Khalidi and the PLO Debunked by Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)

[RamboLiberal]

One could say many things about the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) --a great source of news about news in general and topics of concern to Jews worldwide -- but saying it is a hot bed of anti-semites or crazed Muslim terrorists is simply not one of them. Here, from their election blog, is a very helpful debunking of the smears and lies the McCain campaign has been spreading about Rashid Khalidi and the PLO.

--Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

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The problem with the “spokesman” claim is that you can actually prove it’s not true. In saner times, “prove it’s not true” would be a phrase frowned on in an innocent until proven guilty culture. Khalidi’s denial would be enough in the face of a lack of evidence as to same. Those promoting the claim cite a single 1982 article by Tom Friedman; Khalidi says Friedman got it wrong, and that the term “PLO spokesman” was used promiscuously in 1982 Beirut.

But like I said, things ain’t so sane.

So here’s the thing: What everyone acknowledges is that Khalidi was an adviser to the Palestinian delegation to the 1991 Madrid talks. That delegation - to a person - could not have had any formal affiliation with the PLO. Israel regarded the group as terrorist and its laws banned contact with its members; then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir made NOT being affiliated with the PLO it a condition of Israel’s agreement to participate. The names of the Palestinian team would have been vetted by Israeli intelligence.

This was something of a nudge and a wink, of course: Faisal Husseini, who headed the team, was in constant contact with PLO headquarters in Tunis.

Still, it should put to rest the notion that Khalidi was ever a “spokesman” for the group.

“Seventeen years ago,” once upon a time, didn’t mean ancient history; one would expect older members of the McCain team to remember what was, at the time, a critical step in getting the sides to Madrid. The younger folks I can forgive and educate (Michael Goldfarb, consider yourself educated.)

http://blogs.jta.org/politics/2008/10/30/2643/khalidi-and-the-plo/

[Jennicut]

1. All it takes is some research to debunk crap.

[Ian David]

2. Since McCain funded Khalidi's "Opinion Research" for years, is it possible...

... that this research was used by Bush to predict that Hammas would win a popular election in Palestine, but Bush pushed for those elections anyway?

[loyalkydem]

3. Keith and Rachael

Someone email them this.