Activist and author discusses book at free lecture Dec. 9

Journalist and activist Alison Weir will be visiting Toledo on Dec. 9 to promote her new book “Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel.”

The lecture will be at the Unity Church at 6 p.m. It is a free event and is open to the public.

The event will be presented by Third Space (a community center in Toledo), and will be sponsored by the University of Toledo Students for Justice in Palestine, the Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition, Project Peace and the Holy Spirit Catholic Community.

Weir’s book tour covers the money that Israel receives from the United States as well as the “special relationship” that has existed between the two for years.

“We have a so-called ally that has spied on us more than any other ally. They have at times stolen our technology and given it to others and at times given it to the Soviet Union and in the Cold War to China. Yet we have this close special relationship with them,” Weir said. “My book talks about how we got this special relationship that was created through both public and secretive manipulation that began in the late 1800s.”

Weir is the executive director of the website “If Americans Knew” as well as president of the Council for the National Interest.

Weir said she works to educate the public about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and makes sure that both sides are accurately portrayed.

“I noticed that the news seemed pretty one-sided,” Weir said. “The news media is very Israeli-centric in the way that they report on the issue. They give us some information, only stuff that is positive about Israel, but major parts of the story are omitted. However, the news then neglects to mention Palestine and they are the ones who have things much worse.”

According to “If Americans Knew,” since September 2000, 9,121 Palestinians have been killed and 71,091 injured while in contrast, 1,187 Israelis have been killed and 10,903 injured.

In fall of 2000, Weir went overseas as a freelance reporter to experience the conflict first-hand.

“One thing that I learned over there is that we give Israel far more of our tax money then we give anywhere else on earth. That massive amount of money makes us to a degree responsible for what Israel is doing and how they are using our money. What they are using it for often violates human rights and international law,” Weir said.

Many Americans are unaware of the amount of money that the United States gives to Israel, according to Amjad Doumani, a community supporter for the Students for Justice in Palestine.

“Israel gets up to 4 billion dollars a year from the U.S. tax money. That’s more than any other nation gets combined all over the planet from the U.S.,” Doumani said.

Derek Ide, a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine, also agrees that Israel has been receiving too much money from the United States.

“The U.S.’s policies tend toward a narrative that allows them to defend and fund Israel to the tune of over four billion dollars a year, along with all sorts of other ancillary benefits,” Ide said. “Israel receives more in military aid then the entire continent of Africa receives in humanitarian aid.”