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Sara Powell, the director of the magazine's book club, describes Israel as "an apartheid and colonialist state."<ref name="ballon" /> |
Sara Powell, the director of the magazine's book club, describes Israel as "an apartheid and colonialist state."<ref name="ballon" /> |
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WRMEA is criticized by many pro-Israel groups, however it has been known for having a large number of Jewish supporters and writers. Indeed, if anything the political position of the Washington Report allies strongly with the [[Israeli peace camp|Israeli left]] such as Israeli writer and critic [[Amos Elon]].{{ |
WRMEA is criticized by many pro-Israel groups, however it has been known for having a large number of Jewish supporters and writers. Indeed, if anything the political position of the Washington Report allies strongly with the [[Israeli peace camp|Israeli left]] such as Israeli writer and critic [[Amos Elon]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} |
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==Organisation== |
==Organisation== |
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===History=== |
===History=== |
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===PACT and AET Book Club=== |
===PACT and AET Book Club=== |
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{{sectNPOV}} |
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Early in AET's development, its founders established the AET Book Club "to meet the recognized need for quality books about the region and U.S. policies there". AET began importing thousands of titles about the Middle East from Europe, four times a year via TransAtlantic shipment with sea containers. AET claims "Years later, American publishers began to recognize the market for quality, objective books about the Middle East, and began printing thousands of titles in the United States."{{ |
Early in AET's development, its founders established the AET Book Club "to meet the recognized need for quality books about the region and U.S. policies there". AET began importing thousands of titles about the Middle East from Europe, four times a year via TransAtlantic shipment with sea containers. AET claims "Years later, American publishers began to recognize the market for quality, objective books about the Middle East, and began printing thousands of titles in the United States."{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} |
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In August |
In August 2003, AET partnered with Celebrate Presence, a project in Hereford, MD selling Palestinian arts and crafts, to create International Marketing for Middle Eastern Artisans (IMMEA). In 2005, AET assumed responsibility for a large portion of the project, and these products were officially incorporated into the organization as the Palestinian Arts & Crafts Trust (PACT).{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} |
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Both the AET Book Club and PACT are advertised in and supported by AET's primary project, WRMEA. Online store via www.middleeastbooks.com, product sells "go toward supporting local artisans, nonprofit, and cooperatives in the [[West Bank]], [[Gaza]], and arab communities within Israel", while the books are sold at a 20-30% discount in order to encourage more readership about Middle Eastern literature and political issues.<ref name=middleeastbooks/>{{ |
Both the AET Book Club and PACT are advertised in and supported by AET's primary project, WRMEA. Online store via www.middleeastbooks.com, product sells "go toward supporting local artisans, nonprofit, and cooperatives in the [[West Bank]], [[Gaza]], and arab communities within Israel", while the books are sold at a 20-30% discount in order to encourage more readership about Middle Eastern literature and political issues.<ref name=middleeastbooks/>{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} |
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==Criticism== |
==Criticism== |
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Canada newspaper [[National Post]] considers the organization to be "anti-Israel."<ref>"National Post's CBC Watch I", ''[[National Post]]'', May 08, 2004.</ref> |
Canada newspaper [[National Post]] considers the organization to be "anti-Israel."<ref>"National Post's CBC Watch I", ''[[National Post]]'', May 08, 2004.</ref> |
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===Criticism by Jewish community{{ |
===Criticism by Jewish community{{Dubious|date=July 2009}}=== |
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[[Pro-Israel lobby in the United States|Pro-Israel]]{{ |
[[Pro-Israel lobby in the United States|Pro-Israel]]{{Dubious|date=July 2009}} organisation [[Anti-Defamation League]] criticized the organization for hosting an essay by [[Paul Craig Roberts]] in which he claims the "fanatical [[neoconservatives]] and Israelis are using [[George W. Bush|Bush]] to commit the [[United States]] to a catastrophic course." <ref>http://www.adl.org/NR/exeres/3F24AF09-83AB-455B-8A7C-FC0275CA00B3,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm</ref> WRMEA was also criticized for accusing the [[Mossad]] of being a party to the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]].<ref>http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0392/9203026.html In Kennedy Assassination, Anyone But Mossad is Fair Game for U.S. Media, [[Paul Findley]]</ref> |
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Pro-Israel [[media watchdog group]] [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]] has described WMREA of being "virulently anti-[[Israel]]" and for relying on [[antisemitic]] rhetoric to support its activism.<ref>http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=64 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.</ref> |
Pro-Israel [[media watchdog group]] [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]] has described WMREA of being "virulently anti-[[Israel]]" and for relying on [[antisemitic]] rhetoric to support its activism.<ref>http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=64 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.</ref> |
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Writers for the ''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs'' include retired U.S. foreign service officers and people with a wide range of political, national and religious backgrounds. The following is an incomplete list of people who have, at one or more times, contributed to WRMEA: |
Writers for the ''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs'' include retired U.S. foreign service officers and people with a wide range of political, national and religious backgrounds. The following is an incomplete list of people who have, at one or more times, contributed to WRMEA: |
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{| |
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* [[James Abourezk]] |
* [[James Abourezk]] |
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* [[James Akins]] |
* [[James Akins]] |
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* [[Uri Avnery]] |
* [[Uri Avnery]] |
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* [[Eugene H. Bird]]<ref>[http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0393/9303069.htm Waging Peace, Council for the National Interest]</ref>, [[Council for the National Interest]] |
* [[Eugene H. Bird]]<ref>[http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0393/9303069.htm Waging Peace, Council for the National Interest]</ref>, [[Council for the National Interest|CNI]] |
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* [[Pat Buchanan]] |
* [[Pat Buchanan]] |
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* [[Andrew Cockburn]] |
* [[Andrew Cockburn]] |
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* [[James Ennes]] |
* [[James Ennes]] |
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* [[James Ennes Jr.]] |
* [[James Ennes Jr.]] |
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| |
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* [[John Esposito]] |
* [[John Esposito]] |
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* [[Paul Findley]] |
* [[Paul Findley]] |
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* [[Elaine Kelley]] |
* [[Elaine Kelley]] |
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* [[Andrew I. Killgore]] |
* [[Andrew I. Killgore]] |
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* [[Alfred Lilienthal]] |
* [[Alfred Lilienthal]] |
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* [[Michael Lind]] |
* [[Michael Lind]] |
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* [[Victor Ostrovsky]] |
* [[Victor Ostrovsky]] |
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* [[Ilan Pappe]] |
* [[Ilan Pappe]] |
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* [[William Pfaff]] |
* [[William Pfaff]] |
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* [[Charley Reese]] |
* [[Charley Reese]] |
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* [[Alison Weir]] |
* [[Alison Weir]] |
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* [[Alan Weisman]] |
* [[Alan Weisman]] |
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|} |
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==See |
==See also== |
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*[[Anti-Israel lobby in the United States]] |
*[[Anti-Israel lobby in the United States]] |
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*''[http://www.washington-report.org/ Washington Report on Middle East Affair]'' Publication website. |
*''[http://www.washington-report.org/ Washington Report on Middle East Affair]'' Publication website. |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington Report On Middle East Affairs}} |
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[[Category:American Middle Eastern studies]] |
[[Category:American Middle Eastern studies]] |
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[[Category:American political magazines]] |
[[Category:American political magazines]] |
Revision as of 18:36, 16 July 2009
Type of site | Activism, Pro-Palestinian, Human Rights |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Owner | Andrew I. Killgore |
URL | http://www.wrmea.com |
Commercial | No |
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is a magazine published 9 times per year[1] in Washington, D.C., focusing on "news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S. policy in that region."[2] WRMEA began its publication in 1982 as a bi-weekly eight-page newsletter, and currently publishes a 76-page, full-color magazine.[2]
Political position
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs states that it "does not take partisan domestic political positions," and endorses American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) president Dr. Ziad Asali and Americans for Peace Now (APN) spokesman Ori Nir's opinion on, "a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in which Palestinians have a prosperous full and viable state side by side an Israeli one."[3]
WRMEA states:
as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it endorses U.N. Security Council Resolution 242´s land-for-peace formula, supported by seven successive U.S. presidents
supports Middle East solutions which it judges to be consistent with the charter of the United Nations and traditional American support for human rights, self-determination, and fair play.[2]
Sara Powell, the director of the magazine's book club, describes Israel as "an apartheid and colonialist state."[4]
WRMEA is criticized by many pro-Israel groups, however it has been known for having a large number of Jewish supporters and writers. Indeed, if anything the political position of the Washington Report allies strongly with the Israeli left such as Israeli writer and critic Amos Elon.[citation needed]
Organisation
History
The Washington Report began in 1982 as a bi-weekly eight-page newsletter. Today, it is a 76-page full-color magazine and states it is "recognized worldwide as a leader in its field" that publishes "a wide variety of views from and about the Middle East by Muslim, Jewish and Christian writers, many of whom live or have lived in the region".[1]
Publisher
It is published by the American Educational Trust (AET), founded in 1982 as a non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, D.C. under 501(c)4 by retired U.S. foreign service officers.[2] The magazine's "nonprofit wing has donated 3,200 free subscriptions" and dozens of books to libraries.[4]
Board members
AET's Foreign Policy Committee has included former U.S. ambassadors, government officials, and members of Congress, including the late Democratic Senator J. William Fulbright, and Republican Senator Charles Percy, both former chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and members of its Board of Directors and advisory committees "receive no fees for their services."[2]
PACT and AET Book Club
Early in AET's development, its founders established the AET Book Club "to meet the recognized need for quality books about the region and U.S. policies there". AET began importing thousands of titles about the Middle East from Europe, four times a year via TransAtlantic shipment with sea containers. AET claims "Years later, American publishers began to recognize the market for quality, objective books about the Middle East, and began printing thousands of titles in the United States."[citation needed]
In August 2003, AET partnered with Celebrate Presence, a project in Hereford, MD selling Palestinian arts and crafts, to create International Marketing for Middle Eastern Artisans (IMMEA). In 2005, AET assumed responsibility for a large portion of the project, and these products were officially incorporated into the organization as the Palestinian Arts & Crafts Trust (PACT).[citation needed]
Both the AET Book Club and PACT are advertised in and supported by AET's primary project, WRMEA. Online store via www.middleeastbooks.com, product sells "go toward supporting local artisans, nonprofit, and cooperatives in the West Bank, Gaza, and arab communities within Israel", while the books are sold at a 20-30% discount in order to encourage more readership about Middle Eastern literature and political issues.[1][citation needed]
Criticism
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs has been criticized for being anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, antisemitic, pro-Palestine, and promoting conspiracy theories and publishing reports that accuse Israel and Zionists of being collectively responsible for many issues in the United States and the Middle East, mainly by Jewish or pro-Israeli parties.
Canada newspaper National Post considers the organization to be "anti-Israel."[5]
Criticism by Jewish community[dubious – discuss]
Pro-Israel[dubious – discuss] organisation Anti-Defamation League criticized the organization for hosting an essay by Paul Craig Roberts in which he claims the "fanatical neoconservatives and Israelis are using Bush to commit the United States to a catastrophic course." [6] WRMEA was also criticized for accusing the Mossad of being a party to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.[7]
Pro-Israel media watchdog group Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America has described WMREA of being "virulently anti-Israel" and for relying on antisemitic rhetoric to support its activism.[8]
Pro-Israel media watchdog Honest Reporting describes the organization as "a journal known for its strong anti-Israel bias."
The Jewish Virtual Library has stated that the "WRMEA publishes many articles that are considered to be anti-Israel and anti-Zionist" and for promoting conspiracy theories such as a "Zionist cover up" of the USS Liberty incident. [9]
The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles notes that critics view it as "guilty of frequent factual distortions" and "an unrelenting polemic against Israel",[4]
In The Jewish Exponent executive editor Jonathan S. Tobin has described the publication as "the guidebook to the Arabist lobby in the United States" that "specializes in defaming Israel."[10]
Michael Lewis, Director of Policy Analysis for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, accused WRMEA as "maintaining its reputation as the most conspiratorially-minded of the anti-Israel forces".[11]
According to Dr. Rafael Medoff, founding director of The David Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and member of American Jewish Historical Society, the WRMEA publishes "denunciations" of Israeli policies, articles "belittling" the Holocaust, lists of names of Jewish publisher of newspapers to demonstrate "Zionist" control of the U.S. media, and accusations that Israeli soldiers commit "Nazi-style" genocide. According to Medoff, it has also published "wild conspiracy theories" accusing Israel of being responsible for everything form the Monica Lewinsky affair to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.[12]
Contributors
Writers for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs include retired U.S. foreign service officers and people with a wide range of political, national and religious backgrounds. The following is an incomplete list of people who have, at one or more times, contributed to WRMEA:
See also
- Anti-Israel lobby in the United States
- Pro-Israel lobby in the United States
- Council for the National Interest
Notes
- ^ a b c http://www.middleeastbooks.com/about.html
- ^ a b c d e About Washington Report on Middle East Affairs accessed February 20, 2007.
- ^ http://www.wrmea.com/archives/Jan_Feb_2009/0901061b.html
- ^ a b c Ballon, Marc. "Libraries: The New Mideast Battlefront", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Jan 20, 2006.
- ^ "National Post's CBC Watch I", National Post, May 08, 2004.
- ^ http://www.adl.org/NR/exeres/3F24AF09-83AB-455B-8A7C-FC0275CA00B3,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm
- ^ http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0392/9203026.html In Kennedy Assassination, Anyone But Mossad is Fair Game for U.S. Media, Paul Findley
- ^ http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=64 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.
- ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/kerryrecord.html Legislative Record of Senator John Kerry
- ^ Tobin, Jonathan. "The Friends of our Foes", Jewish World Review, Sept. 15, 2000. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.
- ^ Israel's American Detractors - Back Again by Middle East Quarterly journal of Middle East Forum
- ^ Jewish Americans and political participation: a reference handbook, Rafael Medoff, ABC-CLIO, 2002, p. 244-6
- ^ Waging Peace, Council for the National Interest
External links
- Washington Report on Middle East Affair Publication website.