| [images and
captions added by this website] [source] August 13, 2004
Ralph Nader
writes to Abraham Foxman To:
Abraham H. Foxman National Director
Anti-Defamation League 823 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017 Dear Mr.
Foxman: HOW nice to hear your views.
Years ago, fresh out of law school, I was reading
your clear writings against bigotry and
discrimination. Your charter has always been to
advance civil liberties and free speech in our
country by and for all ethnic and religious groups.
These days all freedom-loving people have much work
to do.  As
you know there is far more freedom in the media, in
town squares and among citizens, soldiers, elected
representatives and academicians in Israel to
debate and discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
than there is in the United States. Israelis of all
backgrounds have made this point.
Do you agree and if so, what is your explanation
for such a difference? About half of the Israeli people over the years
have disagreed with the present Israeli
government's policies toward the Palestinian
people. Included in this number is the broad and
deep Israeli peace movement which mobilized about
120,000 people in a Tel Aviv square recently. Do you agree with their policies and strategy
for a peaceful settlement between Israelis and
Palestinians? Or do you agree with the House
Resolution 460 in Congress signed by 407 members of
the House to support the Prime Minister's proposal?
See attachment re the omission of any reference to
a viable Palestinian state - generally considered
by both Israelis and Palestinians, including those
who have worked out accords together, to be a sine
qua non for a settlement of this resolvable
conflict - a point supported by over two-thirds of
Americans of the Jewish faith. Would such a
reasonable resolution ever pass the Congress? For
more information on the growing pro-peace movements
among the American Jewish Community see: Ester
Kaplan, "The Jewish Divide on Israel," The
Nation, June 24, 2004. Enclosed is the "Courage to Refuse - Combatant's
Letter" signed by hundreds of reserve combat
officials and soldiers of the Israeli Defense
Forces. It is posted on their web at:
www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp . One highlight of
their statement needs careful consideration: "We
shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967 borders
in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate
an entire people. We hereby declare that we shall
continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in
any mission that serves Israel's defense. The
missions of occupation and oppression do not serve
this purpose - and we shall take no part in them"
(Emphasis in original). Do you agree with these
patriotic, front line soldiers' observation that
Israel is dominating, expelling, starving and
humiliating an entire people - the Palestinian
people - and that in their words "the Territories
are not Israel?" What is your view of Rabbi Lerner's
Tikkun's call for peace, along with the proposals
of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Progressive Jewish
Alliance and Americans for Peace Now? As between
the present Israeli government's position on this
conflict and the position of these groups, which do
you favor and why? Do you share the views in the open letter signed
by 400 rabbis, including leaders of some of the
largest congregations in our country, sent this
March by Rabbis for Human Rights of North America
to Ariel Sharon protesting Israel's
house-demolition policy? Have you ever disagreed with the Israeli
government's treatment of the Palestinian people in
any way, shape or manner in the occupied
territories? Do you think that these Semitic
peoples have ever suffered from bigotry and
devastation by their occupiers in the occupied West
Bank, Gaza or inside Israel? If you want a
reference here, check the website of the great
Israeli human rights group B'T selem. Since you are a man of
many opinions, with a specialty focused on the
Semitic peoples, explain the United States'
support over the decades of authoritarian or
dictatorial regimes, in the greater Middle East,
over their own people which is fomenting
resistance by fundamentalists. These questions have all occurred to you years
ago, no doubt. So it would be helpful to receive
your views. As for the metaphors - puppeteer and puppets -
the Romans had a phrase for the obvious - res
ipsa loquitur. The Israelis have a joke for the
obvious - that the United States is the second
state of Israel. How often, if ever, has the United States -
either the Congress or the White House-pursued a
course of action, since 1956, that contradicted the
Israeli government's position? You do read
Ha'aretz, don't you? You know of the group Rabbis
for Justice. To end the hostilities which have taken so many
precious lives of innocent children, women and men
- with far more such losses on the Palestinian side
- the occupying military power with a massive
preponderance of force has a responsibility to take
the initiative. In a recent presentation in
Chicago, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Barak made the point explicitly - Israel should
take the initiative itself unilaterally and start
disengaging from the West Bank and Gaza and not
keep looking for the right Palestinian Authority.
Amram Mitzna, the Labor Party's candidate
for Prime Minister in the 2003 election, went ever
further in showing how peace can be pursued through
unilateral withdrawal. Do you concur with these
positions? Citizen groups are in awe of AIPAC's ditto
machine on Capitol Hill as are many members of
Congress who, against their private judgment,
resign themselves to sign on the dotted line. AIPAC
is such an effective demonstration of civic action
- which is their right - that Muslim Americans are
studying it in order to learn how to advance a more
balanced Congressional deliberation in the
interests of the American people. Finally, treat yourself to a recent column on
February 5, 2004 in The New York Times, by
Thomas Friedman, an author on Middle East
affairs, who has been critical of both the Israeli
and Palestinian leadership. Mr. Friedman
writes: "Mr. Sharon has the Palestinian leader
Yasir Arafat under house arrest in his office in
Ramallah, and he's had George Bush under house
arrest in the Oval Office. Mr. Sharon has Mr.
Arafat surrounded by tanks, and Mr. Bush
surrounded by Jewish and Christian pro-Israel
lobbyists, by a vice president, Dick Cheney,
who's ready to do whatever Mr. Sharon dictates,
and by political handlers telling the president
not to put any pressure on Israel in an election
year-all conspiring to make sure the president
does nothing."  | Abraham
Foxman, incorruptible
and beloved
long-term chief of The Anti Defamation
League (annual pay: $750,000) whose
strategies have led to a global decrease
in anti-Semitism. Not. |
These are the words of a double Pulitzer Prize
winner.Do you agree with Mr. Friedman's
characterization? Sounds like a puppeteer-puppet
relationship, doesn't it? Others who are close to
this phenomenon have made similar judgments in
Israel and in the United States. Keep after bigotry and once in a while help out
the Arab Semites when they are struggling against
bigotry, discrimination, profiling and race-based
hostility in their beloved adopted country - the
U.S.A. This would be in accord with your
organization's inclusive title. Sincerely, Ralph Nader 
Anti-Defamation League
dossier-
As
critic of Israel - and spoiler for Democrats -
Nader irks Jews-
Nader
on Kerry
-
ADL outraged at Ralph
Nader's characterisation of US Government as
puppet of Israel |
 Video
clip of Nader's
remarks [C-SPAN:
Council for the National Interest forum, "The
Muslim Vote in Election 2004," in Washington on
Jun 29; note C-SPAN removes items after 15
days.] Mr. Nader begins speaking at
00:42:10, and continues for about 32 min. His
"puppet" remarks begin just after 01:05:10 and
run for just a few seconds.]-
The bribetakers
Latest
list of your local US lawmakers and how much
cash they receive from
Israel
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Apr 28, 2004:
Sen.
John Kerry to Address ADL National Conference in
Washington, DC
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The
boss of crusade against anti-semitism confesses
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|
write to David
Irving