Barbara Ehrenreich, filling in for columnist Tom Friedman at the NY Times, proposes a ‘new counterterrorism strategy’ for her candidate John Kerry to adopt: injecting feminism and women’s rights into Arab countries.
There’s certainly something to be said for that, but Ehrenreich insists on underpinning her entire project with this:
We’re going to need a thorough foreign policy makeover – from Afghanistan to Israel – before we have the credibility to stand up for anyone’s human rights. You can’t play the gender card with dirty hands.
Elliot Chodoff of Mideast On-Target comments:
Having no basis for criticism of Israel on feminist terms…Ehrenreich, for just a split second, broadens her scope to include human rights in general. And here the truth comes out. It is impossible to discuss any issue concerning human rights anywhere without an obligatory, offhand swipe at Israel. The message is clear: if only the US would rid itself of oppressive Israel, the world would be salvageable. Associating with Israel only gives you dirty hands. No proof, no discussion, no argument. Simply take it for granted.
