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| ⚫ | The '''''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs''''' is a magazine published 9 times per year in ] that "focuses on news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S. policy in that region."<ref name=AboutWRMEA> accessed ], ].</ref> | ||
| | name = Washington Report on Middle East Affairs | |||
| | logo = | |||
| | screenshot = | |||
| | caption = | |||
| | url = http://www.wrmea.com | |||
| | commercial = No | |||
| | type = Activism, Pro-Palestinian, Human Rights | |||
| | language = ] | |||
| | owner = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| ⚫ | The '''''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs''''' is a magazine published 9 times per year in ] that claims to "focuses on news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S. policy in that region."<ref name=AboutWRMEA> accessed ], ].</ref> | ||
| ==Political position== | ==Political position== | ||
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| It is published by the ] (AET), founded in 1982, which is a ] "non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, D.C." and established "by retired U.S. foreign service officers."<ref name=AboutWRMEA/> Their website states, "AET's Foreign Policy Committee has included former U.S. ambassadors, government officials, and members of Congress, including the late Democratic Senator ], and Republican Senator ], both former chairmen of the ]." According to AET, members of its "Board of Directors and advisory committees receive no fees for their services."<ref name=AboutWRMEA/> The magazine's "nonprofit wing has donated 3,200 free subscriptions" and dozens of books to libraries.<ref name="ballon" /> | It is published by the ] (AET), founded in 1982, which is a ] "non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, D.C." and established "by retired U.S. foreign service officers."<ref name=AboutWRMEA/> Their website states, "AET's Foreign Policy Committee has included former U.S. ambassadors, government officials, and members of Congress, including the late Democratic Senator ], and Republican Senator ], both former chairmen of the ]." According to AET, members of its "Board of Directors and advisory committees receive no fees for their services."<ref name=AboutWRMEA/> The magazine's "nonprofit wing has donated 3,200 free subscriptions" and dozens of books to libraries.<ref name="ballon" /> | ||
| ⚫ | ==Criticism== | ||
| ==The Palestinian Arts Crafts Trust and American Educational Trust Book Club== | |||
| The ''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs'' has been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories and publishing reports that accuse Israel and Zionists of being collectively responsible for many issues in the United States and the Middle East.<ref>http://www.meforum.org/372/israels-american-detractors-back-again Israel's American Detractors - Back Again</ref> | |||
| For more than 25 years, the American Educational Trust (AET) has been promoting U.S.-Middle East understanding with an emphasis on informed debate on the Arab-Israeli peace process. Early in AET's development, its founders established the AET Book Club to meet the recognized need for quality books about the region and U.S. policies there. | |||
| The ] criticized the organization for hosting an essay by ] in which he claims the "fanatical neoconservatives and Israelis are using Bush to commit the United States to a catastrophic course." <ref>http://www.adl.org/NR/exeres/3F24AF09-83AB-455B-8A7C-FC0275CA00B3,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm</ref> WRMEA was also criticized for accusing the ] of being a party to the ].<ref>http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0392/9203026.html In Kennedy Assassination, Anyone But Mossad is Fair Game for U.S. Media, ]</ref> | |||
| To provide these books, the American Educational Trust began importing thousands of titles about the Middle East from Europe. Four times a year shipments crossed the Atlantic in sea containers to be sold by the newly-formed AET Book Club. Years later, American publishers began to recognize the market for quality, objective books about the Middle East, and began printing thousands of titles in the United States. | |||
| ⚫ | The ] has described WMREA of being "virulently anti-]" and for relying on antisemitic rhetoric to support its activism.<ref>http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=64 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.</ref> ] describes the organization as "a journal known for its strong anti-Israel bias." Canada's '']'' considers the organization to be unconditionally "anti-Israel,"<ref>"National Post's CBC Watch I", '']'', May 08, 2004.</ref> The ] has stated that the "WRMEA publishes many articles that are considered to be anti-Israel and anti-Zionist" and for promoting conspiracy theories such as a "Zionist cover up" of the ]. <ref>http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/kerryrecord.html Legislative Record of Senator John Kerry</ref> The '']'' notes that critics view it as "guilty of frequent factual distortions" and "an unrelenting polemic against Israel",<ref name="ballon">Ballon, Marc. , '']'', Jan 20, 2006.</ref> and ], executive editor of '']'' has described the publication as "the guidebook to the Arabist lobby in the United States" that "specializes in defaming Israel."<ref>Tobin, Jonathan. , ''Jewish World Review'', Sept. 15, 2000. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.</ref> | ||
| In August of 2003, AET partnered with Celebrate Presence, a project in Hereford, MD selling Palestinian arts and crafts, to create International Marketing for Middle Eastern Artisans (IMMEA). In 2005, AET assumed responsibility for a large portion of the project, and these products were officially incorporated into the organization as the Palestinian Arts & Crafts Trust (PACT). | |||
| Both the AET Book Club and PACT are advertised in and supported by AET's primary project, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, a magazine published nine times per year in Washington, DC. | |||
| Throughout the years, the American Educational Trust has relied on Washington Report subscribers and patrons to help us constantly improve our services. Ultimately, none of our efforts matter unless our customers are satisfied. | |||
| Recently, the program has launched ] to provide their products online. Most of the products go toward supporting local artisans, nonprofit, and cooperatives in the west bank, gaza, and arab communities within Israel. The books are sold at a 20 - 30% discount in order to encourage more readership about Middle Eastern literature and political issues.<ref>www.middleeastbooks.com/about.html</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ==Criticism== | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| According to ], the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs publishes "denunciations" of Israeli policies, articles "belittling" the Holocaust, lists of names of Jewish publisher of newspapers to demonstrate "Zionist" control of the U.S. media, and accusations that Israeli soldiers commit "Nazi-style" genocide. |
According to ], the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs publishes "denunciations" of Israeli policies, articles "belittling" the ], lists of names of Jewish publisher of newspapers to demonstrate "Zionist" control of the U.S. media, and accusations that ] commit "Nazi-style" genocide. According to Medoff, it has also published "wild conspiracy theories" accusing Israel of being responsible for everything form the ] affair to the assassination of ].<ref> Jewish Americans and political participation: a reference handbook, Rafael Medoff, ABC-CLIO, 2002, p. 244-6</ref> | ||
| ==Contributors== | ==Contributors== | ||
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| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| ==See Also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
Revision as of 04:59, 15 July 2009
| Type of site | Activism, Pro-Palestinian, Human Rights |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Andrew I. Killgore |
| URL | http://www.wrmea.com |
| Commercial | No |
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is a magazine published 9 times per year in Washington, D.C. that claims to "focuses on news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S. policy in that region."
Political position
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs states that it "does not take partisan domestic political positions," that "as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it endorses U.N. Security Council Resolution 242´s land-for-peace formula, supported by seven successive U.S. presidents," and that it "supports Middle East solutions which it judges to be consistent with the charter of the United Nations and traditional American support for human rights, self-determination, and fair play." WRMEA is criticized by many pro-Israel groups however it is also known in the past for having a large number of Jewish supporters and writers. Indeed, if anything the political position of the Washington Report allies strongly with the Israeli left such as famous Israeli writer and critic Amos Elon.
The Washington Report began in 1982 as a bi-weekly eight-page newsletter. Today, it is a 76-page full-color magazine recognized worldwide as a leader in its field. The Washington Report publishes a wide variety of views from and about the Middle East by Muslim, Jewish and Christian writers, many of whom live or have lived in the region. The Washington Report endorses a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in which Palestinians have a prosperous full and viable state side by side an Israeli one
Publisher
It is published by the American Educational Trust (AET), founded in 1982, which is a 501(c)4 "non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, D.C." and established "by retired U.S. foreign service officers." Their website states, "AET's Foreign Policy Committee has included former U.S. ambassadors, government officials, and members of Congress, including the late Democratic Senator J. William Fulbright, and Republican Senator Charles Percy, both former chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee." According to AET, members of its "Board of Directors and advisory committees receive no fees for their services." The magazine's "nonprofit wing has donated 3,200 free subscriptions" and dozens of books to libraries.
Criticism
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs has been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories and publishing reports that accuse Israel and Zionists of being collectively responsible for many issues in the United States and the Middle East.
The Anti-Defamation League criticized the organization for hosting an essay by Paul Craig Roberts in which he claims the "fanatical neoconservatives and Israelis are using Bush to commit the United States to a catastrophic course." WRMEA was also criticized for accusing the Mosaad of being a party to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America has described WMREA of being "virulently anti-Israel" and for relying on antisemitic rhetoric to support its activism. Honest Reporting describes the organization as "a journal known for its strong anti-Israel bias." Canada's National Post considers the organization to be unconditionally "anti-Israel," The Jewish Virtual Library has stated that the "WRMEA publishes many articles that are considered to be anti-Israel and anti-Zionist" and for promoting conspiracy theories such as a "Zionist cover up" of the USS Liberty incident. The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles notes that critics view it as "guilty of frequent factual distortions" and "an unrelenting polemic against Israel", and Jonathan S. Tobin, executive editor of The Jewish Exponent has described the publication as "the guidebook to the Arabist lobby in the United States" that "specializes in defaming Israel."
According to Rafael Medoff, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs publishes "denunciations" of Israeli policies, articles "belittling" the Holocaust, lists of names of Jewish publisher of newspapers to demonstrate "Zionist" control of the U.S. media, and accusations that Israeli soldiers commit "Nazi-style" genocide. According to Medoff, it has also published "wild conspiracy theories" accusing Israel of being responsible for everything form the Monica Lewinsky affair to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Contributors
Writers for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs include retired U.S. foreign service officers and people with a wide range of political, national and religious backgrounds. The following is an incomplete list of people who have, at one or more times, contributed to WRMEA:
- James Abourezk
- James Akins
- Uri Avnery
- Eugene H. Bird, Council for the National Interest
- Pat Buchanan
- Andrew Cockburn
- Jonathan Cook
- James Ennes
- James Ennes Jr.
- John Esposito
- Paul Findley
- Robert Fisk
- Neve Gordon
- Ran HaCohen
- Leon Hadar
- Chris Hedges
- Elaine Kelley
- Andrew I. Killgore
- Alfred Lilienthal
- Michael Lind
- Pete McCloskey
- Norton Mezvinsky
- Donald Neff
- Mohammed Omer
- Victor Ostrovsky
- Ilan Pappe
- William Pfaff
- Charley Reese
- Sheldon Richman
- Scott Ritter
- Paul Craig Roberts
- Edward Said
- Israel Shahak
- Alison Weir
- Alan Weisman
See Also
- Anti-Israel lobby in the United States
- Pro-Israel lobby in the United States
- Council for the National Interest
Notes
- ^ "About Washington Report on Middle East Affairs," accessed February 20, 2007.
- http://www.wrmea.com/archives/Jan_Feb_2009/0901061b.html
- ^ Ballon, Marc. "Libraries: The New Mideast Battlefront", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Jan 20, 2006.
- http://www.meforum.org/372/israels-american-detractors-back-again Israel's American Detractors - Back Again
- http://www.adl.org/NR/exeres/3F24AF09-83AB-455B-8A7C-FC0275CA00B3,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm
- http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0392/9203026.html In Kennedy Assassination, Anyone But Mossad is Fair Game for U.S. Media, Paul Findley
- http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=64 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.
- "National Post's CBC Watch I", National Post, May 08, 2004.
- http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/kerryrecord.html Legislative Record of Senator John Kerry
- Tobin, Jonathan. "The Friends of our Foes", Jewish World Review, Sept. 15, 2000. Retrieved Dec 1, 2006.
- Jewish Americans and political participation: a reference handbook, Rafael Medoff, ABC-CLIO, 2002, p. 244-6
- Waging Peace, Council for the National Interest
External links
- Washington Report on Middle East Affair Publication website.