Obama on AIPAC Part One
Jun. 6th, 2008 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unusualmusic_lj_archiveA couple of days ago, Obama gave this speech to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee). My mom had the television on, I heard it live, and it pissed me off, in many ways. This post from Firedoglake Why are Democrats giving Bush a pass to attack Iran encapsulated some of the reasons for my ire. But I knew that the good Senator had done this for a reason, and I was curious to find out what I could on AIPAC, especially since I had noted in passing some months ago the announcement that a new progressive organization was being formed to mitigate the influential stranglehold that AIPAC seems to have on American politics. Which is where this Real News Interview, and others that I'll put up in another post, come in.
Paul Rosenburg, editor of Real News, interviews Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator to get some clarity, information and perspective on the matter.
(Daniel Levy is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Prospects for Peace Initiative at The Century Foundation and a Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Initiative at the New America Foundation. During the Barak Government, he worked in the Prime Minister's Office as special adviser and head of the Jerusalem Affairs unit under Minister Haim Ramon. He also worked as senior policy adviser to former Israeli Minister of Justice, Yossi Beilin. He was a member of the official Israeli delegation to the Taba negotiations with the Palestinians in January 2001, and previously served on the negotiating team to the “Oslo B” Agreement from May to September 1995, under Prime Minister Rabin.)
Who does AIPAC represent? Part 1
What does it mean to be "pro-Israel"? Levy says one side ways it means to support the occupation. But there are many Jews in Israel and the US who oppose the occupation and the bellicose policies of Israel's government. AIPAC acts as if there is only one "pro-Israel" position when in fact, in the US, they represent the minority.
Part Two: John McCain's speech to AIPAC. (Now, I wasn't gonna pay a whole lot of attention to John McCain, but there is some discussion that pertains to Iran and the lack of sense that both the US and Iran have used in dealing with that particular country, that need to be heard)
Daniel Levy: Former Israeli negotiator opposes McCain's aggressive rhetoric:“What hasn’t been tried, and it won’t be easy, we shouldn’t be under any illusions, but hard direct bargaining between America and Iran. Not through European intermediary, not with the IAEA, but hard direct bargaining was taken off the table. Senator John McCain slammed the door shut on that option.”
Part 3 The Occupation Debate in Israel that ordinary Americans are not hearing. (This, to me, is the money shot video)Transcript here
The occupation debate in Israel: Daniel Levy: Most Americans are not hearing the full debate. Most Israelis live in a climate of fear, much of it abused and manipulated by politicians.
Now those videos led me to a pile of thoughts, many swirling around the exact definition of terrorists vs freedom fighters, the fact that Hamas was democratically voted for, like it or not, the stupidity in pissing off the Arab population in the Middle East with such a hard-line stance, the fact that many Americans don't know a whole lot about his conflict, even while Obama makes some very strong pledges in our names...a whole raft of stuff. But it's late, and I'm sleepy, so I'll try to sort this thought whirlwid out in another post.
Here's a transcript of Obama's speech.
Paul Rosenburg, editor of Real News, interviews Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator to get some clarity, information and perspective on the matter.
(Daniel Levy is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Prospects for Peace Initiative at The Century Foundation and a Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Initiative at the New America Foundation. During the Barak Government, he worked in the Prime Minister's Office as special adviser and head of the Jerusalem Affairs unit under Minister Haim Ramon. He also worked as senior policy adviser to former Israeli Minister of Justice, Yossi Beilin. He was a member of the official Israeli delegation to the Taba negotiations with the Palestinians in January 2001, and previously served on the negotiating team to the “Oslo B” Agreement from May to September 1995, under Prime Minister Rabin.)
Who does AIPAC represent? Part 1
What does it mean to be "pro-Israel"? Levy says one side ways it means to support the occupation. But there are many Jews in Israel and the US who oppose the occupation and the bellicose policies of Israel's government. AIPAC acts as if there is only one "pro-Israel" position when in fact, in the US, they represent the minority.
Part Two: John McCain's speech to AIPAC. (Now, I wasn't gonna pay a whole lot of attention to John McCain, but there is some discussion that pertains to Iran and the lack of sense that both the US and Iran have used in dealing with that particular country, that need to be heard)
Daniel Levy: Former Israeli negotiator opposes McCain's aggressive rhetoric:“What hasn’t been tried, and it won’t be easy, we shouldn’t be under any illusions, but hard direct bargaining between America and Iran. Not through European intermediary, not with the IAEA, but hard direct bargaining was taken off the table. Senator John McCain slammed the door shut on that option.”
Part 3 The Occupation Debate in Israel that ordinary Americans are not hearing. (This, to me, is the money shot video)Transcript here
The occupation debate in Israel: Daniel Levy: Most Americans are not hearing the full debate. Most Israelis live in a climate of fear, much of it abused and manipulated by politicians.
Now those videos led me to a pile of thoughts, many swirling around the exact definition of terrorists vs freedom fighters, the fact that Hamas was democratically voted for, like it or not, the stupidity in pissing off the Arab population in the Middle East with such a hard-line stance, the fact that many Americans don't know a whole lot about his conflict, even while Obama makes some very strong pledges in our names...a whole raft of stuff. But it's late, and I'm sleepy, so I'll try to sort this thought whirlwid out in another post.
Here's a transcript of Obama's speech.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-07 12:14 pm (UTC)His stance got Hamas to denounce him, pulling their earlier (and tin-eared!) approbation. For all that the truth might be otherwise, Hamas is electoral poison in America.
He's already stuck his neck out pretty far with one part of FL's community, regarding revising our stance with Cuba. This community, he has NO GIVE on -- they're already on tenderhooks about voting for a guy with an "Arab" name, with rumors swirling about his "radicalism". And it's a absolutely critical voting bloc.
That said, I think someone really did screw the pooch with that statement, and it's going to come back to haunt him as a flip-flop. I have no idea what they were thinking when they wrote it, and I hope they've learned a damn valuable lesson on it.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-07 04:46 pm (UTC)It's true though, you have to tiptoe around the "Israel Issue." I support Israel, however I don't support their land grabs or their latest policies of denying Gazans visas to fulfill their Fulbrights.
And someone, for the love of G-d and all that is holy, needs to fucking define anti-semitism for AIPAC. Jews are not the only semitic people... but AIPAC begs to differ of course.
It's a terrible go around. You have to be careful even in the classroom with this sort of thing. We almost got into a brawl with the Hillel table when I was a Senior in college over something I got out of Tikkun and put on our Middle Eastern Club sign-up table. They claimed we were being anti-semitic. I heard my adviser on the phone with Hillel's adviser and they were like, "The kids weren't doing anything wrong! I have the paper here... Oh I know, exactly!" The two sets of advisers were like, "You kids need to get over yourselves." Crazy.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-07 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-07 06:11 pm (UTC)That's who I'm voting for!
The candidate with no mouth.