I had cautioned the Arab students that the other sponsor would probably renege on the invitation at the last moment, because that was what pro-Israel groups then did in order to blunt the impact of an out-and-out debate. Most pro-Israel groups already had learned that their side always lost an open debate because there really was no justification for the cause they were espousing.

“We have already taken care of that,” the pro-Arab group told me. “They have promised they really will show up.”

The large auditorium was packed, and from my point of view the evening was a roaring success. My opponent tried to counter my arguments, but it was clear that he never really had thought through the Arab point of view. What I enjoyed most, of course, was the fact that the Arab-Americans greeted my sallies with wild applause, which only added to the enthusiasm.

As usual, at the end of the debate there were many people who still wanted to discuss the topic, and it took time to deal with these questions and comments at the podium after most of the audience had dispersed. Belatedly, I walked over to say something gentlemanly to the other debater. I first introduced myself to his wife and, except for the fact that she seemed both a little dispirited and a little bit surprised, I then concentrated on my opponent, David Wurmser.

It was only years later that I realized that Wurmser was not just an ordinary pro-Israeli but one of America’s most prominent neoconservatives. More importantly, I realized that his seemingly long-suffering wife was one of the sharpest blades in the neocon armory.

Meyrav Wurmser is an Israeli national, as opposed to most of the neocons, who are American-born. Her Ph.D. thesis was on the ideas that informed the Revisionist/Herut/ Likud Party, from Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky through Menachen Begin to Yitzhak Shamir. Dr. Wurmser has taught political science at Johns Hopkins University and at the United States Naval Academy. She writes articles for such pro-Israel publications as the Weekly Standard and the Middle East Quarterly.

A slender and bright woman, Wurmser now is director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Indianapolis-based Hudson Institute, which bills itself as “America’s premier source of applied research on enduring policy challenges.” The ubiquitous Richard Perle, who until recently was the chairman of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board, is a newly-appointed member of Hudson’s board of trustees.

Most notably, however, Wurmser has carved out her niche with the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), based in Jerusalem and Washington, DC. She runs it along with Col. Yigal Carmon, who spent 22 years as a member of the Israeli military intelligence service and later served as a counter-terrorism adviser to two Israeli prime ministers, Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin.

According to its Web site, MEMRI’s purpose is to bridge the language gap between the West, where few speak Arabic, and the Middle East by “providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi and Hebrew media.” However, as Brian Whitaker observed in an article in the Aug. 12, 2002 Guardian: “The stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: Either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs  or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel.”

Continued Whitaker, “All it takes is a small but active group of Israelis to exploit the (language) barrier for its own ends and start changing Western perceptions of Arabs for the worse.” He added: “to anyone who reads Arabic newspapers regularly, it should be obvious that the items highlighted by MEMRI are those that suit its agenda and are not representative of the newspaper’s content as a whole.”

The Washington Times recently quoted Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as saying that “MEMRI’s intent is to find the worst possible quotes from the Muslim world and disseminate them as widely as possible.”

MEMRI has printed blurbs to boost its reputation. Not surprisingly, perhaps, virtually all are from fellow neocons. For example:

“MEMRI is an invaluable source for anyone seriously interested in the Middle East.” —Prof. Bernard Lewis, Princeton University.

“The single-most important resource for understanding what is happening in the Middle East.”— Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post.

“MEMRI is the most important research source for the Arab world.”— Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief and chairman of The New Republic.

“I am full of admiration for the work MEMRI has done…in its dedicated exposure of anti-Semitism.” — US Rep. Thomas Lantos, (D-CA).

“…the excellent Middle East Media Research Institute.”— former CIA Director James Woolsey.

“I have always considered MEMRI to be an invaluable research tool.” — Richard Cohen, The Washington Post.

Israeli writer Uri Avnery describes the neocons as “A compact group, almost all of whose members are Jewish.” He continues, “After the Twin Towers outrage, the neocons were the only group with a ready explanation and a solution. Only nine days later, William Kristol (the son of the group’s founder, Irving Kristol) wrote in the Weekly Standard saying it was imperative to ‘remove Saddam Hussein from power’ and to ‘retaliate against Syria and Iran for supporting Hezbollah.’”

The neocons and their fellow travelers include Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They also are associated with the “Project for the New American Century,” which published a White Paper in 2002 with the aim “to preserve and enhance this ‘American peace.’”   

For this writer, one of the most interesting aspects of archetypical neocon Meyrav Wurmser is that she lives a double life. An occasional writer for the Jerusalem Post, her columns come from the far right but, to use a hackneyed phrase, are insightful and interesting. She does not resort to the simplistic writing found in MEMRI excerpts. Instead, her Jerusalem Post columns are topical, engaging and thought-provoking.

To take one example only, Wurmser wrote a perceptive essay on “Post-Zionism,” in which she explained what Israel’s intelligentsia think of the Palestinians and the cruel way in which Zionists have dismissed the truth of Palestinians’ complaints. Now, Wurmser says, cutting-edge Zionists are trying to make amends without completely unraveling Zionism. In short, her propagandistic writing for MEMRI differs significantly from her carefully footnoted and original contributions to the Jerusalem Post.

Speaking frankly, another MEMRI article is one too many. From time to time, however, this writer might return to the Jerusalem Post for more articles by the real Meyrav Wurmser.

(Richard H. Curtiss is the executive editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Magazine.)