For all the talk about AIPAC, the Israel lobby and various alleged nefarious grassroots lobbyists for the Jewish state – nobody can touch the Saudi lobby for influence in this country. Ex ambassadors are lured by Saudi money to become lobbyists or heads of Saudi funded think tanks, universities are endowed to create Islamic studies departments, former politicians and cabinet appointees (the late Spiro Agnew, Paul Findley and the odious Brent Scowcroft) are also bought off, all to spread the lies about the peacefulness of Islam and the Arab world.
by Benny Avni
The legend of the Jewish lobby’s influence over US policies continues to grow — even as the Arab lobby, led by the Saudis, keeps racking up successes.
With petrodollars and tender loving care spent lavishly on universities, ex-diplomats, PR firms and gullible journalists, the Arab Lobby constantly pushes two contradictory story lines:
* Arabs seek peace with Israel.
* There’s no place for a Jewish state in the Middle EastThis week, Saudi-led Arab countries have convinced Western reporters that they’re advancing the peace process with Israel. Meanwhile, universities in America, Canada, Europe and the Arab world are marking “Israeli Apartheid Week” — a vile campaign meant to return the “Zionism is racism” equation to the top of the world’s agenda.
In Cairo yesterday, the Arab League gave its nod of approval for the Palestinian Authority‘s president, Mahmoud Abbas, to participate in indirect talks with Israel. This is meant to show us that the Arab countries are seeking peace.
Yet, in reality, Israelis and Palestinians have publicly conducted direct talks since the early 1990s. The Palestinians broke off those talks last year under increasing pressure from leading Arab countries, which hoped President Obama would lean hard on the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
[…]
Only a well-oiled PR machine can explain how the Saudis manage to harness such dear liberal values as oppression of women: Even though women there aren’t even permitted to vote or drive, the Saudis managed for years to get good grades from the UN Development Program, which marks “improvement” in women’s status as progress.
But selling the “improvement” line — to the United Nations or to gullible New York Times columnists — isn’t enough. They have to add insult to injury by telling the Times’ Maureen Dowd that women suffer worse in Israel, thanks to “religious militants”.
Please read the whole thing here: The Arab Lobby: Racking up the victories
Tags: Benny Avni
