Washington – Conflicting reports of comments made about Israel by Secretary of Defense nominee, Chuck Hagel, at two Rutgers University appearances in 2007 and 2010 have sparked a controversy as the embattled ex-senator awaits his fate.
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In a Freebeacon.com (http://bit.ly/11V7bgG) piece published Monday, testimony from attendees at both lectures offer conflicting accounts of the Hagel comments.
The first, Kenneth Wagner, a pro-Israel activist and attendee at the 2010 speech, provided the Washington Free Beacon with an email he sent to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee during the event. The email is time-stamped April 9, 2010, at 11:37 a.m.
“I am sitting in a lecture by Chuck Hagel at Rutgers,” the email says. “He basically just said that Israel has violated every UN resolution since 1967, that Israel has violated its agreement with the quartet, that it was risking becoming an apartheid state if it didn’t allow the Palestinians to form a state. He said the settlements were getting close to the point where a contiguous Palestinian state would be impossible.”
Wagner’s email concluded, “He said he [thought] that Netanyahu was a radical and that even [former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi] Livni, who was hard nosed thought he was too radical and so wouldn’t join in a coalition [government] with him…He said that Hamas has to be brought in to any peace negotiation.”
The Free Beacon reported Thursday on a contemporaneous account—written by Hagel supporter and political consultant, George Ajjan—of the 2007 Rutgers speech by Hagel. Ajjan claimed Hagel referred to the U.S. State Dept, as ‘an extension of the Israeli government.’
The report sparked calls demanding explanations from Hagel by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, as well as the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League.
Hagel has disavowed the comments, saying he does not recall making them.
According to Hooshang Amirahmadi, an event organizer of the 2007 event, Ajjan’s account of the speech is ‘complete nonsense.’
The Daily Caller reported on Monday that Amirahmadi is the recipient of funding grants from the Alavi Foundation, a group described by federal law enforcement officials as a ‘front group for the Iranian regime.’
Amirahmadi is also head of the American Iranian Council, which awarded Hagel with an expensive clock in 2002.
BuzzFeed reported yesterday that another attendee to the 2007 speech, Rutgers Professor Charles Haberi, said he is ‘certain’ Hagel did not say the State Dept. was an adjunct of the Israeli government.
Meanwhile, Ajjan is standing by his account, saying he is the only person who has provided a a written report from the time.
I suppose no one actually recorded the lecture. Perhaps that’s something to be considered by event planners..
Of course our liberal vinnews readers will continue to hide a blind eye to Obama shenanigans and point a didactic finger at good conservatives who once again are forced to question such choices from potus.
This just keeps getting better and better (NOT).
Where is our Jewish NY Senator Chuck Schumer, who goes around saying, ‘Schumer’ stands for ‘Shomer’ ” and “…he’s a Shomer Israel” ?
Where are all our the secular brothers and sisters that keep saying they are a “Jew at heart” and that they are “HUGH supporter of Israel”?
Were are all our democratic politicians that come running election time for our support ?
How can people be sitting by and allow Hagel to be approved as a Secratery of State when he is clearly anti-Israel???
It irks me to see how AIPAC dominates american politics. This gives the wrong impression that american jews put israel before the US.
What does an average gentile think when he reads a story like this? It does much more damage than good.
Hagel’s statements at Rutgers are precisely why Obama chose him.
hugel on hagel.
I have a funny feeling that President Obama knew all along that Chuck Hagel’s nomination would fail. This way he can say to the Republicans, “You owe me one,” and, at the same time, make the Jews happy that an anti-Semite like Hagel went down.