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Home > 10 Places AIPAC Would Never Show Members of Congress on Their
Upcoming Propaganda Trip
________________________________________
10 Places AIPAC Would Never Show Members of Congress on Their Upcoming
Propaganda Trip
By Max Blumenthal [1] / AlterNet [2]
August 12, 2015
58 members of Congress will be in Israel in the coming days on a tour
sponsored by the America Israel Education Foundation, an arm of the
pro-Israel lobbying organization, AIPAC. Though AIPAC claims the trip is an
annual ritual with no connection to the increasingly rancorous debate over
the Iran nuclear deal, the trip offers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu a key opportunity for face-to-face fear mongering with some of the
lawmakers who control the deal's fate.
After the Republican delegation visits Israel, 22 Democrats - including
several who represent key swing votes on the deal - will be shepherded
through the AIPAC tour by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, an Israel lobby
favorite. The freshmen legislators will visit all the requisite
destinations, from the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, which has
featured exhibits accusing [3] Palestinians of a central role in the Jewish
genocide in Europe, to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who
likes to present influential visitors with a special ring [4] he purchased
in a local pawn shop that supposedly legitimizes Israeli control over
Jerusalem.
As a journalist who has covered the crisis in the Holy Land for several
years, I have composed a tour route that might allow congressional newcomers
to the situation to expand their understanding of Israel beyond the strict
limitations imposed by their AIPAC-endorsed guides. They should engage with
the reality of Israel, not only within the illusory realm of "Israel
proper," but in the Jews-only settlements and Palestinian ghettoes that make
up the Occupied Territories. And they should meet the people who elected
Netanyahu and the most right-wing governing coalition in Israel's history.
So here is a list of a few places every member of Congress - and every
American - should consider visiting on a trip to the Holy Land.
1. Dimona
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that possesses nuclear
weapons. Yet according to its policy of nuclear ambiguity, which the US
government has faithfully honored, the self-proclaimed Jewish state refuses
to acknowledge its arsenal and will not allow [5] International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) officials to inspect it. Unlike Iran, Israel has
refused [6] to sign the Nuclear Non-Profileration Agreement. Away from the
scrutiny of international inspectors, Israel has produced scores of nuclear
warheads along with a Jericho missile delivery system [7] that puts much of
Europe within striking range. According to journalist Seymour Hersh, Israel
received an emergency package of military aid from the US during the 1973
war through "nuclear blackmail [8]," or threatening to blanket the Middle
East in a hail of nuclear destruction if Washington failed to accede to its
demands.
For those lawmakers who aren't too hung over from the drunken skinny dipping
outings [9] that AIPAC has sponsored at the Sea of Galilee, a detour to
Dimona is a must. In this economically depressed southern Israeli city,
members of Congress will find the location of the nuclear weapons plant that
the Israeli government officially refers to as a "textile factory."
But a word of caution: When former Israeli member of Knesset Issam Makhoul
publicly condemned his country's nuclear program, he was targeted [10] with
a sophisticated car bomb. Mordechai Vanunu [11] has not yet escaped the
nightmare that began when he blew the whistle on Dimona. After being
kidnapped by Mossad agents in the UK, Vanunu spent 12 years in tortuous
solitary confinement [12] in an Israeli prison. He is still prevented [13]
from traveling outside the country and barred [14] from speaking to the
press.
2. "The Arab room"
Members of Congress don't have to travel far to see one of the first places
many Americans are forced to visit as soon as they arrive to the Holy Land.
It is the so-called "Arab room" inside Ben Gurion International Airport
where Americans of Palestinian and Arab descent are interrogated and
humiliated by Israel's Shin Bet. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination
Committee has said it registered [15] around 100 complaints a year from
Americans of Arab descent who said they had been denied entry by Israeli
security services on the basis of their ethnicity. Before being deported,
these unfortunate travelers were first flagged by racial profiling agents
and sent to the "Arab room."
Among the Americans most recently deported [16] by Israel is Susan Abulhawa,
the best-selling author of the critically acclaimed book, "Mornings in
Jenin." "This is our Israel. This is for Jews. No Palestinian should come to
Israel," an Israeli security officer said [17] a few days later as he
deported George Khoury, a Palestinian-American professor on his way to visit
his birthplace in Jerusalem. Though Israel's policy of denial focuses [18]
disproportionately on Arabs, American Jews like Julia Carmel Salazar have
been deported [19] as well on suspicion that they were on their way to meet
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
A State Department webpage where Americans can report discrimination and
denial of entry by Israel is currently out of service [20]. "File not found"
is all that appears when you click [21] over to it.
3. Ofer Military Prison
Just inside the occupied West Bank stands a gigantic military prison called
Ofer. Inside are Palestinians who have been jailed for crimes against the
occupation. Many are children who were arrested [22], often late at night
[23], by Israeli soldiers and coerced into confessing to stone throwing.
Others are leaders of unarmed protest movements like frequent Ofer resident
Bassem Tamimi, who was named [24] by Amnesty International as a prisoner of
conscience. Prisoners like Tamimi are usually jailed without charges and
wait months before being sentenced by a judge who works for the Israeli
military. The conviction [25] rate in Israel's kangaroo courts is 99.74%.
While many diplomats from the EU have visited Ofer, to my knowledge, no
sitting member of Congress has been inside its gates. The Real Israel tour
would not be complete without a visit to Ofer's children's court, where
defendants as young as 13 are brought in chains to testify before military
judges and prosecutors.
4. Teddy Stadium
Members of Congress who want to see one of Israel's best soccer teams in
action should make their way down to Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium for a Beitar
Jerusalem match. There, they can witness Beitar's "ultras" - its hardcore
fan base - bellow out "Death to Arabs!" after goals while waving flags [26]
honoring the late terrorist gang leader Meir Kahane. Beitar ultras have also
participated [27] in lethal attacks on unarmed Palestinians around
Jerusalem, rioted [28] against Arabs in the local Malha Mall, and attacked
[29] leftists protesting last summer's assault on Gaza. When Beitar captain
Aviram Baruchyan mentioned that he wouldn't mind playing on a team beside an
Arab, he was immediately forced to apologize [30] to outraged fans for the
grave transgression.
5. Zion Square
Zion Square is the heart of central Jerusalem's commercial district, a
favorite haunt for international revelers, and the site of an increasing
number of "Death to Arabs!" marches. After grabbing a cup of frozen yogurt,
lawmakers should make their way over to the organizing table manned by
Lehava [31], an organization dedicated to preventing romantic relationships
between Jewish women and Arab men. For legislators representing districts
located below the Mason-Dixon line, this stop on the Real Israel tour might
offer a trip down memory lane.
Led by Benzi Gopstein, a disciple of the late terrorist leader Meir Kahane,
Lehava supporters have been involved in an array of attacks on young
Palestinian, menaced [32] African asylum seekers, incited [33] against
homosexuals just hours before a stabbing spree at this year's Jerusalem
Pride Parade, and torched the only integrated Jewish-Arab elementary school
in Jerusalem. Lehava leaders like Gopstein were invited [34] to testify
before the Knesset on the dangers of integration by Tzipi Hotovely, who
currently serves as Israel's acting Foreign Minister. Lehava's sister
organization, Hemla, which was also founded by disciples of Meir Kahane, has
received [35] hundreds of thousands in annual funding through the Israeli
government's Social Affairs Ministry.
Evangelical members of the Republican congressional delegation are
encouraged to quiz Gopstein about his recent call [36] for the mass burning
of churches.
6. Kiryat Arba and Hebron
There are few sites in Israeli-controlled territory that contain as much
recent historic significance of the memorial constructed in honor of Baruch
Goldstein.
A hero [37] of hardcore settlers, he emigrated to Israel from his ancestral
homeland of Brooklyn, NY before massacring [38] 29 Palestinian worshippers
in cold blood at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994. The killings touched
off a wave of retaliatory suicide bombings and sent the Holy Land spiraling
into violence.
In a neatly tended park in the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba,
not far from the site of the massacre, stands a stone grave memorial [39]
honoring Goldstein and his legacy. Members of Congress will find little
stones left on Goldstein's grave by visitors expressing their mourning - and
respect - for the terrorist. And they can read the inscription on his grave:
"The revered Dr. Baruch Kapel Goldstein. Son of Israel. He gave his soul for
the sake of the people of Israel, The Torah, and the Land. His hands are
clean and his heart good. He was assassinated for the Sanctity of God."
After visiting Goldstein's shrine, lawmakers should take a stroll through
the narrow lanes of Hebron's Old City, which lies just a short way from
Kiryat Arba. There, Palestinian shopkeepers rely on a steel net [40] to
protect themselves from the bricks and soiled diapers that settlers and
their children dump on them each day. Beyond the market is Shuhada Street
[41], a Jews-only road where hundreds of Palestinian shops have been closed
by the Israeli military. Lawmakers from New York will immediately recognize
the accents of the settlers parading down the eerily empty street, while
those from open carry states like Arizona might appreciate the sight of the
machine guns slung over these patriotic rebels' shoulders. The settlers have
also put their artistic talent on display with graffiti on Palestinian homes
that reads, "Gas the Arabs [42]."
7. Al Araqib
Lawmakers seeking a first-hand look at how Israel makes the desert bloom
might consider a trip to the little Bedouin village of Al Araqib [43].
Nestled comfortably inside the territory that Peter Beinart refers to as
"democratic Israel," Al Araqib is among the scores of unrecognized villages
dotting the Negev Desert whose residents are unable to receive public
services because they are not Jews. In order to make way for a forest
planted by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), a tax exempt US-based non-profit,
Israeli bulldozers and riot police have destroyed [44] Al Araqib over 80
times, forcing its homeless residents to live in the village cemetery while
billing [45] them $500,000 for the demolitions. The JNF's planned forest has
received handsome financial support [46] from British End Timers Rory and
Wendy Alec, who have urged their followers to help them "beautify the land
of Israel for the return of the Messiah." The project shows how Israel
creates interfaith opportunities in the unlikeliest of places - even on the
ruins of a demolished Bedouin town.
8. Holot
"This country belongs to us, the white man." Those were the words [47] of
former Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who promised non-Jewish African
migrants that he would "make their lives miserable." In keeping with
Yishai's vow, the Israeli government has constructed Holot [48], an
internment camp in the Negev Desert for African asylum seekers who committed
the crime of attempting to live in Israel while non-Jewish, and whose lack
of J-Positive blood prevents them from a path to citizenship or even asylum.
(All Jews can receive immediate Israeli citizenship according to the
country's "Law of Return"). For the thousands of African residents of Holot,
Israel is a giant Sundown Town [49] that forbids them from staying outside
the camp's gates past 10 PM.
Rep. Mark Takai is one of the House members joining Hoyer on the Democratic
AIPAC tour. Takai has taken a special interest [50] in commemorating the
internment of his fellow Japanese Americans during World War Two. For him,
Holot offers the chance to visit one an active internment center for ethnic
outcasts, complete with barbed wire and special ID numbers. Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin has called Holot a "concentration camp [51]," but
the Israeli government prefers to call it an "accommodation center."
African-American members of the Democratic delegation should beware: Unless
they find Holot's notoriously threadbare accommodations [52] attractive,
they had better not overstay their visas.
9. Deir Yassin
When members of Congress visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Jerusalem, they will emerge from a heart-rending exhibition documenting
Jewish genocide in Europe and find themselves on a veranda that offers a
sweeping view of Israeli-controlled Jerusalem - the supposed answer to
thousands of years of Jewish suffering. In the valley below, they might see
the ruins of a village called Deir Yassin [53]. On April 9, 1948 the Zionist
militia known as the Irgun massacred over 200 of Deir Yassin's residents,
triggering a wave of terror throughout Palestine and accelerating the forced
expulsion of 750,000 indigenous Palestinians. In order to preserve Israel as
an ethnically pure Jewish state, those refugees have not been allowed to
return. And while over 400 Palestinian villages were destroyed, Deir
Yassin's homes were converted into wings of a mental hospital [54] for
patients suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome. Legislators should not expect to
learn about this critical piece of Israeli history from a Yad Vashem
staffer. Indeed, when a Yad Vashem guide named Itamar Shapira informed a
tour group about the massacre in Deir Yassin, he was quickly fired [55].
* Due to the US-backed Israeli-Egyptian siege of Gaza, members of Congress
will not be able to meet any of the 1.8 million people living in the ruins
of this stateless coastal enclave, where Israel killed over 2200 people in
51 days last year, including 550 children. For a look at some of the 18,000
homes destroyed during the Israeli army's rampage, this video [56] will have
to suffice.
Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for AlterNet, and the award-winning author
of Goliath [57] and Republican Gomorrah [58]. Find him on Twitter at
@MaxBlumenthal [59].
Share on Facebook Share
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [60]
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ess-their-upcoming-propaganda-trip
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/max-blumenthal
[2] http://alternet.org
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[5] http://www.rt.com/news/310095-israel-nuclear-program-double-standard/
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[7] http://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/missile/jericho-2.htm
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[23] http://www.btselem.org/video/2011/08/soldiers-wake-children-nabi-saleh
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[30] http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3808080,00.html
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[32] http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPxv4Aff3IA
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[44] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rud19ytcPS8
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[46]
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[48] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dlBJBq3Uk
[49] http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/sundowntowns.php
[50]
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[51]
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-letter-shames-the-jewish-people-1.329625
[52]
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lot/92469/
[53]
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[57]
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[58] http://republicangomorrah.com/
[59] http://twitter.com/maxblumenthal
[60] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on 10 Places AIPAC Would
Never Show Members of Congress on Their Upcoming Propaganda Trip
[61] http://www.alternet.org/
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Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > 10 Places AIPAC Would Never Show Members of Congress on Their
Upcoming Propaganda Trip
10 Places AIPAC Would Never Show Members of Congress on Their Upcoming
Propaganda Trip
By Max Blumenthal [1] / AlterNet [2]
August 12, 2015
58 members of Congress will be in Israel in the coming days on a tour
sponsored by the America Israel Education Foundation, an arm of the
pro-Israel lobbying organization, AIPAC. Though AIPAC claims the trip is an
annual ritual with no connection to the increasingly rancorous debate over
the Iran nuclear deal, the trip offers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu a key opportunity for face-to-face fear mongering with some of the
lawmakers who control the deal's fate.
After the Republican delegation visits Israel, 22 Democrats - including
several who represent key swing votes on the deal - will be shepherded
through the AIPAC tour by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, an Israel lobby
favorite. The freshmen legislators will visit all the requisite
destinations, from the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, which has
featured exhibits accusing [3] Palestinians of a central role in the Jewish
genocide in Europe, to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who
likes to present influential visitors with a special ring [4] he purchased
in a local pawn shop that supposedly legitimizes Israeli control over
Jerusalem.
As a journalist who has covered the crisis in the Holy Land for several
years, I have composed a tour route that might allow congressional newcomers
to the situation to expand their understanding of Israel beyond the strict
limitations imposed by their AIPAC-endorsed guides. They should engage with
the reality of Israel, not only within the illusory realm of "Israel
proper," but in the Jews-only settlements and Palestinian ghettoes that make
up the Occupied Territories. And they should meet the people who elected
Netanyahu and the most right-wing governing coalition in Israel's history.
So here is a list of a few places every member of Congress - and every
American - should consider visiting on a trip to the Holy Land.
1. Dimona
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that possesses nuclear
weapons. Yet according to its policy of nuclear ambiguity, which the US
government has faithfully honored, the self-proclaimed Jewish state refuses
to acknowledge its arsenal and will not allow [5] International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) officials to inspect it. Unlike Iran, Israel has
refused [6] to sign the Nuclear Non-Profileration Agreement. Away from the
scrutiny of international inspectors, Israel has produced scores of nuclear
warheads along with a Jericho missile delivery system [7] that puts much of
Europe within striking range. According to journalist Seymour Hersh, Israel
received an emergency package of military aid from the US during the 1973
war through "nuclear blackmail [8]," or threatening to blanket the Middle
East in a hail of nuclear destruction if Washington failed to accede to its
demands.
For those lawmakers who aren't too hung over from the drunken skinny dipping
outings [9] that AIPAC has sponsored at the Sea of Galilee, a detour to
Dimona is a must. In this economically depressed southern Israeli city,
members of Congress will find the location of the nuclear weapons plant that
the Israeli government officially refers to as a "textile factory."
But a word of caution: When former Israeli member of Knesset Issam Makhoul
publicly condemned his country's nuclear program, he was targeted [10] with
a sophisticated car bomb. Mordechai Vanunu [11] has not yet escaped the
nightmare that began when he blew the whistle on Dimona. After being
kidnapped by Mossad agents in the UK, Vanunu spent 12 years in tortuous
solitary confinement [12] in an Israeli prison. He is still prevented [13]
from traveling outside the country and barred [14] from speaking to the
press.
2. "The Arab room"
Members of Congress don't have to travel far to see one of the first places
many Americans are forced to visit as soon as they arrive to the Holy Land.
It is the so-called "Arab room" inside Ben Gurion International Airport
where Americans of Palestinian and Arab descent are interrogated and
humiliated by Israel's Shin Bet. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination
Committee has said it registered [15] around 100 complaints a year from
Americans of Arab descent who said they had been denied entry by Israeli
security services on the basis of their ethnicity. Before being deported,
these unfortunate travelers were first flagged by racial profiling agents
and sent to the "Arab room."
Among the Americans most recently deported [16] by Israel is Susan Abulhawa,
the best-selling author of the critically acclaimed book, "Mornings in
Jenin." "This is our Israel. This is for Jews. No Palestinian should come to
Israel," an Israeli security officer said [17] a few days later as he
deported George Khoury, a Palestinian-American professor on his way to visit
his birthplace in Jerusalem. Though Israel's policy of denial Error!
Hyperlink reference not valid. [18] disproportionately on Arabs, American
Jews like Julia Carmel Salazar have been deported [19] as well on suspicion
that they were on their way to meet Palestinians in the occupied West Bank
and East Jerusalem.
A State Department webpage where Americans can report discrimination and
denial of entry by Israel is currently out of service [20]. "File not found"
is all that appears when you click [21] over to it.
3. Ofer Military Prison
Just inside the occupied West Bank stands a gigantic military prison called
Ofer. Inside are Palestinians who have been jailed for crimes against the
occupation. Many are children who were arrested [22], often late at night
[23], by Israeli soldiers and coerced into confessing to stone throwing.
Others are leaders of unarmed protest movements like frequent Ofer resident
Bassem Tamimi, who was named [24] by Amnesty International as a prisoner of
conscience. Prisoners like Tamimi are usually jailed without charges and
wait months before being sentenced by a judge who works for the Israeli
military. The conviction [25] rate in Israel's kangaroo courts is 99.74%.
While many diplomats from the EU have visited Ofer, to my knowledge, no
sitting member of Congress has been inside its gates. The Real Israel tour
would not be complete without a visit to Ofer's children's court, where
defendants as young as 13 are brought in chains to testify before military
judges and prosecutors.
4. Teddy Stadium
Members of Congress who want to see one of Israel's best soccer teams in
action should make their way down to Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium for a Beitar
Jerusalem match. There, they can witness Beitar's "ultras" - its hardcore
fan base - bellow out "Death to Arabs!" after goals while waving flags [26]
honoring the late terrorist gang leader Meir Kahane. Beitar ultras have also
participated [27] in lethal attacks on unarmed Palestinians around
Jerusalem, rioted [28] against Arabs in the local Malha Mall, and attacked
[29] leftists protesting last summer's assault on Gaza. When Beitar captain
Aviram Baruchyan mentioned that he wouldn't mind playing on a team beside an
Arab, he was immediately forced to apologize [30] to outraged fans for the
grave transgression.
5. Zion Square
Zion Square is the heart of central Jerusalem's commercial district, a
favorite haunt for international revelers, and the site of an increasing
number of "Death to Arabs!" marches. After grabbing a cup of frozen yogurt,
lawmakers should make their way over to the organizing table manned by
Lehava [31], an organization dedicated to preventing romantic relationships
between Jewish women and Arab men. For legislators representing districts
located below the Mason-Dixon line, this stop on the Real Israel tour might
offer a trip down memory lane.
Led by Benzi Gopstein, a disciple of the late terrorist leader Meir Kahane,
Lehava supporters have been involved in an array of attacks on young
Palestinian, menaced [32] African asylum seekers, incited [33] against
homosexuals just hours before a stabbing spree at this year's Jerusalem
Pride Parade, and torched the only integrated Jewish-Arab elementary school
in Jerusalem. Lehava leaders like Gopstein were invited [34] to testify
before the Knesset on the dangers of integration by Tzipi Hotovely, who
currently serves as Israel's acting Foreign Minister. Lehava's sister
organization, Hemla, which was also founded by disciples of Meir Kahane, has
received [35] hundreds of thousands in annual funding through the Israeli
government's Social Affairs Ministry.
Evangelical members of the Republican congressional delegation are
encouraged to quiz Gopstein about his recent call [36] for the mass burning
of churches.
6. Kiryat Arba and Hebron
There are few sites in Israeli-controlled territory that contain as much
recent historic significance of the memorial constructed in honor of Baruch
Goldstein.
A hero [37] of hardcore settlers, he emigrated to Israel from his ancestral
homeland of Brooklyn, NY before massacring [38] 29 Palestinian worshippers
in cold blood at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994. The killings touched
off a wave of retaliatory suicide bombings and sent the Holy Land spiraling
into violence.
In a neatly tended park in the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba,
not far from the site of the massacre, stands a stone grave memorial [39]
honoring Goldstein and his legacy. Members of Congress will find little
stones left on Goldstein's grave by visitors expressing their mourning - and
respect - for the terrorist. And they can read the inscription on his grave:
"The revered Dr. Baruch Kapel Goldstein. Son of Israel. He gave his soul for
the sake of the people of Israel, The Torah, and the Land. His hands are
clean and his heart good. He was assassinated for the Sanctity of God."
After visiting Goldstein's shrine, lawmakers should take a stroll through
the narrow lanes of Hebron's Old City, which lies just a short way from
Kiryat Arba. There, Palestinian shopkeepers rely on a steel net [40] to
protect themselves from the bricks and soiled diapers that settlers and
their children dump on them each day. Beyond the market is Shuhada Street
[41], a Jews-only road where hundreds of Palestinian shops have been closed
by the Israeli military. Lawmakers from New York will immediately recognize
the accents of the settlers parading down the eerily empty street, while
those from open carry states like Arizona might appreciate the sight of the
machine guns slung over these patriotic rebels' shoulders. The settlers have
also put their artistic talent on display with graffiti on Palestinian homes
that reads, "Gas the Arabs [42]."
7. Al Araqib
Lawmakers seeking a first-hand look at how Israel makes the desert bloom
might consider a trip to the little Bedouin village of Al Araqib [43].
Nestled comfortably inside the territory that Peter Beinart refers to as
"democratic Israel," Al Araqib is among the scores of unrecognized villages
dotting the Negev Desert whose residents are unable to receive public
services because they are not Jews. In order to make way for a forest
planted by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), a tax exempt US-based non-profit,
Israeli bulldozers and riot police have destroyed [44] Al Araqib over 80
times, forcing its homeless residents to live in the village cemetery while
billing [45] them $500,000 for the demolitions. The JNF's planned forest has
received handsome financial support [46] from British End Timers Rory and
Wendy Alec, who have urged their followers to help them "beautify the land
of Israel for the return of the Messiah." The project shows how Israel
creates interfaith opportunities in the unlikeliest of places - even on the
ruins of a demolished Bedouin town.
8. Holot
"This country belongs to us, the white man." Those were the words [47] of
former Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who promised non-Jewish African
migrants that he would "make their lives miserable." In keeping with
Yishai's vow, the Israeli government has constructed Holot [48], an
internment camp in the Negev Desert for African asylum seekers who committed
the crime of attempting to live in Israel while non-Jewish, and whose lack
of J-Positive blood prevents them from a path to citizenship or even asylum.
(All Jews can receive immediate Israeli citizenship according to the
country's "Law of Return"). For the thousands of African residents of Holot,
Israel is a giant Sundown Town [49] that forbids them from staying outside
the camp's gates past 10 PM.
Rep. Mark Takai is one of the House members joining Hoyer on the Democratic
AIPAC tour. Takai has taken a special interest [50] in commemorating the
internment of his fellow Japanese Americans during World War Two. For him,
Holot offers the chance to visit one an active internment center for ethnic
outcasts, complete with barbed wire and special ID numbers. Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin has called Holot a "concentration camp [51]," but
the Israeli government prefers to call it an "accommodation center."
African-American members of the Democratic delegation should beware: Unless
they find Holot's notoriously threadbare accommodations [52] attractive,
they had better not overstay their visas.
9. Deir Yassin
When members of Congress visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Jerusalem, they will emerge from a heart-rending exhibition documenting
Jewish genocide in Europe and find themselves on a veranda that offers a
sweeping view of Israeli-controlled Jerusalem - the supposed answer to
thousands of years of Jewish suffering. In the valley below, they might see
the ruins of a village called Deir Yassin [53]. On April 9, 1948 the Zionist
militia known as the Irgun massacred over 200 of Deir Yassin's residents,
triggering a wave of terror throughout Palestine and accelerating the forced
expulsion of 750,000 indigenous Palestinians. In order to preserve Israel as
an ethnically pure Jewish state, those refugees have not been allowed to
return. And while over 400 Palestinian villages were destroyed, Deir
Yassin's homes were converted into wings of a mental hospital [54] for
patients suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome. Legislators should not expect to
learn about this critical piece of Israeli history from a Yad Vashem
staffer. Indeed, when a Yad Vashem guide named Itamar Shapira informed a
tour group about the massacre in Deir Yassin, he was quickly fired [55].
* Due to the US-backed Israeli-Egyptian siege of Gaza, members of Congress
will not be able to meet any of the 1.8 million people living in the ruins
of this stateless coastal enclave, where Israel killed over 2200 people in
51 days last year, including 550 children. For a look at some of the 18,000
homes destroyed during the Israeli army's rampage, this video [56] will have
to suffice.
Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for AlterNet, and the award-winning author
of Goliath [57] and Republican Gomorrah [58]. Find him on Twitter at
@MaxBlumenthal [59].
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [60]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[61]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/world/10-places-aipac-would-never-show-members-congr
ess-their-upcoming-propaganda-trip
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[59] http://twitter.com/maxblumenthal
[60] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on 10 Places AIPAC Would
Never Show Members of Congress on Their Upcoming Propaganda Trip
[61] http://www.alternet.org/
[62] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
