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Entry: Scheuer Decks Maher Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/scheuer_decks_maher#5781 Post contents: "When you spend any time around the anti-war Left/Liberals, you get a glimpse why the a antiwar movement lead by the Left is so ineffective, and confused and ineffective. The Left is disproportionately Jewish; Jews can’t get over their identification with Israel; ultimately US foreign policy---meaning the occupation of Iraq and the tub thumping for expanding the war into Iran---is about protecting “Israel’s right to exist.” And “Israel’s Right to Exist” means it’s expansive aims to “Historical” Israel in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan." First of all, I think its rather simplistic to reduce the aims of American foreign policy to promoting Israeli interests. I think a lot of it has to do with securing control over oil reserves and the like. More importantly, I think your characterization of the anti-war left is inaccurate. Although many liberals, Jewish and non-Jewish, axiomatically support Israel on every question, most Leftists (and there is a difference between liberals and Leftists), whether Jewish or not, are supportive of the Palestinians right to self-determination. There is a wide range of views with in the Left pro-Palestinian anti-war community (mainly divided between supporters of two-state and one-state solutions), but all agree that what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians is wrong. I could compile a list of antiwar, pro-Palestinian Jews on the Left: Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Uri Avnery, Tim Wise, Norman Finkelstein, etc. I myself am a pro-Palestinian leftist of Jewish descent. Sent at: 2008 07 06