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Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (8167)	5/5/2005 1:53:31 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 22250

Scandal Stymies Israeli Effort to Pressure Tehran. Aipac Shakeup Hurts Advocates of Tough U.S. Stance on Iran Nukes, By Ori Nir, [Jewish] Forward, April 29, 2005 "Israeli efforts to secure swift American action against Iran's nuclear program are being threatened by a stalled presidential nomination and the sudden dismissal of two officials at the country's most influential pro-Israel lobbying organization. Last week the Forward and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that the lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, was pushing out two of its top officials — Steve Rosen, the organization's policy director, and Keith Weissman, its senior analyst on Iran. The two men, who are reportedly being investigated by the FBI for allegedly passing classified documents to Israel, were Aipac's point men in lobbying the White House on Iran-related issues. Also last week, with mounting opposition toward Bush's choice of John Bolton to serve as America's ambassador to the United Nations, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed its vote on the nomination. A neoconservative ally of Vice President Richard Cheney and the State Department's top official on arms control, Bolton is known as a strong supporter of Israel's position that Tehran is coming alarmingly close to being able to weaponize its nuclear material — a view rejected by other top Bush administration officials. Pro-Israel activists in Washington are privately worrying that the shakeup at Aipac, as well as Bolton's troubles, will make it even harder for Jerusalem to convince the White House that quick action must be taken against Iran. "It would sure help to have Bolton in the U.N. and credible [pro-Israel] lobbyists in Washington," said a senior official with a major national Jewish organization, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "This is a crucial point in time" to impact America's policy on Iran, the organizational official said ... Sharon's government and its friends in Washington are still hoping that Bolton will spearhead an American leadership role in imposing U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran ... Similar concerns about the impact of Aipac's moves are being voiced. But, in addition, these worries are intertwined with a sense of bewilderment and anxiety among Jewish organizational leaders over the dismissal of Rosen and Weissman. For several months — and perhaps for as long as two years — the men have been the target of the FBI investigation. They are suspected of having illegally transferred secret information from a Pentagon expert on Iran, Larry Franklin, to an Israeli diplomat. Rosen and Weissman deny any wrongdoing. In the past, Aipac had emphatically denied that any of its employees had done anything wrong. However, last week, in response to queries from the Forward, Aipac spokesman Patrick Dorton said he could not reply to the question of whether Aipac stood behind its past claims that none of the organization's employees had acted illegally or improperly. Dorton, who was communications director of President Clinton's National Economic Council and later specialized in crisis-management public relations, was recently hired by Aipac to speak to the media about the investigation ... Sources close to Aipac said that members of the board put pressure on the organization's leadership to distance itself from Rosen and Weissman. One senior staffer at a national Jewish organization, who knows Aipac intimately, said, "Aipac had to cut bait." The official said that the ongoing scandal was eating away at Aipac "like cancer." The same official said that now, "at least there won't be such a large elephant in the room at the policy conference." Aipac is expecting thousands of delegates from all 50 states at its annual conference in Washington between May 22 and May 24. Sharon, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the entire leadership of Congress are expected to address the gathering." forward.com