[forum-prof] Infeliz 2009 !

[Luis Paulo Vieira Braga]

WASHINGTON (AFP) — American Jews are divided over the Israeli military 
offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which is being vigorously 
denounced by an increasingly active progressive Jewish movement.

The war has sown divisions among Jews here, according to Ori Nir, spokesman 
for the US branch of the Israeli pacifist movement "Peace Now," long 
overshadowed by the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

"Many American Jews view this as a legitimate war," Nir said.

"There are however people who are very uncomfortable with the way in which 
it was carried out and with the extend to which diplomatic means were not 
exhausted ... to prevent this war," he added.

Divisions within the US Jewish community burst open in 2006 with the scandal 
over the publication of a book critical of the influence of the pro-Israel 
lobby group, AIPAC, on US foreign policy.

Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, co-authors of "The Israel Lobby and US 
Foreign Policy," were accused of anti-Semitism and pilloried by AIPAC, which 
the pair said gave unconditional support to the right-wing Likud party.

However, their criticism made its way to the heart of the US Jewish 
community and a progressive Jewish organization, J Street, was established 
several months ago to defend the goals of pacifist Jews before the US 
Congress.

J Street circulated a petition calling for an immediate ceasefire in the 
Gaza Strip just days after Israel's December 27 launch of massive air 
strikes -- at a time when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice balked at 
such calls.

"We reiterate that J Street is deeply committed to Israel, its security and 
the safety of its citizens," the group's director Jeremy Ben-Ami said on the 
J Street website.

"However, as Americans and as friends and supporters of Israel, we do not 
believe the continuation of the present military operation is in the best 
interests of either the United States or Israel," he added.

He pointed to anti-Israeli demonstrations in Iraq and Afghanistan, where 
tens of thousands of US soldiers are deployed.

"Demonstrations throughout the Middle East and the Muslim world indicate 
that this week's events are only further damaging America's image, interests 
and relationships around the world," Ben-Ami argued.

Another sign that progressive Jews are gaining ground in the United States 
is that Walt is today one of the authors that the respected Foreign Policy 
magazine has chosen to launch a series of blogs on US diplomacy.

In 2006, Harvard University distanced itself from the article that gave rise 
to the book -- which was also written by Walt, a Harvard professor, and 
Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago professor.

Walt now blasts the response of President George W. Bush's administration to 
the latest Israeli offensive, comparing it to its decision in 2006 to wait 
one month before calling for a truce in Israel's war against Lebanon's 
Hezbollah.

"The sooner we redefine what it means to be 'pro-Israel,' the better for us 
and the better for Israel. Needless to say, it would be much better for the 
Palestinians too," Walt noted. 


Prof. Luis Paulo
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