Posted by
Selfish Rhino on Friday, October 31, 2008 11:13:29 AM
Despite Obama Campaign Denials, Long-Standing Relationship Exists
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While Teaching At The University Of Chicago, Obama And Khalidi Developed A "Longtime Relationship":
"[O]bama's Longtime Relationship With Columbia University Professor (And One-Time PLO Adviser) Rashid Khalidi Have Provoked Speculation In The Israeli Press That He May Be Secretly Anti-Zionist. Another Chicago Academic Ally Of Obama's Is Professor William Ayers, A Weather Underground Radical In The 1970s." (Gene Lyons, Op-Ed, "Obama Gives Opponents Plenty Of Ammunition," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/20/08)
Rashid Khalidi Dined Regularly With The Obamas In His Hyde Park Home. "For years, the Obamas had been regular dinner guests at the Hyde Park home of Rashid Khalidi... Mr. Khalidi said the talk would often turn to the Middle East, and he talked with Mr. Obama about issues like living conditions in the occupied territories." (Jo Becker and Christopher Drew, "Pragmatic Politics, Forged On The South Side," The New York Times, 5/11/08)
•"While Teaching At The University Of Chicago, Khalidi And His Wife Lived In The Hyde Park Neighborhood Near The Obamas. The Families Became Friends And Dinner Companions." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
Khalidi: "[Obama] has family literally all over the world. I feel a kindred spirit from that." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
Khalidi Threw A Fundraiser For Obama's 2000 Congressional Campaign, In Which Obama Was Accused Of Sympathizing With The Palestinians:
"In 2000, The Khalidis Held A Fundraiser For Obama's Unsuccessful Congressional Bid." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
•At The 2000 Fundraiser, Khalidi Claimed Obama Called For A More "Evenhanded Approach" To The Palestinian-Israel Conflict. "Both Mr. Khalidi and Mr. Abunimah, of the Electronic Intifada, said Mr. Obama had spoken at the fund-raiser and had called for the United States to adopt a more 'evenhanded approach' to the Palestinian-Israel conflict." (Jo Becker and Christopher Drew, "Pragmatic Politics, Forged On The South Side," The New York Times, 5/11/08)
"A Local Palestinian Activist Said Obama Attended The Fundraiser And Expressed Sympathy For The Palestinian Cause And Criticism For U.S. Support Of Israel. "In 2000, [Ali] Abunimah [a Hyde Park Palestinian-American activist] recalled, Professor Rashid Khalidi, a leading Palestinian American advocate for a two-state solution and harsh critic of Israel, held a fundraiser in his home for Obama, embarked then on an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the House of Representatives. 'He came with his wife,' Abunimah said. 'That's where I had a chance to really talk to him. It was an intimate setting. He convinced me he was very aware of the issues [and] critical of U.S. bias toward Israel and lack of sensitivity to Arabs. ... He was very supportive of U.S. pressure on Israel.'" (Larry Cohler-Esses, "Obama Pivots Away From Dovish Past," The New York Jewish Week, 3/9/07)
Obama Spoke At An Event Celebrating Palestinian Culture And Bidding Farewell To Rashid Khalidi:
Obama Spoke At An Event Bidding Farewell To Rashid Khalidi When He Was Leaving Chicago For New York. "It was a celebration of Palestinian culture -- a night of music, dancing and a dash of politics. Local Arab Americans were bidding farewell to Rashid Khalidi, an internationally known scholar, critic of Israel and advocate for Palestinian rights, who was leaving town for a job in New York. A special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
•Obama Praised Khalidi For A Conversation The Two Shared That Had Been "Consistent Reminders To [Obama] Of [His] Blind Spots And [His] Own Biases." "A special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking. His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been 'consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases. . . . It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation -- a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table,' but around 'this entire world.'" (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend I n Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
One Speaker At This Event Recited A Poem Accusing The Israeli Government Of Terrorism In Its Treatment Of Palestine. "At Khalidi's 2003 farewell party, for example, a young Palestinian American recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, 'then you will never see a day of peace.'" (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
Another Speaker Likened "Zionist Settlers On The West Bank" To Osama Bin Laden. "One speaker likened 'Zionist settlers on the West Bank' to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been 'blinded by ideology.'" (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
"At Khalidi's Going-Away Party In 2003, The Scholar Lavished Praise On Obama, Telling The Mostly Palestinian American Crowd That The State Senator Deserved Their Help In Winning A U.S. Senate Seat." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
•Khalidi: "You will not have a better senator under any circumstances." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
Obama Served On The Board Of The Woods Fund When It Contributed $75,000 To Mona Khalidi's Arab American Action Network (AAAN):
"Obama Was A Director Of The Woods Fund Board From 1999 To Dec. 11, 2002, According To The Fund's Website. According To Tax Filings, Obama Received Compensation Of $6,000 Per Year For His Service In 1999 And 2000." (Aaron Klein, "Obama Served On Board That Funded Pro-Palestinian Group," The Jewish Press, 2/27/08)
•NOTE: Khalidi Was A Member Of The Woods Fund Board. "Like Ayers and Obama, Khalidi was a member of the Woods Fund board..." (Edward McClelland, "The Crazy Uncles In Obama's Attic," Salon, 3/18/08)
"In 2001, The Woods Fund ... Provided A $40,000 Grant To The Arab American Action Network, Or AAAN, At Which Khalidi's Wife, Mona, Serves As President. The Fund Provided A Second Grant To AAAN For $35,000 In 2002." (Aaron Klein, "Obama Served On Board That Funded Pro-Palestinian Group," The Jewish Press, 2/27/08)
RASHID KHALIDI
Rashid Khalidi Is A Former PLO Spokesman:
"In The 1970s, When Khalidi Taught At A University In Beirut, [Khalidi] Often Spoke To Reporters On Behalf Of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
"In The Early 1990s, He Advised The Palestinian Delegation During Peace Negotiations." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
"Khalidi Now Occupies A Prestigious Professorship Of Arab Studies At Columbia." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
Khalidi's Views Are Considered Troubling By Pro-Israeli Activists. "Still, many of Khalidi's opinions are troubling to pro-Israel activists, such as his defense of Palestinians' right to resist Israeli occupation and his critique of U.S. policy as biased toward Israel." (Peter Wallsten, "Allies Of Palestinians See A Friend In Obama," Los Angeles Times, 4/10/08)
Khalidi And Bill Ayers Have Acknowledged Each Other In Their Books:
In The Book, A Kind And Just Parent, Ayers Mentions Khalidi's Wife, Mona, In The Acknowledgements Section. "Thanks to my friends and family who provided models and standards and shared struggles of parenting: ... Mona Khalidi, sister, friend, and co-parent today..." (William Ayers, A Kind And Just Parent, 1997, p. ix)
Khalidi Acknowledged Bill Ayers In His 2005 Book, Resurrecting Empire. "First, chronologically and in other ways, comes Bill Ayers. He persuaded me a little over a year ago that I should write this book, and he put me in touch with my editor... Bill was particularly generous in letting me use his family's dining room table to do some of the writing for the project." (Rashid Khalidi, Resurrecting Empire, 2005, p. 212)
While Appearing On Al-Jazeera, Khalidi Criticized AIPAC As A "Zionist Lobby" Whose "Basic Function Is To Spread Lies And Falsehoods About The Arab World":
While Appearing On Al-Jazeera's "From Washington," Khalidi "Blew A Gasket." "[A]l-Jazeera's program 'From Washington' held a discussion on Middle Eastern studies in America. Chief guest: Professor Rashid Khalidi, the newly seated incumbent of the Edward Said Chair in Arab Studies at Columbia University, and director of that university's (government-subsidized) Middle East Institute. He said little that was original or surprising - until the end, when he blew a gasket and uttered the sort of thing he would only dare to say in Arabic. It happened like this." (Martin Kramer, "<st 1:city="" w:st="on">Columbia's Radical Caravan," The New York Sun, 1/6/04)
Khalidi Criticized Think Tanks "That Don't Want True Dialogue," Citing The Washington Institute For Near Eastern Policy. "At one point in the discussion, Khalidi criticized think tanks 'that don't want true dialogue with people whose views differ from their own, but who want to force their opinions on American citizens and the world.' He mentioned, by way of example, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which he labeled 'the fiercest of the enemies of the Arabs and the Muslims.'" (Martin Kramer, "Columbia's Radical Caravan," The New York Sun, 1/6/04)
After Being Pressed, Khalidi "Boiled Over," Calling AIPAC A "Zionist Lobby" And "The Center Of Zionist Interests In Washington For At Least A Decade." "The moderator, Hafiz al-Mirazi, played devil's advocate. Hadn't the institute often hosted Arabs and others holding diverse views? It had provided a podium for Nabil Amr, Palestinian information minister, as well as Egyptian presidential adviser Osama al-Baz. Just recently, Washington Institute mainstay David Makovsky had written a joint op-ed with an Egyptian writer from Al-Ahram (the reference was to Dr. Hala Mustafa, a visiting fellow),on democracy promotion in the Arab world. At this point, Mr. Khalidi boiled over: 'By God, I say that the participation of the sons or daughters of the Arabs in the plans and affairs of this institute is a huge error, this Israeli institute in Washington, an institute founded by AIPAC, the Zionist lobby, and that hosts tens of Israelis every year. The presence of an Arab or two each year can't disguise the nature of this institute as the most important center of Zionist interests in Washington for at least a decade.'" (Martin Kramer, "Columbia's Radical Caravan," The New York Sun, 1/6/04)
•Khalidi Continued To Criticize AIPAC As "Directed Against Palestinians" And Saying "Its Basic Function Is To Spread Lies And Falsehoods About The Arab World." "'I very much regret the participation of Arab officials and non-officials and academics in the activities of this institute, because in fact if you look at the output of this institute, it's directed against the Palestinians, against the Arabs, and against the Muslims in general. Its products describe the Palestinians as terrorists, and in fact its basic function is to spread lies and falsehoods about the Arab world, of course under an academic, scholarly veneer. Basically, this is the most important Zionist propaganda tool in the United States.'" (Martin Kramer, "Columbia's Radical Caravan," The New York Sun, 1/6/04)