To Reader Nathan Sherman
Reader comment on item: Democrats, Republicans, and Israel
in response to reader comment: Democrats & Republican Parties re: support for Israel

Submitted by Susan Shain (United States), May 26, 2006 at 15:07

It would seem obvious that the Democrats you know would be staunch supporters of Israel; would you be conversing with those that aren't? I know many Democrats who are staunch supporters of Israel in spirit and in pocket, but check out some of the Democrat leadership, i.e. Dem. House Leader Pelosi (CA) who met with CAIR officials the day AFTER that group distributed a press release which labeled Pres. Bush's support for Israel and the security fence as "neo-Apartheid policies (09 July 2004); Jesse Jackson (need I say more?); Rep. Jim Moran (VA), who claimed that "If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq we would not be doing this…the leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should." (The Washington Times, 03/12/2003).

Rep.Moran's statement almost reads as if it were taken out of President Lindburgh's "famous" speech in Roth's novel "The Plot Against America". But in that case it was only a novel, a fantasy.

Remember President Jimmy Carter? His recent rants against Israel have not, in a single instance, been contradicted or quelled by the Democrat Party.

Carter was the US observer and facilitator of the January 1996 Palestinian elections. Carter declared at that time Arafat to be the "democratically elected" leader of the Palestinian Arab people." If you haven't seen his other absurd statements, you can Google them yourself. A summary: Israel is oppressive, the Palestinians are victims who want peace but Israel won't have it. The fact that Israel has been very busy successfully blocking many Homicide Bombers whose families receive financial martyr rewards upon their murderous successes escapes his logic. Also, according to Carter, Israel and the USA should give Hamas a chance.

By the way, I've often mused as to why Iran held our hostages for 444 days, and released them THE DAY AFTER Carter left office.

If you want an anti-Israel American Jew with a public face, go no further than Edmund R. Hanauer, Executive director, Search for Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel. He stated: "Americans need to know that Israel's policies of "confiscation and colonization " have been going on since 1948 if they are to understand Arab and Muslim anger at the USA, and if they are to support a U.S. policy that works for a just peace (USA Today Editorial, 22 May 2006). I don't believe Hanauer to be a Republican.

I am not Republican or Democrat, with many Libertarian leanings, but a registered Independent – open to the most reasonable and logical party presentations. Recently, however, I haven't seen many reasonable and/or logical positions coming from the Democrats. Including definitive support – as a party – for Israel. Just rhetoric from Dean.

Susan S.

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