Jewish Journalist Calls RJC Gaza Alert Author A “Liar”

David Streeter — February 12, 2010 – 1:05 pm | Foreign Policy | GOP Hypocrisies | Israel | Republicans Comments (4) Add a comment

JTA’s Ron Kampeas and The Jewish Week’s Jim Besser have done some investigation into the Republican Jewish Coalition’s (RJC) recent campaign against the Gaza letter circulated in the House of Representatives, and they’ve found some key misrepresentations.

 

First off, as Kampeas noted, the author of the RJCs’ action alert regarding the letter is a “liar.” Kampeas wrote:

A letter recently from 54 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives addresses both contexts: As I noted when I wrote it up as a brief, it sympathizes ‘deeply with the people of southern Israel who have suffered from abhorrent rocket and mortar attacks’ and recognizes that Israel’s restrictions arise out of a ‘legitimate and keenly felt fear of continued terrorist action by Hamas and other militant groups.’ The letter, to President Obama, also urged him to press Israel and Egypt on the matter.

Now, the signatories have come under fire; one has even withdrawn her signature. Behind the pressure is a Republican Jewish Coalition campaign. The RJC action alert contains at least one untruth:

These 54 Democrats expressed no concern whatsoever about the consequences their ideas might have for Israelis living under the threat of terrorism from Gaza!

In fact, the letter directly addresses those consequences—

Easing the blockade on Gaza will not only improve the conditions on the ground for Gaza’s civilian population, but will also undermine the tunnel economy which has strengthened Hamas. Under current conditions, our aid remains little more than an unrealized pledge. Most importantly, lifting these restrictions will give civilians in Gaza a tangible sense that diplomacy can be an effective tool for bettering their conditions. Your Administration’s overarching Middle East peace efforts will benefit Israel, the Palestinians, and the entire region.

Perhaps the letter’s writers are wrong, maybe they are naive, maybe they are disingenuous, but that’s not what the RJC is saying. The ‘whatsoever’ in ‘No concern whatsoever’ makes a liar of whomever wrote the action alert.

 

Second, Representative Keith Ellison was not the author of the letter, as many have alleged. Besser wrote that “everybody wants to blame Ellison” because:

Ellison, by virtue of being a Muslim, is always an easy target; the people emailing me seem to be saying, ‘see, he’s a Muslim, so he’s obviously anti-Israel.’ In fact, the letter was authored by Rep. Jim McDermott and signed by 53 colleagues.

And, Besser also wrote of Ellison:

I’ve listened to Ellison speak about the Middle East and read many of his comments; there’s little question his primary focus in the region is the plight of the Palestinians.  Nor is there much doubt he doesn’t much like Israel’s Gaza policies, which he thinks cause needless civilian suffering. He shares that view with many Israelis and American Jews.

Does that make him anti-Israel? Some say yes, but I’m not convinced.

Every time I’ve heard him speak, including on a recent panel that was clearly skewed to the anti-Israel point of view, he’s stressed his belief that both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict need to do more to live up to past commitments and take greater chances for peace. He’s spoken clearly about Israel’s need for security as part of any ultimate settlement.  He speaks the language of compromise – for both sides.

In short, he sounds pro-Palestinian without sounding anti-Israel.

Still, many castigate him as just another Israel hater, which they seem to find even easier because of his religion.

 

Kampeas also noted of Ellison:

When Ellison and another Washington Dem, Brian Baird, toured Gaza after last winter’s war, it was Ellison—not Baird—who continued to Sderot to survey the aftereffects there.

 

RJC did not perpetuate the Ellison authorship mix-up. However the higher ground that they gained from this disappeared when their Congressional Affairs Director described defending Ellison as “irksome” and called Besser and Kampeas “weasels” for pointing out his errors.

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