[Peace-discuss] Proposed AWARE Presents Israel panel

[C. G. Estabrook]

Frank Knowles proposed to the AWARE-Presents WG a series of three panel 
discussions on "What Should US Policy in the Middle East Be Now?"  But 
he has arranged the first one under the title "The Confrontation of 
Israel With Its Neighbors," thus shifting the focus away from the US; it 
has the following panelists:

	Professor Kenneth Cuno, History Department, UIUC;
	Professor Frederic Jaher, History Department, Emeritus, UIUC;
	Professor Jamal Nassar, Chair, Department of Politics and Government, 
Illinois State University; and
	Professor Michael Shapiro, Director, Program in Jewish Culture and 
Society, UIUC.

The problem is that this panel could just as easily be presented by the 
College Republicans (or Democrats).  It will stay safely within the 
"limits of allowable debate" (e.g., at best the question will be, "Are 
we supporting Israel too much, or too little?")  Frank has specifically 
refused to include another voice (e.g., Francis Boyle, or our own David 
Green) expressing the view that the common Israel policy followed with 
slight variations by all recent administrations -- Democrat as well as 
Republican -- is worse than a blunder, it's a crime.

Thomas Pynchon wrote, "If you can get them asking the wrong questions, 
you don't have to worry about answers."  Without that other voice, 
that's what this panel does, and I don't think AWARE should be 
sponsoring it.  We're supposed to be trying to make people aware of 
views outside the conventional (and purposely misleading) discussion.

We'll have to decide this matter at the meeting on Sunday, so I will 
post separately (a) Frank's correspondence about it with me; and (b) the 
position statements of the people he has arranged for the panel.  --CGE