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AMERICA DECIDES 2004. Edwards doesn’t cultivate Jews, but his views win Jewish support,
By Matthew E. Berger, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 20, 2004
"Sen. John Edwards ... is an exception in a presidential campaign marked by loud declarations of Jewish affinity. He has warm ties with Jews in his state, but he hasn’t made an issue of it. Edwards was a highly successful trial lawyer in North Carolina seven years ago when he sought a seat in the U.S. Senate and largely was able to self-finance his campaign. That meant Edwards didn’t spend as much time as other aspiring lawmakers courting support and dollars in the Jewish community, both in and out of his state, North Carolina Jewish activists said. “He didn’t seek out the Jewish community,” unlike others who “go from candidate event to candidate event begging for money,” said Jennifer Laszlo-Mizrahi, a Democratic political consultant who ran for Congress in North Carolina in 1994. “Because he was self-financed, he could avoid a lot of that.” Edwards nonetheless has earned the community’s support. He has a solid record on Israel and emphasizes the issues that resonate with Jewish voters like Dricker: health, education and poverty. ... “If somebody had told me John Edwards was going to run for political office, I wouldn’t have believed them,” said Fred Baron, co-finance chairman of Edwards’ campaign and former president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America ... “When he decided to run for political office, it made incredible sense to me because of his incredible talent to connect with people,” said Bill Cassell, a longtime Edwards friend and former Jewish federation campaign chairman in Greensboro ... Randall Kaplan, a Greensboro businessman who is a board member for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, remembers early meetings Edwards held with Jewish leaders in the community. “When he first started considering the Senate race, he was a great listener,” Kaplan said. “He was as knowledgeable as someone can get when they first run for office but didn’t have first-hand experience.” Edwards reached out to the Jewish community as a Senate candidate but didn’t court Jews the same way other aspiring politicians do. “He would certainly have ties to individuals in the Jewish community, but I don’t know that he has had any ties in any formal way,” Broun said. The North Carolina Jewish community also may not warrant the same treatment that Jews in larger states merit. “It’s a different kind of Jewish community,” Broun said. “Most of us are professional people who might be quite comfortable but are not business people with the kind of money that one would go to in Florida, Illinois or New York.” Laszlo-Mizrahi said, “That huge Jewish political machine in North Carolina just doesn’t exist.” Upon his election in 1998, Edwards continued listening. “John would always make himself available to us,” Kaplan said ... Kaplan now advises Edwards’ campaign on Israel and Middle East issues. Edwards visited Israel with Intelligence Committee colleagues in 2001 and was there when a suicide bomber attacked a Sbarro restaurant in downtown Jerusalem. “I think the trip left on him an understanding,” Kaplan said. “He really gets the strategic issues, the existential issues.” In a statement to JTA, Edwards said he would increase U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the appointment of a senior envoy to the region, and he signaled support for Israel’s anti-terror tactics, including the security barrier Israel is erecting in the West Bank. “As long as the Palestinian leadership fails to end terror, Israel has a right to take measures to defend itself,” Edwards said. “Such defensive measures are not the cause of terrorism — they are the response to terrorism.”

AMERICA DECIDES 2004. As Gephardt bows out, Jews lose a friend in Washington’s high places,
By Matthew E. Berger, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 20, 2004
"The political career of one of Congress’ strongest advocates for Jewish concerns may be over. Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), who served as Democratic leader in the House from 1989 to 2002, ended his presidential bid Tuesday, a day after he captured only 11 percent of the vote and finished a disappointing fourth in the Iowa caucuses, which he won in 1988. “Today my pursuit of the presidency has reached its end,” Gephardt said Tuesday in a tearful press conference in St. Louis. “I’m withdrawing as a candidate and returning to private life after a long time in the warm light of public service.” Gephardt, 62, previously had announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, thus ending a Washington career that began when he joined the House in 1977. “A lot of Jewish Democrats are quite saddened by the apparent end of Dick Gephardt’s political career,” said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council. “He was always a friend, not just on domestic issues, but on Israel.” Gephardt always was considered a friend on Middle East matters, but Jewish officials in Washington said he became a leader on behalf of Israel in recent years — perhaps because of his aspirations to higher office, but also because of the new international landscape after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Gephardt was the highest-ranking congressional official to speak at an April 15, 2002, solidarity rally for Israel at the Capitol."

US Vetoes At The UN In Favor Of Israel Since 1973,
rense.com, January 20, 2004
"July 1973, S/10974 Vote: 13 in favor, 1 veto (US), 1 abstention. The resolution strongly deplored Israel's occupation of the Arab territories since 1967, and expressed serious concern with the Israeli authorities' lack of cooperation with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General. January 1976, S/11940 Vote: 9 in favor, 1 veto (US), 3 abstentions . The resolution called for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories since 1967, and deplored Israel's refusal to implement relevant UN resolutions. It furthermore reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self determination, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees" ... [Etc., etc., etc. A long list]

Chairman Pledges Closer Cooperation with NATO,
U.S. Info. State. Gov, January 21, 2004
"Passy, de Hoop Scheffer meet in Brussels Jan. 21. The new chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, met in Brussels January 21 with the new secretary-general of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Passy pledged to strengthen OSCE cooperation with NATO, particularly in the fight against terrorism and in resolving regional conflicts and building democracy in the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia, according to an OSCE press release. He described NATO and OSCE antiterrorism efforts as "mutually reinforcing" and said that building civil societies in all five Central Asian nations must be a priority. Following is the press release: ..."

Benador Associates Announce First Lecture in New 'Axis of Evil Series'; Journalist Claudia Rosett Speak on North Korea,
U.S. Newswire, January 27, 2004
"Eleana Benador and Benador Associates announce the inaugural event in a new series of lectures, the "Axis Of Evil Series." The first event will feature distinguished journalist Claudia Rosett, editorial contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and fellow of the Hudson Institute and Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Rosett will speak on "The Need For Regime Change In North Korea: Facing Facts" on Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 12:30 -- 2 p.m. EST."

Council for the National Interest -- Public Hearing: The Middle East in Election 2004 -- Voting Out the Neocons,
U.S. Newswire, January 22, 2004
"Contact: Terry Walz of the Council for the National Interest, 202 863-2951 News Advisory: When: Jan. 27 10:00 AM -- 12:00 PM Where: Room 2237 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC Two former Republican congressmen, Paul Findley (R-Ill.) and Paul "Pete" McCloskey (R-Calif.), Edward Peck, a former Chief of Mission in Baghdad, and Civic Leader Dr. E. Faye Williams will appear at a Public Hearing in Room 2237 Rayburn House Office Building on Jan. 27. The Jan. 27 event, between 10 am and 12 noon, will launch a major new series of hearings called "The Middle East in Election 2004." The first hearing will focus on "Voting Out the Neocons." The series will follow the presidential candidates' statements and positions while proposing a new policy approaches for peace in the Middle East in the interest of Americans. Findley has stated that the central issue of the 2004 election will be the failure of the Bush administration to deal effectively and honestly with terrorism. "The real ground zero of the war on terrorism is in Palestine, not in Manhattan," he says. The task for American voters in this fall's national election is to reverse the direction of US Middle East policy and vote the Neocons and President Bush out of office. Peck considers the war in Iraq a Pandora's box. He believes America has made critical mistakes, with potentially far-reaching implications for the entire world. Its effects will have especially negative implications for the US and Israel. McCloskey will examine whether the President has given in to the religious fundamentalists in America, provoking an increase in fundamentalism in the Muslim world. The speakers call on the American people to replace Bush and his Neocon advisers with an administration that will re-earn the trust of the world and of the American people."

Lantos to Check Libya's WMD Program,
Las Vegas Sun, January 21, 2004
"A senior Democratic congressman plans to go to Libya this weekend at the invitation of Moammar Gadhafi to check on the Libyan leader's pledge to dismantle his nation's nuclear weapons program. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., will meet with Libyan officials and possibly Gadhafi, whose decision to halt development of weapons of mass destruction marked a major policy shift by the North African leader. Lantos, senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, will report his findings to Congress and to the Bush administration, his office said in a statement announcing the trip. A separate congressional group headed by Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., is going to Libya, as well. The visits signal a growing momentum to repair U.S. relations with Libya, although the administration has taken no action to remove Libya from its list of countries that support terrorism or to lift the economic sanctions the listing requires. Through a third party, Libya also has had preliminary discussions with Israel, a longtime foe."

Jewish lawyer named French junior minister,
Jerusalem Post, January 22, 2004
"The government named an Algerian-born Jewish lawyer on Thursday to replace a junior minister who resigned after being named a suspect in a corruption probe. Nicole Guedj, 48, took over from Pierre Bedier as secretary of state for building programs in the justice system. She will oversee the construction of prisons, courthouses and other such buildings. Bedier, 46, resigned Wednesday shortly after being placed under investigation in a corruption probe centered on bribes for public contracts in the town where he once was mayor. He has denied any wrongdoing. Guedj was born of a North African Jewish family in Algeria in May 1955, when it was still a part of France. The lawyer helps handle human rights issues for the UMP, President Jacques Chirac's party. She also was part of a Chirac-appointed commission that recently called for the banning of Islamic head scarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses in public schools to keep them free of religious strife. The government plans to institute the ban with a law to be put in place for the start of the 2004-2005 school year in September."

Jews’ Primary Role Expanding. Race on to pick off Lieberman contributors; N.Y. vote looming larger,
by James D. Besser, Jewish Week, January 23, 2004
"As the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination shifts to New Hampshire, the Jewish community stands poised to play a dramatically expanded role, observers say. The big reason: money. That could be an especially important factor for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the surprise victor in Monday’s Iowa caucuses. Kerry, according to Jewish activists in the state, surged among Jewish voters in the last days of the caucus fight. But it also could be a major factor for Wesley Clark, the retired general who bypassed Iowa and will make his first electoral stand next week in the New England chill. “The importance of Jews in the Democratic Party is suddenly greater than it was a few days ago,” said Johns Hopkins University political scientist Benjamin Ginsberg. “And the probable beneficiaries are Kerry and possibly Clark.” The Iowa surprise also increases the likelihood several primaries in states with large Jewish populations — including New York and Florida — could figure more prominently in the Democratic free-for-all ... Even before Iowa, several campaigns were ratcheting up their Jewish outreach efforts. This week the Clark campaign was staging a nationwide Jewish “house party,” bringing together young Jewish activists — Jewish Theological Seminary students were to meet Wednesday — to watch a filmed biography of the former NATO commander and discuss how they can help the campaign. James Rubin, the former Clinton administration State Department spokesman recently appointed senior foreign policy to the Clark team, has invited New Hampshire Jewish leaders to lunch on Friday to discuss the campaign. Clark backers have held Jewish events in Oklahoma and Florida in the past month. Clark also received the endorsement of a senior Jewish member of Congress, Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas). A campaign spokesman said that “the goal is to establish General Clark as someone who is every strong on security, but is also an active and experienced peacemaker.” A senior Kerry campaign official said “a lot of Jewish voters have been looking for an alternative to Dean. The Iowa results could put Kerry in that position, and we plan to take advantage of it.” No Jewish Consensus In New Hampshire New Hampshire Jews are disproportionately involved in the political dogfight — a prominent rabbi in the state estimated that “two-thirds of my congregants have met or listened to one or more of the candidates” — but the community has not shown an overwhelming preference for any of the major candidates ... Allen Solomont, a Kerry campaign steering committee co-chair, said that “people in our community admire John Kerry for his consistent and unshakable support for Israel, his mature and intelligent foreign policy experience and perspective, and his positions on domestic issues. He has the whole package.” Jewish votes are unlikely to play much of a role in the next few primaries, including the contest in New Hampshire and the slew of Southern primaries on Feb. 3. But with the dramatic changes in the Democratic nomination race, Jewish campaign money is taking on even more importance than usual. “People were saying that Dean showed a new way to raise money through the Internet that circumvented the traditional contributors, including many Jews,” said Ginsberg, the Johns Hopkins political scientist. “But it looks like the old ways are still the best. Now there’s going to be a scramble for Jewish money.” The scramble will be all the more intense because Kerry and Clark go into New Hampshire without enough cash in the coffers to sustain all-out campaigns. Speaking about Kerry, Goldstein said: “To capitalize on his momentum, he will have to raise a lot of money quickly. And American Jews are significant supporters of the Democratic Party, and they tend to work in networks that can produce contributions quickly" ... The Iowa results, by slowing the Dean surge and boosting Kerry and Edwards, also could magnify the importance of several primaries in states with large Jewish populations. “With the possibility this will be a more extended primary process than many had anticipated, the New York primary could be a significant event,” said Steven Grossman, national CO-chair of the Dean campaign and a longtime pro-Israel activist. “And with the big Jewish vote in New York, there will be tremendous competition between the candidates.” New York, California and Maryland hold their primaries on March 2; in all three, the Jewish vote could play an important role. Floridians vote the following week, another state with a big Jewish electorate ... Grossman, the Dean campaign CO-chair, said: “I’ve been struck by how many Jewish contributors are staying on the sidelines even at this point. One reason is that they have so many friends in the race; they don’t want to make enemies.”

Report: Rumsfeld considers striking Hizbullah to provoke Syria,
By Douglas Davis, Jerusalem Post, January 22, 2004
"US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is considering provoking a military confrontation with Syria by attacking Hizbullah bases near the Syrian border in Lebanon, according to the authoritative London-based Jane's Intelligence Digest. In an article to be published on Friday, the journal said multifaceted US attacks, which would be conducted within the framework of the global war on terrorism, are likely to focus on Hizbullah bases in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon. It noted that the deployment of US special forces in the Bekaa Valley, where most of Syria's occupation forces in Lebanon are based, would be highly inflammatory and would "almost certainly involve a confrontation with Syrian troops." Such a conflict might well prove to be the objective of the US, said the journal, which described Washington's strategic benefits from a confrontation with Syria. These include: * Pressuring Damascus into ending its support for anti-Israel Palestinian groups; * Persuading Syria to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and to withdraw its troops from Lebanon; * Stimulating a situation where Syrian leader Bashir Assad can be ousted; * Crushing Hizbullah and ending its presumed connections with al-Qaida. "The political consequences of a US attack against Lebanon. . . could result in the destabilization of a country that is still rebuilding its infrastructure a decade after a ruinous 15-year civil war," noted the journal. "It would also fuel Muslim and Arab hostility toward the US at a time when US-led occupation forces are fighting the ongoing insurgency in Iraq. "In these circumstances, taking on Hizbullah in the Bekaa Valley is likely to prove a highly risky undertaking. "However," it continued, "given the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes, it remains entirely possible that Washington will soon launch military strikes against Lebanon, regardless of the consequences for wider regional stability." The journal noted that the US administration has long considered Damascus "a prime candidate for regime-change," along with Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and, possibly, Saudi Arabia. "Syria, once a powerhouse of Arab radicalism that could not be ignored, has been seriously weakened, both militarily and politically. Washington may feel that the time is coming to oust Assad and the ruling generals ... During the past six months, it added, Washington has increased the US military presence along the Syrian border with Iraq "and, on several occasions, has sent special forces into Syrian territory or penetrated Syrian air space. "In one incident, US troops pursued suspected Iraqi militants into Syria and fought a running battle that left dozens of people, including some Syrians, dead. "Israel's air-strike in southern Lebanon earlier this week," it added, "is very unlikely to be the last time Israeli forces cross the border to strike at targets alleged to be militant bases and training camps."

American Democrat hopefuls sticking to pro-Israel policies,
by Nathan Guttman, Haaretz (Israel), January 22, 2004
"Surprising results this week in the Iowa primary have caused the American Jewish community, and supporters of Israel in the United States, to take a closer look at Democratic candidates who have up to now been trailing the pack. In past months, the Jewish community was preoccupied with then front-runner Howard Dean. It monitored closely what appeared to be worrisome comments made by Dean, particularly his reference to an "evenhanded approach" toward the Middle East conflict. Though the obsession with Dean obscured the other candidates, the other Democratic Party hopefuls did not forget the Jewish community. On Wednesday, Wesley Clark's staff organized a nationwide event aimed at his Jewish supporters. In dozens of cities around the country, rallies were held for Clark, and the retired general greeted his supporters in conference calls. Clark tried to allay Jewish voters' fears, most of them related to Israel. "I believe we should take risks for peace, and we will reach peace in the Middle East," Clark declared. He declined, however, to detail a peace plan. He did take a hard line toward the Arab countries. "Years ago, I saw that the Palestinians are teaching hate in classrooms, and I am also worried about the Saudis preaching hate. When I am president, I will take action against that," he stated. Clark struck a similar chord in his comments on Iran. He anticipated democratic reform in Tehran: "I am convinced that if we can get Western culture and Western ideas that are suitable for the younger generation [there], we will see a change in this society," he said. Clark indicated also that Syria should undertake reforms. While he is careful not to side with the conservatives in the Bush administration who evince full or partial support for the military option vis-a-vis Damascus, Clark recommended playing tough with the Syrians. U.S. policy toward Damascus, he declared, should aim at "breaking the grip of the extremists surrounding Bashar Assad. We want to see there an evolution that will end the threat on Israel and will enable them to reach a peace agreement with Israel, without Israel having to give assets needed for its security." As far as American Jews are concerned, the jury is still out on the Democratic Party's new star, John Kerry. An experienced politician with 18 years on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee under his belt, he has a solid record of supporting Israel. American Jewish sources in Washington indicated that Kerry's comments in off-the-record talks recall the approach adopted by the Clinton administration: unqualified support for Israel, yet also insistence that a resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians depends upon Israeli concessions in the territories ... The bottom line, says one seasoned political observer in Washington, is that Israel has nothing to fear from Kerry, Clark or other Democratic hopefuls. All of the candidates endorse their party's supportive stance toward Israel, and the candidates are surrounded by staff workers who are long-standing friends of Israel."

Palestine Media Watch,
January 16, 2003
"The Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the US armed forces, published today an unprecedented op-ed from Adm. Thomas Moorer, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 to 1974 and former 7th Fleet commander, which alleges not merely timidity by the US government in seeking the truth about what happened to the USS Liberty when it was attacked by Israeli airforce jets, but accuses the US government of outright cover-up and deception. The US media, as usual taking its cues from the US government, has been very timid in tackling this dark episode. But now that the Stars and Stripes has run this powerful op-ed, clearly at least the US military has lifted the taboo status off this tragedy. So, let's alert the media that it is ok for them to start talking about and investigating this episode. Please take the time to: 1. Write a letter: Email: letters@pstripes.osd.mil Phone: 202-761-0900 Use the PMWATCH interface: Circulate this op-ed and push your local paper to run this it and to pursue stories on the 1967 attack against the USS Liberty. Media contact information can be found at: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/contact/media.html The Stars and Stripes does not publish its op-eds on-line, but a pdf of the op-ed can be fount at: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/cast/Proof_BROO_OPIN_46216.pdf  For more on The Stars and Stripes, please go to: http://www.stripes.com/about/aboutstripes.html# Contacts: For more on the attack on The USS Liberty, please go to: http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/ussliberty.html Palestine Media Watch http://www.pmwatch.org (610) 993-0608 "

AIPAC Hosts Annual NY Event: Rep. DeLay, Rep. Menendez to Address Dinner; Regional Award to Be Presented to Howard Jonas,
U.S. Newswire, January 23, 2004
"On Thursday, Jan. 29, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) will host its annual NY membership event, expected to draw over 1,000 people, including numerous federal and local elected officials and U.N. Ambassadors and dignitaries from over 40 countries across the globe. The event brings together national and local representatives, community leaders and Israeli officials from across the political spectrum to focus attention on the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship. AIPAC's Annual Northeast Regional Dinner is consistently the largest pro-Israel event in the region. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Democratic Caucus Chair Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) will deliver keynote addresses. Both Reps. DeLay and Menendez have been outstanding leaders in working to shape U.S. Middle East policy and making sure the U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong. The event will also honor Howard Jonas, a long-time supporter of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and member of AIPAC's National Board of Directors. Consistently ranked as the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill, AIPAC is an American membership organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the United States ... Howard S. Jonas is widely considered a revolutionary figure in the international telecommunications sector and one of our community's most devoted political activists. Howard founded IDT Corporation in August 1990 and has served as Chairman of the Board and Treasurer since its inception. IDT is a model of upstart entrepreneurship. Howard brings the same vitality and commitment he has for business to his work with America's only pro-Israel lobby - AIPAC."

'Jewish lobby' is an anti-Semitic term, says US diplomat Gerald Kaufman: Tories show faith in Jewish leaders despite tradition of prejudice,
By Mary Dejevsky, The Independent (UK), 23 January 2004
"A senior US diplomat in London has ruffled feathers in Britain's foreign policy establishment by publicly implying that a reference to the "Jewish lobby" in the United States is an anti-Semitic remark. The incident happened yesterday at a Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) lecture on US foreign policy given by David Johnson, who is the second in command at the American embassy in London. During the question-and-answer session he was asked: "Will the US ever be willing to impose an equitable peace settlement in the Middle East, or is it perhaps that the Jewish lobby in America is too strong to make that feasible?" Mr Johnson responded indignantly, saying: "I am highly resentful of the last part of your remarks, just because of its ethnic slur." And he went on: "During my time here I have become increasingly troubled by the willingness of European audiences to skirt up to the side of anti-Semitic language as a political criticism." A retired US diplomat, now living in Britain, rose to defend the earlier questioner, objecting that Mr Johnson's remark reflected the American tendency to associate criticism of Israeli policy with criticism of Jews. "There is nothing racial about drawing attention to the existence of a particular ethnic group," he said, noting that the US had not only "a strong Israeli lobby" but Irish, Polish and other ethnic lobbies. There was a shout of "hear, hear" from the audience and applause rang around the crowded hall. Mr Johnson, who was US policy co-ordinator for Afghanistan before arriving in London in August, is an experienced State Department hand with extensive service in Europe. One of his tasks in London appears to be to woo back members of the British political, academic and media circles who felt alienated by George Bush's foreign policy, especially the war in Iraq, which is unlikely to be advanced by the exchanges. Later, Mr Johnson said he held "no animus" towards the questioner, saying that what he found unacceptable about the use of the term was its inference that "somehow the Jews control the US". He said he was surprised that the term was still so current in Europe, and especially in Britain, noting: "That is an unacceptable formulation."

18 Percent of Britons Don't Want Jewish Prime Minister,
Guardian (UK), PM Friday January 23, 2004
"Eighteen percent of Britons do not want a Jewish prime minister, while 15 percent believe the scale of the Holocaust has been exaggerated, according to a poll published Friday. The ICM survey for the Jewish Chronicle, a weekly newspaper, comes as Jewish groups warn of rising anti-Semitism in Europe. The European Union is convening a conference on the issue. Michael Howard, leader of Britain's main opposition Conservative Party, is Jewish, and stands to become prime minister if the party wins the next national election. Home Secretary David Blunkett called the survey results worrisome. ``It means people are prepared to set aside not only the evidence (for the Holocaust), but the overwhelming emotion that goes with it,'' he said. The poll found that 18 percent disagreed with the statement that a Jewish prime minister would be ``equally acceptable'' to a leader from any other faith. About 53 percent agreed with that statement. Lord Janner, chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust and vice president of the World Jewish Congress, said opposition to a Jewish prime minister was ``extraordinary,'' considering that Benjamin Disraeli held the post in the late 19th century. Disraeli was born Jewish but was baptized a Christian as a child."

Israel supporters in cabinet Jewish state has friends in the new Martin government, says Owen
by PAT JOHNSON, Jewish Western Bulletin, January 9, 2004
"Pro-Israel members of Parliament have significantly more strength in the new Liberal government under Paul Martin, according to Stephen Owen, member of Parliament for Vancouver-Quadra and the new minister of public works and government services. About a year ago, Owen and about two dozen other Liberal MPs formed Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel, which is now an official caucus committee. In the new cabinet, unveiled by Martin last month, members of the pro-Israel caucus were given significant new positions, including Irwin Cotler's appointment as minister of justice. Cotler, MP for the Montreal riding of Mount Royal, is a former head of Canadian Jewish Congress. Along with Owen, other cabinet members who belong to the pro-Israel group include Ontario MPs Joe Volpe (minister of human resources and skills development), Carolyn Bennett (minister of state for public health) and Jim Peterson (minister of international trade). Vancouver-area Sen. Jack Austin, who is Jewish, has been appointed leader of the government in the Senate, another cabinet position. Returning to cabinet is another member of the pro-Israel group, Montreal MP Lucienne Robillard, the minister of industry. Owen, who was first elected in 2000, previously served as secretary of state for western economic diversification, Indian affairs and northern development. Earlier, he served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice. Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel have issued a number of position papers, which were presented to Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham in a meeting last year. They outline the committee's stand on Israeli-Palestinian affairs, expressing specific concern over issues such as the language used around the debate. "Cycle of violence," for example, is a bugbear of a term, which Owen said distorts the reality of the conflict, with Palestinian terror put on an equal footing with Israel's right to defend its civilian citizenry. "It suggests an equivalency that does not properly describe the dynamics of violence in the Middle East," he said. Other issues the committee has explicitly addressed include Israeli soldiers missing in action in Lebanon, the struggle for recognition of Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of Red Cross and Red Crescent, and the application to the CRTC by operators seeking to bring the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera to Canadian television viewers. The committee is also set to consider any Canadian complicity in funding Palestinian school materials that incite young people to violence and hatred. Though Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel is a small group of MPs, Owen said the orientation of the committee has not met with any disagreement within the larger government caucus. "I have not heard one thing in three years [from other Liberal MPs] that would contradict the thrust of [the committee's views on Israel]," Owen said. "It's not as if there is an acrimonious debate, or any debate, going on" ... Owen acknowledged that most members of the committee are either Jewish or represent ridings with significant Jewish populations. Though his own Vancouver-Quadra riding is home to part of British Columbia's Jewish community, Owen has more personal connections as well, being married to Diane Koerner, a member of a prominent Vancouver Jewish family."

Parents of activist killed by bulldozer criticize Israeli investigation,
By Tarek El-Tablawy, Detroit News, January 23, 2004
"The parents of an American activist crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in a Palestinian refugee camp criticized the Israeli government for not releasing the investigation report and renewed calls for an independent examination of their daughter’s death. Rachel Corrie, 23, of Olympia, Wash., was killed March 16 while trying to prevent the bulldozer from razing the home of a Palestinian pharmacist in Rafah, along the border with Egypt. An Israeli army investigation concluded Corrie’s death was accidental, with officials saying the driver of the machine could not see the woman. But Corrie’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie, say Israeli officials are stonewalling efforts to release the report to U.S. representatives. “What we want is what Prime Minister (Ariel) Sharon promised President Bush, an open and transparent investigation into Rachel’s death. We haven’t gotten that,” said Craig Corrie. “If (the bulldozer driver and the commander) are innocent, then there’s no reason not to release the report and there’s no reason not to welcome an independent investigation,” he said shortly before a Michigan fund-raiser for the International Solidarity Movement, the pro-Palestinian activist group for which Rachel Corrie worked when she died. Israeli officials view ISM activists as meddlers whose actions range from negligence to outright abetting of terrorism. A message seeking comment was left with the Israeli Consulate in Chicago on Friday. Cindy Corrie said according to eyewitnesses to the incident, her daughter was atop a mound of rubble and was clearly visible to the driver. “She stood her place and stared him in the eye. She thought he would stop, like they’d done in the past,” she said. “But he didn’t stop.” Joining the Corries at the fund-raiser was Brian Avery, a 26-year-old ISM activist from Chapel Hill, N.C. who was shot in the face by machine-gun fire in the West Bank town of Jenin shortly after Corrie was killed. Another ISM volunteer from Britain was also shot last April while helping school children to safety and died earlier this month. Along with helping raise funds for the ISM -- whose members often place themselves between Israeli forces and Palestinians -- the Corries are hoping to muster more support for the Rachel Corrie Resolution. The resolution, introduced in the House last March, calls for an investigation by the U.S. government into her death. In the past 10 months, only 51 legislators have signed it. For the Corries, it has been hard to understand why so few have thrown their support behind the resolution. “What Rachel was doing was trying to call attention to the suffering of the ordinary Palestinian people. These were not the houses of terrorists that were razed,” Cindy Corrie said. “It’s hard to explain why there isn’t more support for it except that there’s a reluctance on the part of Congressmen to challenge Israel,” she said."

The Neocon Case for Imprisoning and Executing Congressional War Opponents,
by Thomas J. DiLorenzo, Lew Rockwell.com, January 15, 2004
"The neocon cabal is beginning to make the case for imprisoning – or possibly executing – members of Congress who oppose the war in Iraq. An example of this development is a December 23 Insight magazine article by senior editor J. Michael Waller entitled "When Does Politics Become Treason?" (Insight is an appendage of the Washington Times, the voice of the Washington, D.C. neocon establishment. Just before our May 2002 Independent Institute debate on Lincoln, Straussian neocon high priest Harry Jaffa made it a point to tell me that he is the chairman of the academic advisory committee of the Washington Times, where his colleague MacKubin Thomas Owens had just published an intemperate and apoplectic hatchet job on my book, The Real Lincoln, only a few weeks after all but comparing Jaffa’s latest book on Lincoln to the Bible in the same book review section.) Naturally, the totalitarian/neocon case for imprisoning or executing the Bush administration’s political opponents is based on precedents established by Abraham Lincoln. "Lincoln’s policy was to have treasonous federal lawmakers arrested and tried before military tribunals, and exiled or hanged if convicted," Waller announces ... And according to Waller, these words "apply to some lawmakers today," even though these lawmakers insist that they are opposing the Bush war policy "to support the troops." Exhibit A in the neocon case for imprisoning political opponents is Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio, who was forcefully taken from his Dayton, Ohio home in the middle of the night by 67 armed federal soldiers, thrown into a military prison without due process, convicted by a military tribunal, and deported ... So, don’t be surprised to see articles in the near future from the Claremont Institute, AEI, National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other neocon organs urging President Bush to be more "Lincolnesque" in his treatment of the war opponents in Congress."

Lieberman lodges protest with CNN over 'Jew question',
by Janine Zacharia, Jerusalem Post,Jan. 26, 2004
"Senator Joseph Lieberman complained to CNN on Friday after the cable news channel's anchor, Bill Hemmer, asked the Democratic presidential candidate how he felt "as a Jew" about the security fence. A source close to the Lieberman campaign said the senator "was offended" by Hemmer's questioning of him "as a Jew." Hemmer called the Lieberman campaign and apologized, a CNN spokeswoman said. The question was posed during CNN's America Morning show, which Hemmer co-hosts. "Senator, as a Jew, do you believe the construction of the security wall in Israel is the right path to peace?" Hemmer asked Lieberman. Lieberman replied: "I am running for president, Bill, as an American who happens to be Jewish. So the question I believe is inappropriate. I'm going to give you my answer as an American." Lieberman said the US should respect Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism and said he thinks "the wall will help." He also described it as "temporary," and said the US has "a right as [Israel's] ally to talk to them about where that wall goes." Referring to Hemmer's original question, Lieberman added: "But I want to repeat, it's the American way not to judge candidates by their faith, but by their policies. That's the way we do it in this country and that's the way I know the American people will judge me." The source said: "The campaign did call to complain. Bill Hemmer called back personally to apologize, did so profusely and honorably, said he did not intend to say anything discriminatory."

The Israel Project: For Security, Freedom, and Peace,
The Israel Project
"Our team includes the best and brightest in strategic communications: President: Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi Mizrahi is an expert in communications, public opinion research, media, and politics. Mizrahi has worked with the White House, 60 members of the United States Senate, and 114 members of the United States Congress. She has had successful communications campaigns in more than twenty countries. With a passion for advocacy and communications training, Mizrahi has authored training manuals and major articles on the nuts and bolts of winning campaigns. All the major US networks and newspapers have interviewed her. She has degrees in Judaic Studies and International Studies from Emory University. Mizrahi is the creator and day-to-day manager of The Israel Project. Key Strategist for Quantitative Research and Strategy (Europe) : Stanley B. Greenberg, Ph.D. Greenberg has been orchestrating winning political campaigns across the US and the world. He has served as lead polling advisor and strategist to President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. He was a key strategist to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prime Minister Ehud Barak, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and others. The London Times noted that Greenberg is "widely considered the father of modern polling techniques," while Esquire voted Greenberg one of the top twenty-one innovators, creates and thinkers of the 21st century. Greenberg received his Ph.D. from Yale University and is the author of several books. Greenberg conducted numerous polls for The Israel Project and has worked with key Israeli Spokespeople and officials communicating with the English language press. Key Strategist for Dial Testing of Spokespeople, Messages and Ads: Frank Luntz, Ph.D. Frank Luntz is one of the most honored political and communication professionals in America today. He is widely credited for his work on the “Contract with America” and as a strategist to House Leader Tom DeLay, and to former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Time magazine named Luntz one of “50 of America's most promising leaders aged 40 and under.” The New York Times wrote that “his well-chosen words helped turn an election. The “Instant Response” focus group technique Luntz has pioneered was profiled on 60 Minutes in 1998. He has been a guest on many networks and news shows and ran focus groups in Iraq during the war for MSNBC. Luntz got his Ph.D. at Oxford and is the author of several books. Luntz has conducted The Israel Project's dial testing, including sessions with opinion elites, college students and Jews. His “Talking Points” message manuals on how to speak on Israel and the crisis are being used by leading Israeli and pro-Israel spokespeople. Go to www.luntz.com for more information on Dr. Luntz's work. Key Strategist for Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Neil Newhouse. Neil Newhouse is a partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, one of the largest political and public affairs polling firms, recently named “Pollster of the Year". Newhouse and his partners have established a client base that ranges from President Bush to Fortune 500 companies. Newhouse's firm was behind more Republican victories in the 2002 election than any other firm. Newhouse's other clients include Senator John McCain, Governors Bush (Florida), Rowland (Connecticut), Taft (Ohio) and Swift (Massachusetts) as well as more than twenty-five US Senators and Congressmen, including Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Bill Frist ... Go to www.pos.org for more information on Mr. Newhouse's work. Television and Radio Advertising Production: Mark Moskowitz. Mark Moskowitz is one of the world's leading producers and directors of films and television commercials made to persuade audiences. His issue-oriented media, including over three thousand political spots, has been awarded “Pollies” for five years and has been the subject of features on all the major television networks. Moskowitz has produced numerous commercials for The Israel Project. Media & Advocacy Training: Michael R. Shannon. Shannon is the founder of MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations, a media/public affairs consulting firm specializing in radio and television advertising. His firm has participated in over 70 elections on three continents. A former reporter, Shannon is an expert in media training and has worked at the highest levels nationally and internationally, helping clients understand how to communicate effectively with the media. He serves as a media coach and consultant to The Israel Project. Print Media and Graphics: Dan Hazelwood. Dan Hazelwood formed Targeted Creative Communications, a direct marketing company based in Alexandria, Virginia in 1992. TC2 has worked for campaigns in virtually every state and all over the globe. His past clients include George W. Bush for President, Bob Dole for President, several US Senators, Governors, and members of the House of Representatives. Campaigns & Elections magazine named Hazelwood a "rising star" of the political consulting community in 1994 and a "Mover & Shaker" in 1996. Go to www.targetedcreative.com for more information on Mr. Hazelwood's work."

Mirth of a Nation, How Bill Clinton learned to tell jokes on himself--and get the last laugh.
by Mark Katz, Washington Monthly, January/February 2004
"He opened the door and I jumped to my feet. Watching the president of the United States enter the room is always a startling sight. Of course, the sight he encountered might have caught him off-guard too: a nervous guy in a tuxedo secluded in a dimly-lit holding room with a stack of pages in one hand and an egg timer in the other. Although this was the fifth humor speech I had prepared for President Bill Clinton since he'd taken office, we were about to have our very first one-on-one meeting. The occasion was the remarks he was about to give to the Alfalfa Club, the least known of the four annual Washington humor dinners that take place from January through April--collectively known as the "Silly Season." And on this snowy night in January of 1995, I was there to fulfill the duties of what was probably the oddest job description in town: a presidential joke writer, an adjunct member of the White House speechwriting staff on retainer by way of the Democratic National Committee. ... Self-deprecating humor comes naturally to only the most skillful practitioners of public power and your average Jew. At that moment in his presidency, the benefits of self-directed jokes were not yet evident to Bill Clinton. As the designated White House in-house humorist, it was my job to guide him through Washington's odd humor rituals with my best and funniest suggestions for the things he might say ... My first conversation with head speechwriter Michael Waldman that spring set the tone for what was to come."

AJC Expresses Horror at Jerusalem Bus Bombing,
U.S. Newswire, January 29, 2004
"The American Jewish Committee today issued the following statement after a Palestinian policeman destroyed a Jerusalem city bus, murdering at least 10 and wounding dozens, in a suicide bombing: 'After so many senseless, barbaric Palestinian terror attacks on Israeli citizens, it is difficult to find the right words to express our sorrow, our horror, and our anger, yet today we are even more outraged that a member of the Palestinian Authority police carried out the bombing in the heart of Israel's capital. We again are reminded that there are those Palestinians who not only oppose peace, but who object to the very existence of Israel, whatever its final borders may be. When the AJC Board of Governors travels to Israel and meets with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem in the coming days, we will personally express our deepest sympathies to the people of Israel, as well as our continuing, unwavering support for Israel's longstanding quest for peace and security.'"

Jewish Members Predominate
Henry Kissinger will present the award Women Protest US Award to Venezuelan Coup Leader Gustavo Cisneros,
Venezuelan News, Jan 29, 2004
"The U.S. based NGO Global Women’s Strike issued a press release today protesting an award expected to be given by the Inter-American Economic Council to Gustavo Cisneros, a Venezuelan billionaire identified by sources such as Newsweek, local Venezuelan publications and analysts as one of the protagonists and financiers of the April 11, 2002 coup d’etat against President Hugo Chavez. Cisneros is also credited with being a driving force behind the December 2002 nationwide lock-out and sabotage of the oil industry, which instead of ousting President Chávez from his elected office, drove the Venezuelan economy into the ground by causing a historical drop of 27% in the country’s GDP in the first trimester of 2003. Cisneros is the owner of AOL, Coca-Cola, DirecTV and Pizza Hut in Latin America, Univision in the US, and Venezuela’s biggest TV network Venevision. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who according to declassified documents headed the CIA operation to overthrow Chilean democratically-elected President Salvador Allende in 1973, will be in charge of awarding fellow coup plotter Cisneros. The Global Women’s Strike statement follows: The Global Women’s Strike condemns the outrageous decision of theInter-American Economic Council to honor Latin American media tycoon Gustavo Cisneros at its 2004 Winter Gala on Thirsday January 29h. It shows once more the total contempt of the US administration for people’s right to elect their own government. To recognize as a person who “has consistently sought to create an environment where business and government can work together in meaningful ways for the betterment of society,” a man who has systematically used his corporate wealth and media monopoly to illegally and violently attempt to force from office the democratically-elected government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, is particularly cynical ... The Cisneros Group has been implicated in the December 2003 illegal shipment of US$2.5 million in cash seized aboard an American Airlines flight from Miami Florida to Caracas, no doubt intended to help finance another attempted coup against the Venezuelan people. Gustavo Cisneros personally spoke with the U.S. State Department's former Latin American Affairs Chief, Otto Reich and the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Charles Shapiro (currently under fire for hosting a puppet show ridicule of President Chávez in his home in Caracas) on the day of the coup, an event reported in Newsweek Magazine (see Newsweek, April 29, 2002, p.10). To add insult to injury, Henry Kissinger will be presenting this obscene award. Kissinger is himself a war criminal and a man reviled all over Latin America, the Caribbean and the world for leading the CIA overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973. He justified the coup which led to the disappearances of thousands of people and the exile of hundreds of thousands with the infamous statement: "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." Kissinger is also responsible for similar US policies in Indonesia and Cyprus. He recently had to withdraw his appointment by President Bush to head a commission investigating 9/11 because his reputation was too unsavory to give any credibility to the findings. He cannot travel to many countries for fear of arrest."

New Mexico Invests in Israel in Many Ways,
Israel National News, January 20, 2004
"The American state of New Mexico has been expanding its contacts, investments and relationship with Israel. The expanded contacts have been both official and through private organizations in the southwestern state. Last month, for the first time, New Mexico invested $10 million in Israel, in the form of Israel Bonds. State Governor Bill Richardson presented the check to Harold Albert of Albuquerque, chairman of Israel Bonds New Mexico, and expressed his support of Israel's security and economic well-being. In addition, Governor Richardson has announced that New Mexico, in cooperation with the Jewish Federation of Greater Albuquerque, is planning a Business Mission to Israel this coming spring. Mission members will take part in a series of business meetings customized to the particular needs and interests of various New Mexico companies. Mission Chairman Morton Lieberman said that the delegates would focus on commerce, research and development, and collaboration in hi-tech, security, agriculture and water, and more. Jewish Federation sources say that the re-opening of the Israel Office of the New Mexico Department of Economic Development has led to increased efforts to establish and enhance strong business ties between New Mexico and Israel, increasing New Mexico's exports and creating more jobs in New Mexico. Another collaborative initiative to bring New Mexicans to Israel in 2004 is the Albuquerque Jewish/Christian Solidarity Mission to Israel, set for March. The local Jewish Federation, in conjunction with Congregation B'nai Israel, Congregation Albert and Bridges for Peace, is sponsoring the unique trip."

Erdogan vows to protect Turkey's Jews,
by Melissa Radler, Jerusalem Post, January 27, 2004
"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to stamp out terrorism and protect his nation's Jews from future attacks during a ceremony in his honor in New York on Monday. "We will not tolerate terrorism, and we will act in solidarity to wipe it from the face of the earth," he said upon receiving the American Jewish Congress's Profile in Courage award. The first Muslim to ever receive the award, Erdogan accepted it at an HSBC bank. An HSBC bank in Istanbul was bombed in November just days after two synagogues in the city were attacked by terrorists. "There's no need for our Jewish friends to be concerned about the security of the Jewish community in Turkey because they are our citizens and have been entrusted to us by the Jewish world," he said. Erdogan told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations earlier on Monday that Turkey's foreign policy is aimed at building peace and cooperation throughout the world. He also urged the world to recognize Turkey's past deeds, and called on Yad Vashem to grant the Righteous Among the Nations award to several Turks who saved Jews during World War II ... After his American Jewish Congress speech, which was attended by diplomats from Russia, China, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and Grenada, Erdogan asked Israel's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Arye Mekel, to relay a message to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "He said that he's ready to do whatever he can for the peace process," Mekel said. "He said that whatever is good for Israel is good for the region."

[Morris: Kerry Likely to Tap Hillary for VP,
Newsmax, January 28, 2004
"If Sen. John Kerry winds up as the Democratic nominee next summer, the first phone call he's likely to make is to Sen. Hillary Clinton - to ask her to be his running mate. That's the prediction of Dick Morris, whose advice made Bill Clinton the only Democratic president since FDR to win re-election. "Now that Howard Dean is clearly not going to be the nominee, there is a very good chance that Hillary will be the vice presidential candidate," Morris told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" Wednesday night. "I would flat-out predict that whoever wins this nomination makes the first phone call to Hillary to ask her to run," he said. Hillary should take the offer from Kerry or whoever else sews up the nomination, says Morris, as the best way to assure Sen. Clinton her own stint as president. "If I were advising her right now, I would say take it, because you're not going to lose by a lot," Morris urged. "And if a Democrat wins, if Kerry wins, how is she going to stay fresh for eight years in the Senate?" The one-time White House political guru noted also that if someone other than Hillary takes the VP slot and wins, she'll have another rival to contend with for her own White House bid."

Welcome to the world of J-Pandering. What have the candidates been doing for our votes and just how important is the Jew factor?,
by Benyamin Cohen, Jewsweek, January 29, 2004
"The Iowa Caucuses are over and the New Hampshire primary votes are in. And that can mean only one thing: election season is in full swing. Four years ago we were just a few chads away from having the first mezuzah in the White House. Now, a botched election, a war in Iraq, and several missteps later, we have arrived at that precipice yet again. And this time, Joe Lieberman isn't content with playing second fiddle, but is going for the Oval Office ... But before you start getting your tztitzit all tangled up, be aware of this -- Lieberman is not the only yid with presidential dreams. At last count, no less than half the candidates are pulling their Jewish heritage out of their back pockets and using them to bring in the votes. Consider this: Wesley Clark, whose last name used to be Kahane, is Jewish. And John Kerry, the Roman Catholic Massachusetts senator of Boston Brahmin heritage, recently discovered that his own background was Jewish. In addition, Howard Dean's wife, Dr. Judith Steinberg, is a member of the tribe and is raising her kids to be Jewish. And then, of course is Jumpin Joe Lieberman who, next to these other folks, looks like a chassid in Brooklyn. For a while there, it looked like Al Sharpton was the only one without a kosher connection. The candidates aren't stupid. (Well, maybe they are, but they do have smart people telling them what to do.) They know that a connection with Jewish identity can make a huge difference on election day. With Lieberman on the ticket, the Democrats gained 77 percent of the Jewish vote in 2000, their highest mark in years. Though proportionally Jews are but a tiny segment of the U.S. population -- less than two percent (but we're trying) -- we've always carried importance because of our high-profile engagement in politics, academia, and media; that we come out to vote in numbers vastly disproportionate to our size helps out a lot, too ... Retired General Wesley Clark, the most recent entry to the crowded field, is a religious amalgam: Raised a Southern Baptist, his family has deep Jewish roots -- his ancestors were eminent rabbis. But he converted to Catholicism in Vietnam and now attends a Presbyterian church. "I go to church. I've been a Christian my whole life," he says. As well, infamous Kabbalist and pop icon Madonna has thrown her support behind the religiously confused Clar ... Another issue is that the very religious identifier that could help a candidate with the wider electorate might hurt him within his own denomination. That is because so many faiths are currently roiled by divisive internal debates. Thus a Jewish candidate, for example, might be forced to answer sensitive questions about Jewish practice or relations with Israel. And Catholic candidates would likely become embroiled in the internecine fights over abortion rights and perhaps face sanctions from church hierarchy who want them to vote according to official church teaching. Indeed, when Lieberman ran in 2000, many Jewish journalists took the side of explaining why Jews should go out of their way to not vote for the yarmulke-wearing Connecticut senator. One reason, they claimed, was that having a Jewish leader of the free world would only fan the already growing flames of anti-Semitism across the globe. The Republicans are making a comeback For decades American Jews have been the most solidly Democratic bloc apart from African-Americans, and for nearly as long, Republicans have been saying they are on the verge of ending that monopoly. This year, experts say, the GOP may have its best shot at making that dream a reality. A July 2003 Jewsweek cover story entitled " Enter the Jewpublicans" discussed the burgeoning trend among younger Jews to vote Republican. The defining issue, of course, is the Bush administration's campaign against Islamist radicals. After 9/11, many Jewish commentators said that the United States was now experiencing, in terms of the daily threat of terrorism, what Israel has lived through for years. That close identification between Israel and the U.S. remains and many Jews across America have begun to fall in love with the Bush administration. This alliance is not without risks for the president, however. Experts say that if the war with Iraq continues to reveal cracks in the Bush administration's facade, or if President Bush tries to distance himself from the hard-line policies of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Jews in America could grow uneasy about the administration's commitment to defeating Muslim-based terrorism. Moreover, the political alliance between Bush's evangelical Christian base and Jewish groups is fraught with religious perils. The same conservative Christians who strongly support Israel often do so out of theological convictions about the Second Coming of Jesus and the need to convert Jews to Christianity. These are flashpoints that can explode at any time."

Rabbis Talk Jewish Life in Eastern Europe,
By VANESSA GERA, Newsday, February 2, 2004
"More than 100 Orthodox rabbis gathered Monday to seek ways to revive Jewish life in eastern and central European communities still recovering from the devastation of World War II and repression by the communists. The three-day meeting, which began Sunday, comes a few months before the European Union adds 10 new members, mostly ex-communist states where many Jews either perished in the Holocaust or fled communist rule. The chief rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders in the ex-Soviet sphere for promoting religious tolerance and opposing anti-Semitism. "It's a miracle that the Jewish community is reviving after 70, 80 years of repression when synagogues were being closed and turned into warehouses, theaters, hospitals," Lazar said. "It's like people are coming out of prison and seeing freedom for the first time." Austrian President Thomas Klestil, who met with the rabbis Monday, called the gathering "a signal that Jewish people from all over the world are welcome in Austria" ...The new school will train rabbis, who then will be sent to former communist countries to help rebuild Jewish life there, Biederman said. It is financed by the Austrian government and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, which has worked to revive Jewish life in formerly communist Europe. "The eastern communities are reviving after decades of communism, but they have to start from scratch and start schools," Biederman said. "We have to provide them with rabbis." Since the fall of communism, rabbis trained in Israel or the United States have been sent to synagogues and schools in former Soviet bloc countries ... At Monday's academy inauguration ceremony, European Commission President Romano Prodi will receive a humanitarian award for his efforts to protect minorities in Europe, according to the Rabbinical Center of Europe, the event organizer. The award comes as Prodi and Jewish leaders work to patch up their differences following several disputes. Prodi said Friday the European Commission will host a Feb. 19 conference on anti-Semitism in Europe, an event put on hold after some Jewish groups accused the EU head office of anti-Semitism. The New York-based World Jewish Congress condemned the European Commission for censoring a study highlighting the involvement of Europe's Arab minorities in anti-Semitic attacks in Europe in recent years. Previously, an EU-commissioned survey put Israel at the top of a list of nations seen by Europeans as threatening world peace. Several Jewish groups condemned the report, with the World Jewish Congress calling it "flawed and dangerously inflammatory."

Israeli Cabinet Minister Tzipi Livni Available to Discuss Situation in Israel, Peace Process,
U.S. Newswire, Februyary 2, 2004
"News Advisory: WHO: Anti-Defamation League (ADL) WHAT: ADL National Executive Committee Meeting WHERE: The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 5 - Friday, Feb. 6. Israeli Cabinet Member Tzipi Livni, Minister for Immigration and Absorption, will be available for interviews during ADL's National Executive Committee Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, February 5 - 6, 2004. Minister Livni will be available to discuss the current situation in Israel, the status of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, terrorism, the security fence, and comment on breaking news in the Middle East."

U.S. Envoy: Violence Robs Ireland Future,
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Las Vegas Sun, February 2, 2004
"Continuing violence by the Irish Republican Army and other outlawed groups "robs the people of Northern Ireland of their future," the new American envoy to this long-troubled British territory said Monday, on the eve of another round of negotiations. Hopes were low that the planned three months of negotiations starting Tuesday would resolve arguments that have bedeviled the Good Friday peace accord, which proposed a vast package of goals six years ago to end the 35-year conflict here. The new envoy, Mitchell Weiss, met with Britain's governor here, Paul Murphy, at the start of a three-day visit to Belfast, Dublin and London. Weiss is a weapons control expert who serves as director of policy planning at the State Department. Weiss said his immediate goal was to "listen and learn" about the province's competing factions and prospects for progress. His predecessor as President Bush's envoy to Northern Ireland, Richard Haass, resigned last year to become director of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Weiss said he understood that many people were frustrated by the failure to sustain a representative administration in this territory of 1.7 million people, about 55 percent of whom are British Protestants and 40 percent Irish Catholics."

Yukos-sponsored Khakamada accuses Putin,
The Russian Journal, January 14, 2004
"Yukos sponsored charity fund Open Russia will support Irina Khakamada, the co-chairman of the Russian rightist political party the Union of Right Forces (SPS), at the presidential elections. This was the statement made by the rightist candidate at a press-conference today. Speaking about herself in third person, she confirmed that Yukos sponsors her campaign: “Leonid Nevzlin has made a public announcement that he supports Khakamada and is ready to make a payment”. Nevzlin is one of the majot Yukos shareholders, living in Israel. “Nevzlin offered Open Russia members to support Khakamada”, the rightist said, not giving any detail about the size of the expected financial aid. At the beginning of her campaign, in the course of which she intends not to actually ‘challenge Kremlin and Putin, but to address democratic electorate with encouragement’, according to RIA Novosti, Khakamada nevertheless started with accusations against Kremlin. She appealed to Russians in an open letter accusing president Vladimir Putin of an intended and cold-blooded use of deadly gas during the storm of the music theater during the Nord-Ost crisis in Oct., 2002. Khakamada says she is running for the presidency to reveal the truth about this crime and other crimes of state authorities. Khakamada told journalists she was going to leave the Union of Right Forces in the event the party did not support her candidacy at the presidential elections, as she believes a candidate must not represent a party that does not support him. Khakamada added that the possibility of nominating other SPS leaders, Boris Nemtsov and Anatoly Chubais, as presidential candidates would be considered at an SPS convention on Jan., 28."

Khakamada meets US officials in Washington,
Russian Journal, January 27, 2004
"Irina Khakamada, former Union of the Right Forces leader and presidential candidate, made a trip to Washington on invitation of American congressman Christopher Cox. There she met American congressmen, State Department representatives and had a short unofficial meeting with US national security advisor Condoleezza Rice. On Tuesday she spoke at Carnegie Fund before experts on Russia and US government officials. During the trip Khakamada tried to propagate her ideas regarding current situation with democracy in Russia and to find support from the US administration. “I tried to explain first of all that US-Russia strategic cooperation is only possible"

Israel Asks State Dept. to Put Off Report,
By BARRY SCHWEID, Las Vegas Sun, February 2, 2004
"Israel has asked the State Department to postpone its annual human rights report for fear it could be used by the International Court of Justice against the security barrier the Israelis are building. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Israeli request was under consideration. Department spokesman Richard Boucher, when asked about an article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz disclosing the request, said he was "not aware of anything like that." Boucher also said the department intended to present the report on time, at the end of February. Another U.S. official said Israel worried contentions that its security barrier interfered with the lives of Palestinians might be reflected in the human rights report and influence the court in The Hague, The Netherlands. Last week, the United States backed Israel in opposing the court's consideration of the case. It was brought by the U.N. General Assembly, with a request for an opinion, not a decision. Still, the State Department told the court that cases can be brought only by states, not by the General Assembly, and that intervention could hurt prospects for negotiating a settlement of the issue. The European Union last Friday also opposed the court's involvement. The court is expected to begin hearings on the security barrier Feb. 23 with the backing of the Palestinians. It was not known when the court might issue an opinion. Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, said nations that supported Israel's position "don't respect international law ... but rather follow in this mentality, the mentality of racist actions." President Bush and other senior U.S. officials have invoked Israel's right of self-defense in rebuffing Palestinian and Arab demands that the administration oppose the project outright. However, Bush and the other officials have strongly objected to parts of the construction plan on grounds that the combination of trenches, fences, walls, razor wire and electronic sensors would interfere with Palestinians' daily lives."

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Frist to Address United Jewish Communities Washington 14 Conference, U.S. Senators Join Roster of Political, Media and Community Figures Speaking at March 21 – 23 Event, January 30, 2004,
United Jewish Communties
"Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will address attendees of the United Jewish Communities (UJC) Washington 14 Conference, taking place March 21-23 in the nation’s capital. Washington 14, sponsored by the UJC Young Leadership Department, is expected to attract nearly 2,000 young Jewish leaders from across the continent who will hear from top American, Israeli and Jewish political, media and community figures, meet other socially involved Jews, and discuss critical issues affecting the Jewish community with their representatives on Capitol Hill. The conference theme, We Can Make a Difference, underscores the power of the next generation of Jewish leaders, collectively and individually, to create positive social and political change, and to practice tikkun olam, repair of the world. “We are honored and proud that two of the country’s most senior political leaders will address participants of Washington 14,” said conference Co-Chair Jonathan A. Mayer of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and a member of the UJC National Young Leadership Cabinet. “As majority leader, Senator Frist is the highest ranking member of the Senate, and Senator Clinton's leadership and reputation speak for themselves. “Their support over the years for issues of concern to the Jewish community is a testament to the strength of our involvement in the political process, and underscores the theme of Washington 14, We Can Make a Difference, both politically and socially,” he continued ... Washington 14 sessions will focus on such issues as anti-Semitism, terrorism, Israel’s image in the media, domestic violence, and social justice. Other guest speakers include: political satirist Al Franken; Daniel Ayalon, Israeli ambassador to the United States; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-Nevada); Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia); Steven Emerson, award-winning author and commentator specializing in national security, terrorism and Middle East affairs; Rabbi Shoshana Gelfand, vice president and acting director of the Wexner Heritage Foundation; Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of CLAL - The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta; Dennis Prager, radio talk show host on KABC, Los Angeles; and Dr. Sabi Shabtai, internationally recognized authority on terrorism."

France to Help Finance Jewish Security Measures,
Reuters, February 3, 2004
"France has earmarked $18.61 million to help boost security for Jewish schools, synagogues and offices threatened by recent anti-Semitic attacks, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday. "This is not just a problem for the Jews," he told the National Assembly. "Every time a Jew is attacked because he's Jewish, it's a stain on all of France." "We are determined to eradicate anti-Semitism in this country," he said, adding that attacks on Jews and Jewish property had fallen by 37 percent between 2002 and 2003. Also Tuesday, Justice Minister Dominique Perben said police in the eastern town of Macon had opened an inquiry after a Jewish singer was harassed with cries of "dirty Jew" and "death to Jews" as she sang a song about Jerusalem last week. Perben received the singer, known by her stage name Shirel, and told he was "very shocked by these anti-Semitic insults." Sarkozy, who has been working with France's Muslim leaders to better integrate their five-million strong community, told legislators the surge in anti-Semitic attacks in recent years was not a confrontation between ethnic groups. Officials have blamed anti-Semitic attacks in recent years mostly on disaffected Muslim youths taking revenge for Israeli policy in the Palestinian territories, sometimes after seeing reports from the region on Arab satellite television."

Ripping of the taxpayer, student-style,
by Ben Shapiro, Town Hall, Send February 4, 2004
"While most Californians -- like me -- are looking forward to government downsizing, some are afraid of losing benefits. Unsurprisingly, those crying the loudest for money from the pockets of others are my fellow college students, the "gimme" generation. A group led by the University of California Student Association and four UC students is suing Gov. Schwarzenegger for repealing the car tax and cutting outreach and labor programs at the University of California. Many of these outreach programs have admirable goals. None of them deserves state money. Private funding to help "underrepresented" groups reach the UC system is proper and worthwhile. But in a state where the top 4 percent of each high school class automatically are eligible to enter the UC system, race-based outreach should not be subsidized by public dollars. Outreach at the University of California is designed to bring "diversity" into the college classroom. After the abolition of affirmative action programs in California, outreach became big business. Outreach caters to black and Latino communities to the tune of $24 million per year ... As a UC student, I have benefited immensely from state education, but if the taxpayers are unwilling to spend money on my schooling, I must take personal responsibility for my own tuition. When Californians elected the Terminator, they voted for government cuts. Cuts hurt. But they hurt far less than tax increases, as Gov. Davis discovered." Benjamin Shapiro was born in 1984 in Burbank, Calif. Brought up in the home of two Reagan Republicans, where intelligent conversation about politics and philosophy was encouraged, Shapiro quickly developed into a reasoned political thinker and a powerful writer. He entered UCLA at the age of 16 and is currently a senior majoring in political science. Never afraid to antagonize his political opposition, he was the only counter-protester at an Affirmative Action Rally that drew over 1,500 people on UCLA's campus, and he has repeatedly challenged liberal professors and faculty. He was hired in the summer of 2001 by the advertising team that had run George W. Bush's presidential campaign, writing copy for its planned ad campaign in support of Israel. As a staunch conservative on the modern politically correct campus, Shapiro faces the political liberals head-on. From exposing the leftist tilt of the professoriate on college campuses to addressing the conflict in the Middle East, Shapiro's confrontational approach always draws a hailstorm of response. His columns are printed nationwide in major newspapers and websites, including Townhall.com, the Orlando Sentinel, and the Conservative Chronicle. He is a regular guest on numerous radio shows around the United States and Canada."

[Bush just announced his planned American budget, including a swarm of cuts in education and social programs, YET the U.S. will be kissing the Jewish Lobby's Omnipresent Butt and "compensating" the racist Israeli "settler" fanatics in Gaza. Why? Jews OWN American foreign policy. It is their personal plaything.]
The cost of a possible Gaza evacuation,
By Ellis Shuman, Israel Insider, February 3, 2004
"A Finance Ministry team has recently begun preparing a formula for compensating Jewish families that would leave their homes and businesses in 17 Gaza Strip settlements, Maariv reported today. The estimated compensation that would be awarded to each of some 1,500 families would be about $500,000. The United States will be asked to help cover the cost. The Finance Ministry team, led by Director-General Yossi Bachar, will present its compensation formula to National Security Council chairman Giora Eiland, who has been asked by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to prepare implementation of the disengagement plan, which would include the "relocation" of Gaza settlements to new locations in Israel. Sharon said the removal of the Gaza settlements should be made with the settlers' consent and the support of the American government. "We are talking of a population of 7,500 people. It's not a simple matter. We are talking of thousands of square kilometers of hothouses, factories and packing plants. There are people who are third generation there," he said. Compensation to the relocated settlers will be based on the same formula used to compensate settlers evacuated in the early 1980s from the Sinai following the signing of Israel's peace treaty with Egypt ... According to media reports, Sharon plans to present U.S. President George W. Bush a detailed list and timetable for the Gaza evacuation, which may begin as early as this summer. Sharon is expected to ask for special aid from the United States to help implement the plan, the reports said. Following the signing of Israel's peace agreement with Egypt, the United States paid for a large proportion of the cost of dismantling Jewish communities in the Sinai: both compensation payments to the Jews who lost their homes and the cost of relocating them in Israel, Globes reported. That American aid may serve as a precedent if Sharon's plan to evacuate the 17 Gaza Strip settlements is implemented."

'Irish-American' Kerry's Jewish roots revealed,
BY LYNN SWEET, Chicago Sun-Times, February 9, 2004
"Presidential candidates find their lives--and their lineage--are put under a microscope. In the case of Sen. John Forbes Kerry, new scrutiny led to the discovery that the grandfather of the Massachusetts Democrat was Jewish, born Fritz Kohn in a small town that was once part of the Austrian empire and now is in the Czech Republic. The revelation is interesting because Kerry is most often taken as a Boston Brahmin, mainly because his mother comes from the upper-crust Forbes and Winthrop families, who are well-known in New England. Kerry is also a practicing Catholic. His name and his home state, which contains the nation's biggest Irish-American population, have led people to conclude that he is something he is not. "People assume," said Kerry spokesman David Wade. "Your name is Kerry, you are from Massachusetts, the land of the Kennedys." It remains to be seen whether any issue will develop over whether Kerry tried hard enough to wave people away from the assumption that he was Irish-American. Several friends of Kerry who were interviewed said they assumed him to be Irish-American. Kerry learned about his grandfather's heritage last month from Boston Globe reporter Michael Kranish, whose research led to Kerry discovering the details of his grandfather's 1921 suicide in a Boston hotel washroom. The son of a diplomat, "John has talked a lot about how he grew up in different places, how he did not have a sense of connectiveness," said Wade. Since the story was published last Sunday, Kerry found it "great to have a sense of family history he did not have before." Kerry told the Globe he had found out about 15 years ago that his paternal grandmother, Ida Lowe, was born Jewish. But he said he knew nothing about his grandfather's roots. Wade said Kerry said he remembers his grandmother as a "zealous Catholic." The Globe pieced together Kerry's genealogy through Ellis Island immigration records, other documents in Chicago and records from the former Austrian Empire. The paper hired Felix Gundacker, director of the Institute for Historical Family Research in Vienna, to examine and translate the German-language records. Kerry's grandfather, who emigrated to the United States in 1905, was born in an Austrian town once known as Bennisch, which today is called Horni Benesov in the Czech Republic. Gundacker found birth records noting the 1873 birth of a Fritz Kohn and another record noting Kohn changed his name to Frederick Kerry on March 17, 1902. The Globe quoted Gundacker as "1,000 percent certain" that Kerry/Kohn was born to a Jewish family because the church records were on a page listing Jewish families. Ironically, Kerry's younger brother, Cameron, a Boston lawyer, converted to Judaism in 1983, when he married a Jewish woman. Kerry grew up in the dark over the circumstances of his grandfather's suicide.""

Dana Rohrabacher’s Troubling Friends,
By Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com, January 26, 2004
"Top Jewish Republicans who have supported Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) for decades said in interviews that they have “serious concerns” with the California Republican’s ties to radical Muslim groups and their foreign backers, and his outspoken efforts to champion their cause in Congress. “Before 9-11, Dana’s views seemed idiosyncratic,” said Arnold Steinberg, a political consultant whose ties to Rohrabacher go back to Youth for Goldwater in 1964. “We rationalized that he wasn’t fully informed or had a blind spot” to the Islamists, who were contributing to his re-election campaigns, hanging around his office, and sponsoring trips by Rohrabacher and his staff to the Arab Middle East. Rohrabacher seemingly paid back those contributors by an “even-handed” approach toward the Israeli-Arab conflict, a key demand of influential Muslim backers. “Even-handed” is a code-word used by radical Muslim groups, such as the American Muslim Council (AMC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), to signify support for the Palestinian cause, including Hamas, and angry condemnation of Israel as a terrorist state. After 9-11, Rohrabacher’s views and public actions took on a more sinister appearance, as radical Muslim groups began to count on him increasingly as support for their positions dwindled in Congress. In a heated May 2, 2002 exchange with conservative talk show host Alan Keyes, for instance, Rohrabacher insisted that “[Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon and [Palestinian Authority President Yasser] Arafat are cut out of the same cloth” and claimed that “there’s been acts of terrorism committed against the Palestinian people as well,” statements that made Keyes audibly gasp. ... Steinberg is just one of a closely-knit group of Rohrbacher friends and supporters who have been trying over the past eighteen months to get the California libertarian to open himself up to other viewpoints. For years, these supporters - many of whom asked not to be cited by name for this article - have urged Rohrabacher to travel to Israel. When he complained that no one would sponsor the trip, they offered to pay his travel expenses, but again he refused. “He was a journalist for years, he was in the White House, he was a member of congress since 1988,” one donor said. “Somehow, he never went to Israel, despite trips all over the world, and especially to Arab countries.” Rohrabacher finally traveled to Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of a three-day Congressional delegation in 2003. “Dana has a very antagonist attitude toward Ariel Sharon,” says long-time supporter Howard Klein, a member of the influential Lincoln Club of Orange county Republicans. “But it goes much deeper than that. He doesn’t understand the strategic or moral imperatives in the U.S. alliance with Israel and the forces that want to drive Israel to extinction.” Rohrabacher refused to answer questions for this article, on the grounds that the publisher of Frontpagemag.com, David Horowitz, has been “actively involved in trying to recruit someone to run against him in the Republican primary,” a spokesman said. But an aid who accompanied him on the trip to Israel insisted that Rohrabacher “spoke the same language” to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, infuriating them both."

Background / Will Sharon help Bush win re-election?,
By Bradley Burston, Haaretz (Israel), Februay 10, 2004
"When Ariel Sharon was elected to the premiership a few days after George W. Bush took his own oath of office in early 2001, Sharon began his victory speech by telling cheering supporters of a telephone call he had just received, from the White House. "No one believed then," the prime minister-elect quoted Bush as having told him, in a reference to a visit in which Sharon had taken then-governor Bush on a tour of the West Bank, "that I would be president and you would be prime minister. But as things turned out, despite the fact that no one believed us, I have been elected president, and you have been elected prime minister." They are two men who are accustomed to being underestimated, vilified as murderers, scorned as possessors of ill intent. They are two men who share a commonality of neo-conservative outlook and action. And, although diplomatic etiquette forbids them from saying so outright, they are two men who, it may be assumed, would very much like to see the other stay in office for the foreseeable future. No foreign leader has visited the Bush White House more often than Sharon, to whom Bush has referred in talks with visitors as "my friend Arik." For Sharon, the 2004 presidential election may be crucial to the fate of the policies he foresees. As a consequence, the U.S. race could be a key factor in determining outcome of a possible re-election campaign of Sharon's own. There is little doubt that Bush has been as congenial a U.S. president as Sharon could have desired, allowing the prime minister historic levels of freedom of action in both the military and diplomatic spheres. By contrast - and with Joseph Lieberman now out of the race to the White House - the positions of nearly all Democratic candidates are seen as likely to hew to Oslo-influenced lines inspired by party icon Bill Clinton. In spirit if not in detail or pace, the Democratic platform may well have its roots in Clinton's ill-fated rush to forge a workable Israeli-Palestinian peace before he turned over the keys to the Oval Office to Bush. Should they begin where Clinton left off, Democrats are unlikely to abide for even a moment such Sharon-bred notions as the creation of Palestinian cantons in the West Bank. In many areas of the United States, Arab American activists and donors also enjoy much better access to Democratic movers and shakers than to Republicans. If, in fact, Sharon would prefer to see George Bush re-elected, what can he do to help? The question is not a simple one, in view of the complexity of U.S. Jewry's relationship to Israel in general, and to Sharon in particular. American Jews have been among the strongest champions of Sharon's policies, and among the most acrid of his critics ... . The best way for Sharon to aid the Bush re-election bandwagon may be to stay out of its way. "On the one hand, Sharon must avoid situations that would force Bush into a head-on confrontation with Israel," says Haaretz commentator Akiva Eldar. "On the other, he must avoid any move that would embarass Bush, any move that could make Bush look like a jerk with regard to the road map and the 'Bush vision' - to avoid any move that could add the road map to the list of fiascos in the Middle East. "From now on, and until the election, what Sharon needs to do to help Bush is to put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the back burner from the president's standpoint. To keep it out of the headlines. This involves, first of all, refraining from making any dramatic moves such as expelling or killing Yasser Arafat." ... Visiting Israel this week, insider's insider Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations said Bush might fare even better when Jews go to the polls. Jewish support for Bush "could go up higher, maybe even as high as 40 percent, which would be a significant change," said Hoenlein, who has been credited in the past with leading the organized Jewish community's perceived tilt to the right ... Bearing in mind that the Democratic majority among Jews remains strong, Bush's best strategy may be in working to keep Jewish donors from giving to the Democratic contender - at present, Kerry - Eldar believes. This involves casting doubt on Kerry's support for Israel, not an easy task in view of the senator's past pro-Israel record. "What I believe that what Bush will do is to try to convince the Jewish constituency that he is more pro-Israel than Kerry."

The City Politic. Cash and Kerry. The city’s wealthy Kerry backers have a message for undecided donors: Fund the front-runner—now—or lose to Bush later,
By Greg Sargent, New York magazine, February 16, 2004
"The cocktail party at financier Blair Effron’s Park Avenue duplex on February 3 had a simple purpose: to persuade some of the city’s biggest political fund-raisers to throw their considerable resources behind the one man their hosts believe can beat George W. Bush—John Kerry. Effron had invited a special guest, former Nebraska governor turned New School president Bob Kerrey, to convince this deep-pockets crowd that the front-runner was indeed electable. And there Kerrey stood, in front of a big screen bearing an image of the nation’s electoral map, pressing his case. As fund-raising targets like money manager Gregg Hymowitz and real-estate magnate John Tishman looked on, Kerrey outlined a detailed, state-by-state scenario in which the junior Massachusetts senator could take the White House. The room buzzed with excited political chatter ... Ever since Iowa, Kerry’s New York finance team, led by Jamie Whitehead, has done a remarkable job of diverting money and supporters his way. Just last week, for instance, Harvey Weinstein decided to back Kerry after a long period of fence-sitting. Weinstein was considered a coup, since he can organize celebrity-studded events that can move hefty sums of Hollywood cash into political coffers. And Kerry has won other big New York backers recently, like money manager Richard Medley and former ambassador Carl Spielvogel and his wife, author Barbaralee Diamonstein."

Jews Choose. Will George W. Bush get their vote come November?,
By Carl Schrag, Slate, February10, 2004
"Matthew Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, has been riding high lately. Who can blame him? After toiling away as the leading spokesman of Jewish Republicans for more than a dozen years, he's finally starting to see signs that the tiny interest group might be growing. When the American Jewish Committee released a poll last month showing that as many as 31 percent of American Jews would vote for President Bush if presidential elections were held today, Brooks could hardly contain his glee. In fact, he didn't seem to try at all. "It [is] now undeniable that there is a major shift taking place among Jewish voters," Brooks trumpeted in a press release commenting on the poll ... Many would ask why the Jewish vote is so important—Jews comprise less than 2 percent of the country's population. But their significance comes from three key factors: First of all, Jews tend to vote in larger numbers than other ethnic groups. Secondly, their concentration in urban areas in high-population states means their votes help determine the allocation of large numbers of Electoral College votes. And finally, they don't limit their political activism to Election Day; Jews have been among the most generous supporters of political campaigns, especially those of Democratic candidates. While the high Jewish turnout is likely to continue, the largest concentrations of Jewish voters may not help the president, even if they do swing to his side. New York and California, home to the country's two largest concentrations of Jews, account for 86 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win, but even if Jews turn out for Bush, however, it's unlikely their votes will be enough to tip the balance in these two states. In swing states such as Florida, however, a change of Jewish heart could mean the difference for the Bush campaign."

Top Cops Return From JINSA-Sponsored Anti-Terror Study In Israel,
JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs), February 9, 2004
"Fourteen of the most senior police chiefs, sheriffs and state police commanders returned from Israel last week after five days of intensively studying counter terrorism techniques. These law enforcement executives traveled to Israel on January 24 and returned January 30, 2004. They went as participants in JINSA’s Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP). Modeled after the JINSA’s extremely successful Flag & General Officers Trip, the LEEP program is designed to establish cooperation between American and Israeli law enforcement personnel and to give the American law enforcement community access to the hard “lessons learned” by the Israelis in the interdiction of and response to all forms of terrorism. The Israeli National Police hosted the Americans with participation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency. The delegation studied methods and observed techniques used by Israeli police forces in preventing and reacting to suicide bombers, and joined Israeli police on a nighttime patrol of Tel Aviv. The agenda also focused on the critical role of intelligence gathering and interagency information sharing ... The group also took time to look at the Security Fence as a defensive measure to lessen the possibility of terrorist infiltration. The saw where the fence has already been constructed as well as planned future sights. The consensus of the group was that in light of prior Israeli casualties the fence has saved lives. Steven Pomerantz, Executive Director of the Center For Criminal Justice Technology at Mitretek Systems, in Virginia, led in the planning and execution of the trip on the American side. In summing up the goals of the LEEP project, Pomerantz, a former Assistant Director of the FBI and a member of JINSA’s Board of Advisors, noted, “Nothing can replicate American officials seeing these types of problems firsthand and the systems that are put in place to deal with them.” This is the second time JINSA has organized a delegation of U.S. law enforcement officials to learn from their Israeli counterparts. Called the Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP), JINSA hopes to undertake the trip annually, each time with a new group of officers. Participants were invited through a process that considered geographic region, their involvement in national professional policing organizations and their professional responsibilities in the fight against terrorism. For example, in addition to serving as chief of his department, Chief Joseph Polisar is the current president of the International Chiefs of Police (IACP), the largest international police organization in the world. All other major American law enforcement organizations were represented on the trip including the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major Counties Sheriffs Association and the Police Executive Research Forum. Participants in the program included: Chief Joseph Carter Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Col. Richard Fuentes New Jersey State Police, Sheriff Patrick Gallivan Erie County, N.Y. [encompassing Buffalo, NY], William Gore Special Adviser and Chief of Investigations for the San Diego County, Calif. District Attorney, Commander Cathy Lanier Commanding officer of the Special Operations Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C., Sheriff Patrick McGowan Hennepin County, Minn. [encompassing Minneapolis], Col. Jeffrey Miller Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau Chief John Miller Los Angeles Police Department's Critical Incident Management Bureau, Sheriff Jim Pendergraph Mecklenburg County, N. Car. [encompassing Charlotte], Chief Joseph Polisar Garden Grove, Calif. Police Department, First Deputy Superintendent Dana Starks Chicago Police Department, Deputy Chief Larry Thompson Chief of Uniformed Services, United States Capitol Police, and Chief Maryanne Viverette Gaithersburg, Md. Police Department. Mark Broxmeyer, JINSA’s Chairman traveled with the group."

Raiding the U.S. Treasury,
By Ronald Forthofer, Palestine Chronicle, February 16, 2003
"Like a thief in the night, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is planning a raid on the U.S. Treasury to the tune of $12 to $14 billion. This amount is in addition to about $3 to $5 billion Israel already receives each year from U.S. taxpayers. Shamefully, the Bush administration agreed to this raid, but asked Sharon not to campaign openly for these funds. Bush wants to keep the U.S. taxpayer in the dark about this incredibly huge transfer of our tax dollars to Israel. Bush is probably afraid that we taxpayers would question this gift in a time when he claims we can't afford to fund many programs here at home. For example, $12 billion could provide health care for millions of our children who currently have to go to emergency rooms for treatment. Or it could fund affordable housing programs for hundreds of thousands of Americans. Some might prefer to use it to put money into the cleanup of Super Fund sites. Others might use it to jump-start a renewable energy program to decrease our reliance on foreign oil. It is clear that there are many pressing needs here at home. There are also tremendous needs internationally where this money could make a huge difference in reducing poverty and help restore our image as a caring nation. Some claim that Israel is our ally and therefore deserving of this huge subsidy. This is the same country that spies on the U.S. and which provided the Soviet Union with information obtained from Jonathan Pollard, the American who spied for Israel. Casper Weinberger, then U.S. Secretary of Defense, said about Pollard's treason that: "It is difficult for me ... to conceive of a greater harm to national security than that caused by the defendant in the view of the breadth, the critical importance to the U.S., and the high sensitivity of the information he sold to Israel." Israel has also provided China with weapons based on advanced U.S. technology. In addition, Israel is the nation that deliberately attacked the USS Liberty in open waters, killing 34 U.S. sailors and wounding another 171. With friends like Israel, who needs enemies? If this aid were granted, how would Israel use it? Four billion dollars are for additional military aid and the rest is loan guarantees. Sharon, a war criminal to many throughout the world, claims Israel needs more military aid because of the second Palestinian Intifada. Talk about chutzpah!