The recently released book, My Israel Question [by Antony Loewenstein - published by MUP] has already garnered considerable favorable comment and reviews around the country. It is a testimony to the integrity of the book and the debate that it has opened out that within 10 days of being on the bookshelves of shops around Australia, it is already on substantial back-order and in the process of being reprinted for a 2nd edition.
Interestingly, one voice, in particular, has been out there loudly villifying the author personally - yet singularly avoiding the subject-matter of the book. Carping and misrepresention of facts - yes! Truthful and accurate - no! It's hardly surprising that that shrill voice is that of Ted Lapkin of AIJAC, an organisation consisting of a cabal of who-knows-who [and supported by whom?] who fondly cling to and advocate positions alien to any right-thinking, fair or decent human being. By the way that is the same Ted Lapkin who presented so appallingly on the ABC "Lateline" program recently.
"AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and its much smaller Australian counterpart AIJAC, are among the most professionally skilled and successful political lobbying organisations in the world. They are not, as far as I know, representative elected bodies of the Jewish communities in these countries. We don’t know where most of their funding comes from: although I am sure they could if pressed produce long lists of generous local donors. More significantly we don’t know to whom they are accountable for policy direction.
The AIJAC website is quite modestly circumspect about its agenda and achievements. Not so the AIPAC website in the USA, which proudly boasts that it is “America’s pro-Israel lobby”, and “the most important organisation affecting America’s relationship with Israel”, and today has “100,000 members across all 50 states who are at the forefront of the most vexing issues facing Israel today”. It goes on:
AIPAC lobbyists meet every member of Congress and cover every hearing on Capitol Hill that touches on the U.S.-Israel relationship. AIPAC policy experts each day review hundreds of periodicals, journals, speeches and reports and meet regularly with the most innovative foreign policy thinkers in order to track and analyze events and trends. In addition, AIPAC activists and staff work with key journalists throughout the country, offering information and insight that helps ensure accuracy and context for the myriad news stories that focus on issues affecting the U.S.-Israel relationship.
It is no wonder that US and Israeli government policies are almost always in lockstep. AIPAC is a massive, skilfully directed, permanent lobbying operation in the US. Australia is a much softer target; and the AIJAC needs far less manpower and resources to achieve similarly successful results with the Howard Government and Labor opposition. Nevertheless, AIJAC is a class lobbying act too, judging by its results here."
So writes former senior Australian diplomat Tony Kevin (who served in DFAT and the Prime Minister's Department between 1968 and 1998, with his last postings at ambassador level in Poland and Cambodia), is the author of the prizewinning A Certain Maritime Incident – the Sinking of SIEV X ( Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2004).
Read the complete piece by Kevin on ON LINE opinion here.
Interestingly, one voice, in particular, has been out there loudly villifying the author personally - yet singularly avoiding the subject-matter of the book. Carping and misrepresention of facts - yes! Truthful and accurate - no! It's hardly surprising that that shrill voice is that of Ted Lapkin of AIJAC, an organisation consisting of a cabal of who-knows-who [and supported by whom?] who fondly cling to and advocate positions alien to any right-thinking, fair or decent human being. By the way that is the same Ted Lapkin who presented so appallingly on the ABC "Lateline" program recently.
"AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and its much smaller Australian counterpart AIJAC, are among the most professionally skilled and successful political lobbying organisations in the world. They are not, as far as I know, representative elected bodies of the Jewish communities in these countries. We don’t know where most of their funding comes from: although I am sure they could if pressed produce long lists of generous local donors. More significantly we don’t know to whom they are accountable for policy direction.
The AIJAC website is quite modestly circumspect about its agenda and achievements. Not so the AIPAC website in the USA, which proudly boasts that it is “America’s pro-Israel lobby”, and “the most important organisation affecting America’s relationship with Israel”, and today has “100,000 members across all 50 states who are at the forefront of the most vexing issues facing Israel today”. It goes on:
AIPAC lobbyists meet every member of Congress and cover every hearing on Capitol Hill that touches on the U.S.-Israel relationship. AIPAC policy experts each day review hundreds of periodicals, journals, speeches and reports and meet regularly with the most innovative foreign policy thinkers in order to track and analyze events and trends. In addition, AIPAC activists and staff work with key journalists throughout the country, offering information and insight that helps ensure accuracy and context for the myriad news stories that focus on issues affecting the U.S.-Israel relationship.
It is no wonder that US and Israeli government policies are almost always in lockstep. AIPAC is a massive, skilfully directed, permanent lobbying operation in the US. Australia is a much softer target; and the AIJAC needs far less manpower and resources to achieve similarly successful results with the Howard Government and Labor opposition. Nevertheless, AIJAC is a class lobbying act too, judging by its results here."
So writes former senior Australian diplomat Tony Kevin (who served in DFAT and the Prime Minister's Department between 1968 and 1998, with his last postings at ambassador level in Poland and Cambodia), is the author of the prizewinning A Certain Maritime Incident – the Sinking of SIEV X ( Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2004).
Read the complete piece by Kevin on ON LINE opinion here.
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