Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME) is a non-profit pro-Israel organization based in San Francisco, California. The Los Angeles Times described FLAME as "an organization that must literally buy its way into print."[1]
Their ads, they state, are meant as an explanation for "the proverbial man from Mars" regarding various aspects of Arab/Israeli issues.
History
It was founded by Gerardo Joffe[2] and began as a local chapter of the pro-Israel media watchdog group CAMERA. By 1987 the ads, which had appeared using the CAMERA name were now sponsored by FLAME, an independent organization.[3] Its stated purpose is "the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world."[4]
Since 1987, it has regularly placed ads that it describes as "monthly hasbarah (educating and clarifying) messages in major publications of general circulation, such as U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Nation, The National Review, The American Spectator, The Washington Times National Weekly, and others".[4][5] The New York Times' Anthony Lewis[6] described one such advertisement as "a sorry evasion of reality".[7]
According to The Village Voice, when a reporter "pointed out the overt bigotry" in a FLAME ad in 1998 that described Islam as "virulent" and blamed it for promoting violence against the U.S. and Israel, FLAME's Gerardo Joffe said "All Arab Muslims may not be a bunch of fanatics, but I've never met one who isn't".[8]
Regarding the issue of a Palestinian state, FLAME is in favor of using Jordan as the homeland for Arab Palestinians.[9][10]
References
- ^ "A peace no one wins". The Los Angeles Times. August 6, 2006.
- ^ "Gerardo Joffe Obituary (1920 - 2018)". Legacy.com.
In 1980, Gerardo founded FLAME
- ^ A Brief History of CAMERA, CAMERA
- ^ a b "FLAME's Purpose". FLAME. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014.
- ^ "FLAME's Ads and Positions Archive". FLAME. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014.
- ^ Sarah Wildman (March 26, 2013). "Anthony Lewis' Cousin Remembers His Kindness To A Young Journalist". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Anthony Lewis (July 31, 1990). "Israel and Rights". New York Times.
- ^ "Political Ads Shot Down". The Village Voice. February 27, 2001.
- ^ This is one of their Jordan ads: ""Jordan: Is it or is it not Palestine?".
- ^ and this is another: Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank") Is it "occupied territory?" Archived 2009-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, FLAME
External links
- FLAME: Facts and Logic About the Middle East
- "Facts and Logic About the Middle East Internal Revenue Service filings". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Apology by The Nation for FLAME ad. (Available to Nation subscribers only)
- Letters about FLAME ad in The Nation. (not found)