A Chill Descended on the Gathering

A Chill Descended on the Gathering

I have wondered about this before, how much has the so called pro-Israel or Zionist agenda undermined the anti-war movement?

Peter Bart writes about "emerging fissures" within Hollywood's anti-war political movement:

"The aggressively photogenic John Edwards was cruising along, detailing his litany of liberal causes last week until, during question time, he invoked the "I" word -- Israel. Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. As a chill descended on the gathering, the Edwards event was brought to a polite close."

Peter Bart continues, "Support for Israel in the U.S. has lately become bafflingly multi-cultural, representing an alliance between diaspora Jews, traditional Zionists and evangelicals."

Bart also points out that, "The Economist observed ... only 17% of American Jews today regard themselves as "pro-Zionist," ... and only 57% say that "caring about Israel is a very important part of being Jewish.""

By the way, Edwards is exactly right, this is the greatest short-term threat to world peace. Shame on those in his audience who don't pause for a second to review the issue. They arrogantly assume that the Jewish State of Israel can do no wrong and in doing so they put Americans at risk.

Bart warns, "Given that the Christian Right and neo-conservatives in this country seem more obsessed with Israel than the Jewish community, the "I" word is becoming a potentially lethal component of today's political dialogue. The Middle East crisis represents just one of the issues that could splinter the formidable anti-Bush sentiment in the entertainment community."