in the Senate than to have a Jew. Goldschmidt did as he was told and withdrew his candidacy. If memory serves, the reason he gave was that he wished to devote more time to his family.

I would like to order your book Stealth PACs, and I would also be glad to receive information about subscribing to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs .

Walter Gleason, Vevey, Switzerland

The book is on its way, as is subscription information for the Washington Report.

The Public Apathy

The Washington Report is the only courageous and honest voice in a world of corrupt politicians, deceptive media and abuse of force for the benefit of an elite and self-centered ethnic group. When I read an issue, I feel angry, pessimistic and disappointed because evil is still prevailing over good in the supposedly most pro-freedom society. Then, after I calm myself a bit, I feel happy that some people risk their personal careers to inform me and others about the unbearable injustices done by those who own the means of shaping policies to deal with the weak and helpless while a large disinterested public sits in apathy.

I believe that the road to "unresolvable catastrophe" taken by the U.S. and Israel will lead to grave consequences for a large part of the world and for a long time.

Name Withheld, Carbondale, IL

You Help Me Hang On

There are times when I feel very depressed and certainly very angry at the way the so-called "Peace Process" is dragging along in Palestine. The letters to the editor in the WRMEA have helped me to hang on to hope for justice and peace in the Middle East, knowing that there are many, many people out there (subscribers) who feel as I do. Keep up the good work.

John C. Mayer, Hamilton, NY

P.S. A friend of mine recently thanked me for the gift subscription to the WRMEA I sent him.

While On the Other Hand—

1. Your book club service is terrible—work on it!

2. I'd like to see you develop more credibility with those who aren't already "converts"—those who've "seen the light."

3. Your magazine is thicker than it needs to be—move to a shorter but more frequent publication.

You help keep me both angry and informed.

Anonymous, Farmington Hills, MI

We've installed new circulation and book club software so we hope your next experience is better. As for the editorial changes, we'd like to issue the magazine more frequently but would have to increase the subscription price dramatically to do it. It's a difficult choice.

Emphasize Cost of Aid to Israel

I doubt that Boobus Americanus' moral indignation will cause him to rise up in wrath against Israel's crimes against the Palestinians, Lebanese, et al., so you'd best keep harping on how much it's costing him—something like those Harper's Lists that open every issue. You've done that on a small scale a couple of times that I remember, but perhaps it could be expanded and made a regular feature—what we could use that money for in the U.S., etc. Any way you can think of to bring it home to Boobus.

T. Weed, Hoboken, NJ

See "The Cost of Israel" on p. 43.

U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu

A year ago, on the heels of Mordechai Vanunu's tenth anniversary in solitary confinement, an international conference convened in Tel Aviv to tell Israelis the true story of their world-famed anti-nuclear whistleblower.

The conference succeeded beyond our expectations. So now we're going back.

This time we'll be in the streets. Volunteers from half a dozen countries will assemble in Tel Aviv for the start of a week-long vigil culminating on the 11th anniversary of Mordechai's kidnapping and imprisonment for telling the press about Israel's secret nuclear weapons program, where he once worked.

Together with Israeli peace activists, the vigilers will stand at Ashkelon Prison, where Vanunu occupies an isolation cell; near the Dimona nuclear reactor, where the bombs are made; at government offices, which have spurned repeated pleas for mercy; and at the embassies of the United States and other countries that have refused to intercede on his behalf.

Last year's conference, covered extensively by the Israeli mass media, shattered the government-imposed stereotype of Vanunu as spy and traitor. Israelis for the first time saw the prisoner portrayed as the rest of the world sees him: a man who risked his liberty to tell his fellow citizens about their government's secret nuclear weapons arsenal.

This year's vigil will build on the momentum begun by last year's conference, strengthening an Israeli campaign that is showing encouraging signs of renewal.

Samuel H. Day, Jr., Coordinator, U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu, 2206 Fox Avenue, Madison, WI 53711 phone/fax (608) 257-4764.

Sorry we didn't have your letter in time to print it before the Sept. 23 beginning of your demonstrations, but we know some of our readers will want to subscribe to your newsletter and to help with future efforts.

The 21st Century

The note at the bottom corner of page 20 in your June/July issue caught my attention, in that it appears to assume that the 21st Century begins in the year 2000. I hope I misunderstood you and that you realize that the year 2000 is the last year of the 20th Century and that the 21st Century begins Jan. 1, 2001. (There is so much confusion about this in the press, even though everyone knows that it takes a hundred years to have a century, so the last one has to end with—00.)

Don Langlois, Reference Librarian, Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix, AZ

More Library Comment

On behalf of the Educational Resources Center I would like to extend to you and your publishing company a special thank you for your donation of 12 books dealing with the issues in the Middle East. These books are a welcome addition to our selections in this area. We are pleased to add them to our library shelves. Such generosity adds depth to the collection and enhances the resources available to our students.

Eileen Dubin, Director, Educational Resources Center, Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL

A Subscription for German Readers

We are very grateful for the donated subscription to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. It is a great addition to our students' library. Be sure that your interesting journal will find an open-minded readership at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena.

Ludwig Schlessmann, Theological Faculty, Jena, Germany

You've Enriched our Collections

It is my pleasure to acknowledge your gift of the library donation package of 11 books to the Penn State Libraries. It is through such generous donations that we often are able to enrich our collections.

Nancy M. Stanley, Acquisitions Librarian, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Our current library package consists of 11 Middle East-related books with a list value of $150. Libraries that pay for their own subscriptions to the Washington Report may receive it at no additional charge for the asking. Libraries that are receiving a donated subscription may pay $20 for the book package or may look for another donor to order it from us on their behalf.

Lost Subscribers Newly Found

A few days ago I applied with the Huntsville Public Library for permission to donate for library display a year's subscription to WRMEA, and left a sample issue of the magazine for staff perusal. Yesterday the cognizant library person told me the library found nothing objectionable in the magazine, and would accept my contribution for its purchase but that the library, acting through a magazine subscriptions jobber, would have to place the order; not me. Since WRMEA would not recognize the jobber as a donor, the subscription discount could not apply.

Because I have a strong interest in WRMEA being read widely, I donated to the library the full subscription price of $25, rather than the discounted $20 cost of a donated subscription.

Whether my tab is $20 or $25, I feel good about my small part in disseminating news about the almost total lack of evenhandedness in U.S. Mideast policy.

Incidentally, I received the first issue of my own subscription to WRMEA today, after having let it lapse during the Rabin and Peres administrations, when I mistakenly concluded that equitable solutions of Palestinian-Israeli issues were firmly on track; I also donated in a prior year a subscription to WRMEA to the Huntsville Public Library.

Owen R. Rice, Huntsville, AL

Actually several hundred subscribers had let their subscriptions lapse in the first three years after the signing of the Oslo accords, thinking it was time to move on to other good causes. Since Binyamin Netanyahu's election and his replacement of "land-for-peace" with "peace for peace," however, they're trickling back. But we're not planning to build a statue to him.

An Important Source of Information

I worked in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia) for 30 years and retain a high interest in the area. I subscribe to CNI, SEARCH , Peace News from Israel, The Christian Science Monitor and other news magazines, but you are my most important source of broad background and insight beyond news reports on the area.

Bert H. Golding, Houston, TX

A Revived Stomach/Mind/Soul

A week or so ago I received a current copy of the Washington Report. I had stopped sending in my renewal money not because I was angry or upset with you or suddenly had become pro-Israel. (God help me if that ever happens!)

Having studied Arabic before WW II and served with the First Infantry Division, 16th Regiment, invading at Oran and on to the Tunisian front and peace, I had been useful and even more interested in the Arab/ Muslim world because of that.

In 1950 I spent a year on the West Bank, in archaeology but also involved with Lutheran World Relief as well as being the official (but unpaid) English-speaking preacher at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer there. Lots of Muslim and Christian Arabs became our friends. I had another such year in '64-'65.

I was among those who started American Friends of the Middle East (AFME) and were members until our funding ended (the U.S. political climate got worse so the CIA pulled out all support, which had been unrecognized by most of us before). But I spoke and published on the Palestinian "troubles" long after that, at least until my retirement in 1979.

I spoke in the first Islamic Center in D.C. during its dedication year. I also was an annual speaker for a decade at the little Toledo Mosque on Bancroft Street and several of its members spoke to my church groups. At the dedication of the wonderful Islamic Center in nearby Perrysburg, I was the only non-political non-Muslim invited for a seat of honor. Earlier I had been the only non-Muslim cleric present for a huge fund-raising banquet attended by many Near Eastern ambassadors, etc.

Unfortunately, last year when I turned 82, somehow the situation in the Near East began to get to me. I couldn't sleep and was on the verge of total "madness" whenever the Washington Report arrived. This current issue revived the stomach/mind/soul.

Please do not send me the Report. But I urge you to keep on! Enclosed is a $100 check for the Library Endowment. Inshallah, we shall overcome!

C. Umhau Wolf, Ph.D., Toledo, OH

Because of a computer error, the Oct./ Nov. issue went to a number of subscribers who had dropped out along the way, some because they thought the Oslo agreement had solved everything, others who could no longer afford the magazine, some who because of physical infirmities couldn't deal with it and a few, like you, who dropped the magazine on doctors' orders or for peace of mind. A few renewed subscriptions. Others didn't. We understand. We're of the World War II generation who believed our melting pot democracy was the wave of the future for the world.

We may someday go mad ourselves if our country, which we always thought of as "the shining city on a hill," misuses its strength to enforce the tyrannical racist colonialism of Israel—making it, not the U.S, the world's only remaining superpower. Meanwhile, though, we'll keep on educating and your contribution will help. You won't see this issue with your name in the Angels' Choir, but thanks anyway.

We All Need Your Information

I have subscribed to your magazine a number of years and will as long as I can. What other publication even attempts to give a clear and impartial picture of what is happening in the Middle East? The media, the government, everyone is so zealous about giving Israel every thought and concern. And for what reason, I've never been able to discover. So your magazine is a breath of fresh air, a welcome injection of logic and fairness. Keep up the good work. We all need the information you impart.

Pat Williams, Redding, CA

Over the Moon About Ashrawi Visit

As I expect you know, Hanan Ashrawi is coming to this country in October. We are over the moon as she is coming to Atlanta on the 15th and 16th. This is due to the incredible hard work of Gwen Maddock and Jean Rogers of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign.

Rita Fairchild, Marietta, GA

This December issue was scheduled to go into the mail just about the time Hanan Ashrawi was scheduled to appear in Atlanta so we can't be much help with advance publicity but we'll certainly try to cover her remarks in the U.S.

The Local Paper Shows Substance

When I read the enclosed article, I was elated to find such substance on the subject in the local paper. It was written by a professor at Syracuse University, which is nearby. I decided to send it to you, as you may not have seen it.

For about 10 years I have subscribed to the Washington Report. A Jewish friend (deceased), whose family fled Austria when the Nazis took over, introduced me to the magazine. Through it and other books in his library, i.e., The Zionist Connection, They Dare to Speak Out, etc., I came to understand and share his negative views on Israel.

Warren Shields, Manlius, NY