A response against allegations of my association with white supremacists

I am disappointed to see an unfounded accusation against me gratuitously repeated by a well intentioned individual who clearly doesn’t know the real facts. This is particularly troubling since the commentator repeating this malicious libel specifically opposes false accusations, noting that they can ruin careers. I hope he will reconsider the false statement about me that he has repeated.

No, I don’t “openly associate with white supremacists.” What I do, like almost every writer and analyst, is consent to be interviewed by people from across the political spectrum. When Ralph Nader is interviewed on Fox news programs, this does not mean that he “associates with white supremacists.”

The large majority of my interviewers have been from progressive backgrounds; perhaps one percent of the interviewers have been from the far right, while many more times that number have been from the far left.

My own life history includes involvement in the Civil Rights movement in the Sixties, including being arrested, and my work as a local journalist exposing unfair treatment of an African American community. My two organizations have contained a highly diverse assortment of board and staff members, including individuals who are African American, Asian American, Latin American, Muslim American, Arab American, and Jewish American.

The malicious accusations against me seem to stem from two factors.

(1) Some of my many articles on Israel-Palestine, and now my book, detail the power of the Israel lobby in the United States, a subject that many individuals raised as Zionists wish covered up.

An article on the progressive website CounterPunch points out that the timing of the attack on me was most likely the result of the publication of my book, Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the US Was Used to Create Israel. This describes, from thoroughly documented sources (the book is over half citations), Zionist activities in the US beginning in the late 1800s and includes little-known American connections to the Balfour Declaration.

While the book has not yet been reviewed by any mainstream publications, it has sold over 22,000 copies. Customer reviews on Amazon consistently call the book “eye opening,” and many readers suggest that it should be required reading in every American high school.

(2) I’m pleased to find that I am considered a highly effective activist for Palestinian human rights. I’m asked to speak widely around the US and even abroad (a few years ago I was on a small speaking tour in the UK) While a great many people praise my work, the US Anti-Defamation League, a major opponent of Palestinian rights, is less happy with it and lists my two organizations among the top 10 “Anti-Israel” (read: pro-justice) groups, and me among the top five individuals.

A number of individuals have suggested that my book has the power to bring about a profound change in US Middle East policies. I fervently hope so, since these policies have caused massive tragedy, injustice and oppression.

I also hope that people will stop repeating false accusations against me intended to suppress awareness of my book and of my work in general.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.