→Career: removed unsourced material, added better RS |
→Political writings: removed non-sourced material, added sourced, corrected RS, general editing |
||
Line 40: | Line 40: | ||
He is a former Senior Fellow at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the [[American Jewish Congress]] (1978–1994).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/13/nyregion/public-lives-separating-spiritual-and-political-he-pays-a-price.html?src=pm Separating Spiritual and Political, He Pays a Price]</ref> |
He is a former Senior Fellow at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the [[American Jewish Congress]] (1978–1994).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/13/nyregion/public-lives-separating-spiritual-and-political-he-pays-a-price.html?src=pm Separating Spiritual and Political, He Pays a Price]</ref> |
||
==Political |
==Political views== |
||
Siegman is a critic of [[State of Israel|Israeli]] policies in the [[West Bank]].<ref>[http://www. |
Siegman is a critic of [[State of Israel|Israeli]] policies in the [[West Bank]]. Former [[List of Israeli ambassadors to the United States|Israel ambassador to the United States]] [[Itamar Rabinovich]] identified his views as similar to that of [[Meretz]]'s left wing.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/917817.html What will happen after Bush?] by Itamar Rabinovich, ''[[Haaretz]]'', October 29, 2007.</ref> |
||
by Ralph Seliger.</ref> Former [[List of Israeli ambassadors to the United States|Israel ambassador to the United States]] [[Itamar Rabinovich]] identified his views as similar to that of [[Meretz]]'s left wing.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/917817.html What will happen after Bush?] by Itamar Rabinovich, ''[[Haaretz]]'', October 29, 2007.</ref> Siegman supports the [[two-state solution]] and the [[Moral_equivalence#Arab-Israeli_conflict|moral equivalence]] in the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]].<ref>[http://www.cfr.org/publication/10923/is_moral_equivalency_really_so_wrong.html Is 'moral equivalency' really so wrong?] by Henry Siegman, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', June 18, 2006 (from CFR website)</ref> He advocates engagement with [[Hamas]]<ref>[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18939 Hamas: The Last Chance for Peace?] by Henry Siegman, ''The New York Review of Books'', April 27, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/27/opinion/edsiegman.php The Hamas factor] by [[Robert Malley]] and Henry Siegman, ''The International Herald Tribune'', December 27, 2006.</ref> and visited [[Khaled Mashal]], Hamas leader exiled in [[Syria]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/world/middleeast/15gaza.html Hamas and Gaza Emerge Reshaped After Takeover] by [[Ethan Bronner]], June 15, 2008.</ref> He says that [[Yasser Arafat]] made a "disastrous mistake" in rejecting the peace offer, but that "based on my 14 years of dealings with Arafat, I reject the notion that he was bent on Israel's destruction."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/international/middleeast/arafatobit.html Yasir Arafat, Father and Leader of Palestinian Nationalism, Dies at 75] by [[Judith Miller (journalist)|Judith Miller]], ''The New York Times'', November 11, 2004.</ref> Siegman is critical of [[Ariel Sharon]], about whom he wrote: "The war Sharon is waging is not aimed at the defeat of Palestinian terrorism but at the defeat of the Palestinian people and their aspirations for national self-determination."<ref>[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16831 Sharon's Phony War] by Henry Siegman, ''The New York Review of Books'', December 18, 2003.</ref> He strongly defended former president [[Jimmy Carter]]'s book ''[[Palestine Peace Not Apartheid]].''<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070122/siegman Hurricane Carter] by Henry Siegman, ''[[The Nation]], January 4, 2007.</ref> He has also criticized the peace efforts by [[Ehud Olmert]] and [[George W. Bush]].<ref>[http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n16/sieg01_.html The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam] by Henry Siegman, The [[London Review of Books]], 16 August 2007.</ref> Siegman has described the process as a “scam” because of a “consensus reached long ago by Israel’s decision-making elites that Israel will never allow the emergence of a Palestinian state”.<ref name="lrb.co.uk">[http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n16/sieg01_.html The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam] Henry Siegman, London Review of Books, 16 August 2007</ref> Writing in [[CounterPunch]] Magazine, Siegman wrote: "Their goal remains to prevent a peace process that would require them to halt Israel's expansion of its settlements and its effort to cut off East Jerusalem from its Palestinian hinterland." |
|||
Siegman supports the idea of [[Moral_equivalence#Arab-Israeli_conflict|moral equivalence]] in the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]].<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/18/opinion/op-siegman18 Is 'moral equivalency' really so wrong?]</ref> He advocates engagement with [[Hamas]]<ref>[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18939 Hamas: The Last Chance for Peace?] by Henry Siegman, ''The New York Review of Books'', April 27, 2006.</ref> and believes that [[Palestinian Authority]] president Mahmoud Abbas is able to form a unity goverment between Hamas and his own [[Fatah]] and make peace with Israel.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/27/opinion/27iht-edsiegman.4028715.html The Hamas factor] by [[Robert Malley]] and Henry Siegman, ''The International Herald Tribune'', December 27, 2006.</ref> Siegman met with [[Khaled Mashal]], Hamas leader in [[Syria]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/world/middleeast/15gaza.html Hamas and Gaza Emerge Reshaped After Takeover] by [[Ethan Bronner]], June 15, 2008.</ref> |
|||
He says that [[Yasser Arafat]] made a "disastrous mistake" in rejecting the peace offer, but that "based on my 14 years of dealings with Arafat, I reject the notion that he was bent on Israel's destruction."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/international/middleeast/arafatobit.html Yasir Arafat, Father and Leader of Palestinian Nationalism, Dies at 75] by [[Judith Miller (journalist)|Judith Miller]], ''The New York Times'', November 11, 2004.</ref> Siegman is critical of [[Ariel Sharon]], about whom he wrote: "The war Sharon is waging is not aimed at the defeat of Palestinian terrorism but at the defeat of the Palestinian people and their aspirations for national self-determination."<ref>[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16831 Sharon's Phony War] by Henry Siegman, ''The New York Review of Books'', December 18, 2003.</ref> |
|||
He strongly defended former president [[Jimmy Carter]]'s book ''[[Palestine Peace Not Apartheid]].''<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070122/siegman Hurricane Carter] by Henry Siegman, ''[[The Nation]], January 4, 2007.</ref> He has also criticized the peace efforts by [[Ehud Olmert]] and [[George W. Bush]].<ref>[http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n16/sieg01_.html The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam] by Henry Siegman, The [[London Review of Books]], 16 August 2007.</ref> Siegman has described the process as a “scam” because of a “consensus reached long ago by Israel’s decision-making elites that Israel will never allow the emergence of a Palestinian state”.<ref name="lrb.co.uk">[http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n16/sieg01_.html The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam] Henry Siegman, London Review of Books, 16 August 2007</ref> |
|||
==Reception== |
==Reception== |
Revision as of 13:49, 24 January 2013
Henry Siegman | |
---|---|
Born | 1930 Frankfurt, Weimar Republic (now Frankfurt, Germany) |
Occupation | Writer and journalist |
Nationality | American |
Henry Siegman (born 1930) is a German-born American, president of the "U.S./Middle East Project". He is a non-resident research professor at the Sir Joseph Hotung Middle East Program, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, a former Senior Fellow on the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former National Director of the American Jewish Congress.[1]
Early life and education
Siegman, a Jewish American, was born in 1930 in Frankfurt, Weimar Republic (now Frankfurt, Germany).[2] Moving to the United States, Siegman studied and was ordained as an Orthodox Rabbi by Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. He served as a chaplain in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.[3][4]
Career
He is a former Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress (1978–1994).[5]
Political views
Siegman is a critic of Israeli policies in the West Bank. Former Israel ambassador to the United States Itamar Rabinovich identified his views as similar to that of Meretz's left wing.[6]
Siegman supports the idea of moral equivalence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[7] He advocates engagement with Hamas[8] and believes that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is able to form a unity goverment between Hamas and his own Fatah and make peace with Israel.[9] Siegman met with Khaled Mashal, Hamas leader in Syria.[10]
He says that Yasser Arafat made a "disastrous mistake" in rejecting the peace offer, but that "based on my 14 years of dealings with Arafat, I reject the notion that he was bent on Israel's destruction."[11] Siegman is critical of Ariel Sharon, about whom he wrote: "The war Sharon is waging is not aimed at the defeat of Palestinian terrorism but at the defeat of the Palestinian people and their aspirations for national self-determination."[12]
He strongly defended former president Jimmy Carter's book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid.[13] He has also criticized the peace efforts by Ehud Olmert and George W. Bush.[14] Siegman has described the process as a “scam” because of a “consensus reached long ago by Israel’s decision-making elites that Israel will never allow the emergence of a Palestinian state”.[15]
Reception
Radio Free Europe calls him "a leading U.S. expert on the Middle East."[16] Jewish daily The Forward credits him for publicizing the "Saudi plan".[17] Journalist David Rieff calls him "the most perceptive American observer-participant in the last two decades of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.".[18] On the other hand, CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) has stated that Siegman's reporting is full of "Falsehoods that distort and denigrate", "Hypocrisy and double standards", and that "An examination of his body of work reveals his analyses to be little more than thinly veiled propaganda promoting the Palestinian perspective on the conflict with Israel." [19]
References
- ^ Henry Siegman Bio
- ^ Brief biography at the Euro|topics magazine.
- ^ Separating Spiritual and Political, He Pays a Price, by Chris Hedges, The New York Times, June 13, 2002.
- ^ Behind Henry Siegman's Turn on Israel
- ^ Separating Spiritual and Political, He Pays a Price
- ^ What will happen after Bush? by Itamar Rabinovich, Haaretz, October 29, 2007.
- ^ Is 'moral equivalency' really so wrong?
- ^ Hamas: The Last Chance for Peace? by Henry Siegman, The New York Review of Books, April 27, 2006.
- ^ The Hamas factor by Robert Malley and Henry Siegman, The International Herald Tribune, December 27, 2006.
- ^ Hamas and Gaza Emerge Reshaped After Takeover by Ethan Bronner, June 15, 2008.
- ^ Yasir Arafat, Father and Leader of Palestinian Nationalism, Dies at 75 by Judith Miller, The New York Times, November 11, 2004.
- ^ Sharon's Phony War by Henry Siegman, The New York Review of Books, December 18, 2003.
- ^ Hurricane Carter by Henry Siegman, The Nation, January 4, 2007.
- ^ The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam by Henry Siegman, The London Review of Books, 16 August 2007.
- ^ The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam Henry Siegman, London Review of Books, 16 August 2007
- ^ Middle East: Will Israel's Killing Of Hamas Leader Affect U.S. Policy? by Jeffrey Donovan, Radio Free Europe, March 23, 2004.
- ^ Saudis Push Bush Team On Peace Plan by Nathan Guttman, The Forward, January 19, 2007.
- ^ Arafat Among the Ruins by David Rieff, The New York Times, April 25, 2004.
- ^ http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=139&x_article=1197