DELIBERATE DECEPTIONS

The many supposed sins of Israel, as compiled by former Illinois congressman Findley (They Dare To Speak Out, 1989—not reviewed). The author groups his points of contention with Israel into 28 categories, including ``The Likud Government''; ``The Intifada''; ``Loan Guarantees for Israel''; ``Israel's Spying On America''; ``Israel and the UN''; and ``Israel's Claims to Palestine.'' After a brief introduction, he presents a kind of dialogue with himself, offering a ``fallacy'' about Israel (presented in white print in a black box), followed by a corrective ``fact'' (presented in black print in white box). Many of the fallacies and facts come off as vague or simplistic: That ``Israel Has Never Been Stronger,'' for example—an extremely complex issue—is rebutted to Findley's satisfaction in two paragraphs, and his concern with the American Israel Political Action Committee's typically overblown lobbyist statements is hard to take seriously. The heart of the matter for the author is the special relationship between Israel and the US, as well as his concern that America is being exploited by Israel, financially and otherwise. On this issue, Findley does cut close to the bone when discussing the Israeli bombing, in 1967, of the US intelligence ship Liberty (34 Americans dead, 171 wounded) and the cover-up that followed in both countries. His criticism of Israel's relation to the UN (and the astounding American threat to withdraw from that organization if Israel were to be suspended for failing to abide by UN resolutions) is substantive, and his discussion on Israel's use of the Jewish diaspora to promote espionage (as in, he alleges, the Pollard case) is provocative, if shallow. The big problem here, though, is Findley's utterly partisan tone and his refusal to create a real global and historic context for his accusations. For the most part, a strident and unconvincing polemic.