Terrorist seeks 'Israel lobby' help in sentencing
Convicted terrorist Abdelhaleem Ashqar, who was convicted of obstructing justice in a Chicago Federal court and is facing sentencing next week, is introducing passages from Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's The Israel Lobby into his sentencing brief. Ashqar's conviction is based upon his refusal to appear before a grand jury investigating Hamas connections (including funding) in the United States."Every person in this court has been influenced by perception and mythology and kept ignorant through the hegemonical myth that Israel is the victim, defending itself against the barbaric Palestinians," Ashqar's attorney, William Moffitt, wrote before launching into a five-page synopsis of assertions in "The Israel Lobby" that American support for Israel is based on erroneous beliefs about the relationship between that nation and the Palestinians.Luckily, sentencing is done by a judge and not by a jury in the Federal courts. Ashqar should be going away to a cold, stony place for a long time.
"There was no choice for Dr. Ashqar when subpoenaed in front of the grand jury. He could either join with his oppressors, reject his countrymen, forsake everything he believes, and never return to his beloved Palestine, or he could be labeled a terrorist. There is a special nobility in such a choice," the lawyer wrote.
Mr. Moffitt quotes the claim by Messrs. Mearsheimer and Walt that Arabs in Israel "are de facto treated as second-class citizens." The attorney also turns to the two professors' book for quotes in which an Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin, called Palestinians "beasts walking on two legs" and an Israeli general, Rafael Eitan, said, "The only good Arab is a dead Arab."
Ashqar's filing goes on, with support from "The Israel Lobby," to accuse Israel of relentless expansionism, ethnic cleansing, deliberate violence toward women and children, and killing of military prisoners. Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza "was founded on brute force, repression and fear, collaboration and treachery, beatings and torture chambers, and daily intimidation, humiliation and manipulation," the brief says, quoting the Harvard and Chicago professors.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:07 AM
4 Comments:
"Luckily, sentencing is done by a judge and not by a jury in the Federal courts. Ashqar should be going away to a cold, stony place for a long time."
Well, that depends. If the judge is a Carter or Clinton appointee, Ashqar might get a slap on the wrist sentence, like the attorney and traitor Lynne Stewart recently did.
For those who didn't follow this case, she defended the blind imam who was the ringleader in the 1993 WTC bombing. On several occasions, she knowingly, willfully acted as a conduit, illegally taking out communications from the defendant and getting them to his Al Qaeda buddies in Egypt.
The prosecutor asked for a 20 year sentence. The Carter appointee federal judge in NYC gave her 24 months.
And this traitor is out on bail, pending the results of the appeal! And while out on bail, she actually taught a class in Legal Ethics (LEGAL ETHICS!) recently at a legal symposium at one of America's apparently more morally and intellectually clueless law schools.
Personally, I think what she did falls within the US Constitution's strict definition of treason, and she deserves the death penalty.
Dave,
Interesting....
I knew about Lynne Stewart. I did not know she got off with such a light sentence (I did know she's not currently in jail). Which clueless law school? NYU?
It was Hofstra. Hofstra Law School sponsored a three day legal ethics conference a couple of weeks ago. Lynne Stewart gave the final talk, "Lawyering at the Edge".
She had already been disbarred for her felony convictions for conspiracy, providing material support to terrorists and defrauding the U.S. government. Yet Hofstra Law School couldn't find anyone other than this disbarred felon who'd given aid and comfort to Al Qaeda to give this talk.
I just googled to confirm the details: The prosecutor had asked for the maximum, a 30 year sentence. The defense asked for non-custodial punishment.
Fed. Dist. Court Judge John G. Koelti, appointed by Dhimmi al-Carter to the Bench, sentenced her to 28 months in prison and let her out on bail pending appeal.
"Convicted terrorist Abdelhaleem Ashqar"
So refusing to testify to a grand jury automatically labels you as a terrorist?
If you did your research, you'd know that he had been acquitted of the terrorism charges. He refused to testify, nothing less, nothing more.
Do your homework next time before you decide to blanket term someone with a title as gruesome as 'terrorist.'
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