Author: AJDS

Martin Indyk : The Truth About the New Israel Fund

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Martin Indyk is a UK-born, former US Ambassador to Israel who grew up in Australia. His defense of the NIF is significant, particularly because he has been a strong defender of Israeli and obviously American foreign policy interests.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Indyk

This is what he has said about the New Israel Fund in an important counter to the current misinformation campaign in Australia and other countries:

The Truth About the New Israel Fund
Martin Indyk
22nd February 2010

When I served as U.S. Ambassador in Israel in the 1990s, and as an American Jew committed to Israel’s survival and well- being, I became deeply concerned about the failure to adequately address the problems of inequality in Israel. I could see that Israeli governments were so preoccupied with war and peace decisions that they had little time to attend to the needs of Israel’s Arab and Bedouin minorities. Although growing into a robust Jewish state, Israel was falling short of Ben-Gurion’s standard that Israel should also be a state for all its citizens with equal rights for all, as called for in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. I feared the effect on the basic health of Israel’s democracy.

Chazan and the NIF: The local roast continues

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A few good letters appeared in the Australian Jewish News on 18 Feb 2009
Treatment of Chazan and the NIF is shameful
THE furore over the New Israel Fund (NIF) has highlighted an ugly underbelly in both Australia and Israel.
The NIF and organisations that have received NIF grants work on civil and human rights; social and economic justice; religious pluralism and tolerance for Israeli Arabs and Bedouin citizens; the environment and assistance for immigrants – issues enshrined in Israel’s declaration of independence.

Motion on the continuing Gaza Siege, AJDS Annual General Meeting, Jan 2010.

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Preamble
The Israeli government, while using propaganda to deny the facts, continues to besiege the Palestinian population though collective punishment for rocket attacks from Gaza. 13 Israelis have been killed by rocket attacks, 3 of whom were civilians.
As a result of Israel’s response, more than 1,300 Palestinians, including 410 children and over 100 women have been killed. More than 400,000 Gazans were left without running water, while 4,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged during or after Operation Cast Lead.

Motion on the continuing Gaza Siege, AJDS Annual General Meeting, Jan 2010.

by AJDS on

Preamble
The Israeli government, while using propaganda to deny the facts, continues to besiege the Palestinian population though collective punishment for rocket attacks from Gaza. 13 Israelis have been killed by rocket attacks, 3 of whom were civilians.
As a result of Israel’s response, more than 1,300 Palestinians, including 410 children and over 100 women have been killed. More than 400,000 Gazans were left without running water, while 4,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged during or after Operation Cast Lead.

Cherny Roasts Lamm over banning Naomi Chazan

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Once again, our community ‘elders’ have banned a dissident opinion from speaking on a community platform. There is all sorts of denial going on, but its clear that Danny Lamm, representing the local right-wing Zionist Federation has used or got others to use muscle and other forms of influence to prevent the Union of Progressive Judaism from hosting Naomi Chazan, now President of the New Israel Fund. The excuse has been to use the completely scurrilous campaign being run by young neo-facists and their elder supporters in Israel and the US against the NIF.

Israel vs Saudi Arabia

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There’s been some discussion on the internet on the ‘hypocrisy’ of Israel for sending relief teams to Haiti when it leads aggression against Palestinians. See, for example, http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/port-au-hasbara.html, or another site on the Zionisation of Disaster Relief. As if no other country sees advantages in news and photo opportunities for humanitarian relief.
But at least some people have the sense to give Israel credit, where credit is due.

Statement on the continuing Seige of Gaza by the AJDS

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The civilian population of Gaza continues to suffer a a year after Operation Cast Lead.
The Israeli government, while using propaganda to deny the facts, continues to besiege the Palestinian population though collective punishment. The current protests against the siege by various international activists, Palestinians, and Israelis, though ignored by Israel, indicate that the problem will not just go away.

Statement on the continuing Seige of Gaza by the AJDS

by AJDS on

The civilian population of Gaza continues to suffer a a year after Operation Cast Lead.
The Israeli government, while using propaganda to deny the facts, continues to besiege the Palestinian population though collective punishment. The current protests against the siege by various international activists, Palestinians, and Israelis, though ignored by Israel, indicate that the problem will not just go away.