"Israel" Lobby authors: Ahmadinejad not inciting to genocide

Source: AP, 13-06-2008

AL-QUDS (OCCUPIED 'JERUSALEM') - Two prominent American professors who sparked an uproar with their best-selling book critical of the powerful pro-'Israel' lobby in Washington, remarked Thursday that they felt that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for 'Israel' to be wiped off the map was not in fact incitement to genocide.

About 200 students and faculty members crammed into a stuffy lecture hall at the Hebrew University in occupied 'Jerusalem' (al-Quds) and grilled John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt for more than two hours about their harsh findings in The 'Israel' Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, published last year.

In the book, the pair argue that pro-'Israel' special interest groups have manipulated the U.S. political system to promote policies that favor 'Israel', while running counter to American interests. They argue that 'Israel' is often a strategic burden, not an asset, pointing to the 1991 Gulf War as an example, when the 'Israel'-U.S. alliance hindered the U.S. in building a coalition of forces.

Since Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago professor, and Walt, of Harvard
University, published their working paper of the same title in 2006, they have drawn the wrath of Jewish American groups and U.S. administration officials.

During Thursday's lecture, the authors said their goal was to draw a lively academic debate over a topic that was perceived as taboo before. As a result, they have become sought after speakers the world over, yet unwelcome at some American destinations.

"If you bring up the 'Israel' lobby, you are asking for trouble," Walt said as he opened his lecture. He said he knew he was playing with fire when he wrote the book, but said he would not be deterred by personal attacks against him.

Critics have charged them with shoddy scholarship, faulty logic and even anti-Semitism. The attacks have been compounded because Holocaust deniers are among those who have praised the book, though some mainstream analysts have said their work raised legitimate points.

On Thursday Mearsheimer and Walt, both renowned political scientists long before their book came out, outlined their findings in a brief introduction. They argued that the only logical explanation for the U.S. government handing 'Israel' $3 billion (1.95 billion) in annual aid, far more than any other U.S. ally, and supporting it unconditionally was the pro-'Israel' lobby, led by the American 'Israel' Public Affairs Committee. They said AIPAC wields disproportionate power because of deep financial resources and heavy-handed tactics.

Then they took questions, as the classroom erupted in excited conversation. The exchange was mostly cordial, with the American professors eliciting some laughs from the crowd, but at times it got testy.

At one point, 25-year-old international relations student Liad Gilhar accused the professors of distorting facts and providing fodder for anti-Semites. "You need to choose your words carefully," Gilhar said.

Walt shot back. "With all due respect, I don't think it is my words that harm 'Israel', but rather 'Israel's' actions."

A professor criticized the authors for failing to condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for 'Israel' to be wiped off the map. "I don't think he is inciting to genocide," Walt responded.

Mearsheimer said 'Israel's' brutal treatment of Palestinians helped fuel terrorism against the United States and that, unlike in 'Israel', there was no healthy debate on the matter in America.
"The U.S. media coverage is heavily slanted in 'Israel's' direction," he said.

Not all in the audience were hostile.

Korina Kagan, a political science lecturer, said she essentially agreed with their thesis and was appalled by the attacks against them, especially from academic circles.

"The smear campaign against them is worse than anything they have ever written, she said," adding that many of their positions are shared by commentators in the 'Israeli' media. "We need to have a free academic exchange."

Mearsheimer and Walt were invited to 'Israel' by Gush Shalom, a small, ultra-dovish political group, to speak about their book. The two said they decided to initiate the audience at Hebrew University in order to address a more diverse audience.

Later Thursday, they were to address Gush Shalom, which invited them.

"It is telling that the guests came to 'Israel' and were hosted by a fringe group and had to solicit themselves to appear here," said Arieh O'Sullivan, director of communications for the Anti-Defamation League in 'Israel'.