USA-ISRAEL

Tom Paine: Prominent American Rabbi Speaks Out

The second most influential Jew in America -- after Paul Wolfowitz --
has broken his silence and sharply attacked the policies of Israel's
government. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Union for Reform
Judaism said the government's settlement policy endangers the future of
Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Yoffie went as far as warning
that Israel is becoming an apartheid state, something most peace activists
say has already happened. For its part, the Bush administration decided to
give Israel a slap on the wrist for its illegal settlement activity, by
reducing its loan guarantees to Israel this year by nearly $290 million, a
paltry sum when compared with the $3 billion in direct economic and military
aid Israel receives each year from the United States