Opinion: a double standard of human rights; CA public officials supporting AIPAC

Contra Costa Times - Paul Larudee - In an astonishing display of political doublespeak, many of our Bay Area public officials will rally on Dec. 13-14 in support of a reactionary organization whose policies they claim to oppose.

...Our officials want to avoid a military confrontation with Iran; their hosts are encouraging it, and also support the occupations of Iraq and Palestine.

While every administration since 1967 -- Republican and Democrat -- has opposed Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, this organization has loyally sided with Israeli hard-liners, contrary to international law and our own U.S. foreign policy.

Two officials of this lobby were recently indicted on a charge of spying on behalf of a foreign government. In addition, the IRS received a 1,389 page claim that this lobby operates as an agent of a foreign government and should have its tax-exempt status retroactively revoked.

Where the U.S. espouses the values of human rights and freedoms, this organization defends the most egregious violators of those rights, according to human rights organizations.

So why would any public officials -- and especially those in the Bay Area, who traditionally defend human rights and oppose military solutions -- feel obliged to accept an invitation to the annual support dinner of an organization that does the opposite?

Because that organization is one of the post powerful lobbies in Washington, with the reputation of being able to make or break political careers.

The organization is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and it is able to marshal formidable financial and human resources to intimidate our public officials to act on behalf of a foreign government -- Israel -- and its persistent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Read more