House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is presently leading a 29-member Democratic delegation on an AIPAC-sponsored tour of Israel. The junket is to follow the same itinerary as last week’s 25-member Republican House group led by Minority Whip Eric Cantor. What is Hoyer up to?
As a clue, here are some of Hoyer’s remarks during a recent encounter with Israel’s racist foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman. It already tells you something about Hoyer’s views on Obama’s Middle East peace plan.
…After the 15-minute meeting, [House Majority Leader Steny] Hoyer came into the room and Engel told Lieberman that “out of all the members of Congress who are not Jewish, he is the strongest on Israel.”
“‘Even among those who are Jewish,'” Hoyer joked, according to Engel. Lieberman and his entourage of embassy staffers and his deputy Danny Ayalon all laughed.
Support for Israel (ala AIPAC) means supporting the agenda of the right wing Likud party.
This report by Ira Glunts for Mondoweiss tells all.
Hoyer’s trip reminds us that obeisance to Israel is a bipartisan obsession in American politics. In the final analysis powerful Democrats like Hoyer, who have been feeding at AIPAC’s trough for decades, may present a greater obstacle than Republicans to the Obama/Mitchell peace plans.
Here is what Hoyer stated in Israel. It’s a virtual litany of anti-Obama proLikud positions:
During the trip, Hoyer made a number of provocative statements which are at odds with the Obama administration’s current policy, although he did not criticize the President directly. The Majority Leader opined that
…the Palestinians were to blame for the stalled peace process because the U.S-designated Palestinian negotiation partner, Mahmoud Abbas, has wrongly insisted on Israeli compliance with a settlement freeze as a precondition for starting negotiations.
… the so-called “natural growth” construction, which means expansion of the existing settlements, should be permissible.
….expressed sympathy for the Israeli desire to build in East Jerusalem stating that, “I personally perceive Jerusalem as a unified city.”
…(supports) Netanyahu’s demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Resistance against Obama’s Middle East peace effort is therefore a bipartisan one, which reflects business as usual in the AIPAC dominated Congress. AIPAC has by no means been sidelined by Obama and its right wing agenda remains viable and supported by members of both parties.