Why Is Israeli Embassy Associating With Anti-Muslim 'Creeping Sharia' Group?

[geek tragedy]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/israeli-embassy-creeping-sharia-rally-for-israel

The No. 2 official at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to speak Sunday at an event co-hosted by Concerned Women for America -- a group with a long history of fermenting the "creeping Sharia" conspiracy theory.

Reuven Azar, the deputy head of mission at the Israeli embassy, is listed as a confirmed speaker, along with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and CWA CEO and president Penny Nance, for Sunday's Rally for Israel at Upper Senate Park near the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

One of CWA's core issues is support for Israel -- but another pet project for the group has been fighting the alleged specter of Sharia law that is threatening to undermine American values and, ultimately, the existence of the United States.

I think we all know why.


And, what the hell happened to J Street?

Dylan Williams, director of government relations at J Street, a non-profit that advocates for a two-state solution, told TPM that the Israeli embassy was free to send Azar to the event, but criticized CWA's views on Islam.

"I'm not going to comment on the propriety of the Israeli embassy sending an official to this event," Williams said. "But with respect to the views of the group, it's troubling to see anybody stoking the fires of hate and intolerance no matter what. It's especially troubling to us as pro-Israel advocates that any group which claims to be pro-Israel would be doing that to further their aims."

[Jackpine Radical]

1. A couple of possible reasons for Azar's action

are, first, that CWA is a major US supporter of Israeli policy;

and, second, anything that tends to whip up anti-Islamic sentiment in the US (e.g. the "Sharia Law" nonsense) tends to redound to the benefit ofIsrael, particularly as various Congresscritters rush to please their anti-Islamic rabble by pumping more money into Israeli "defense."

As to J Street, I don't know exactly what tightrope they see themselves as walking (maybe just not wanting to be seen as unremittingly critical of Israel), but at least they spoke out about the bigotry of the CWA.

[Scootaloo]

2. To answer your question, "what the hell happened to J Street?" ... Nothing at all

They've always been like this. Forgive me for quoting myself, but it's easier than re-typing it all...

Let's focus on J-Street, this most liberal example of zionism.

Take a look at J-street's webpage. Go head. Take a look at their criteria for a two-state solution. Israel gets to claim every scrap of land it desires to both keep its settlements and "feel secure." What does Palestine get in this proposal? Well, they get equivalent land swaps - determined by Israel, of course. These will be ceded to Palestine gradually, on a timetable. Of course the Palestinians will have to be demilitarized as well, and security will depend solely on Israel... In other words, Israel keeps the land it wants, gets to determine what land it doesn't want, and when - if - to give that to Palestine and maintains military control over Palestine. Gaza's not even in the picture, of course - like most Zionist organizations, J-Street seems to regard gaza as a separate issue from Palestine.

Now wait, wait, J-Street is the cadre of "liberal" Zionists, right? So surely they have a plan, some ideas for if the Palestinians balk at some of this, right? I mean, as liberals, they want to understand that there are two sides to an issue, especially an important one like this, right? What if the Palestinians don't want to do land swaps? What if they want to manage their own security? What if they insist on Gaza being part of the process? What if they insist on keeping east Jerusalem? Well, J-street... doesn't care. In fact, the Palestinians don't actually feature in the J-street two-state plan, except as objects to be acted upon. They are not people, they're fauna, and all that matters in the J-street plan is what Israel wants and what the Quartet can leverage for Israel.

Perhaps understandable as J-Street never advertises itself as anything other than staunchly, perhaps a little crazily pro-Israel. Have a look at their "Myths and Facts" page, most of it is them assuring a visitor of their Zionist cred - yes they hate Richard Goldstone, yes they endorse settlements, no they did not favor admission of Palestine to the UN, yes they want to sanction the fuck out of Iran so hard every Persion's ass bleeds, et cetera. it's like AIPAC for kids.

But still. Their plan for peace between Israel and Palestine doesn't actually feature Palestinians at all. It grants them no importance, does not consider they may have their own desires and plans and agency. They will accept Israel's desires or they get nothing. Gaza's not even anywhere in the picture. J-Streets position, thus, is that Israel's Jews and their needs and desires come first, second, and last, and the Palestinians get the scraps, if that. Israel has the right to dictate what it will allow Palestine ot have, when, and to what degree, and if the Palestinians don't like the dictation, the control, well them... then...

J-Street has no concrete "or else" or "in case of" ideas. It really doesn't need to, we all know what happens if the Palestinians decide they don't like the terms being dictated to them - brutality. It would be too gauche for the hipster AIPAC to come out and say that if its goals are not met, the Palestinian will be brutalized by Israel until greater demands are met... but that's really how it works. That's the "or else", the singular alternative to J-Street's plan - if a total surrender to Israel's wishes cannot be secured, apply more force, because there is no allowance for considering the Palestinian's positions, desires, and needs.

And of course, in typical two-state Zionist fashion, they advocate a two-state solution not out of a belief in Palestinian self-determination, not out of a belief that it's the best chance to start healing an old wound. No, it's all so that the races remain separated, because as always, integration is seen as the real and truest danger to Israel.