The following letter was addressed to Congressman Andy Harris. A copy was provided for publication.
My wife and I attended your meeting in Bel Air on Tuesday [July 26] and I submitted the question " What specific benefits does the US receive for the billions of dollars that we give to Israel every year?"
Your response was, at best, disingenuous, giving us AIPAC talking points instead of facts.
You started by saying we learned from Israel's use of our planes and weapons, ignoring the fact that in 2014, Israel massacred 2,200 Palestinians in Gaza, three quarters of whom were civilians, including more than 500 children. Various NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Red Cross, the Vatican, Defense of Children, etc., accused Israel of committing war crimes by bombing schools, apartment buildings and UN safe houses.
Then you said that Israel was always attacked in its wars, therefore, it is entitled to keep the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights. In 1967, Israel attacked Egypt in the middle of the night, knowing that it had superior weaponry that would allow it to capture additional territory. Former Israeli Prime Minister was quoted in the New York Times: "In June, 1967, we had a choice. The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai approaches do not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him."
You also fail to mention that also in 1967, Israel knowingly attacked the USS Liberty surveillance ship, killing 34 American seamen and seriously wounding 171. The writer James Bamford called this attack "… an act of war by Israel against America." To this day, there has never been an independent investigation into this heinous act.
Finally, in their book " The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy ," respected professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer write "Instead of being a strategic asset, Israel has become a strategic liability for the US." They then connect 9/11 and the disastrous Iraq war to our support of Israel and its occupation of the Palestinians and claim that the primary reason that we support Israel is because of the wealthy, powerful pro-Israel lobby that has so much influence over our politicians and our foreign policy.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates summed it up this way "Israel is an ungrateful ally who gives the U.S. nothing in return for the massive amount of aid and high tech intel that we give them." What say you, Congressman?
Ray Gordon
Bel Air