Shamir and Arafat

I cannot recommend highly enough the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. It is one of my main sources of information regarding the Middle East and not an issue arrives that I do not read completely. The reason I am such a fan is the quality of the writing, the reputation of the writers and the fact that the magazine depends on readers rather than advertisers (who tend to sway content) for its existence.

It's policy with the magazine to only release contents online for issues before the current one. That means a couple of articles I consider must reads are now available to non-subscribers.

Neither one is lengthy but both are revealing, particularly to Americans who get anything from the Middle East carefully edited by the TV networks and the newsmagazines to be unoffensive to supporters of Israel.

The first article is about the (assumed) poisoning of Yassir Arafat, written by Israeli leftist Uri Avnery, who knew Arafat personally. It was written well before Arafat's body was exhumed and taken to France for chemical analysis from which results are awaited. The second article is on undisputed events of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's life that firmly place him in the category of terrorist, even by his own admission. Current PM Netanyahu was a protege of Shamir's.

Money from the Israel Lobby (list)

Thanks to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs for the following information. WRMEA is a 9 issues/year magazine packed with information I wish every American could read. All but their most recent issue is available at their website and this list comes from their pre-election issue.

Please note Mark Kirk, at the top of the list in the house, is now an Illinois senator. Also note the presence of Eric Cantor, who will now be House Majority Leader and Ileana Ros-Letinen who is on the house committee on foreign affairs (she often introduces pro-Israel resolutions and letters and uses her position to block legislation Israel doesn't like from reaching the house floor). On the list also is Steny Hoyer who is/was House Majority Leader under Nancy Pelosi. Don't overlook Harry Reid, who is/was Senate Majority Leader. Clearly, the Israel Lobby chooses wisely when influencing Congress with their money.

TOP TEN 2010 and CAREER RECIPIENTS
OF PRO-ISRAEL PAC FUNDS

compiled by Hugh Galford for WRMEA