MY "MY ISRAEL QUESTION" QUESTION

I have been reading the "fearless" Antony Loewenstein's My Israel Question intending to eventually review it. This is not a full blown review; rather, it's a look at something interesting I believe deserves further exploration.

On getting the book one of the first things I did was take a look at the sources cited. With the notes section at the end of the book occupying pages 260-319, my immediate thought was: Wow, this guy has done his homework. As it turns out, quantity does not ensure quality.

While reading Loewenstein's take on the political influence wielded in Congress by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) I encountered a reference (page 128) to a report by Jeffrey Blankfort on "the unconditional support for Israel" offered by politicans in exchange for "large amounts of money... from Zionist sources". The note for this reads: Jeffrey Blankfort, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who says they love Israel most of all?', MELB Congressional Report, vol. 3, no. 4, summer/fall 1992.

MELB does not appear in the book's list of abbreviations. So, I went online to discover that MELB is the Middle East Labor Bulletin, the "official" publication of the apparently defunct Labor Committe of the Middle East, co-founded by Jeffrey Blankfort. The top result for a Google of "Labor committe of the Middle East" is a Counterpunch article by Blankfort on how capitol police treated Representative (and Jew) Tom Lantos and Representative (and African-American) Cynthia McKinney differently in similar circumstances. Naturally, Blankfort arrives at the appropriate lefty conclusions. The promo blurb at the end of the article describes Blankfort as a radio program producer for KPOO in SanFrancisco and a "pro-Palestinian human rights activist since 1970".

I never did find Blankfort's Congressional report but did find out enough about him to have serious doubts about him as a reputable source. Naturally, I also started to have my doubts about Loewenstein's judgement in deeming such a source appropriate. My doubts were soon confirmed.

On the very next page Loewenstein cites as "evidence of AIPAC's continuing influence... the case of Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney". According to Loewenstein:

Her pro-Palestinian line cost her her seat in 2002 after five consecutive terms (though she regained her Congress position in 2004).

Oddly, Loewenstein's reference is a Stephen Zunes Common Dreams article titled Don't Blame the Jews for Cynthia McKinney's Defeat. In the article Zunes downplays KcKinney's support for Palestinian rights as a factor in her defeat. Loewenstein's referencing had now gone beyond dubious to be outright weird, maybe even intentionally deceptive – had he decided to pad out his references to give his book a cachet it doesn't deserve?.

At the end of the section on McKinney is the weirdest of all:

Indeed, it is increasingly important to Zionist groups that they win over the leaders of the Latino and Black communities, and this priority is reflected in the consistent pro-Israeli votes of congressional delegations, despite the fact that these votes provide no benefit to their constituents.

Loewenstein's reference is to an article by Tom Tugend in The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles titled Israel Tourism Drive Focuses on Latinos:

The campaign is a key part of a program outlined by Daniela Aharoni, the recently arrived director of the Israel Government Tourist Office for the Western United States. With Hispanics/Latinos making up nearly half the population of Los Angeles County and one-third of the state, this demographic will be of ever-growing importance in the years to come.

“We have found that Latinos are free-spending tourists, with a strong religious interest in the Holy Land,” said Aharoni, sitting in her office with an expansive view of midtown Los Angeles.

~

“Tourism is absolutely vital to Israel and its economy,” she said. “For every additional 100,000 visitors, 4,000 new service jobs are created.”

The article mentions neither influence nor congressional voting records.

Granted I've covered only three references over two pages of the book but it does seem to me that a clear pattern of misrepresentation has emerged. This brings me to my "My Israel Question" question: How did a reputable publisher come to publish this book?


As an aside, Loewenstein notes that some Americans believe the power of the Zionist lobby is overstated, citing American Jew Mitchell Plitnick as the only example. He could have cited Chomsky as well, but for some reason failed to mention that one of his heroes – Loewenstein's dog is named Chomsky, I believe – thinks the power of the Israel lobby is grossly overstated.

Update: The latest on the fearless anti-Israel crusader is here.