The growing media savvy of Arab organizations in the United States was demonstrated by a full-page advertisement placed last Wednesday in major American newspapers by the National Association of Arab Americans.
B’nai B’rith International promptly denounced the ad as “deliberately deceptive” and issued a point-by-point rebuttal.
Under a boldface headline “Who Is Not Complying With the U.S. Position on the Middle East?” the ad compared the purported positions of the United States, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization on 12 issues.
According to the Arab Americans, “Israel agrees with the United States on three (issues). The PLO agrees with the United States on nine. Now, ask yourself, who is not complying with the U.S. positions on the Middle East?”
Thomas Neumann, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International, said the ad was “filled with distortions.”
According to Neumann, “the more basic question embedded in the shaky premise of the ad is the totally unproven assumption that the PLO has indeed taken unequivocal policy positions.”
The advertisement appeared Jan. 26 in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Los Angeles Times.
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