A Cornell columnist questions the special US-Israel friendship and accuses Jewish groups of stifling debate. But the facts don't bear out her argument.
At the Cornell Sun, columnist Laura Taylor blasts Israel’s supporters with accusations of stifling free speech. Taylor is entitled to her views and we respect her right to free speech. Although Taylor’s criticisms are published as a commentary, we take exception to her misuse of facts, which are fair game for criticism. As the Gannett Newspaper ethics code states:
We will hold factual information in opinion columns and editorials to the same standards of accuracy as news stories.
This is also the reason for legitimate criticism of Carter’s book, Palestine; Peace Not Apartheid. For a comprehensive laundry list of the book’s errors, see our colleagues at CAMERA. Unfortunately, Taylor simplistically dismisses valid criticisms of Carter’s book, writing:
For his work, Carter has been called a liar, a plagiarist and an anti-Semite.
Those that deviate from the pro-Israel rhetoric here in the United States often face this vitriol from critics. Those who stand up for the rights of the Palestinians are attacked for “hating the Jews” — as I was accused of at a recent Collegetown party — and told that we are at best uninformed, and at worst, bigots.
She raises another facetious charge:
Even the media within Israel allows for more debate than within the U.S. The question begs to be asked: Why is the debate within the U.S. so tightly constricted?
We haven’t seen any indications of constricted discourse among Palestinian supporters. An entire week of noxious, high-profile End Israeli Apartheid Week activities just wrapped up de-legitimizing the Jewish state. Follow-up efforts now focus on boycotts. Did Taylor miss the related debate at Wayne State , MIT, Stanford, Brandeis, New Mexico, Emory, Michigan, and Concordia, among others? The massive publicity of Jimmy Carter's book puts to rest allegations of stifled debate.
Carter himself stifled debate by only answering pre-screened questions at Brandeis and Emory appearances. This changed on Thursday when he finally agreed to answer unfiltered questions at George Washington U. Moreover, MIT’s Jewish students are wondering how their views were represented when Neturei Karta Rabbi Dovid Weiss was the sole Jewish voice in a panel discussion. A fringe group, the Neturei Karta is best known for attending Iran's Holocaust conference.
Taylor heaps scorn on the American-Israeli friendship, echoing a controversial Harvard report authored by Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt last year. According to Taylor, the close relations aren’t because Israel is a democracy, or because Israel is surrounded by Arab states sworn to its destruction. Taylor’s theory suggests an anti-American mindset:
The real reason for this relationship lies in the U.S.’s plans for the Middle East. The U.S. has several purposes in attempting to dominate the region. First, it wants to have control over the vast natural resources in the area — including oil and natural gas. These resources are limited, and the U.S. ruling elite wants to be in control of these supplies when we reach peak capacity and prices skyrocket.
In addition, the U.S. wants to prevent the rise of any competing superpower that might challenge its dominance. Currently, China is looking to increase its influence in the region by, most recently, making deals with Iran.
Allowing any other country to rise to the status of superpower would be detrimental to plans of complete control of the Middle East. Israel clearly plays a special role for the U.S. in its conquests in the region. Ha’aretz correctly describes Israel as “a watchdog … a ‘little loyal Jewish Ulster’ in a sea of Arab hostility.”
But as columnist David Hirsch notes:
There are many problems with this worldview. One problem is that Israel would have been killed at birth in the war of 1948 if it had not been armed by Stalin's Soviet Union against a British and American arms embargo.
And in a letter to the Cornell Sun, student Amanda Rudman points out that the “little loyal Jewish Ulster” line wasn’t originally made by Haaretz or even by an American. Rather, it was written by a Sir Ronald Storrs (pictured), an official of the British Mandate:
Ms. Taylor also argues that Israel’s role in the region is to militarily support U.S. dominance, writing, “Ha’aretz correctly describes Israel as ‘a watchdog … a ‘little loyal Jewish Ulster’ in a sea of Arab hostility.” Sir Ronald Storrs, the governor of Jerusalem under the British Mandate, wrote this in Orientations, published in 1937. Storrs said that a Jewish homeland in Palestine “will form for England a little loyal Jewish Ulster in a sea of potentially hostile Arabism.” Knowing the original author changes the meaning of the quote entirely.
Taylor doesn't understand that the US-Israeli friendship is based on common democratic, Judeo-Christian values. The US has close ties with free democracies like Canada, Britain, and Australia for similar reasons. The US doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with its allies because their legitimate national interests often diverge. Such disagreements occur in a context of respect for freedom and democracy. Nobody describes these countries as American outposts. Describing Israel as a “Jewish Ulster” only serves to de-legitimize the Jewish state.
James Taranto, Dore Gold, and Marvin Kalb were among the many people who debunked Walt and Mearsheimer. Their points disprove Taylor as well.
Write to the Cornell Sun at opinion@cornelldailysun.com
The following talking points may be helpful:
Talking Points
* Israel’s critics are entitled to their views. However, commentaries, books, speeches, etc. must be held to the same factual scrutiny as any newspaper article.
* Claims that Israel’s supporters stifle campus debate are unfounded, ignoring recent Apartheid Week and other well-publicized divestment efforts nationwide.
* The US-Israeli friendship is based on common Judeo-Christian, democratic values. The strategic alliance between the two countries pre-dates the rise of radical Islam. The idea that Israel is a mere US outpost isn’t supported by the historical record, oversimplifies the relationship and only de-legitimizes Israel
