Engel met with controversial Israeli politician

French presient Nicolas Sarkozy may be no fan of Israel’s controversial foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, but Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-17) has reportedly gone out of his way to meet with the controversial politician. Lieberman, who is no relation to US Senator Joseph Lieberman, has raised a lot of eyebrows (to say the least) during his political career and continues to do so, even heckling President Barack Obama over his careful approach to the tense situation in Iran.

Engel should be denouncing the rhetoric of Lieberman, instead he sought an audience with him. Why should we be so concerned that our Congressman is reaching out to Israel? Because Lieberman's vicious attacks makes him seem like a Dead Sea equivalent of David Duke.

Still, you may say, that indicates no endorsement by the Congressman. Engel is unabashedly pro-Israel and that's why many of his constituents like him. I too, appreciate the zeal with which Congressman Engel supports Israel, however I think the Congressman (along with two of my political heroes, Russ Feingold, Carl Levin) need to take a strong stand against Lieberman's hate speech and shun him when he visits this country.

If you're not familiar with Lieberman's rhetoric, it goes well beyond being pro-Israel, it crosses the line into being anti-Arabic and anti-Muslim. It's threatening and alarming.

Lieberman, who was convicted of assaulting and threatening a 12-year old boy in 2001 repeatedly acts in an aggressive manner when it comes to Israel's neighbors, friendly or not, and those that disagree with him.

In 1998, he single-handedly risked Israeli-Egyptian peace by declaring that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak can "go to hell." When Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres tried to calm tensions by apologizing to the Egyptians, Lieberman accused the two Israeli leaders of acting like "a battered wife" and said the Egyptian media that covered this controversy was akin to Nazi propagandists.

In 2003, Lieberman lashed out at Ariel Sharon's agreement to give 350 Palestinian prisoners amnesty and espoused political genocide, stating that "it would be better to drown these prisoners in the Dead Sea if possible, since that's the lowest point in the world." He then quipped that, as Minister of Transport, he could supply buses to take the prisoners there.

In 2006, Lieberman called for the execution of Arabic members of the Knesset that met with members of Hamas. Lieberman said:

"World War II ended with the Nuremberg trials. The heads of the Nazi regime, along with their collaborators, were executed. I hope this will be the fate of the collaborators in the Knesset.

In response to Lieberman's statements, leaders of the Ta'al and Labor parties demanded that a criminal investigation be initiated for violating an Israeli law against incitement and racism. While Lieberman was cleared of racism charges, such rhetoric makes me wonder if deep inside, Lieberman is a racist at best and a fascist at worst. And I'm not alone, Labor minister Ophir Pines-Paz said that Lieberman was tainted "by racist declarations and declarations that harm the democratic character of Israel."

Lieberman later made remarks in the Knesset in March 2008, shortly after the an attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva. He said: "Yesterday's attack can not be disconnected from the Arab MKs incitement, which we hear daily in the Knesset." Then he directed his comments to the Arab Members of Knesset and threatened them with this statement: "A new administration will be established and then we will take care of you."

Lieberman has even raised the specter of a nuclear strike against Gaza. In January he made a veiled threat, saying Israel "must continue to fight Hamas just like the United States did with the Japanese in World War II. Then, too, the occupation of the country was unnecessary." To many in the Israeli media, this quote is a direct allusion to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are many more stories of corruption and belligerence, but I think the picture is well painted and is quite revealing and stark. Lieberman's statements and actions make me believe that US politicians should systematically shun the Israeli Foreign Minister, perhaps pressuring the government to seek a less hostile person for this position. A man with such power and with such ideas is a menacing individual and cannot be treated in the manner that other friendly foreign dignitaries would be.

I understand that Engel's purpose of meeting with Lieberman was to help Israel find some common ground with Palestine, and that's what he believes he took home from this meeting.

Last year at this time, I sat in a room with Congressman Engel and insisted that we should be very careful of the friends that we make. I was especially concerned about Engel's attendance at the Christians United for Israel Summit and his association with its leader, Pastor John Hagee, who has very strong anti-Catholic and even, some would say, anti-Semitic views.

Again, I applaud Congressman Engel for being a strong supporter of Israel, but I really think that the Congressman should be much more careful with picking his allies in this cause.