Frank Repudiates Anti-Israel Bias

FRANK REPUDIATES ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS

Congressman Barney Frank today expressed strong disagreement and disappointment with remarks made at an informal Congressional hearing on Thursday which sought to blame the State of Israel for the Bush policy on Iraq. Congressman Frank attended part of the hearing, which was frequently interrupted by a long series of votes that were being conducted on the floor of the House. He was not present when any references to Israel were made.

"The notion that United States foreign policy is somehow being manipulated by Israel is not only gravely mistaken, it is redolent of the sort of conspiracy theories imputing hidden powers to the Jews that have plagued the world for far too long. Congressman Moran's question which gave prominence to the role of Israel as one of the possible major factors behind the invasion, and the answer by witness Raymond McGovern which not only blamed Israel for the war in substantial part, but objected even to Congressman Moran's citing Israel as an American ally, are both refuted by the evidence discussed at the hearing itself. It should be emphasized that the hearing was called in major part to discuss the Downing Street minutes that were released, and nothing in those minutes in any way supports the allegation that this was all an Israeli plot.

"I believe now and believed at the time that the Bush Administration came to power wanting to invade Iraq, and used the September 11th tragedy as a political justification for doing so, not because of some secret deal with Israel, but because of the foreign policy world view of those in charge of Bush Administration national security - who of course did not include the nominal Secretary of State, Colin Powell. In fact, part of the political bargaining between the Bush and Blair administrations that resulted in total British support for this unwise war was the endorsement by President Bush for the first time in his administration of a serious effort to bring about a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, which was not entirely to Israel's liking. The latest step in the evolution of that policy was a decision by President Bush - over the objections of many in Congress, which I did not share - to provide direct aid to the Palestinian Authority. I believe that this was a constructive measure by President Bush in pursuit of an overall peace, and it hardly fits the notion that Israel is the master string-puller of the United States government.

"Finally, the handouts distributed by some who attended a television version of the hearing making scurrilous, wholly inaccurate accusations of Israeli complicity in the September 11th attack are obviously contemptible, and would ordinarily be beneath notice, except for the fact that some newspaper accounts have cited them, and that calls for those of us who oppose this war and continue to oppose it to be clear in our repudiation of such vicious defamation."

http://www.house.gov/frank/moranstatement.html