I have always considered the Arab-American Institute as being one of the most successful think tanks, one that explains Arab issues to Americans and defends them, while trying to reach compromise and dialogue. Its president James Zogby, a Lebanese descendant, is one of the stars of Arab affairs in Washington. For decades, he has tirelessly devoted himself to this work; he continues to go at it with a young person's enthusiasm, ever since I met him in the American capital at the beginning of the 1980s. I do not see the need to add any more of my opinion, since on 20 November 2010, The Washington Post published a feature on Zogby and his work, which was quite thorough. However, I began by mentioning Jim Zogby after I read a study issued by the Institute, entitled “Analysis of Select New Leadership of the 112th Congress.” I found that it confirms what I wrote in the last few days about the changing political situation in the United States after the mid-term elections. I have nothing to do with the report, other than selecting it and summing up the work of the Arab-American Institute, and adding some comments of my own in response to the immorality of some American lawmakers. The current House, whose term expires in January, is headed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while the majority leader is Steny Hoyer. These Democrats will be succeeded by John Boehner as speaker and Eric Cantor as leader, for the Republican majority. Along with Pelosi, Boehner supported legislation in support of the Israeli war on the Gaza and sponsored legislation calling for the cancellation of the Goldstone Report, which recorded Israeli crimes in the Strip. He also supported Israel's barbaric attack on the Freedom Flotilla, and he recently said that Israel is “an island of freedom surrounded by a sea of oppression and hate.” I say that Israel is a fascist state, a state of thieves who invented a religion to steal Palestine from its people. Everyone who supports Israel is a partner in its crimes. As majority leader, Cantor will become the highest-ranking Jewish politician in the history of the Congress. By virtue of his post, he will have a great impact on foreign policy. He met Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington recently and promised him that Congress would stand against Obama's foreign policy; in other words, he offered political support to a foreigner against the president of his own country. Cantor also demanded an end to US assistance to the Lebanese Army and stop the aid offered to the Palestinians; besides, he strongly opposes President Obama's policies in the Middle East. I say that Cantor is the most dangerous enemy of “his people,” as his blind support for Israel has increased hatred of the US around the world, enabling Israel to steal money from American taxpayers, even during a financial crisis (every year, Israel gets billions of dollars, while the American poor are in the utmost need of such money), in what is considered a permanent crime committed by pro-Israeli Likudniks. As for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the current chair is Howard Berman, while the next Republican chair will be Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and both represent Israel in Congress before they represent the United States. The congresswoman (and catastrophe, as I always said, since the word has a double meaning in Arabic) from Florida wants to halt US assistance to the Palestinians, expel the Palestine Liberation Organization representative from the US, move the US embassy to Jerusalem, and has even introduced legislation to abolish UNRWA. If readers find Cantor to be a disgusting extremist, they will see Ros-Lehtinen as even worse. Both are examples of Likudnik extremism against US interests. Since the alternative to peace with the Palestinians is more wars, such lawmakers will take the path of killing more Jews and Palestinians, since there is no third option. As for the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, the current chairman is Gary Ackerman, who will be succeeded by Dan Burton, another Israeli who claims to be American. He has supported Israel and all of the wars it wages, as well as the attack on the Freedom Flotilla, which killed peace activists, with an American among them. He also signed a letter criticizing Obama's stance on settlements in East Jerusalem. To Israel's representatives in Congress, I say that they are encouraging death, and not peace. The blood of Jews will be on their hands, along with the blood of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. Israel is a terrorist state and all of the terror by extremist Islamist groups follows Israeli terror; they commit and justify their terror based on Israel's crimes. Israel is the mother and father of terror in the Middle East and the world. I selected what is of importance to readers from the Arab-American Institute analysis, but the English text is complete, and includes other congressional committees. I will close with an appreciation of the work of the Institute and its head, James Zogby, and call for supporting all efforts to see peace replace confrontation, and dialogue replace conflict. [email protected]
