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Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:00 AM

Taking back the debate over Israel

Sick of right-wing Jews speaking in their name, progressive American Jews have launched J Street to change the way the game is played in Washington.

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  • Monday, April 28, 2008 09:20 PM

    This should have happened 20 years ago

    First: those right-wing Christians do not really support Israel. What they support is their idea of Armageddon, which they hope will happen soon and which their absurd fairy-tale holy book (the Bible) says can only happen if the Jews inhabit all of historical Israel. People like Hagee and his followers think Jews are all going to hell. Obviously then, they don't give a damn about the lives or welfare of the residents of Israel; they just consider them pawns in their quest to be sucked up to "Heaven" by a giant vacuum cleaner wielded by Jesus.

    It's too bad that liberal American Jews didn't establish a strongly vocal lobby many years ago, because our country's blind support for even the most repressive measures taken by the Israeli government against Palestinians is a big reason why so many Arabs hate us and empathize with those who want to do us harm. Remember that naive question that was asked across the country after 9/11: "Why do they hate us?" It wasn't because of our "freedoms," it was because we had troops in Saudi Arabia, because we prop up oppressive regimes in Arab countries, and because we have continually sided with Israel no matter how egregious its treatment of the Palestinians.

    Anyone who cares about this issue should read the book "Breaking Ranks," which is a compilation of interviews with Israeli soldiers who refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza. They are all committed and patriotic Israelis who recognized that draconian treatment of the Palestinians was not only inhumane, but it was counterproductive to the goal of a secure and safe future for Israel.

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