Title

The passionate attachment : America's involvement with Israel, 1947 to the present

Description

In his Farewell Address, George Washington admonished his fellow citizens to steer clear of a "passionate attachment" to another nation, as such could create "the illusion of a common interest ... where no common interest exists." This warning echoes through the pages of this unflinching examination of our four-decade entanglement in the web of Middle East politics. The distinguished authors here trace the sequence of events that brought the United States into a relationship unique in its history, with its foreign policy often manipulated by another, much smaller nation. The costs have been financial: American aid to Israel well exceeds the total of U.S. payments to reconstruct postwar Europe. The costs have been political and moral: denouncing arms sales as destabilizing to the Middle East, the United States has poured weapons into Israel; while championing national self-determination, the United States has failed to do anything effective to halt Israel's colonization of the West Bank. Israeli forbearance from entering the Gulf War in 1991 and thereby undoing the coalition of Arab States put together by the Bush administration further intensified our passionate attachment. To achieve a durable settlement in an area beset by age-old disputes, the authors call for an end to our unquestioned acquiescence in Israeli action and a broadened role for collective security.

Identifier

443043

393029336

Creator

Ball, George W

Contributor

Ball, Douglas B

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

1992

Program air date: May 23, 1993.

Publisher

W.W. Norton

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Notes on front flysheet: Written April 1992. Exodus, movie. Title from Washington's Farewell Address, 1796. Corrupt foreign minister, Talleyrand. Washington--sympathy for favorite nation--illusion of imaginary common interest where no common interest exists. Leads to concessions to favorite nation denied to others. Arms continue to inundate arena of conflict. Statesmen prefer politics to reality. Some feel book contains excessive incidents critical of Israel/leaders. Heart of problem is Jews' sense of insecurity and Arab feelings of injustice/dispossession. Arab population in Middle East exceeds Jewish population of Israel by over 40 to 1; single defeat could mean Israel's extinction. Rabin: 1. by end of 9 months autonomy for Palestinians in Occupied Territories; 2. Israel no new political colonies in Occupied Territories. Syria--Israel's only serious potential enemy. UNSCOP report--Palestine inhabited by 1,350,000 Arabs/650,000 Jews. 1947 Truman admitted Palestine could have been settled if US politics kept out. Truman won election with 75% Jewish vote. Israel's protagonists in US devised cover story to cast blame onto the victims. Most of the 300,000-400,000 Palestinians who left did when attacked by Irgun and Lehi. Eisenhower administration managed two incidents--Israeli effort to divert Jordan's waters; Israel refused to evacuate the Sinai in '57. Israel: 1. No constitution, 2. no bill of rights, 3. no presidential veto, 4. limited judicial review. Democracy--rule by the people. Israel badly splintered society. Ashkenazi v. Oriental Jews (Sephardim). 1952-1954 Sephardim 14% of world Jewry, over 60% of Israel's immigrants. Recently Israel received influx of 500,000 Soviet Jews; total may reach 1.25 million by 1996. Country split into 2 factions: Ashkenazi Labor alignment/Oriental-Sephardic group that rallies around Likud. Politically deadlocked. Ashkenazis fear Jewish character of state undermined by too many Arabs. Likud leaders--Begin, Shamir, Sharon--fanatical, ruthless, xenophobic. Most fiercely committed religious element in Israeli politics, Gush Emunim--rep. powerful, growing form of Jewish fundamentalism. 20% of Israeli Jews support Fundamentalists. Israeli Arabs 1/7 of Israeli population. 1980 poll, 70% of Israeli Arabs believed they could be equal citizens in/identify with the Jewish state. Asked what produced sense of identity, 42% cite nationality. 1990 only 7% of land owned by Arabs, 15% of pop. Jewish Land Trust. Israel's press freest in Mid. East--must tread warily. Israeli citizens higher standard of living than warranted by Israel's real income. Knesset--no geographic constituency. Law grants Knesset seat to any list that captures 1% of vote. 1996 Israeli premier elected directly. 1984 29 parties fielded tickets. 1988 27 parties ran, 17 won seats. Military. Gov. may prohibit Israeli citizens from traveling abroad. Israeli officials can arrest anyone on security grounds, detain for 6 months with unlimited right of renewal. Retired Generals--Rabin, Sharon, Eitan, Peres, Herzog, Weizman. 15% of Israelis favor deporting all Arab Israelis; 43% favored stripping them of the franchise. Unemployment/underemployment 12%. Socialistic basis of society. Prohibits sale of West Bank ag. products throughout Israel/East Jerusalem. Israel highest ratio of cars per mile of paved roads in the world. Defense 1/2 of budget. 140 Jewish settlements in West Bank and Gaza--250,000 Israeli Jewish citizens. Israeli military killed more than 1,000 young Palestinians--mostly for throwing rocks at Israeli military vehicles/security personnel. 1978 Sharon--planned to move 100,000 Jewish Israeli's into occupied areas--leave enough Palestinians for labor. Ha'aretz--Intifada--captain rounded up 12, shackled and bused to remote orchard where mouths stuffed with flannel, engine revved to drown their cries. Novel Exodus by Leon Uris--popularized Israel with US public. Israel's victory in 1967. War brought about change in approach. In addition to 5 million US Jews, Israel's US constituency includes 40 million Evangelicals--Israel fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Pollard affair. 2.5 of pop., 90% vote. Minority parties demanded allotment of cabinet seats/committee assignments, law only conversion to Judaism by Orthodox rabbis valid for Israeli citizenship. AIPAC--staff of 60, tied to 80 PACs. Networks, annual workshops in 5 regions. Seeks to accommodate whatever Israeli government in power. 38 major Jewish organizations--scores of smaller ones. $1.8 million budget lobbied Congress in 1981 for $2.2 billion in foreign aid. "Israeli Mafia." 1986 congressional elections--over 90% pro-Israel PACs. PAC headquartered in PA, contributed to no candidate in PA and DE. Chuck Percy of IL--dislodged for affronting AIPAC. Supported Israel 87% of the time. 59 Jewish PACs contributed $321,825 for his defeat. Defeated 2 incumbent congressmen: Paul Findley, Pete McCloskey of CA. Holocaust--Israel replaced India as prime recipient of American largesse. Total foreign aid for specific countries--$10.3 billion--Israel 28%, Egypt 20%, remaining 52% divided 18%. GNP $40 bill. World Bank, 99 countries have per capita GNP less than Israel's. Israel's pop. 5.2 mill. 2% of pop. in Marshall Plan. $53,531bill. in loans/grants from Congress for fiscal years 1948-1991. Congress obeys AIPA than own budget cutting mandate. Congress gave Israel $650 mill. compensation for Gulf War losses, transfer of $700 mill. of surplus US military goods assigned to NATO for Israeli use, storage of $300 million of military supplies. Foreign aid to Israel $3.75 billion. US no means of ascertaining how Israel spends US funds--even when it might undercut US interests. 1988 "fair pricing" saved Israel $56 million a year. SDI. ATBM. Israel requires US companies that provide arms under FM's program to buy equivalent value of goods from Israel. US firms compelled to purchase Israeli goods amounting to $262 mill. Israel receives $1 bill. annually via philanthropy, equal amount from short/long-term commercial loans and $500 mill. more in Israeli bond proceeds. Israel's Arms Industry--direct competition with US producers. Arms 18% of work force Israeli Galil rifle produced in South Africa under Israeli license as R-4. Much of South Africa's arms technology from the US via Israel. From 1949-1973 US limit. cumul. loans to $3.2 bill.; 1974- provided Israel with over $53 bill. State owns 93% of land in Israel. Israeli armed forces= 25% of the ann. budget. Gov. expanded public payroll from 18% to 29% of total work force. Should privatize banks; correct labor laws that obstruct adjustment of wage rates; reduce inflation from 20% to 15; reduce budget deficit. US political system commercialized/subtle electoral corruption. 80% of US middle class unable to purchase affordable housing.

Subject

"Military assistance, American--Israel."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

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