Reassessing the U.S. – Israel ‘Special Relationship’

The “National Summit to Reassess the U.S. – Israel ‘Special Relationship” took center stage Friday in Washington, D.C. at the National Press Club.

It was a first-ever for the group. The organizers said they want to show the American people the other side of the coin on this important and controversial issue.

One speaker put it this way: “The ‘Special Relationship’ isn’t working! We want it instead to be a “normal” relationship between the U.S. and Israel. We believe that will serve better the “national interests of both countries.”

 On the agenda as speakers were individuals from the Defense and Law enforcement communities; the Non-Profits and the Public Policy field; former members of the U.S. Congress, to wit: Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) and Rep. Paul Findley (R-IL); along with a host of distinguished authors, law professors, journalists and ex-intelligence officials, from both the military and the civilian side.

A former CIA official, Ray McGovern, raised this issue in his remarks, “Does Israel act like a U.S. ally? In the 1980s, he used to prepare the “President’s Daily Brief.”

One of the speakers that brought the capacity audience to its feet with a standing ovation was Ernie A. Gallo. He’s an author and the President of the “USS Liberty Veterans Association.” He was a survivor of the Israeli attack on the “USS Liberty.” Gallo’s 2013 book is titled: “Liberty Injustices: A Survivor Account of American Bigotry.”

To learn more about this first “National Summit,” its organizers, speakers and the panel members, go here.

The program was broadcast live on C-Span 3. It can be watched – all 8 hours,  14 minutes and 9  seconds of it, here.

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Ernie  Gallo
Ernie Gallo
Delinda Henley
Delinda Henley

 

Grant F. Smith
Grant F. Smith