AIPAC, Day 2: A Fake Press Release, and Dershowitz Runs Down J Street

[laststeamtrain]

AIPAC, Day 2: A Fake Press Release, and Dershowitz Runs Down J Street
By EILEEN WHITE READ

The official moments of today’s AIPAC conference were predictable: Secretary of State Hilary Clinton affirmed the U.S. government’s opposition to the current right-wing Israeli government building settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Then a whole parade of AIPAC supporters, culminating in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at a dinner speech, said they believed Jerusalem was part of Israel and building there was that nation’s right.

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The sparks at the AIPAC gathering of more than 7,000 folks began this morning, when pranksters put out a fake AIPAC press release supporting Obama. Here’s the beginning of it:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Josh Block
March 22, 2010 [phone]
AIPAC CALLS ON THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT
TO IMMEDIATELY DEFUSE TENSIONS
WITH UNITED STATES
URGES ISRAEL TO FREEZE ALL SETTLEMENTS
"With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveling to the United States to speak at the AIPAC 2010 Policy Conference and meet with President Barack Obama, AIPAC reaffirms the U.S-Israel relationship rooted in mutual strategic interest, shared democratic values, and a commitment to peace in the region. To further solidify this relationship, AIPAC calls on the Netanyahu government to make a conscious effort to move away from actions that create tensions between the two governments and undermine prospects for Israel-Palestine peace. AIPAC therefore calls on the Israeli government to immediately freeze new settlement projects, both in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
"AIPAC agrees with Vice President Joe Biden that the Israeli government plan for new housing units in East Jerusalem “undermines the trust that we need right now in order to begin … profitable negotiations.” It also seconds the position of AIPAC keynote speaker Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said that the U.S. government wants to see a freeze on settlements – “not some settlements, not outposts, not ‘natural growth’ exceptions.” "

Great stuff, huh? If only it were real. If only Netanyahu had formed a government with the Labor and Kadima parties, which support a negotiated two-state solution, instead of throwing in his Likud lot with the scary types on the religious right and nationalist right and Russian emigree right….

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Today’s conference also featured open hostility between the right-leaning AIPAC types and representatives from the young, liberal Jewish organization, J Street – this time featuring one of my favorite aggressively in-your-face rightists, Alan Dershowitz.

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http://trueslant.com/eileenread/2010/03/23/aipac-day-2-a-fake-press-release-and-dershowitz-runs-down-j-street/