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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| American VIP |
| 2010-08-07 |
| Prof. Donna Shalala, Clinton's secretary of health, arrives in Israel in order to fight academic boycott against Israel, claims she was held at Ben-Gurion Airport just because she has Arab last name, Ynet reported Friday. Boo hoo hoo. A second lost here, an hour saved there. I'll take it. This is not how she imagined her visit to Israel. Prof. Donna Shalala, who served as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years under Clinton and is currently the president of the University of Miami, was held for two-and-a-half hours at Ben Gurion Airport during which she underwent a humiliating security debriefing because of her Arab last name -- all this despite the fact that her hosts notified the airport ahead of time that she is a VIP. I'm sure the PA does a much better job. The fact that Shalala arrived in Israel as part of an official delegation of the heads of universities fighting against the academic boycott against the Jewish State also seemed not to help her. Neither does the fact that all terrorists are muslim. Shalala, 69, was born in the US to Lebanese immigrant parents. She is considered a true friend of Israel and has visited the country many times in the past. She recently arrived in Israel as a guest of the American Jewish Congress with the objective of increasing collaboration among universities in Israel, the US, and the Palestinian Authority. During their visit, members of the delegation met with President Shimon Peres, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The official visit ended on July 12, but Shalala stayed on for another two days for a private visit. The AJC claims that it notified the Israel Airports Authority of Shalala's VIP status as is customary prior to her departure. However, the IAA claims that it has no record on file for Shalala prior to her arrival. When Shalala arrived at the airport, she was not recognized as a VIP and was even afforded what she claims to be 'special' treatment because of her Arab last name. She claims she was held for two-and-a-half hours during which she was asked invasive and humiliating personal questions. Despite the delay, she managed to board the flight to the US. Officials who spoke with her said she was deeply offended by the treatment she received. Sucks to be a peon, doesn't it? Sure sucked for me a time or two, too. Sitting there at the airport with a couple of hours to kill. some Israeli security An IAA spokesperson reported in response: 'This incident is unknown to us. We performed a thorough check. There was no contact made with us or any other body. No unusual events were registered at Ben Gurion Airport, and we have no idea about this incident, which, from our perspective, never happened.' IAA officials said that root of the problem is that the host organizations don't bother accompanying their guests to the airport. Too busy being efficient, I guess. The incident was raised Wednesday during a discussion convened by Deputy Foreign Ministry Ayalon to discuss treatment of VIPs at Ben Gurion Airport. During the discussion, it was agreed that a new protocol will be drafted that will keep incidents to a minimum. Let's start with how American customs agents treated Rita, shall we? |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #7 Looking down on Danna starts with her being almost taller than Robt.Reich, another cabinet Face of America. (TM) |
| Posted by: Muggsy Glink 2010-08-07 11:30 |
| #6 This is not how she imagined her visit to Israel. I thought everyone would recognize me, fall all over themselves in my presence, and fawn over me. Shalala, part of the vast left wing conspiracy. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-08-07 10:16 |
| #5 From this WSJ article: "In a statement released today, Shalala took it in stride. “While I was inconvenienced, Israel’s security and the security of travelers is far more important. I have been going in and out of Israel for many years and expect to visit again,” she told the Chronicle." |
| Posted by: Penguin 2010-08-07 10:13 |
| #4 Here's a bit from Wikipedia that demonstrates that she has 1984-thought crime tendencies: She next served as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Under her chancellorship and with her support, the University adopted a broad speech code subjecting students to disciplinary action for communications that were perceived as hate speech. That speech code was later found unconstitutional by a federal judge. |
| Posted by: HammerHead 2010-08-07 10:06 |
| #3 Heck, this is what you wanted, enjoy it. Your boss wants America to be just one of the 'boys'. When you have no power or influence, when you repeatedly piss off your hosts, and when you diminish yourself before other powers, you get what everyone else gets. File under self inflicted wound. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-08-07 08:53 |
| #2 Things may not be what they appear. First of all, Shalala has a background very similar to Helen Thomas in origin. She worked in Iran for two years in the early 1960s, and she is an honorary board member of the Iranian American Council, "an organization that seeks to promote closer U.S. relations with Iran." So, given this background, and the Clinton administration's reputation for forthrightness, it is hard to imagine why Israel would be somewhat suspicious of her motives. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-08-07 07:46 |
| #1 A nation and people who face an unending threat of extermination have a right to ask a few questions concerning security. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-08-07 06:36 |