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Washington Scene: AIPAC RULES
MER - WASHINGTON - 5/21: And that has indeed come to pass:
The recent AIPAC annual convention was a rousing and glittering affair. A thousand strong pledging for all too see millions of dollars on the spot to keep AIPAC pushing forward. AIPAC is to the Middle East even more powerful at the moment than the National Rifle Association is to arms. Meanwhile there is no Arab counter lobby in Washington -- its a total joke to even think that any of the Arab American organizations, or all of them combined with friends, have any political significance in comparison to AIPAC. Nor is there any counter-veiling alternative Jewish voice that has any political impact in Washington -- all such voices have been co-opted, pushed under, or are so insignificant (however expert, however principled) as not even to register on the political scales. Vice-President Al Gore came to speak at AIPAC -- tripping all over himself to pledge fealty no matter what happens, no matter what twists and turns in the "peace process" ahead. His speech totally undercut politically any possible effort Bill and Madeleine might make trying to soothe Arab feelings. And Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich came too. The well-kept and ever-fearful Congress is pushing ahead insisting that the new American Embassy be built in Jerusalem -- egged on and financed on by AIPAC at every turn. Newt's lies and distortions are legend. But this time he outdid even himself. The following AP story tells just the tip of the political iceberg.
GINGRICH SAYS ALBRIGHT OUT OF TOUCH By TOM RAUM WASHINGTON (AP - 5/19) - At a rally on the steps of the Capitol, Gingrich and three other top congressional leaders pledged steadfast support for Israel. Gingrich's remarks were the most biting, renewing his criticism of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. ``When I see an American diplomat suggest to Israeli generals that our understanding of their security needs on the West Bank is better than their understanding - I'm looking at somebody who's been in fancy hotels too long and out of touch with reality.'' A week ago, Gingrich accused Albright of being ``an agent for the Palestinians.'' Gingrich, R-Ga., said that when he and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt go to Israel next week to participate in 50th anniversary celebrations, they would go Jerusalem to visit the proposed site of the U.S. Embassy. ``The time is come to break the ground, build the building,'' Gingrich said. But he and Gephardt support moving the U.S. Embassy from its present location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Gephardt, who also addressed the rally sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, was mildly critical of the administration for its activist role in trying to nudge along the peace process. ``Friends do not give ultimatums. Friends do not dictate,'' said Gephardt, D-Mo. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott won a loud round of applause when he promised that the Senate would vote later this week in favor of a resolution supporting sanctions on Russia for selling nuclear technology to Iran. ``We have been patient,'' said Lott, R-Miss. ``We have waited. We have urged the administration. We have communicated to the Russians. We have expressed our frustrations.'' ``We're not doing it anymore,'' he said. ``We're going to take action because that's the only thing they will understand and respect.'' Albright and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met twice last week during Netanyahu's visit to Washington, but made little progress in rescuing negotiations with the Palestinians on the future of the contested West Bank. The centerpiece of the U.S. package, a pullback of Israeli troops from 13 percent of the territory, has already been rejected by Netanyahu as perilous to Israel's security. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has accepted the U.S. proposal. At the State Department, spokesman James Rubin said Albright and Arafat discussed refinements to the U.S. package in London Monday. But Rubin stressed that the United States is not trying to renegotiate the deal with Arafat and ``has no intention of adjusting downward in any significant way the key elements of our ideas.'' Rubin declined to give details on the ``refinements,'' but said the administration has ``been working on how to find a way to enable Prime Minister Netanyahu to say yes to our ideas.'' ``We are trying to be as creative as we can. But frankly, we don't know if we'll be able to succeed,'' said Rubin. ``And if we conclude we cannot reach an agreement, we will come out and say so. ... That day is not far off.'' Some congressional Republicans have accused the administration of pushing too hard. Gingrich compared the U.S. role to a situation in which ``an Israeli diplomat showed up and said, `You know, we have a better way to defend Texas than you do. And we've thought about it, and we've decided how to redefine the Canadian-American border because we know it better than you do.''' Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., told the rally, ``The United States has no better friend and no more important ally than Israel. ... We stand with the Israeli people. We will honor the right of Israel to determine the fate of Israel today, tomorrow and forever.'' |
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