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Apr
8
I don’t have a ton of faith in this effort, but I don’t imagine it could be any worse than having members of my own synagogue intimate that I’m an anti-Semite because I don’t unequivocally support Israel.
The [Israel] Foreign Affairs Ministry has long since been exerting considerable efforts to bring the prominent writers for an extensive tour of the country, in recognizing the influence many of the writers wield and the fact some of them represent websites that are less-than-friendly towards the Israel.
While Israel enjoys relatively balanced coverage in American mainstream media, there are numerous blogs identifying with the liberal left who are unwaveringly critical of Israeli policies, often referring to Israel as an apartheid state which, among other things, is responsible for Washington’s decision to go to war in Iraq.
The unique tour was organized by the Solomon Project, which was founded in 1996 to “educate the American Jewish community about its rich history of civic involvement.”
The bloggers, along with leaders from various progressive organizatios, will meet with Israeli bloggers, journalists and Knesset officials. They will also be briefed on the security situation in the region and Israel’s civil society.
The group will be taken to view Sderot and Israel’s ‘narrow waistline’ by helicopter in an effort to convey the true meaning of a return to the borders of June 4th 1967. The guests are also scheduled to visit with the top negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, Saeb Erekat and may also meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni.
“We are looking forward to an informative and educational trip,” said National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) Executive Director Ira Forman, director of research for the Solomon Project Research.
“It is important that progressive bloggers and leaders of progressive organizations learn first-hand about the current situation in Israel. We also want to provide them with an eye-opening experience that will help them better understand the complexity of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
I haven’t written much about this, but I will be traveling to Israel for two weeks later this year. What saddens me is that the government of Israel thinks that a visit to Israel might be able to accomplish what none of us who have tried to be reasonable on sites such as Daily Kos about Israel have been able to accomplish.
On the other hand, I’ve often remarked to people who have never been there that you just cannot fully understand how gut-wrenching the conditions are there – throughout the country and the occupied territories, from a humanity level and from an anthropological level, unless you go there.
You also come away realizing why belief in and talk of refusal to recognize one’s existence has no place in a peace plan of any type for the Middle East.
Hattip to Holly in Cincinnati.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:52 pm April 8th, 2008 in Blogging, Civil Rights, Culture, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Politics, Social Issues, Writing
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7 Responses to “U.S. lefty bloggers from DKos, MoveOn.org to visit Sderot, Israel”
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It’s unfortunate that one can be called anti-Semitic because one feels that true security for Israel cannot be achieved without also achieving a measure of security and economic growth for Palestine.
To be honest, Harold, I’m not sure which areas you refer to when you say Palestine but security and economic growth is a two-way street. No one is blameless throughout that region.
Sderot? …not the settlements, not the West Bank, not Gaza….so much for U.S. “left wing” bloggers…. (not at ALL like taking money from lobbyists!) Welcome to the Independent Media!
James – you need to back up a second – the folks heading up the trip are from the NJDC – I don’t expect that they can arrange for access to those locations all that easily – as for the bloggers chosen, I’d expect very little of them – they’re firmly in the far left when it comes to Israel – but that works for a whole lot of lefties, just not all of us.
To publish a comment I made offline: I define Palestine as being Gaza, the West Bank, and (I suggested) a little Israeli territory between them that would be traded for some West Bank land occupied by Jewish settlements. I also suggested that both Israel and Palestine could have contiguous borders if they intersected at a point where a bridge crosses a valley, if one owned the bridge and the other the valley.
I agree with Jill that neither side is blameless in the conflict.
Thanks, Harold – I think your idea is worth being out here (for the 15 readers you know!)
I always think about kids and parents – the former arguing the latter trying to settle the situation.
It’s HARD, to say the absolute least. Which is why when I hear Condi Rice say that she’ll have something by the end of 2008 I roll my eyes.
perry Israel…
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