Pakistan-Israel Peace Forum

Pakistan-Israel Peace Forum [1] is an astroturf lobbying group established by pro-Israel interests in the United States to facilitate Israel's recognition by Pakistan.

One of the main characters is a Pakistani called Waleed Ziad. A google on Waleed Ziad reveals that he has also written for the NYT and International Herald Tribune. Following are some interesting passages from one of these articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/opinion/16ziad.html?ex=1131512400&en=c89c2b1ba66771df&ei=5070&pagewanted=print

"Yes, the Muslim world had an unfortunate introduction to post-Enlightenment ideals, which came in the context of invasion, colonialism and exploitation. But the Arab philosophical and political movement that came out of that experience was not inherently anti-Western. In fact, in traditional Islamic thought the concept of violent resistance against an unjust ruler was virtually unheard of; for classical jurists, tyranny was preferable to the anarchy that accompanies revolt...

At the same time, our corporations should guide local entrepreneurs to promote a free market, the backbone of democracy. If anything is going to come of the neoconservative hope of making Iraq into a beacon of our values, it will be along these lines." (emphasis added)

Now this sage also happens to be a principal at the Truman National Security Project, a think-tank that "envisions a Democratic Party that is preeminent in national security once again". It's advisory board is composed of individuals from various right-wing thinktanks, from the Hoover Institution to the Council on Foreign Relations. According to its founder Rachel Kleinfeld TNSP is "very much as a counterpart to the neoconservatives of the 1970s". ( http://www.forward.com/main/printer-friendly.php?id=3267)

The other main character is an american zionist named Michael Berenhaus, who runs a project called "Eye on the Post", that purportedly monitors the slavishly pro-Israel Washington Post for its "anti-Israel bias". ( http://www.eyeonthepost.org/about.html). Eye on the Post's "strategic alliances" include the neo-McCarthyite CAMERA and Honest Reporting.