Ami Ayalon

Hillary and Bill Clinton met behind closed doors this past weekend with Minister Avigdor Lieberman, among other Israeli officials, at the behest of Brookings' Saban Center —so JTA reports. Lieberman is a racist. He has supported the expulsion of Arabs from Israel and the execution of Arab members of the Knesset. He ought to be PNG, as the Brits say: persona non grata. He should not be welcome in our borders, he should be denounced, as various European fascists, and ideologues of Islamic terrorism, have been, amid waves of outrage. Was there a peep outside the left? I haven't heard it.

No: this is an important definition of the Establishment today: religious extremists can find respectable company so long as they are on "our" side. So much for Muslim hearts and minds.

P.S. Michael Brown of Interfaith Peace Builders reports that he called Lieberman out this weekend:

I ran into Avigdor Lieberman on the steps of the Ritz-Carlton and called him a racist several times to his face. I then said his views are not welcome here. Nobody said a word in attempted contradiction at the entrance to the Saban event. Friday several State Department/Saban guests agreed with me when I asked them to speak from their convictions and challenge Lieberman. Among those who heard me outside the building was Ami Ayalon. I think they were on the same panel Sunday morning. What I don't know is whether anybody other than me did, in fact, challenge Lieberman.