During a foreign policy panel discussion last month in the House of Commons, the former British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said that unlimited funding available to the Israel lobby in the United States was being used to control American foreign policy. He also accused Germany of having a Holocaust "complex" in defending Israel. Straw spoke the truth, and nothing but the truth. He is not keen on returning to Parliament in the next elections, so he is free from pressure and can say what he wants. The reactions by Israelis and pro-Likud Americans to Straw were expected; from among them I select the title of an article in Commentary, "Nothing Legitimate About Anti-Semitic Slur." If what Straw said was an anti-Semitic slur then I will repeat it here, because I believe it to be the truth. It's a word that somewhat recalls official Israeli policy; there is now an Israeli Ministry of Information and Diaspora, headed by the settler Yuli-Yoel Edelstein. He is a member of the Knesset who once said the Arabs are a "deplorable nation." I will not say that the Jews are a "deplorable nation" because some of them are advocates of peace par excellence, but I will say that the goal of this ministry is to "explain" Israeli policy. In other words, it is to explain the policy of crime, Apartheid, occupation, destruction, and displacement. In Hebrew this policy is called hasbara, which reminds me of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's novel 1984. This policy will not work, because the entire world is against Israel, with the exception of members of Congress who have been bought by the lobby. The BDS (Boycott Divest and Sanctions) movement circles the globe, from American universities and major churches to the European Union and even the Far East, where Israel does not have a single ally. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League, whose job is to slander everything that exposes Israel's crimes, recently issued a report entitled "Top Ten Anti-Israel Groups in the US." The report should be translated into Arabic in its entirety and distributed, and I hope that Arab-Americans and others from these groups help in the effort. Because of space constraints, I can only sum up the report by listing the groups: -Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), a group that opposes Israel and America's war, with a largely female component. -American Muslims for Palestine, which has thousands of followers on the internet. -CODEPINK, female peace advocates with thousands of supporters, headquartered in Washington. -Friends of Sabeel – North America, one of the oldest and most active organizations, supported by key Christian groups. -If Americans Knew/Council for the National Interest, led by prominent American peace advocates. -Jewish Voice for Peace, most of whose members are Jewish peace activists; it supports boycotting Israel. -The Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group that is so active and successful that it is constantly subject to campaigns by the pro-Israel mafia. -Neturei Karta, a very active Jewish group headed by Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck; its members are ultra-Orthodox Jews who are hostile to Israel. -Students for Justice in Palestine; its members are active in American universities and have a number of successful achievements to their name. -The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation; its name explains what it does; it is also trying to halt US assistance to Israel. I argue that the entire world is against Israel, and the thanks for this goes to Israel's extremist right-wing governments, whose actions prove this. [email protected]
