AIPAC Defines Israel As US Military Project
“U.S. aid to Israel is a cost-effective tool of American foreign policy that saves American lives and tax dollars that might otherwise be needed on a costly U.S. military involvement in the Middle East.”
Is that the International Socialist organization’s analysis of American Imperialism? Almost – that’s AIPAC, redefining Israel as a U.S.-sponsored military project.
Corporate welfare is another good reason to give Israel aid. I wonder if AIPAC mentioned that as well.
I just think its interesting to meditate on the sheer amount of flak you get for leaving Israel behind. I just wonder if you think for a second about the difference between refusing to serve and coming to NYU to study philosophy. If your moral record is so pristine, then wouldn’t military jail have been more of an option? I’m sure a lot of the refuseniks don’t have the economic or social mobility to choose between jail and an american college education. I really don’t think you can be /that/ sure of your convictions, I’m sure not and I’m enrolling in Hesder next fall. Rallying young American Jews against Aipac is old news, all you need to do is go to a Dror meeting, bro.
first of all, i cant afford college 🙂
second of all, my personal story is my personal story. I sticked to my ideals and refused to serve in the army. Jail is just a means, not an end.
And think a lot about the possibility of being now in israel and sitting two years in jail together with my fellow activists (www.refuz.org.il). BTW- who said i am not going to sit in jail? going AWOL is 10 years in jail max.
Rallying american jews against aipac is always important – i know some many who support israel through aipac without knowing all the bullshit behind it, as i showed in that post (one example of many).
not of all us had the ‘benefit’ of being exposed to dror. further, i want to take resistance to aipac a step further and start a progressive jewish public acction committee, which i intend to do when i return in a year.
I think thats noble, mo. AIPAC needs a reality check, but I also know that resisting Aipac might not be as important as uniting jewish youth. You spoke of your distance from Dror, well that is about to change, coming spring 2006, a coalition of Jewish youth from different youth movements are going to participating in the national youth poetry slam. http://www.youthspeaks.org http://www.urbanwordnyc.org A small start, but it transcends the political dribble of us adults. I’m not interested in comparing personal experiences, but i am interested in combining them.
In regards to Asaf, your story is your story. That is very very true. I just wish you would admit that you would admit that your creation of The Forum and your studies at NYU result from a great luxury, whether its moral, economic, national, or plain chutzpah. When you came to my school, you confided in our small, rain-soaked group that your parents were American olim and that your folks also moved back to the united states with you. If I’m correct, American Olim naturally have a great amount of economic and social mobility, as do a good number of American Jews (which causes aipac to be so damn powerful)..if this is untrue, then perhaps we should just realize your personal story is your personal story, and it changes, too.
Being that I’m enrollin in Hesder, I think about the possibility of sitting in Jail a lot, and if I’m ordered to humiliate Palestinians, then I’ll have to sit in Jail. At least I’ll be sitting in Jail with those keeping in the prophetic tradition in The Land of Israel and not with CounterPunch, whose many contributers certainly haven’t regarded antisemitism as anything significant because the actions of our Jewish government justify all the “resistance” and “freedom fighting” against us.
Haha, yall got me heated..one more thing..
if Asaf’s publication in Counterpunch is to tell us anything about his own noble pursuits being coopted by those who, in reality, detest him – check out this article on counterpunch. (it wont seem to link, so google it i guess)
“A Deal with the Devil
A Palestinian Zionist and the End of the World”
By WILL YOUMANS
If that doesn’t exemplify that in a couple years Jewish anti-zionists (not critics of Israel) will realize their getting dragged by their balls, then nothing will.
My parents moved to israel more than 20 years ago for ideological reasons. The economy definitely didnt benefit us and forced my parents to move back in order to actually make a living, among other reasons. I was going to sit in jail but this would effect my family’s decision – they would let me stay by myself in israel. so i decided to leave to US and try to get into NYU.
luckily i got a lot of scholarships and loans, but this is still a big financial burden..
There is no doubt that I am privilaged. Back in Israel i was a white ashkenzi jew. But political activism taught me how to use privilage against privilage. when israeli palesitnians demonstrate, they always ask leftist activists to come to the demos so the policemen wont beat them up. thats privilage against privilage.
The Israel Forum is my form of political activism here in the city.
And no- i’m not planning to live like tolstoy any time soon.
exactly, I’m glad we cleared that up for the forum.
kol tuv,
eli
i’m sure that the underlying truth is as solid today as it was back then, but just so you know, you lose a lot of cred when you link to an article from 2001 as “news.”
HAHAHA,mazel tov McGolem. That is hilarious, I didn’t notice that.
2001, hahaha.
hatzlacha
eli
id like to know: what is the difference between this site and a kkk site? asaf would feel at home with about 90% of the arguments made by the kkk, (i guess he would draw the line at explicitly exterminating all jews, though his policies could easily lead to that)? so for all those progressives who feel really great that they are showing the man (man = parents, the jewish establishment, religious jews, israel), try and get past your teenage angst (which seems to be endemic to leftists of all ages), and consider whether your positions, if actually implemented, just might lead to the extermination of israel, and the death of a great many jews. or dont you care?
I’d be interested in hearing your actual political opinions, nuanced ones that don’t start with the proverbial “The Arabs are…” I’m not much a lefty or a righty, and an unabashed Zionist, you can dialogue me if you want, chaver.
eli
I think you guys miss the point on the importance AIPAC and America’s friendship has for Israel. AIPAC is pure politics, y’all have picked up on that. But politics ain’t always a bad thing. As a lobbying group, they educate political leaders on all aspects of Israel. Now I assume those of you how disagree with AIPAC, believe that us Jews, like the French, Japanese or Germans, have a right to our own country, and that Israel should exist. And if so, then you might also recognize that Israel needs friends in the world. Just as we as individual needs friends, so do nations. Who else will you trade with or have your back in a fight? Maybe you say the US doesn’t need to send Israel 2.8 billion dollars a year, but if so, don’t forget to ask the US to stop sending a slightly smaller sum to Egypt.
Look, Israel survived the Yom Kippur War because of an American airlift. If, AIPAC or whatever Jewish institutions fail to maintain the Israel-American relationship over the next 50-100 years, and Israel doesn’t find other powerful friends (who knows, maybe India grows into and becomes that friend), Israel will find it very difficult to survive a similarly dark hour as October of 1973.
Oh, and I’d call the Boeing tanker deal corporate welfare. But calling a legitimate demand for a superior product corporate welfare is just dishonest.
I don’t understand what the term “corporate welfare” is referring to here. Mo: are you saying that it is corporate welfare because it comes from the US aid budget to an American company? And are you implying that it’s for the purpose of keeping Lockeed Martin afloat? Because that’s just ridiculous. Lockeed’s doing just fine.
Oops. Just realized this was an Asaf post. Well, same question directed at Asaf. What do you mean by “corporate welfare?”
america giving money to israel to buy planes from martin lockheed.
That’s not what “corporate welfare” means. If Lockeed Martin were going bankrupt and the US government did this same thing to keep that from happening, that would be corporate welfare. But actually, the fact that much of the aid to Israel(which is mostly in loan guarantees) is poured back into the US is another positive aspect of giving that aid. The whole point of AIPAC is pointing out to lawmakers the many points where US and Israeli interests align, and what you sighted is one case. I don’t actually understand what you’re pointing out. Of course it’s in (real or perceived, I think real) US interests to give military aid to Israel. (hopefully enlightened) Self interest is what government for the people and by the people is all about, and hence the fact that the US gets something positive out of doing something is not necessarily a strike against it.