WSJ Response

In an attempt to refute the article "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by professors Mearsheimer and Walt, today's Wall Street Journal editorial resorted to The Lobby's trump card: the anti-Semitic charge. Apparently, anything said now about the Israel Lobby which might give "aid and comfort to those who have no trouble substituting the word 'Jews' for 'Israel Lobby' " is "anti-Semitic in effect." It also follows that one must not criticize Israel since this too might give comfort to anti-Semites and thus be "anti-Semitic in effect." There goes freedom of speech; the power of The Lobby is complete. In defending the late editor Robert Bartley from charges of being in The Lobby, the claim is made that he supported Israel just as he supported other friendly democracies, such as Great Britain, Poland, and Taiwan. But do these countries occupy other peoples' land? Have they driven people from their homes, bombed and massacred them, all with U.S. support? Indeed, professors Mearsheimer and Walt clearly document the fact that Israel is not a true democracy. Finally, on today's Wall Street Journal Editorial Report (TV Fox News), Bret Stephens, responding to the professors' statement that the U.S. has a terrorism problem in good part because we are so closely allied with Israel, exclaimed that this is "an amazing argument!" Has he forgotten 9/11? "The 9/11 Commission Report" states (p. 147) that the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, attacked us because of U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel. What could be more clear than that?