A quick update about the criticism of AMNESTY USA in recent weeks that has appeared in MER -- everything is available at the web site for reference.

We must be having more of an impact than we originally expected now that we are reaching so many thousands of people all over the world hungry for honest and hard-headed insights into what is really going on regarding Middle East issues. As a result Marty Rosenbluth of Amnesty USA have been spreading a variety of rumors trying to discredit the messinger (pretty standard for those having something to hide) and Anne Massagee has just sent out a reply full of more misleading information and self-serving comments.

Before MER published the information about AMNESTY USA, a number of persons intimately aware of AMNESTY's history regarding matters relating to Israel were contacted, the Washington office and key staff person was called and a long discussion ensued, a number of attempts were made to reach the key person in New York (but he did not return our phone calls), and Marty Rosenbluth - "Volunteer Coordinator for Israel" -- was asked for his opinions and any countervailing information (his main response was don't speak up about these matters and we don't hold press conferences). On the other hand, before their recent reply no one from AMNESTY bothered to contact anyone connected with MER about these issues.

Much more importantly, it will soon be the one-year anniversary of the Qana massacre. We'll see then what AMNESTY USA does about the unprecedented AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL report condemning Israel and calling for sanctions. At the time of the Qana massacre and cover-up we in the Jewish Committee On The Middle East (JCOME) strongly congratulated AMNESTY on the report and told them that we had hundreds of American Jewish Professors around the country willing to join them in a call for sanctions against Israel for illegally using US weapons and causing the carnage at the Qana U.N. base. There wasn't even a reply from Amnesty. We certainly would be glad to do so again on the first anniversary of this unprecedented massacre in which U.S. weapons and money were purposefully used to massacre defenseless civilians protected in a U.N. base.

Indeed, if we don't take serious steps now, expect more carnage and massacres ahead.

We're also looking forward to the new report AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL is right now preparing, according to an AI Board Member who has been in touch, about the still growing gross human rights abuses by both the Israelis and the "PA". Maybe AMNESTY USA will want to do something serious this time about the important work their international organization (from which they are functionally autonomous) is now doing after avoiding these issues for so long.

Mark Bruzonsky  1/29/97