Opinion: Is There Not One Conscience at AJC Who Will Call David Out?

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By pro-Israel activist Buddy Macy (shortened version)

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Buddy Macy

David Harris has chosen politics over Israel and the Jewish People. Which will you choose?

Buddy Macy

973-785-0057

At a time when Americans should be probing the positions, attitudes and prospective policies of all of the Presidential candidates, the heads of two national Jewish organizations are urging these same candidates to limit the discourse on U.S. support for Israel, including the questioning of "the current administration's foreign policy approach vis-à-vis Israel", because it could become "polarizing." We are obliged to expose hostile candidates now, rather than after they get elected, in order to prevent a potential horrific tragedy for America and Israel. (...)

 

The "National Pledge for Unity on Israel", and its promotion by ADL and AJC, are an affront to the American Jewish community, and to democracy, itself. What follows is the Introduction and Pledge with my comments highlighted in blue:

 

 

AJC, ADL Co-Sponsor National Pledge Calling for Unity on Israel

 

 

New York, NY, October 19, 2011... The American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have joined together to encourage other national organizations, elected officials, religious leaders, community groups and individuals to join them in signing the "National Pledge for Unity on Israel." This initiative aims to quash any and all criticism of President Obama and his Administration's anti-Israel policies and actions in order to get Obama re-elected in 2012. rally bipartisan support for Israel while preventing the Jewish State from becoming a wedge issue in the upcoming campaign season. (...)

 

"We want the discourse on U.S. support for Israel to avoid the sometimes polarizing debates and political attacks that have emerged in recent weeks, as candidates have challenged their opponents' pro-Israel bone fides  or questioned the current administration's foreign policy approach vis-à-vis Israel," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. Apparently, we have a case in which the Foxman is guarding the henhouse. It is not the job of the supporters of Israel to foster a civil election season; rather, it is our obligation (and, especially, your organizations' responsibility) to ensure full and complete disclosure of the candidates -- especially, when some of them have advocated polices that would put Israel and the Jewish people at severe risk. "The last thing America and Israel need right now is the distractions of having Israel bandied about as a tool for waging political attacks." A distraction? I see: We should refrain from educating the American people as to candidates' anti-Israel positions and actions (which, by the way, happen to counter American values and its best interests); we should not stand out.

 

It seems to me I remember hearing about Jewish "leaders" in the 1930's and 40's, and their desire to not stand out and make a scene…while 6,000,000 of their brethren were being murdered in Europe. I guess we're lucky that history never repeats itself, right?

At this point in the press release, the ADL directs people to its website to sign a ridiculous "pledge" endorsing this absurd and dangerous behavior.

 

(...). Support for Israel has never been merely a plank in a Republican or Democratic Party or candidate's platform. It is a core American policy that serves our nation's most fundamental national interests.Which is why, when we see the President of the United States or other candidates consistently following a path that diverges from the American people's wishes and our nation's best interests with regard to Israel, we are obligated to speak out about the frightening development. And, we must ensure that the man or woman elected on November 6, 2012 will once again respect and value Israel and support the State of Israel as a core American policy. Indeed, for the past six decades, every American President and Congressional leaders in both parties have championed the shared values and outlook that bind the two nations. The binding of the two nations does not include the humiliation of the leader of one of those nations by the other, and the use of extreme coercion (...)

This broad bipartisan backing has been vital to America's interests and to Israel's security throughout decades of war and a constant struggle for survival. We salute the long line of American leaders who have moved beyond their often bitter policy differences over issues of the day to stand shoulder to shoulder together on the side of a strong and enduring U.S.-Israel relationship. If this is so, why do we need a pledge? Is this bipartisan backing so fragile that it could shatter from everyday political discussion? Something is amiss.

(...)At a time when Israel is confronting new dangers and challenges in a fast changing Middle East, the United States must continue to project to the world the solid support of the American people and their elected representatives for Israel's rights and quest for peace and security.Yes. U.S. leadership in the efforts to achieve an agreement resolving the conflict that results in two states—the Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peaceful coexistence—is more critical than ever. There already is a Jewish state and a "Palestinian" state living side by side in peaceful co-existence – Israel and Jordan! The establishment of a second "Palestinian" state would surely cause the destruction of the tiny and sole Jewish one! Here is what four esteemed Members of the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) have said about the two-state "solution."

 

Brig. Gen., Retired, MK Dr. Arieh Eldad was the head of the burn unit at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem during the height of the Intifada. In 2007, he said: "The two-state-solution is dead. The Palestinians never wanted it. If they did they would have had an independent state as early as 1948. Israelis understand that any land given over to Arabs serves only as the next terror base against Israel." [1]

 

Prof. MK Yuval Steinitz, an active member of Peace Now before Oslo and a former chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said in September 2008: "The idea of a two-state solution should be dead, today, because unfortunately a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria would bring about Israel's demise... immediately become an outpost for Iran." "I felt that what we did was a terrible mistake [signing on to the Oslo Accords in 1993] … I realized that, to my frustration, we were giving up land for war and terror and incitement." As the Palestinians continued with their anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, he worried that "instead of a demilitarized Palestinian state we might end up with a militarized Palestinian state in the center of the country."

 

Steinitz said that the only reason Qassem rockets had not been fired at the center of the country or at Ben-Gurion International Airport was because Israel had a military presence in the West Bank.

 

When President Mahmoud Abbas (THE MODERATE!) hugged Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, the man who killed three people in Nahariya, including a four-year-old girl, it showed Steinitz that Abbas was no different than former PA leader Yasser Arafat.[2]

 

Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in April, 2010: "Those who want to continue the Oslo process, who want us to continue to give and give and give, without a Palestinian willingness to recognize our right to a national home, are cooperating with the phased plans for Israel's destruction."[3]

"Barack Hussein Obama adopted Yasser Arafat's staged plan for Israel's destruction, and he is trying to force it on our prime minister," Likud MK Danny Danon said today [May 19, 2011]. "All that was new in the speech was that he called for Israel to return to 1967 borders without solving the crisis. Netanyahu has only one option: Tell Obama to forget about it."[4]

 

 

Sources:

 

[1] http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=af3f9a24-0225-4971-a1f9-205383dacf42

 

[2] http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1221142472433&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

[3] http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/news/archive/2010/04/16/israeli-minister-settlers-should-stay-in-west-bank.aspx

 

[4]http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=221383

 

(...)

I urge everyone to ignore the AJC/ADL pledge and continue to seek the truth from all of the Presidential candidates regarding Israel (and every other issue). Please share this with everyone on your list(s). Thank you so much. Buddy

Signed,

Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League

David A. Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee

 

ADL RESPONDS TO CRITICISM OF THE ADL-AJC UNITY PLEDGE ON ISRAEL

New York, NY, October 25, 2011 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said some groups had distorted its call with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for a national bipartisan consensus on Israel as an attempt to stifle criticism of the Obama Administration.

(...) Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

There has been some distortion of our announcement of the ADL-AJC "National Pledge for Unity on Israel."

 

The pledge is not intended to discourage raising questions about a candidate's support for Israel (...)

THE FOLLOWING IS MY (Buddy Macy's) RESPONSE TO THEIR RESPONSE

 

Despite what is written in the ADL's announcement of 10/25/11, it is apparent that we (RJC, ECI and I) did not distort the meaning of AJC/ADL's press release, which contained both the Unity Pledge on Israel, as well as the introduction to the pledge.

 

Although I strongly disagree with Mr. Harris (...) I applaud his writing skills. (...) I assume that Mr. Foxman's writing skills are polished, as well. David Harris and Abe Foxman meant to convey what we understood them to mean.

 

In my email response to the AJC/ADL press release, I included the entire text of the AJC/ADL document, with the exception of the direct reference to the website containing the pledge. (...) I invite Mr. Harris and Mr. Foxman to inform me as to the section(s) of my reply which distort(s) the intent of the original documents.

 

 

Thanks for helping Israel.

 

US4Israel

 

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