Why did The Jewish Week allow James Besser to mount a front-page attack against mainstream AIPAC on the eve of its policy conference (“Political, Communal Divisions, Pose Fresh Threats to AIPAC,” March 2)? It is Besser who is sowing the “divisions” by smearing Israel’s center-right government as “hard line” and AIPAC’s American supporters as increasingly “hard line,” “one-issue” and tied to settlers, even though AIPAC is overwhelmingly mainstream and pluralistic.
Besser smears AIPAC itself with the Walt-Mearsheimer conspiracy theories — that it is the most powerful lobby — even though it is Saudi lobby that has the real power in Washington. And Besser even uses the phony trump card of our enemies — Israel as “an occupier,” though even Hamas asserts that Israel has not occupied Gaza for years; Israel’s military presence on the West Bank since Palestinian autonomy under Oslo has been solely a defensive response to Palestinian Arab suicide bombing/terrorism; and it is common knowledge that major “settlements” would be exchanged in a land swap.
Yes, the Jewish community is divided, as is the entire world. But why does The Jewish Week contribute to the attacks against Israel rather than explore common grounds and instill pride for the miracle and diversity of Israel in an overwhelmingly hostile neighborhood?
