Political Quotes

“I rise to condemn in the strongest possible terms recent comments that have been attributed to Mr. Freih Abu Medein, the Justice Minister in the Palestinian authority. In a May 17 article in the Washington Post, journalist Barton Gellman reported that Mr. Medein stated last month that ``five Zionist Jews'' are running the United States' Middle East policy and, in the words of the article, he ``added that it is implausible that a nation the size of the United States can find no one else to maintain diplomatic contacts with Palestinians.'' This statement, if quoted correctly, is deeply offensive on two counts. First, it is patently anti-semitic, or more properly, anti-Jewish. Its conspiratorial overtones reflect the worst traditions of hate-mongering that characterizes classical anti-semitism. Second, it is a thinly veiled attempt to manipulate our sovereign right as a country to choose whoever we wish to represent us diplomatically. It also evinces complete ignorance of the American system. I am confident that the individuals to whom Mr. Medein refers were not chosen for their religious beliefs, but rather on the strength of their qualifications for the jobs for which they were selected. Anyone who thinks otherwise has great deal to learn about this country. If Mr. Medein or anyone else in the Palestinian Authority has difficulty meeting with American representatives who happen to profess a particular religious faith, then that is their problem, not ours.”