Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America

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The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) describes its objective as promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East. It is a 501(c)(3) organization that "takes no position with regard to American or Israeli political issues or with regard to ultimate solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict. "[1] It appears, however, to consider many criticisms of the State of Israel to be unbalanced.

The Lobby?

In The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, the authors describe it as one of the Israel lobby's "most energetic media watchdog groups". It is especially hostile to National Public Radio (NPR), which it has called "National Palestine Radio"; it does not simply publish but has organized demonstrations outside NPR stations in 33 cities. [2] They said it attacked Jimmy Carter's book Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid, charging antisemitism.

Writing for CAMERA, Alex Safian quotes "Pressure from Israel and the Lobby was not the only factor behind the U.S. decision to attack Iraq in March 2003, but it was a critical element. Some Americans believe that this was a “war for oil,” but there is hardly any direct evidence to support this claim. Instead, the war was motivated in good part by a desire to make Israel more secure." [3]. He cites a 2004 interview with Mearsheimer, in which Mearsheimer said US officials invaded Iraq in good faith, expecting to find weapons of mass destruction.

The above argument is complex, as Saddam had made threats to use WMD on Israel, and, while he had no delivery systems with the range to hit the United States, he demonstrated the ability and willingness to hit Israel during the Gulf War. It has been argued that Saddam could give terrorists WMD for them to use on the US, and there are counterarguments that he would not give away his greatest advantage. Israel was also the source of some of the US information on Iraqi WMD capabilities.[4]

Safian says "the “facts” they recount are in many cases not facts at all, and therefore are – and ought to be – in serious dispute. A critical example of this are the numerous quotations Walt and Mearsheimer attribute to Israeli leaders to make the argument that there is no moral case for a close relationship with Israel. In other words, that Israel is bad. "[5]

CAMERA topics

It says Jewish Voice for Peace's "moral outrage, however, is decidedly one-sided, directed overwhelmingly at Israel," and objects to its boycott and divestment campaigns.[6]

References

  1. CAMERA
  2. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (2007), The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, ISBN 13978037417720, p. 173
  3. Alex Safian (30 March 2006), Will the real John Mearsheimer please stand up?
  4. Mearsheimer & Walt, pp. 235-236
  5. Alex Safian (11 February 2008), The Fraudulent Scholarship of Professors Walt and Mearsheimer, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
  6. Steven Stotsky (17 June 2008), "Jewish Voice for Peace" A Voice for Defamation, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America