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A breath of fresh air! - "My Israel Question"

Today's Crikey [always worth the subscription] has this piece by Antony Loewenstein in response to an article by Gerard Henderson in the SMH last week:

"It is hard to imagine a less appropriate context in which to read Gerard Henderson's latest opinion piece. At a time when we're being inundated by grim reports of escalating carnage in Lebanon and Israel, Henderson has launched an extraordinary attack on the notion that a pro-Israel lobby influences US or Australian foreign policy towards the Middle East. Washington and Canberra support Israel, he argues, because it is in their strategic interests to do so. To suggest anything else is a “conspiracy theory”.

Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel, recently begged to differ. On ABC TV's Lateline last week he noted that the US Zionist lobby wields significant influence, threatening congressmen should they dare to cast an “anti-Israel vote.” Similar tactics are directed at journalists, editors and their boards in many Western nations, including Australia, in an attempt to stifle dissenting views on Israel and the US."

Read the full piece here. Meanwhile, MUP has just released Antony's book, "My Israel Question" - the details of which are here. The author's web site is also worth a visit here. Read the book and open your mind to a perspective, background, analysis and information not usually available through the mainstream media.

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