Euroasian Jewish News

EAJC Presidium Expresses Solidarity With David Harris

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Presidium received the following letter from David Harris, who heads the American Jewish Committee (AJC), an organization which is a friend and partner of the EAJC:

“Nearly two years ago, I was invited by The Huffington Post (HuffPo) to become a blogger on their site. I was honored. It is one of the most heavily trafficked news sites anywhere, and it reaches an influential audience. Since September 2009, I have published nearly 50 articles there, and look forward to publishing many more. This week, for the first time, I was told by HuffPo that an article submitted was "not for us." It's below. I ask you to read it and decide for yourself.”

The EAJC Presidium is extremely saddened by the fact that David Harris' topical article "The Hamas – Oops, Gaza – Flotilla," which holds an assessment of the situation around the second "freedom flotilla" from the perspective of Jewish communities, was seen to be "unfit" for an influential U.S. news site.

David Harris is not only the leader of the oldest U.S. Jewish organization – the American Jewish Committee, but also one of the leading experts in the Jewish world. His uncompromising stance, as stated in the article, is a matter of our undisputed respect. As the author of this article, we certainly condemn the policy of double standards, lie and slander, as demonstrated by the organizators of another anti-Israeli provocation. This policy is intended to delegitimize the Jewish state.

In rejecting Harris's article, "Huffington Post" actually played into the collective hands of the enemies of Israel and took part in the campaign to delegitimize the Jewish state. Whether it was done out of a false understanding of political correctness or by conformism, but it's obvious disdain for the traditional U.S. respect for freedom of speech.

We can only regret that Harris' article, which we see as objective and persuasive, did not reach the numerous readers of HuffPo. For our part, we intend to make it available to readers in countries where the EAJC works, and to all those who care about the topic discussed in the article, and, furthermore, about the fate of the Jewish state itself.

The EAJC Presidium

David Harris. “The Hamas – Oops, Gaza – Flotilla”