M I D - E A S T  R E A L I T I E S - LIE OF THE WEEK

For additional information: http://MiddleEast.Org.

NINE MONTHS AGO AN UNPRECEDENTED MASSACRE OF CIVILIANS UNDER U.N. PROTECTION TOOK PLACE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON. AMNESTY USA WANTS EVERYONE TO FORGET!

Amnesty International, and its affiliate in the United States -- Amnesty USA -- do much useful work. Even so, it is important to understand the "realities" that confine and conflict the organization in regard to matters relating to Israel.

Until the Intifada, Amnesty had said and done practically nothing regarding the plight of Palestinians. An entire generation of Palestinians had grown up under Israeli occupation and numerous specific instances of gross torture, massacres, and horrendous abuse had been documented by other organizations and the media for a very long time. But Amnesty had refrained from getting involved and refused to bring to the world's attention the terrible suffering being inflicted on the Palestinians.

With the Intifada Amnesty began to speak up once and awhile. It wasn't any longer all that difficult to do so with so many extensive TV and media reports highlighting Israeli brutality towards the Palestinians as well as a constant supply of specific incidents of torture that could be traced back to the highest levels of Israeli political and military society. Indeed, it was Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin himself, then serving the Likud Government headed by Yitzhak Shamir, who publicly told his troops to "break their bones"; and CBS cameras actually caught the Army doing just that to defenseless Palestinians already in custody.

Then last year, after the terrible and unprecedented massacre at the Qana U.N. base in southern Lebanon -- the subject of headlines throughout the world -- Amnesty International decided to investigate and issue a report. The report condemned the Israelis for this massacre and concurred with U.N. findings that it had been done on purpose, not accidentally, with the Israelis then attempting a massive cover-up (as they had done so often in the past).

However, confined by those who serve on its Board and its sources of funding, Amnesty USA downplayed the report right from the start. No press conference was held -- even though this was the most major action Amnesty International had ever taken in regard to anything in the Middle East - nor was there even a mailing to the press. Amnesty USA people instinctively knew that their jobs were on the line and they should not take any signficant steps about Qana even though their International organization had acted in this unprecedented manner.

More recently Amnesty USA has truly shown its real colors when it comes to matters relating to Israel. The organization sent out a fund- raising appeal a few weeks ago, complete with detailed brochure showing month by month the major activities of Amnesty around the world during 1996.

"ONLY THE TRUTH CAN HEAL THE PAST" the brochure concluded followed by the Amnesty International USA logo.

But amazingly, not one word in the fund-raising appeal, or even in the brochure, about Qana.