tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876012087863461251.post4262414100042309223..comments2023-10-07T07:59:07.050-04:00Comments on "friday-lunch-club": "Does Dennis Ross have a strong attachment to Israel? If so, might this situation be detrimental to the conduct of US Middle East policy?"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876012087863461251.post-56259784154287611002010-04-11T15:17:53.839-04:002010-04-11T15:17:53.839-04:00Walt's eloquent self-defense against the Israe...Walt's eloquent self-defense against the Israeli lobby's propaganda speaks for itself, but still, the distinction between "Israel" and the "Israeli right wing faction" currently running the government there cannot be underscored too often in an American context that consistently confuses the two.<br /><br />There will never be an accurate and thoughtful debate over US policy toward Israel until Americans learn to keep this distinction in mind. It is, needless to say, a distinction the Israeli lobby's core elements (e.g., AIPAC, not J Street) do everything they can to obscure.<br /><br />A discussion about American support for colonialism, apartheid, ethnic cleansing by the Israeli right is utterly distinct from a discussion about providing security for Israeli society. And I trust it goes without saying that a discussion about the degree to which support for the security of Israelis, Palestinians, or any other group might be consistent with U.S. national security is yet a third topic.<br /><br />If we could all learn to distinguish such different topics more clearly, then it would be much easier to pierce through the obfuscation of those foreign factions, like the Israeli right, who pretend to represent the interests of their people.William deB. Millshttp://shadowedforest.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com