Jefferson Corner

Let me state from the very start that Hamas engagement in suicide bombing within Israel of 67 was not only morally wrong, but was a disaster for Hamas and for the Palestinian people and cause. As a former soldier, I always believe in the rights of the Palestinians in fighting the occupation using military means. However, I never accepted the idea of killing and murdering innocent civilians and never understood let alone believe in the fairy tales of 70 virgins waiting for those who commit simple murder of innocent people.
One year have passed since Hamas won a fair and square elections, perhaps the most open and closely watched elections in any part of the Arab world. Of course, if one is to look into the backgrounds of such election, one can see that the Palestinians voted for Hamas, not because Hamas want to liberate Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, but because the people were sick and tired of Fatah, and its long time dominance of Palestinian politics and decision making process. More importantly, the Palestinians by voting Hamas in, where voting Fatah, the corrupt to the core organization out of office. It is an open secret that Fatah not only robbed the country blind but also was fleecing every one and every company, not to mention the collusion of some of its leadership with the Israeli Occupation, let alone entering into business with the Israeli Occupation in building the Wall and Israeli settlements.
Too bad that Fatah colluding with Israel, the US and the EC did not give Hamas a chance to show what they can do and to meet their commitments to clean a corrupt government. Hamas was virtually isolated and boycotted by key countries and by the Palestinian leadership from the very start. As such it is very difficult to make a judgment on Hamas performance as a government. It simply did not have a chance to do any thing. More over, Fatah and its partisan civil service Fatah cronies (reminds me of the days of the late Richard Daley and Chicago) making sure that Hamas got itself in a hole with worries about meeting the payroll for Fatah employees and never have the chance to implement and carry out any of its reforms and clean the government and bring charges against those who simply fleeced the people, let alone end the occupation.
During its first year of office, Hamas have failed at all fronts. It failed at meeting the payroll, failed at keeping law, order and security, and of course failed at ending the occupation and made a mess of the Israeli evacuation from Gaza. However one must not put all of the blames on Fatah and its leadership. Hamas and its leadership should also share the blames. Hamas simply failed to understand the need to reach out to the world and to reach out to the Arab countries, especially King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia and enlist his support for the Arab Peace Plan. Hamas acted as if it is living in a vacuum, with the elected leadership waiving its rights to make decisions for the people, giving such rights to the un-elected leadership in Damascus. Hamas failed to inform the people who elected it to power, and tell them that Khalid Mishal has a veto power over any thing and every thing, and that the voters are beholding to the decisions from Damascus. Hamas never acted like a government.
Hamas leadership proved itself as incompetent as that of Fatah, putting the interest and priorities of people on the back burners while putting its own selfish interest first. So far, Hamas did not come up with an alternative to President Mahmoud Abbas election platform. Meanwhile, Hamas and Fatah by supporting kidnapping and killing of each other and of innocent people proved they are unfit and are incapable of leading the struggle to end the Israeli Occupation. The Palestinian people and especially leading intellectuals and businessmen such as Dr. Mustafa Bargouthi, and Dr. Haider Abdul-Shafi share the responsibility for not mobilizing the people to have an alternative leadership to the old and failed, incompetent and corrupt Fatah and provide an alternative to Hamas which proved it is not yet ready for prime time and certainly does not have the world view needed to gain the support of the Arab and world community to end the Israeli Occupation.
Too bad for the people of Palestine, Hamas and Fatah have moved away from the main mission, which is ending the Israeli Occupation and focusing on their own narrow and selfish interests, while exposing the people and the country to the risk of civil war. It seems that the Palestinian people are unwilling to learn from the past and are incapable to rise up to the occasion. The Palestinian leadership for the last 100 years or so has been nothing but a disgrace, full of selfish interest and incompetent to lead to independence and freedom. Hamas leadership is behaving in the same way as Fatah leadership, of course absence the corruption and fleecing of the people, but never the less as incompetent as Fatah. Those responsible for the killing in Gaza should be brought to trial, but then there was never an independent system of justice and court system. The absence of the rule of law, was supported by the US and Israel and Europe during the days of Arafat, when his preventive security organizations where arresting people left and right and were committing acts of torture, not to mention acts of murder. All this was ok with the US and Israel as long as Arafat was meeting his contractual security commitment to Israel. Khalid Mishal, why are you making the decisions, when you were never elected by any one, and never appeared on the ballot? If the Palestinian people wanted to have a government run from Damascus, they would say so. Mr. Ismail Haniyah, you are a decent man, but you do not have the leadership and the will power to lead and make decisions on your own. As for Fatah it is a lost cause, there is nothing that could be done, not even $500 million from the US could ever fix and repair such an organization. One would think with Arafat death the idea of Arab trusteeship is over, however Hamas proved us wrong. If Damascus is unable to liberate the Golan Heights how can Hamas believe Damascus is able to liberate the Palestinians from the Israeli Occupation?

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It is a well known fact that our congress, the US Congress is for sale. And the Israeli lobby is the biggest stock holder in our Congress, trading, buying and selling members left and right, and in many cases, even staff the offices of members of congress. For the $ 50 millions or so, the Israeli lobby invest in congress, every election cycle, members of congress vote, aned award, Israel and the lobby some $10 billions. A retun on invesment of some 2000% not a bad return on investment. Even the most savy of investors on Wall Street could never achieve such a return. The sad thing for America and for Israel is that such an investment in congress is against the long term interest of the US and also of Israel. The lobby is not doing members of congress or the US any favor. the money invested allows members of congress to waive their rights and duties to vote on the issue and make the decisions, allowing their staff members to make such decisions for an on behalf of members of congress. One need to wonder how many schools and hospitals a $10 billions every election cycle could do for us, the tax payers. There must be a way to make sure the congress is not for sale.
Sami Jadallah

The Christian Science Monitor from the January 26, 2007 edition

The hidden cost of free congressional trips to Israel Branded as ‘educational,’ these trips offer Israeli propagandists an opportunity to expose members of Congress to only their side of the story.

By Jim Abourezk SIOUX FALL, S.D.

- Democrats in Congress have moved quickly – and commendably – to strengthen ethics rules. But truly groundbreaking reform was prevented, in part, because of the efforts of the pro-Israel lobby to preserve one of its most critical functions: taking members of Congress on free “educational” trips to Israel. The pro-Israel lobby does most of its work without publicity. But every member of Congress and every would-be candidate for Congress comes to quickly understand a basic lesson. Money needed to run for office can come with great ease from supporters of Israel, provided that the candidate makes certain promises, in writing, to vote favorably on issues considered important to Israel. What drives much of congressional support for Israel is fear – fear that the pro-Israel lobby will either withhold campaign contributions or give money to one’s opponent. In my own experience as a US senator in the 1970s, I saw how the lobby tries to humiliate or embarrass members who do not toe the line. Pro-Israel groups worked vigorously to ensure that the new reforms would allow them to keep hosting members of Congress on trips to Israel. According to the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper, congressional filings show Israel as the top foreign destination for privately sponsored trips. Nearly 10 percent of overseas congressional trips taken between 2000 and 2005 were to Israel. Most are paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation, a sister organization of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the major pro-Israel lobby group. New rules require all trips to be pre-approved by the House Ethics Committee, but Rep. Barney Frank (D) of Massachusetts says this setup will guarantee that tours of Israel continue. Ron Kampeas of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported consensus among Jewish groups that “the new legislation would be an inconvenience, but wouldn’t seriously hamper the trips to Israel that are considered a critical component of congressional support for Israel.” These trips are defended as “educational.” In reality, as I know from my many colleagues in the House and Senate who participated in them, they offer Israeli propagandists an opportunity to expose members of Congress to only their side of the story. The Israeli narrative of how the nation was created, and Israeli justifications for its brutal policies omit important truths about the Israeli takeover and occupation of the Palestinian territories. What the pro-Israel lobby reaps for its investment in these tours is congressional support for Israeli desires. For years, Israel has relied on billions of dollars in US taxpayer money. Shutting off this government funding would seriously impair Israel’s harsh occupation. One wonders what policies Congress might support toward Israel and the Palestinians absent the distorting influence of these Israel trips – or if more members toured Palestinian lands. America sent troops to Europe to prevent the killing of civilians in the former Yugoslavia. But when it comes to flagrant human rights violations committed by Israel, the US sends more money and shields Israel from criticism. Congress regularly passes resolutions lauding Israel, even when its actions are deplorable, providing it political cover. Meanwhile, polls suggest most Americans want the Bush administration to steer a middle course in working for peace between Israelis and the Palestinians. Consider, too, how the Israel lobby twists US foreign policy into a dangerous double standard regarding nuclear issues. The US rattles its sabers at Iran for its nuclear energy ambitions – and alleged pursuit of nuclear arms – while remaining silent about Israel’s nuclear-weapons arsenal. Members of Congress may not be aware just how damaging their automatic support for Israel is to America’s interest. At a minimum, US policies toward Israel have cost it valuable allies in the Middle East and other parts of the Muslim world. If Congress is serious about ethics reform, it should not protect the Israel lobby from the consequences. A totally taxpayer-funded travel budget for members to take foreign fact-finding trips, with authorization to be made by committee heads, would be an important first step toward a foreign policy that genuinely serves America.
• Jim Abourezk is a former Democratic senator from South Dakota.

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