THE NEW YOR TIMES
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Talking About Israel
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOFThe lack of serious political debate about our policy toward Israelis and Palestinians harms America, Middle East peace prospects and Israel itself.
Democrats are railing at just about everything President Bush does, with one prominent exception: Mr. Bush’s crushing embrace of Israel.
There is no serious political debate among either Democrats or Republicans about our policy toward Israelis and Palestinians. And that silence harms America, Middle East peace prospects and Israel itself.
Within Israel, you hear vitriolic debates in politics and the news media about the use of force and the occupation of Palestinian territories. Yet no major American candidate is willing today to be half as critical of hard-line Israeli government policies as, say, Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper.
Three years ago, Israel’s minister of justice spoke publicly of photos of an elderly Palestinian woman beside the ruins of her home, after it had been destroyed by the Israeli army. He said that they reminded him of his own grandmother, who had been dispossessed by the Nazis. Can you imagine an American cabinet secretary ever saying such a thing?
4 comments:
This is very magnificent of you to post such an article.
I sincerely believe that Americans are paying an exorbitant price for their fanatical perverse avoidance of a Public Discourse on the topic of Israeli-American Relations and its implications in the Middle East.
American Politicians by and large are gutless scared and beaten servile Agents of AIPAC. If anything can point to the corruption of the American Political Process these days, it is this unwavering servitude and the immense fear which the American Political Candidates for all offices have towards ever trying to encourage a political discourse on Israel.
Thank you for promoting this agenda of Public Discourse on Israeli-American Affairs.
Good points and you are welcome.
Thank you for this excellent article and starting a debate on a topic which has been a taboo in this country. I sometimes wonder who is really running this country. The U.S. Congress (Democrats or Republicans) does not dare say anything that goes against the strong AIPAC lobby and the interest of the State of Israel. While our repersentatives were elected to office to serve the interest of the U.S. and the American people. This strong and unconditional alliance has led us to have a devasting foreign policy in the Middle East which goes contrary to the interest of America.
Agreed and you're welcome.
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