James Abourezk

James George Abourezk ( born February 24, 1931 in Wood, Mellette County, South Dakota ) is a former American politician (Democratic Party). He was from 1971 to 1973 member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 and then U.S. Senator for the state of South Dakota.

Early years

Born on 24 February 1931 as a child of Christian Lebanese parents, Abourezk lived most of his life in South Dakota. Between 1948 and 1952 he served in the Korean War in the U.S. Navy. He then graduated from the "South Dakota School of Mines " in Rapid City in 1961 as a graduate engineer. Then he reached a higher degree at the Faculty of Law, University of South Dakota in Vermillion in 1966. Subsequently he opened a law practice in Rapid City. After his political career, he is currently working again as a lawyer and writer in Sioux Falls.

Policy

Abourezk was elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives of the United States and represented there from 1971 to 1973 the 2nd Congressional District of South Dakota. He was elected to the Senate of the United States then, where he remained until 1979. Karl Earl Mundt was in the Senate and its predecessor Larry Pressler his successor when he decided not to stand for re-election. In the Senate he served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the American Indian Policy Revision Commission. He gained a great reputation as a " lone wolf " who provided the political "status quo " in question.

Author

In 1980, Abourezk founded the American - Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a grassroots civil rights organization, which campaigns for the rights of Arab- Americans and encourages a balanced foreign policy of the United States for the Middle East. In 1989 he wrote the book Advise and Dissent: Memoirs of South Dakota and the U.S. Senate, he is also the co-author of "Through Different Eyes: Two Leading Americans - a Jew and to Arab - Debate U.S. Policy in the Middle East. " ( Viewed from different perspectives: Two leading Americans - a Jew and an Arab - debating U.S. policy in the Middle East. )

Fame

One in April 2006, published in the magazine " Counter Punch " Interview with Abourezk published its designation of the groups Hamas and Hezbollah as "resistance fighters " and further that U.S. America's support of Israel would only therefore persist because "Congress highly dependent on the money from radical Zionists " was.

A wider public is Abourezk thereby become known that a letter was published, he wrote in December 2006:

"I can tell you from personal experience that at least in Congress, the support Israel has in this institution, completely based on great fear of defeat of everyone who does not do what is desired to have done Israel. I can also tell you that - at least in the time when I worked there - very few members of Congress any affection for Israel or its lobby possessed. What they have is contempt, but remains hidden, out of fear that could be exactly figured out how they really feel. I have too many washroom overheard conversations in which members of the Senate their embittered feelings gave expression as they were pushed around by these Lobby to think otherwise. Private one hears the dislike of Israel and the tactics of this lobby, but none of them is willing to join the hate this lobby incurring the fact that they would make their feelings public. I believe ... that the deprivation and in particular, a truncation of U.S. aid would bring to Israel immediately that Israel give up the West Bank and the Gaza Strip would be left to the Palestinians. Such pressure would work, I think, because the Israeli public would be able to determine what causes their misery and demand that an immediate peace agreements would be concluded with the Palestinians. "

Publications

• Advise and Dissent: Memoirs of South Dakota and the U.S. Senate (ISBN 1-55652-066-2 )
• Through Different Eyes: Two Leading Americans - a Jew and to Arab - Debate U.S. Policy in the Middle East