Thursday, February 4, 2010
Whatever the conclusion, at least the NIF is a controversial issue now, and they and their friends are not helping with the tactics they've used in their counterattack: Australian groups cancel Chazan appearances
Former Israeli lawmaker Naomi Chazan's visit to Australia was canceled following allegations that the organization she heads helped provide information for the Goldstone report.
Chazan, president of the New Israel Fund, was invited by the Union for Progressive Judaism -- the Australian equivalent of the Reform movement -- to address fund-raisers next week for the United Israel Appeal in Melbourne and Sydney .
But her invitation was withdrawn this week following a maelstrom over allegations by the right-wing student organization Im Tirzu that NIF had disbursed more than $7 million to 16 NGOs that had provided 92 percent of the negative information contained in the controversial United Nations report on last winter's Gaza war.
Dr. Danny Lamm, president of the Zionist Council of Victoria, which withdrew its decision to co-host Chazan at a function in Melbourne this weekend, told The Age newspaper that "Organizations that they have funded have done damage to Israel, and as a consequence we don't want to have anything to with the New Israel Fund."...
Progressive Judaism no less? Hardly the right wing's base.
I think it's a very bad decision of Aussies. We should make up no fight. Our peoples need each other. Israel needs powerful friends.