Customer Reviews

The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

As has already been mentioned, this is an emotional polemic. It mostly fails to answer the substantive issues discussed by Mearsheimer and Walt, or others like Finkelstein. It is interesting that Mr. Foxman, one of the long term heavyweights of 'The Lobby', makes such a crude answer. To rely so heavily on emotive bluster is a thin answer to the growing numbers who are pointing out the destructive goat dominating the American kitchen. It would seem that he and his confederates have relied on intimidation, muscle, misdirection, and ability to purchase, for so long that they have lost the finer arts of good refutation and argument.

In my experience a majority of ordinary Jews seem to be just as embarrassed by those who profess to represent them, as we Gentiles are about our self-professed 'Deciders'. This book is likely to reinforce that discomfort.

One star for content but this book is worth reading to discover the paucity of the 'No Lobby' claim. It also gives some insight on the very pedestrian mind of one of the Lobby's musclemen.

The Deadliest Lies purports to counter the book (The Israel Lobby) authored by Mearsheimer and Walt challenging that Israel has serious fundamental flaws in its dealing with the United States, that if not corrected, serves to undermine the long-term interests of both countries. The title suggests that two of the most respected policy commentators from major universities are at best liars and at worst, pedaling something akin to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

As a member of The Lobby, Foxman's inability to deal rationally on this subject is highly questionable. The problem lies with Foxman, his personality (for lack of a better word) and the organization he commands. Combined with his unquenchable penchant for logical fallacies, this book is one of the most tedious pieces of propaganda ever published.

When countered with the cold, scientific and unemotional facts presented in the M&W book, his reactionary response is almost comical, if it weren't for the fact that he and his Anti-Defamation League has gone seriously out of its way in an attempt to ruin the reputation of two notable scholars.

New York Times writer James Traub calls Foxman's A.D.L. "an anachronism" and "a one-man Sanhedrin". This "civil rights" group spied on thousands of Americans through the use of illicit contacts in the San Francisco Police Department.

Foxman also took $250,000 from international felon Marc Rich. If all that weren't bad enough, Foxman had recently led the charge along with several other Jewish groups to deny formal recognition of the Armenian genocide by the Turks. Thanks to the power of The Lobby, these incidents are played down and Foxman and company get off scott free.

The Deadliest Lies is merely the latest extension of this sad man's prolific polemics that seek to destroy the reputation of honest men.

This book does more to inflame emotions than provide reasonable discussion surrounding the subject of American - Israel policy. Isn't it time that American's debated our blind support for Israel?

Also, Foxman's book bothers me because he never addresses the real underlying issues but twists comments from others so he can cry racism. Save yourself the money, pick it up at a library. His book is so easy to counter with factual arguments that he refuses to address.

This book denies the existence of the Israel Lobby, as suggested by the title: The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby. The book is obviously trying to be a counterweight to Mearsheimer and Walt book The Israel Lobby which I found accurate, comprehensive, condensed, and academically meticulous (although a bit soft on Israel), with many supporting references. Foxman's book, on the other hand, is much thinner, sparse, lousily and emotionally written, with small amount of supporting references, mostly affiliated with the Lobby, and worse, full with half truths (A half-truth is a whole lie - Yiddish proverb). Small examples, it claims that the Lobby has nothing to do with the Iraq war since the lobbying for the war was before 911 and the attack was after...It says that there were others who supported the war, like Bush... It says that not only the Lobby, but also the UN, is concerned about Iran nuclear program, but it fails to mention who is making the case for attacking Iran. It is simply full of faulty logic mistakes, assuming that the reader is naïve or ignorant. Basically it looks as a hasty response to Mearsheimer/Walt with no evidential base. In the best case, it is a badly written historical fiction.
Denying the existence of the Israel Lobby is in at the same category as writing books like: The Deadliest Lies: The Copernican Heliocentric System and the existence of Gravitation, or The Deadliest Lie: The Armenian genocide. (recall Mr. Foxman's record on this denial). It is like denying the existence of New York; but I've been there and I am quite confident that it exists. Moreover, the book itself is evidence of the existence of the Israel lobby. Just look who is the author and who are the people who praise the book; they all belong to the Israel Lobby. Israel Lobby activists who deny the Lobby's existence are an equivalent to Descartes's declaring: "I think therefore I am not".
Personally, I have followed the Israel Lobby for years, including reading the Hebrew editions of Israeli newspapers; it is well known in Israel that it has an influential lobby at the US (An Israeli joke: An Israeli politician proposed joining the USA as the 51st state. "Are you mad?" his colleagues retorted, "if we were another state, we would have two senators and a few congressmen. Now we have at least 80 senators and hundreds of congressmen!"). I know well its influence over the past forty years, with the climax of its successful lobbying for the Iraq war and the current lobbying for attacking Iran. If one has any doubt on this, he or she should read Rosner's Domain in the Israeli Haaretz. It proudly describes how the elect-ability of our representatives in Washington is conditioned on their pro-Israel stand, especially their statements in AIPAC conferences, and their 'educational' visits to Israel. One of the mechanisms of this lobby is attacking anybody who points out the naked truth of its existence and influence (as Mearsheimer and Walt have done) and using Antisemitism as their weapon of mass defamation. This book is another instance of this strategy. If you believe that you should read any nonsense, then read this book. Otherwise, ignore it, as you would ignore a math book that claims that calculus is a conspiracy.

This book is an insult to anyone that pays attention to world events. To deny an Israeli lobbyis absurd. Foxman should also take classes on basic writing skills. I think his next book should be on why ADL is considered by many to be a terrorist group.

To put it simply, this book is a amateurish "rebuttal" of Mersheimer and Walt's compelling, meticulously researched, and downright convincing piece on the power of the Israel lobby. The tone of the book is juvenile and refuses to engage in serious dialogue with the seriousness of the questions at hand. Instead, as is so typical of the lobby(which, of course, Foxman himself is part of), Foxman throws out claims of intellectualized anti-semitism. Guess what- name calling doesn't work anymore. The shock value of leveling the "anti-semite" charge against good and accurate research has worn off. No one is buying it. The Israeli lobby profoundly affects our foreign policy- it's almost undebatable. Foxman and his ilk are running out of time. Americans are sick and tired of waging wars and defining policy based on the special interests of an ethnic group that represents 2.5% of our population.

An emotive response lacking evidences to support all of its major claims. This book is a complete fiasco. Just seek for the author's bio to see where it comes from. The usual response to anyone that is critical to Israel's destructive policy in the middle east--you are anti-semite and terrorist. Isreal has been for almost 60 years the the major cause of all wars in the middle east we give them weapons to do so unfortunately. Why should anyone cover up this fact? This book is a total waste of time and money. Simply not worth it!

I finally finished reading this book after a few visits to a local bookstore. Knowing Foxman, I didn't want to waste my money. Having said that, I thought I ought to read it just for general elucidation. I can't imagine anyone educated on issues of Israel to take this book seriously. It is written almost like a missionary handbook to sway the "ignorants". It is still amazing that many bookstores display this book (including Amazon), next to Mearsheimer and Walt's "Israel Lobby" book. That alone may exemplify the power of Jewish (and indirectly Israeli) influence (and marketing) in this country. By any objective standard, they are not par in content nor seriousness. A naive person might be tempted to take the "balanced" view and read the "garbage" from Abe Foxman.

I heard Foxman on NPR and was curious about the book. Unfortunately it is seething with the extremism of a man that makes his living hawking emotional appeal on the television. If you are looking for objectivity, you should stop and turnaround. Foxman's hatred of Walt, Mearsheimer, and Jimmy Carter could not be more apparent when reading the text.

Most of his points center around engendering fear in the Jewish people over centuries old stereotypes and myths. Instead of reading the book, you could just write down "Anyone that disagrees with me, Jew or Gentile is an evil anti-semite trying to kill the people of Israel."

I agree wholeheartedly with the obvious general consensus of this pathetic rebuttal to Mearsheimer/Walt's "Israel Lobby" paper and subsequent book of the same title.

But here is where I deviate from the rest of the bunch.

I INVITE YOU TO PLEASE READ IT for 2 reasons.

Firstly, if you want to truly grasp how the "special interest" groups have expertly turned the use of half truths, lies by ommission and character assasination (the ever ubiquitous "antisemite" label) into an art, I can think of no better example that illustrates this perfectly than this 'book'.

Read it, and take the time to look up the fact's listed in support of his position (don't worry there aren't that many to research, couple of hours at the most) and you will understand how utterly pathetic Foxman is.

Secondly, when it comes to non-fiction and subject matter of this importance I like to read and judge for myself the credibility and veracity of the author.

And in that spirit, I like to encourage you to do the same.

I would not pay for it though inexpensive as it is, (I'm sure you'll be glad you didn't after you have perused it), so I recommend you check it out at the local library.

I can't imagine that it would be checked out, but its not impossible. Someone may have taken it out by mistake.

Its not that big a read and it's actually quite entertaining, expecially when you start to research the bs facts and go through page after page of desperate emotional culling.

Even by Foxman standards this 'literary' piece is beyond lame, reeks of desperation and in many instances just down right juvenile.

In a strange, ironic way, this book lends even more credibility to Mearsheimer/Walt's paper and book.

Happy reading. :-)
Cheers.