Paul Findley

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Paul Findley (born June 23 1921) is a former United States Representative from Illinois, representing its 20th District. A Republican he was first elected in 1961. Findley lost his seat in 1982 to current United States Senator Dick Durbin. Findley attended Illinois College and was a member of Phi Alpha Literary Society. He is a cofounder of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington advocacy group, and a board member of If Americans Knew.[1] He resides in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Contents

[edit] Criticism of US-Israel Relations

Paul Findley is a frequent critic of U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel.

In 1985, Findley wrote the best selling book "They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby" in which he claims that the pro-Israel lobby, notably AIPAC, has vast undue influence over the United States Congress. He refers to the lobby as "the 700-pound gorilla in Washington".[2] The Washington Post said "former congressman Paul Findley's message is straightforward and valid: Israeli influence in the United States, including in the inner sanctums of government, is very strong." [3] The New York Times described the book as "an angry, one-sided book that seems often to be little more than a stringing together of stray incidents". [4]

A year after the September 11 attack, Findley published an article saying that this attack would never have occurred were it not for uncritical U.S. support of Israel. [5] In that same article, he wrote that "U.S. policy on the Mideast is made in Israel, not in Washington," and that "once beloved worldwide, the U.S. government finds itself reviled in most countries because it provides unconditional support of Israeli violations of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the precepts of all major religious faiths."

Findley blames the Israeli lobby for contributing to his defeat in 1982. "In seeking gains for Israel, they rigorously stifled dissent and intimidated the entire Congress. They still do. They defeat legislators who criticize Israel. Senators Adlai Stevenson III and Charles H. Percy, and Representatives Pete McCloskey, Cynthia McKinney, Earl F. Hilliard, and myself were defeated at the polls by candidates heavily financed by pro-Israel forces. McKinney alone was able to regain her seat in Congress."[6]

Findley has claimed that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was launched primarily to benefit Israel, at the behest of pro-Israeli U.S. interest groups. [7]

Findley spoke to NPR about the publication of Mearsheimer and Walt's controversial 2006 working paper, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy : "You can't imagine how pleased I was [...] I think I can pose as a foremost expert on the lobby for Israel, because I was the target the last three years I was in Congress."[8]

Findley has supported the efforts of CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations to improve the image of Muslims in America. [1]

[edit] Dubai Port Deals

Findley was opposed to unfair prejudicial opinions concerning the Dubai Ports World's deal, claiming that opposition to the sale based on the purchasers being Arab was due solely to racism, Islamophobia and a Zionist media that villified Arabs and Muslims.[citation needed]

[edit] Recognitions

Human rights [9]:

Foreign policy [9]:

[edit] Bibliography

  • "Silent No More: Confronting America's False Images of Islam". 2001. Amana Publications. ISBN 1-59008-001-7
  • "They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby." 1985, 1989, 2003 editions. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 1-55652-482-X
  • "Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts About the U.S.-Israeli Relationship" 1983. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 1-55652-239-8
  • "Abraham Lincoln: The Crucible of Congress." 1979. Outlet. ISBN 0-517-53436-

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ If Americans Knew
  2. ^ Paul Findley Speaker Profile, Stanford University, January 16, 2005
  3. ^ Measuring the Political Influence of Israel in America, Peter Grose, Washington Post, June 23 1985, accessed April 28, 2006
  4. ^ In Short: Nonfiction, Adam Clymer, New York Times, July 14, 1985
  5. ^ Paul Findley, Liberating America from Israel, Arab News, September 12, 2002
  6. ^ The Peril in U.S. Middle East Policies, February 8, 2005
  7. ^ Our Israel-centric Foreign Policy, Paul Findley, Huffington Post, June 09 2005
  8. ^ Paper on Israel Lobby Sparks Heated Debate, Deborah Amos, NPR, April 21, 2006, accessed April 29 2006
  9. ^ a b Silent No More: About the Author, Paul Findley, Silent No More

[edit] External links

 

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Edna O. Simpson		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 20th congressional district
1961 – 1983		 Succeeded by
Richard J. Durbin