Posted on 03/20/2008 4:34:55 PM PDT by forkinsocket
WASHINGTON: The United States has told Israel repeatedly that Arab-American Palestinians must be treated as American citizens at border crossings or anywhere else, the State Department said on Thursday.
Still, said spokesman Sean McCormack, "It's a continuing issue. It's a continuing problem."
McCormack's comments were in response to question about a letter that Arab-American community leader James Zogby sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that complained of the problem as "an issue for many decades" for Arab-Americans.
McCormack said the response had not been drafted to Zogby's request for a meeting on the subject.
Then he said: "As for this issue, it's a continuing issue. It's a continuing problem.
"Our view, as expressed by Secretary Rice, former Undersecretary (Nicholas) Burns, former Assistant Secretary Maura Harty, our ambassador, the acting assistant secretary for consulate affairs, recently, and a variety of other people, to the Israeli government is that American citizen is American citizen is American citizen. There are no second classes. There's no distinction there."
"You have a blue American passport, you should be treated like an American citizen."
That will only work if they’re not involved in suicide bombings.
More proof that the state department is infiltrated by the enemy within.
Israel should be understanding and just ask: "Are you toting a missile in your pocket or are you just glad to see me"....
The special pleading simply raises suspicions, since cooperation during a time of war is the expectation.
Why would an American citizen of Palestinian decent want to go to Israel and if they are for good reason, not expect to be considered Palestinian and possibly dangerous?
After all, we are a split society anymore.
African-American, European-American, Chinese-American....the list goes on.
Gotta' love those hyphens.
Fine. If only they acted like American citizens.
Let the Israelis run their borders, and we'll run ours. So far, our track record in that regard is laughable next to theirs.
Yes, that is unfortunate. Yet if the US were subjected to daily rocket attacks from Tijuana, it wouldn’t surprise me if an Arab crossing the border into the US got a little extra attention because he looked Mexican.
Whoa there! Israel may be a socialist state, but the US does not contribute more to the coffers of Israel than their own citizens.
As to biting the hand that feeds you, as you put it, the US Israel relationship is strong and mutually beneficial, but it is not a suicide pact. Israel does not have to take marching orders to diminish security to keep racial bean counters happy. What happened to your friend is unfortunate, but the blame belongs to arabs, who constantly try to kill Jews. If not for that, they would not have to carefully screen people who appear middle eastern.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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Of course they're not discriminated against vis a vis Arabs from anywhere else, still profiling is evil, and America must stamp it out wherever it exists.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
I have a blue American passport, can I visit Jordan or Dubai or Saudi Arabia?
How so? From reading your post it appears that your friend got selected because he looked like an Arab, not because he was Mexican-American.
Because producing a valid US Passport and asking for the US consulate to be contacted was not met with anything other than more aggressive questioning, much of it in Arabic and Hebrew, neither of which my friend spoke. I can assure you that Israel is not your friend, or a shining city on a hill. It is simply a more western enclave in a region of complete insanity. It is the equivalent of a welfare mother. Stop the checks and see how much the express their love or respect for the US>
We know, of course, that all Arab Americans just love Israel, don’t we?
Where is Senator McCarthy when we need him?
It appears that you haven't been paying much attention to the Arab-American opinions of Israel being shouted far and wide in this country for years -- like 60 years.
It's a wonder to me that Israel lets them in their country at all.
I sure hope you just forgot the sarcasm notation; because without it, that is far from being an intelligent remark.
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