May 30, 2007
Doha Debates: Norman Finkelstein and Andrew Cockburn vs. Martin Indyk and David Aaronovitch on the Pro-Israel Lobby
In the BBC's Doha Debates, Norman Finkelstein and Andrew Cockburn vs. Martin Indyk and David Aaronovitch on the "Israel lobby" and criticism of Israel.
At the latest Doha Debate held at the prestigious Oxford Union in the United Kingdom on May 1st, two-thirds of the student audience approved a motion claiming that Israel's supporters are stifling Western debate about Israel's actions.
The event at the world famous debating society of Oxford University marked the first time the Doha Debates have been held outside Qatar.
The Debate took place amid mounting controversy over the role of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States and accusations that it has suppressed criticism of Israel - a charge that the lobby vigorously denies.
Posted by Robin Varghese at 10:31 AM | Permalink
Comments
Norman, anti-Israel, is a scholar whose lament is that at age 532 he has not been on tv or radio! The debate, sponsored by:
"The program proposes itself as a "forum for free speech in the Arab world" and is sponsored by the Qatar Foundation, an organisation founded by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to promote education and development." and shown on the very leftwing BBC, purports to show how those against Jews are stifled, ignoring the fact that they have been somehow able to get their message across to one of the largest audiences availab le. Yes. There is a pro-Israel lobby but as Ralph Nader, himself Lebanese, has said, this lobby is hardly the biggest one in Washington.
Posted by: fred lapides | May 30, 2007 12:44:14 PM
I hope the humor is not lost: a debate publicized world-wide on the BBC (and many other places) that there is limited debate about Israel.
Weird black humor.
Posted by: David Sucher | May 30, 2007 12:47:13 PM
Closer to the truth is that debate about Israel is obscuring Europe's responsibility for the plight of the Palestinians! After all it was European anti-Semitism that drove the Jews out of Europe, and European statesmen who gave somebody else's land away.
The Palestinians asked for $500 billion compensation at the end of the Oslo process and everybody laughed. A bargain at twice the price!
Posted by: Luke Lea | May 30, 2007 4:43:37 PM
Fred Lapids, thank you for mischaracterizing what Finkelstein said. He never said that he has not been on radio or TV. He HAS been on radio, but the only one I've heard him on is an independent one called Democracy Now. He specifically says he has never been in mainstream media (Democracy Now is not mainstream).
Finkelstein doesn't even believe that the lobby is all that "powerful." He argued against the book, The Israel Lobby. A video of him doing this is available somewhere on the Internet.
The debate is not being stifled in the sense that the word is not getting out. The "word" is getting out. The problem is the consequence of criticizing Israel. Sure, you can criticize Israel; you just can't do it without expecting a serious impact on how you life your life. Be sure that employment opportunities will not be as many. Don't expect invitations to speak at places that normally are welcoming of debates/criticism.
The pro-Israel lobby is NOT powerful enough to silence all criticism, but it tries its best. Sometimes their efforts work, sometimes they don't. We can't expect to be critical of Israel without its defenders speaking out against us. The issue is how personal they become. Dershowitz should have never taken part in Finkelstein's tenure hearings.
Posted by: Frank Weeks | May 21, 2008 10:24:56 PM
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