January 13, 2008 – New York – The American Jewish Committee is deeply disturbed by Arun Gandhi’s derisive comments about Jews and the state of Israel in his blog on the Washington Post/Newsweek “On Faith” section.

AJC Executive Director David A. Harris responds:

To suggest that Jews today are using the Holocaust at the expense of others is reprehensible. Regrettably, in the Internet age, it is difficult for a writer, especially one with a popular family name, to retract such hurtful, misinformed statements, and, indeed, Mr. Gandhi has fallen short in his subsequent apology.

Let’s be clear. Israel, since its establishment by the United Nations 60 years ago, has sought to live in peace and security with all her neighbors. Israel was not created as a militaristic state, nor has it sought to dominate another people, as Gandhi argues.

Rather, Israel created a strong military out of the necessity to defend its citizens against the repeated attempts by hostile Arab neighbors to eradicate it by war, and the ongoing threats of Palestinian terrorist organizations, backed by an Iran that is developing a nuclear bomb while threatening to “wipe Israel off the map”.

No nation on earth desires peace more than Israel, and we remain hopeful that the Palestinians, and wider Arab world, can come to terms through peaceful and productive negotiations with Israel, as did Egypt and Jordan.

Israel has developed, as its founders intended, a vibrant democracy in which all its citizens – Jews, Christians, Muslims – participate. This democratic, pluralistic tradition is but one essential factor at the foundation of the India-Israel relationship. Indeed, both Israel and India are strong models for the peoples of so many nations mired in daily, and often brutal, ethnic violence and civil war.

We are proud at the American Jewish Committee to have played a vital role in nurturing the India-Israel bilateral relationship, as well as strengthening the bonds between American Jews and Indian Americans. Our activities have included ongoing dialogues with Indians in the U.S., meetings with faith groups and political leaders in India, as well as bringing to Israel, through our Project Interchange program, top leaders of India’s Muslim community. In that spirit, we invite Mr. Gandhi to join with us in a dialogue.