Monday, March 31, 2014

The ISM: Now Recruiting Human shields

The discredited and disgraced International Solidarity Movement is looking for their newest Rachel Corrie  


If you've got a hankering to be used , abused and even sacrificed by terror supporters, this is your chance. Training will be held (where else?) in Berkeley.

The head of the Northern California International Solidarity movement Paul Larudee has been under fire recently by his anti-Israel peers, who have accused him of everything from financial impropriety, to political showboating.  He has been kept at arms length by those alarmed by his allegiance to Iran, his support of violence as well as his ties to notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon. Its not clear whether the disagreement is truly philosophical in nature,  or if its simply politically expedient to distance oneself from those with clear ties to terror.

Paul has been desperately trying to recapture  a place for himself in the anti-Israel movement  Its hard to feel sorry for Larudee,  who helped organize the failed Flotilla, and the failed Global March to Jerusalem

Deppen Webber Feroze Mithiborwala Paul Larudee and "Sparrow"

Will anyone (besides us) show up to the Berkeley ISM training on June 4th?  We'll let you know.  ; - )

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Revolting Race-Baiting By Extremist Jewish Voice for Peace

Race-baiting. Could this possibly be a new low for extremist Jewish Voice for Peace?

From the JVP facebook page:


A bit of background on JVP's declared intention, via NGO Monitor:

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is a U.S.-based organization, which views itself as the “Jewish wing” of the Palestinian solidarity movement.  Though JVP regards the organized Jewish community as its “enemy” and “opponent,” it nonetheless demands a seat at the communal table.  The strategy, as stated by JVP’s executive director Rebecca Vilkomerson, is to create “a wedge” within the American Jewish community to generate the impression of polarization over Israel.  The tactic is to dilute support for Israel in the Jewish community, toward the goal of reducing or eliminating the United States government’s economic, military, and political support for Israel.
 JVP stands shoulder to shoulder with conspiracy theorists


They provide cover for the anti-Semites who chant "Zionist Scum your time has come" at JVP sponsored events.

They conspire to silence points of view that dispute their limited vision.

They promote events with anti-Semites

They bastardize and belittle  traditional Jewish rituals and practices

They accept  membership from those who exploit and degrade the Jewish people

Hassan Fouda. Egyptian activist, JVP member and contributor. Not a Jew

It is rather far afield for an organization that claims to represent "Jewish values"



Ali Oops: Electronic Intifada's Ali Abunimah shows his ignorance again

From the  Electronic Intifada's Ali Abunimah:  Is Ali all atwitter because Israel's Arrow missile defense system has the potential to save Israeli lives?


 Electronic Intifada's Ali Abunimah shows his ignorance


What Ali describes as "teaching hate and violence"  at Israel Science Day in Rabin Square is in reality the Arrow Weapon System - Israel's national missile defense system.  The  Arrow defense system  is designed to track  and disable into missiles above the earth's atmosphere, high enough to disable chemical, biological or nuclear warheads safely.  Arrow is designed to save lives, Ali.  You run a website about the Middle East.  Its time to get up to speed on some basic facts.

If Ali Abunimah  really cared about teaching "hate and violence", you'd think he'd have said something about the latest public art in Gaza.

Its a life-size model of a large  M75 rocket with a range of up to 75 miles. These rockets were launched at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.

Palestinian militants of Hamas armed wing Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades stand in front of a model of an M75 rocket at al-Jalaa Square on March 10, 2014 in Gaza City (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams )

 The words of peace that accompanied this fine bit of Palestinians public art:

“Hamas managed to take the battle to the heart of the Zionist entity (Israel) after developing its rocket system, succeeding where many Arab armies had failed.”

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Loyola Student president vetoes Israel Divestment Bill

On Wednesday, March 24, Pedro Guerrero, the president of the  Unified Student Government Association of Chicago's Loyola University  vetoed a divestment bill that had been passed the previous night. The full text of his statement follows:



Thank you, Pedro, for this brave and principled stand.

True to form,  the Students for Just us in Palestine nonetheless declared this a "victory" . President of SJP and USGA senator Nashiha Alam stated, "we still see this as a victory and a step in the right direction."

Divestment Hearings: Loyola and University of Michigan

If you ever needed any proof that BDS is a violently divisive, intimidating and disrespectful thing to thrust on a campus, you need look no further than on twitter and in the live feed of the divestment hearings at Loyola and at the University of Michigan.

There were insults: (Zizi is short for zio-nazi)

 There was classic antisemitism



 There was race-baiting and general misogyny

And there was no attempt to achieve consensus or mutual understanding
In the week prior to the hearing at U Michigan, pro-Israel students on campus were taunted with racial epithets, threatened and harassed.  Fearing for their safety, the student council chose to vote by secret ballot, and overwhelmingly defeated the resolution by a margin of 25-9.

The Loyola United Student Government Association voted March 18 to call on the university to divest from eight companies The vote on a measure proposed by the Loyola chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine passed 26-0 with two abstentions. SJP had 8 representatives on the council, and pro-Israel students were not given the opportunity to formulate a response.

From JNS:

Brett Cohen, a Loyola University alumnus and National Campus Program Director with StandWithUs, told JNS.org that the divestment resolution was introduced suddenly “using undemocratic tactics and no debate or opposition.”

“Students for Justice in Palestine introduced the bill without warning at the meeting, precisely to prevent debate. The BDS movement often relies on these unseemly political maneuvers to force through their agenda, which shows that they are afraid to debate this issue on its merits,” he said.

Cohen added, “The student government was hoodwinked by a movement which is openly against coexistence and a two state solution, and seeks the destruction of Israel.”
The resolution was reintroduced, and  last night, after hours of debate, narrowly passed by a vote of 12-10 with nine abstentions 
 
Today, Pedro Guerrero, the president of the United Student Government Association (USGA) at Chicago’s Loyola University, vetoed the  resolution, writing,
 " ...the undemocratic way in which the resolution was introduced, the harm the resolution caused to the Loyola University community, and the fact that divestment and socially responsible investment are two separate issues which the resolution conflated.
 “This legislation was framed in a manner that infers socially responsible divestment in a vacuum,”  “If we want to enact change, we must understand that our university will respond to a broad coalition of student concern, not an isolated one.”
Its been a good week for the forces of truth, justice and democracy.

Hen Mazzig: The power of Hope

 Via Youtube: A TED talk with Hen Mazzig


Hen Mazzig, StandWithUs Northwest's Israeli representative, is an energetic, engaging, tremendous representative of Israel's next generation. Hen is a former lieutenant in a unit called COGAT, and worked as an intermediary between the the IDF and the Palestinian Authority (the PA) the UN, and the many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work in the West Bank. Hen's unit was responsible for overseeing the construction of medical facilities, schools, environmental projects, roads, and water-related infrastructure in the Palestinians, and part of the Palestinian Authority for security coordination with the Palestinian Security Forces.



Hen describes the chain of events that led him to join the IDF's COGAT Unit- the humanitarian branch of the IDF that helps the Palestinians by building infrastructure. He talks about the hope and the vision of Israelis and Palestinians, working together for a better future.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Petition presented to Neil Young in support of his show in Israel

From  Lana Melman, Director of Creative Community for Peace

Top Industry Execs Present Anti-Boycott Petition to Neil Young!

The Canadians For Justice and Peace in the Middle East (“CJPME”) is one of the many organizations attempting to politicize art and disseminate misinformation to achieve its political goals. CJPME recently stated its intention to present Neil Young with a petition urging him to renege on his commitment to perform in Israel on July 16, 2014 by using Neil’s admirable advocacy on behalf of Native Canadians to mislead him with false comparisons between Native Canadians and Palestinians.

The Creative Community For Peace (“CCFP”) is an organization founded on the belief that music can and should be used to build bridges for peace. In keeping with our beliefs, we are devoted to countering the call for a cultural boycott of Israel and providing balance to the conversation.

We have submitted an Anti-Boycott Petition to Neil Young. The petition was presented on March 21, 2014, by 32 prominent members of the entertainment industry and garnered nearly twenty-six thousand signatures from people around the globe. It lets Neil know that boycott proponents do not represent the mainstream view which in fact supports liberal, open democracies such as Israel and the independence of artists.
 
Boycott advocates, such as CJPME, attempt to use the forums of music and culture to make inflammatory and incorrect political points. However, their message does not resonate with the vast majority of people who believe in the power of art and music to bring people together.

To date, their efforts have been overwhelmingly unsuccessful in deterring the hundreds of artists that choose to perform in Israel every year, including Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Avicii, David Guetta, and Cyndi Lauper. Instead, their action foments discourse and dampens hope for rational discourse.

We at CCFP wish for a resolution to the complicated Palestinian/Israeli peace process, and believe that the unique connections between artists and their fans and the dialogue it enables can be part of the solution.

For more information, please visit:

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Anti-Semitic Grafitti found in University of British Columbia dorm.

Days after Israeli Apartheid Week, anti-Semitic graffiti was found  in University of British Columbia dorm. Were these incidents related?  And who doesn't want you asking that question?

From the school paper, the Ubyssey:
A swastika with the caption “Heil Hitler” was discovered in Nootka House in Totem Park last Sunday evening.

According to Kyle Lethbridge, residence life manager for Totem Park North, the graffiti, which was written on the chalkboard in the first-floor house lounge, was promptly removed by a residence student leader.

“We take this incident very seriously and are following up as much as we can given the circumstances,” said Lethbridge. He said that since the graffiti was cleaned up before any photos were taken, the RCMP will not be able to investigate. However, Lethbridge said he has been in contact with the RCMP on how to deal with the incident.
Noah Kussin, an international student from Los Angeles and Jewish resident of the complex was  said the discovery  “makes you feel unsafe in your own home”

“I know a lot of other international students — you’re coming to a new country, we’re here, we want to be included, we want to be a part of everything. And to see someone do something that basically says you are not allowed here, we do not want you here, get out, whether they think it’s a joke or something that they can just do — it’s a jarring experience and it really makes you feel unsafe,” said Kussen.
The anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered 2 days after Israeli apartheid Week on campus, an event that many feel moves well beyond legitimate criticism of Israel and demonizes not just Israelis, but Jews as well, by denying their heritage and their legitimacy in their ancient homeland.  Jewish and Israeli students have argued that Israeli Apartheid week contributes to an uncomfortable campus climate for them.

Interestingly, an earlier version of this story at Ubyssey contained that fact, but this very relevant fact was removed.


Did  pressure from anti-Israel groups contribute to this decision?

Rabab Abdulhadi and Joanne Barker: This one's for you

Several weeks ago, Rabab Abdulhadi, Joanne Barker  and Jaime Veve appeared in a panel discussion at San Francisco State University and attempted to link indigenous struggles throughout the world.  In their warped world view, however, the history of the Jewish people in the holy land that stretches back through millennium is ignored. Instead, the Jewish people are  presented as "colonizers"

This is for them, written by Ryan Bellerose, a Metis activist. Originally published in the Times of Israel. Ryan's got their number

On the Theft of Indigenous studies

I see people claiming commonalities with my people all the time. They tell me “My people are just like yours,” but the reality is quite different. I hear people telling me “My people have similar experiences to yours,” when the reality is that they have undergone nowhere near the marginalisation or oppression that my people have somehow survived.

When someone invokes the experiences of Native North Americans in order to claim commonalities with us, it’s almost always in order to demonise another country. In the majority of cases I see, it’s Arabs or white people trying to demonise Israel, first by calling them colonisers, and second by inferring that they stole the land on which they built their state. The irony should be obvious.

What I have learned after years of study is that if there is one people in the entire world who can legitimately claim commonalities with us, it is not the descendants of 7th century conquerors who were ascendant for 600 years, until the past century, when the cycle was reversed. The arab muslims who dominated the region after conquering it are the furthest thing from my people. Rather, our fraternity here is with the people who only recent underwent a real genocide and who have still managed to maintain their cultural integrity. That people are the Jewish nation. I do not say this lightly; it comes after years of research, years of speaking to and listening to survivors both of residential schools and the Holocaust. It is not a comparison of tragedies, nor is it a contest; rather, it is about empathy and understanding through common experience.
Ryan finds the comparison of his people's struggles with that of the Palestinians offensive. Here's why:

The Arabs calling themselves Palestinians have not only adopted the mantle of the coloniser/ occupiers, but have also embraced it. They were not forced to take the Arab language, nor were they forced to become converts to a religion that is not their own. There are no residential schools forcing them to keep that foreign language, that alien religion, or those unknown traditions. They do so by choice. They were offered a state of their own three times and refused each time. It’s patently offensive to compare that with the history of my people, especially the Metis, who fought two rebellions and were expelled from their homes a third time.  The Arabs who call themselves Palestinians have been given money and weapons consistently by Iran and other supporters of terrorism. They have been encouraged to kill civilians indiscriminately – they talk about resistance, but the truth is that they are pawns fighting a war against Israel as proxies for the Arab world. They are not freedom fighters, because they fight against the only truly free country in the region. Don’t believe me? Try building a church or synagogue in the Palestinian authority.
Ryan Bellerose will be in the Bay area later this year.  Many of us are looking to forward to hearing more of what this articulate young man has to say.

Week of Rage Against Mekorot

World Water Day was yesterday
The anti-Israel crowd's reaction was predictable.
They didn't focus on the new desalinization plant in Gaza, which will provide 6,000 cu.meters of drinking water per day to  75,000 Palestinians in Khan Yunis and Rafah in southern Gaza.  It has the chance to make a huge difference in the lives of ordinary Palestinians. They don't care. Not a mention. Could it be because these so called "peace activists" are less concerned with helping the Palestinian people, that they are with destroying Israel?

Instead, the focus of their attention is yet another coordinated campaign against Israel.

From the BDS cru:

Campaigners from around the world are taking part in a week of action against Israeli national water company Mekorot, the main agent of Israeli water apartheid against Palestinians. The week launches on 22 March, World Water Day, and lasts until 30 March, when Palestinians mark Land Day in protest of Israeli systematic land and resource theft. The mobilizations come in response to a call from Palestinian organizations PENGON/Friends of the Earth Palestine, the Palestinian BDS National Committee and the Land Defense Coalition.

Via the BDS'ers:  More samples of what is becoming widely known as the "Water Libel"

 ... lucrative contracts often connected to water privatization drives. Mekorot claims to sell its "expertise"
Its all about the money

...persistent denial of water to Palestinians,
The poor thirsty Palestinians (a corollary of the starving Palestinian meme thats become a running joke on the web)

 ... collusion with the Israeli military to destroy Palestinian water infrastructure,
Its all Israel's fault

...while providing unlimited amounts to Israelis.
How dare the unworthy Jews get more.


Can there be a  mass mailing from the BDS'ers without a post hoc fallacy, or a down right hoax? They claim,  "In Argentina campaigners were successful in suspending a major multi-million dollar government contract with Mekorot to build a wastewater treatment plant.", yet that was in 2012. Hardly news, and there is no evidence that the decision had anything to do with the BDS campaign.

In the US, there is only one event planned, not surprisingly, in the land of Rachel Corrie. Yawn.

Your must read for "Rage Against Mekorot week" is by Dr. Haim Gvirtzman  The Truth Behind Palestinian Water Libels

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Water shortages in the Palestinian Authority are the result of Palestinian policies that deliberately waste water and destroy the regional water ecology. The Palestinians refuse to develop their own significant underground water resources, build a seawater desalination plant, fix massive leakage from their municipal water pipes, build sewage treatment plants, irrigate land with treated sewage effluents or modern water-saving devices, or bill their own citizens for consumer water usage, leading to enormous waste. At the same time, they drill illegally into Israel’s water resources, and send their sewage flowing into the valleys and streams of central Israel. In short, the Palestinian Authority is using water as a weapon against the State of Israel. It is not interested in practical solutions to solve the Palestinian people’s water shortages, but rather perpetuation of the shortages and the besmirching of Israel.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Jewish voice for Peace Hypocrisy Shines through at Northeastern

VP's strategy, as stated by executive director Rebecca Vilkomerson, is to create “a wedge” within the Jewish community to generate the impression of polarization over Israel.

From Jewish Voice for Peace, highlighting their hypocrisy, their tenuous grasps of facts, and their inability to predict the future.   This week's theme: the suspension of Northeastern University's SJP for repeatedly violating university guidelines.
Over 200 activists from a broad coalition of human rights and social justice organizations will rally in solidarity with the Northeastern chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on Tuesday as two students face disciplinary hearings.
The protest is a response to the administration's suspension of the SJP-Northeastern chapter after months of discriminatory restrictions. Earlier this month, some SJP members distributed a mock eviction notice (clearly marked as not real) similar to those routinely posted on the homes of Palestinians before their homes are demolished. The students' intention was to raise awareness and promote dialogue about human rights violations. The two SJP members facing sanctions are women of color, while none of the white students who distributed the leaflets have been targeted.
 "We condemn the university's strong-arm tactics as blatant violations of free speech and dangerous attempts to suppress academic debate on campus," said Lisa Stampnitzky, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Boston, one of the co-sponsoring organizations.
Over 200 "will rally"?
Maybe 50 showed up

To JVP: Take a dose of inconvenient reality from Michael Armini, Senior Vice president for External Affairs at Northeastern University
 Separately, two students have been called to a disciplinary hearing for violating university rules related to allowing unauthorized guests in a residence hall. While these students are affiliated with the undergraduate SJP organization, the hearing concerns only the violations of these residence hall rules. It does not concern the speech or expression of these students. Contrary to some statements that have been circulated publicly, these students are not facing suspension or expulsion, for any reason.
This isn't about "free speech". Its about repeated refusal to abide by university guidelines.

Lisa Stampnitzky, a member Jewish Voice for Peace-Boston provided a classic moment of JVP hypocrisy, complaining of "outside pressure" while JVP marshaled  all the outside pressure they could manage.   After all, JVP was one of the outside organizations exerting pressure on the school-coordinating phone calls, providing sample scripts, and sponsoring demonstrations.
 "Northeastern caved to behind-the-scenes pressure," said Stampnitzky. "The administration has shown that it cares more about potential donors and powerful outside organizations that have put pressure on it than it does about its students' rights to free speech." 
No, Lisa, you're just upset that your organization's outside pressure was ineffective.

The JVP email urging its follows to inundate the office of the President of Northeastern University follows, complete with sample script.

24 Hours to Stand Up to Bullying at Northeastern University
Banning SJP at Northeastern is the latest assault in an ongoing pattern of silencing student activists nationwide. Across the country, campus activists face repression, from legislation targeting the American Studies Association’s academic boycott vote to spurious discrimination complaints at the University of California.

Call or email President Aoun today to ask him not to suspend Northeastern SJP: His email is presidentaoun@neu.edu and his phone number is (617) 373-2101. Please call before 5 PM E.T. on Friday.

 Phone calls send a stronger message than emails. If you're willing to make one, please do the following:

Call President Aoun using the below sample script.  Complete the form at the bottom of this page to confirm that you've made the call,  and let us know how it went.
  Sample Script

 Hello, this is [your name] from Jewish Voice for Peace. I am calling to express my concern that the Center for Student Involvement has issued a suspension of Northeastern University Students for Justice in Palestine.
    * This measure constitutes a violation of SJP’s freedom of speech rights, and is intended to silence their message on campus.
    * The suspension of SJP is politically motivated because the University administration disapproves of SJP’s message and believes it is potentially divisive.
    * Northeastern University is bowing to the pressures of outside interest groups and large donors, rather than protecting its own student’s fundamental rights. I urge you to reinstate SJP as an organization and take measures to ensure that this type of repression does not occur again.

Classic JVP- short on fact, high on victimhood.  After all, in the JVP playbook, neither the Palestinians nor the Palestinians supporters need ever play by the rules.

Confronting campus Anti-Semitism in California

The Assembly Select Committee on Campus Climate was created in January to explore and evaluate "system-wide and campus-wide policies and practices for responding to student harassment and hate crimes and determine what needs to be done to improve campus climate for California students."

The committee, chaired by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber met today in San Jose State's Morris Daily Auditorium.



, originally published in the Jewish Press
“Unfortunately, antisemitism at U.S. colleges, and, especially, in California, is growing at an alarming rate,” stated Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a UC professor and AMCHA Initiative cofounder.
“It is a concern we hear about daily from members of California’s Jewish community, including university alumni, rabbis, professors, religious school principals and, of course, students, parents and grandparents.”  

“Students have reported to us that they feel uncomfortable speaking freely about their support for Israel and have felt unsafe at times in their classrooms and on campus because they are Jewish,” explained Leila Beckwith, a UC professor and AMCHA Initiative cofounder.

“In addition, we believe that a number of professors and departments are inappropriately using taxpayer dollars to promote their personal anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas, contributing to, and sometimes, inciting a hostile and potentially dangerous environment for Jewish students.”

The Amcha Initiative has documented these incidences involving the targeting of Jewish and Israeli students at California schools. Many incidents remain unreported.

UC Davis, February 2012:  Students interrupted and heckled speakers at a pro-Israel event, causing it to be shutdown.
UC Davis, November 2012: Forty protesters blocked Jewish students from entering a university administrative building and bullied and harassed Jewish students who slipped through the blockade.
• San Francisco State University, November 2013: General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS), hosted an event where participants could use stencils that said, “My Heroes Have Always Killed Colonizers,” Also available were stencils of convicted hijacker Leila Khaled holding a gun. Leila Khaled is a member of the State-Department designated terrorist group, the PFLP, which is responsible for 159 violent terrorist acts.
• San Francisco State University, 2013-2014: The President of GUPS repeatedly threatened SFSU Jewish students, Israelis, and anyone who supports Israel. He also glorified the PFLP. For example, this student was shown wielding a knife on social media with the caption, “I love this blade…it makes me want to stab an Israeli soldier” and “the only peace I’m interested in is the head of this [expletive] scum on a plate, as well as the heads of all others like her, and all others who support the IDF.” He also stated that he hopes members of the SFSU student group Hillel “trip down the stairs and break their necks.”
• UC Davis, UCLA and UC Riverside, January 2014: Three University of California campuses hosted known anti-Semitic speaker Omar Barghouti. At the events, Barghouti spewed classic anti-Semitic rhetoric and lies.
San Francisco State University, March 2014: Professors hosted an official department event to inform students about a recent Middle East trip where they met with multiple individuals affiliated with US State Department-designated terrorist organizations responsible for the murder of numerous Jews worldwide.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The IDF: Still the Most Moral Army in the world

Hilary Faverman's article in the Times of Israel asks the question "Isn't all fair in love and war"?
To the IDF, apparently not.

After attending a lecture on Israeli military ethics by Colonel Bentzi Gruber, she writes:
He was speaking to a group of 50 IDF officers – young, impressionable 23 year olds in training for battle, who eyed me, my American accent and my Mac suspiciously. Quietly authoritative and approachable, Bentzi made it immediately clear that he was not dispensing his opinion. This was direction that came from the Chiefs of Staff, and his role was to disseminate the directive, as he has done for countless officers before, in hope that the weight, importance and severity of the message infiltrates.
Bentzi spoke about humanity. About the value of life. Not just Israeli lives. Not just soldiers’ lives.

Civilian lives.

Palestinian lives.

Lives of those we often categorize as “collateral damage”.

And what battle soldiers need to do, are required to do, to prevent any loss of life. This moral code – these ethics we live by as an army, said Bentzi – is the only way we can preserve our own humanity, and that needs to be our goal. Whenever there is a drop of doubt about whether or not to use force, he insisted, there is no doubt. The answer is no.

Initially, the eyes of the soldiers narrowed incredulously, as did mine. We gazed at Bentzi with cocked brows, wanting to wave him away – to explain to this bloody-do-gooder that this is war. We need to do whatever we can to be triumphant.

Clearly not Bentzi’s inaugural address of this sort, he graciously tipped his hat to the air of skepticism in the room. Bentzi went on to walk us through the tactical rules of engagement; when a soldier can use force and when he must refrain. He spoke elegantly about the meaning of collateral damage, assigning tangible value to the lives of those standing next to a terrorist. He outlined for us that while there are indeed 35,000 terrorists with whom we are at war, there are also 1.8 million Palestinian civilians with whom we are not at war.

Deftly navigating between authority and compassion, Bentzi gave us a litany of real-world, battle based examples. A soldier has 8 seconds, Bentzi testified, to make a life-changing decision. These 8 seconds will secure or extinguish not only the future of the man in his rifle sights, but his own future as well. His future of humanity, of sensitivity and empathy – as a man, as a father, a son, a human with the ability to recognize and value other human life.

When a terrorist grabs a child and holds him to the chest as a shield, the Israeli sniper is not to fire. The writhing, frightened child he holds has value. He selects a child because he knows the IDF’s code of ethics better than most of the world does. He knows we won’t be shot. He’s right.

Bentzi asserts that while the greater world will never recognize the IDF’s code of ethics, we don’t practice it for their benefit, so world opinion is not of our concern. Yes, our priorities include keeping our nation safe – we are trained as soldiers and we must protect Israel. But we cannot demote ourselves to savagery, as once we compartmentalize human life into “valuable” and “insignificant” we cease to be a nation worth protecting.
Read the entire article  here
 
For more information on the The Ethical Code of the Israel Defense Forces, see  here 

The ISM: A Tale of Two Villages

Its yet another example of how the International Solidarity Movement devalues and dehumanizes Jewish lives.

From a post at the ISM website:

Yesterday in the village of Awarta, 26-year-old Rais Abdat was released from an Israeli prison.

 Three years ago, two youths from Awarta killed a settler from the nearby illegal settlement of Itamar, and for this act they both received five life sentences. In response, Israeli forces arrested approximately 18 young men and women from the village. Rais Abdat was one of these men.

 Rais was not convicted of the crime he was arrested for, yet he was sentenced to 38 months in prison. A member of his family believes this is due to his activism and political affiliations. 10 of the men and women arrested three years ago remain imprisoned, included Rais’ cousin Walid Abdat (24-years-old) who is due to be released in July.

 Today Rais was released from Salem Court in Jenin to joyous reactions from his friends and family. Although he has now been released, Rais has lost three years of his life due to the Israeli occupation. Before he was imprisoned Rais was a university student studying Arabic, as a family member commented, he will return to his studies although it may take some time to adjust to his newfound freedom.


According to Addameer (Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association) as of Jan 1 2014 there are currently 5,023 Palestinian “political” prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres. This includes 155 administrative detainees, 17 women and 154 children.

The reality is quite different. It wasn’t a “settler” that was killed. It was a family of five. The Fogel family members that were viciously murdered included Udi Fogel, 36, Ruth Fogel, 35, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and three-month-old Hadas. Slaughtering children asleep in their beds is not a political act.  Those who were convicted of  the murder of the Fogel family are not  "political prisoners", nor are their accomplices.

On March 11,2011  two perpetrators infiltrated into Itamar armed with knives.  They broke into the Fogel home and stabbed the children and their parents.  When they heard 3-month-old Hadas crying, they slit her throat.  Amjad Awad and Hakim Awad, two Palestinians from the nearby village of Awarta were later arrested for the murders, implicated by DNA evidence left at the scene.

Officers from Israel’s domestic intelligence agency said the two gave a “chilling reenactment” that was one of the most “shocking, cold, remorseless and detailed” they had ever witnessed.

On 5 June 2011 they were indicted on five counts of murder, stealing weapons, breaking and entering, and conspiracy to commit a crime and were found guilty. The two proudly confessed to the killings and  expressed no remorse. Amjad said his motivation was to “die a martyr’s death.”

It takes a village.

Just as the village of Itamar joined together in support of the surviving Fogel children, the nearby Palestinian village of Awata joined to together to protect their murderers, who were praised as" heroes”

Suspected accomplices were arrested including Salah Aladin Salim Awad, 31, a PFLP member and Hakim’s uncle. He helped the suspects cover their tracks after the killings, telling them to burn their blood-soaked clothes and sending the firearms they stole from Itamar to a friend in Ramallah.  Jad Avid, 31, from Ramallah,  hid the firearms after receiving them from Salah Awad. He was arrested in his home and the firearms were seized by the IDF. Maazan Niad Awad, 43, from Awarta, is Hakim’s father and a PFLP member. Mahmed Saeed Awad, 26, is a PFLP member in Awarta who helped plan  the Itamar attacks.

From Haaretz:

Palestinian television aired an interview with the relatives of the Fogel family murderers earlier this month, praising the two cousins convicted with the brutal attack as "heroes."

The broadcast was aired as part of a weekly show on the Palestinian state-run station called "For You," which focuses on Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel.

 The show featured the aunt and mother of Hakim Awad, who along with his cousin Amjad was convicted of brutally stabbing to death five Fogel family members in an attack on their home in the West Bank settlement of Itamar on the night of March 11, 2011.

Hakim Awad's mother sent her regards to her son, proudly describing him as the perpetrator of the Itamar attack and that he was sentenced to 5 consecutive life sentences.

Awad's aunt then proceeded to describe her nephew as a "hero and a legend."


The fact that the village of Awata celebrates those that murder children, and this in turn is supported by their extremist allies at the ISM is yet another example of how morally bankrupt the Palestinian solidarity movement has become.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Dave Zirin's Blood Libel at the Nation exposed

Dave Zirin's story at the Nation didn't ring true. It didn't check out on any level. And now we know why. An expose printed this evening on  the Elder of Ziyon blog has shown the tremendous strength of citizen journalists and their role in keeping the mainstream media accountable.  We should all be deeply indebted to both the formidable Elder and his friend Bob Knot for their role in exposing Dave Zirin's lies.

Must read at the Elder of Ziyon.  The lies about the "Palestinian footballers" 

Bob Knot in the comments has a tour de force of investigative journalism that destroys the recent libel claiming that Israeli troops fired on the feet of "Palestinian football players" and exposes the people using that incident to disqualify Israel from FIFA as liars...
 
The Nation, Mondoweiss, and others based their libel and calls for FIFA to kick out Israel on the latest Ma’an article because racism and violence have no place in football. Thumbs up for that, Israelis believe the same; let’s find out more about these two young, innocent, “footballers”, their club, and what does their “training” entail?




Right now. Go to the Elder of Ziyon's website. 
Read the expose that blows Dave Zirin's column out of the water. Remember: Dave Zirin is a "journalist". He gets paid for his sloppy writing and his even sloppier research.
Then click on the donation button in the top right column.of the Elder's website. 

This is precisely why people blog.  Social media allows us to bypass the gatekeepers of the mainstream media.  Bloggers help get the truth out.

Help the Elder go from strength to strength.

Next. Write. Tweet. Fax the Nation. Demand a retraction.  Don't stop until you get one.
Write. Tweet. Fax the FIFA. Link to the truth. Expose the lies.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Israel is the best country in the Middle East for women's rights

According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap survey Israel is the best country in the Middle East for women's rights and freedoms. 


The Global Gender Gap Report, introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006, provides a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities around the world. The index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria and provides country rankings that allow for effective comparison across regions and income groups and over time.
The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them. The methodology and quantitative analysis behind the rankings are intended to serve as a basis for designing effective measures for reducing gender gaps.

 In 2013, Israel ranked #53 for women's rights worldwide - up two places since 2012 - but top for the Middle East overall. 

Read the 397 page report entire report here

Just a prediction: Want to bet the likes of Richard Silverstein will report this as "Israel scores a dismal 53 place in  world gender equality"?

UPDATE: (Amazing how the anti-Israel cru is so predictable)



Anti-Semitic Tropes used to promote rally at Northeastern University

A rally in support of bullying and intimidation in the guise of "free speech" is being organized and organized at Northeastern university by the likes of Jewish Voice for Peace and United for Peace and Justice.

This cartoon appeared on the UFPJ website.



Only a little anti-Semitic, right?


When: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where: front of the Krentzman Quadrangle • , by the Northeastern University stop on the MBTA Green line • Boston 
The administration of Northeastern University has suspended Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) after months of discriminatory restrictions. Two students of color face disciplinary action for leafletting student dormitories, while no white SJP members have been singled out for sanctions.

These two students will attend disciplinary hearings on the morning of Tuesday, March 18th and SJP has called for the solidarity of the greater Boston community. Whether you support justice for Palestine or simply free speech on campus, come out at 10 AM to defend these brave students who have done nothing more thNtian speak out for human rights.

We will meet on the public sidewalk in front of the Krentzman Quadrangle, by the Northeastern University stop on the MBTA Green line. 10AM.

We will march entirely on public sidewalks, and legal observers will be present.


Jewish voice for Peace urged its followers to call Northeastern's President and  presented a sample script to read.  Incidentally, Jewish voice for Peace, the "Proud to be ashamed to be Jewish" wing of the Palestinian solidarity movement was completely silent when Mohammad Hammad repeatedly threatened Jewish and Israeli students at SFSU last year.

From JVP:

Banning SJP at Northeastern is the latest assault in an ongoing pattern of silencing student activists nationwide. Across the country, campus activists face repression, from legislation targeting the American Studies Association’s academic boycott vote to spurious discrimination complaints at the University of California.

Call or email President Aoun today to ask him not to suspend Northeastern SJP: His email is presidentaoun@neu.edu and his phone number is (617) 373-2101. Please call before 5 PM E.T. on Friday.


Phone calls send a stronger message than emails. If you're willing to make one, please do the following:
  1. Call President Aoun using the below sample script.
  2. Complete the form at the bottom of this page to confirm that you've made the call, and let us know how it went.

Sample Script

Hello, this is [your name] from Jewish Voice for Peace. I am calling to express my concern that the Center for Student Involvement has issued a suspension of Northeastern University Students for Justice in Palestine.
This measure constitutes a violation of SJP’s freedom of speech rights, and is intended to silence their message on campus.The suspension of SJP is politically motivated because the University administration disapproves of SJP’s message and believes it is potentially divisive.
Northeastern University is bowing to the pressures of outside interest groups and large donors, rather than protecting its own student’s fundamental rights.

I urge you to reinstate SJP as an organization and take measures to ensure that this type of repression does not occur again. Thank you.


The Administration of Northeastern University has documented a series of specific violations of university policies that have lead to the temporary suspension of SJP. 

Via Legal Insurrection: 

The temporary suspension of SJP was handed down only after a careful and thorough review of the facts. Despite repeated efforts by university officials to work with the leadership of SJP, the organization has repeatedly shown a disregard for university policies over an extended period of time. Specific violations include—but are not limited to—vandalism of university property, distribution of flyers in residence halls without prior approval, and disrupting the events of other student groups.

 
Contrary to the assertions in the petition, SJP leaders have not been banned permanently from participation, and the organization has had many opportunities to discuss its conduct with university officials. Further, reports that expulsion procedures have been initiated against students affiliated with SJP are false.

The issue here is not one of free speech or the exchange of disparate ideas. Instead, it is about holding every member of our community to the same standards, and addressing SJP’S non-compliance with longstanding policies to which all student organizations at Northeastern are required to adhere.”

Amen to that.

American Muslims for Palestine Plan Twitter Onslaught

In the absence of any real progress, there's always Twitter. Although Code Pink was unable to muster more than 2 dozen activists for their  recent AIPAC protest, they were able to make a splash on Twitter via the use of paid spammers.

No one shows up to their press conferences anymore, so the American Muslims for Palestine may have something similar in mind. To publicize their new Washington DC anti-Israel bus ad,  they are taking to Twitter.

According to the ADL, the American Muslim's for Palestine's political agenda  promotes extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans about "the just cause of Palestine and the rights of self-determination."

From their website:

Take To Twitter to help AMP alert media, public to new ad campaign

(CHICAGO 03/14/2014) – The American Muslims for Palestine is launching a new outdoor advertising campaign in Washington DC on Monday, March 17.

The ad coincides with the capital’s beloved Cherry Blossom Festival, which also starts Monday. The ad will appear on Metro buses that run along the festival’s route. Millions of people visit the Washington DC during the festival each year.



TAKE ACTION
Join AMP in a Twitter campaign at 9 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, March 16.

Use hashtags:
#Don’tSweatIt and #NoAidToIsrael

Target media outlets:
@nbcwashington, @ABC7News @wusa9, @AP, @ABC7GMW, @PRNews, @WashPostDC, @HuffPostPol, @PostScottWilson, @erinruberry, @Reuters, @ReutersBiz @nprnews, @NPRWeekend, @nprpolitics, @thehill, @thedailybeast, @TheDailyShow,

Sample Tweets:

Paying for Israel’s occupation goes against our values #Don’tSweatIt #NoAidToIsrael

Don’t pay for Israel’s occupation #Don’tSweatIt #NoAidToIsrael

$3 Billion to Israel could pay for American schools #NoAidToIsrael

This Tax Day, say NO to Israel’s Occupation. #Don’tSweatIt

Cherry blossoms are sweet but occupation stinks. #NoAidToIsrael
 

*******

Lets plan an equal and opposite campaign. 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Report From Members of the Academic and Labor Delegation to Palestine 2014

An event at San Francisco State University last week had several Jewish organizations  deeply concerned.

Our friends, Rima Greene and Emunah attended.

Here is their report:

The March 6 discussion at San Francisco State University "Report and Discussion From Members of the North American Based Academic and Labor Delegation to Palestine 2014," had no pretense of objectivity.  Although promoted on the official SFSU website of the College of Ethnic studies, the presentation was hardly academic in nature. Rather it was a series of biased and unsubstantiated observations, devoid of history and context, by an admittedly biased panel.  The College of Ethnic Studies houses the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative, (AMED), a co- sponsor of last years notorious rally that featured placards glorifying murder.   The department has never condemned the glorification of violence expressed at that rally, or expressed regret for their role in the event. They have made no attempt to distance themselves from the psychotically violent writings of the former president of the General Union of Palestinians Students, Mohammad Hammad.   To those attending the discussion, the reason is now obvious.  The panel’s cavalier attitude towards violent threats on campus was reflected by their attitude towards violent threats abroad.

The discussion featured Rabab Abdulhadi (Race and Resistance Studies), Joanne Barker (American Indian Studies) and Jaime Veve (a self-described Labor and Social Justice Activist), and was intended as a report on a trip that participants readily admitted was highly politicized and biased, saying this was not "solidarity lite" There were repeated references to apartheid South Africa, claiming a system of "apartheid by law, by practice and by acceptance" existed within Israel. There were repeated comparisons to the Nazis. There were spurious claims that the Bedouin have no water or power because these resources were "diverted to the settlements" There were claims of segregation within Israel, with the implication that new immigrants could not live in "high fashion areas’ but rather were separated by race and origin. Rabab Abdulhadi had no issue with race-baiting, claiming the Holocaust was used as a propaganda tool, and that Christian support for Israel was "not in order to survive, they're supporting Israel in order to destroy the world."

The photos of Leila Khaled, Sheik Raed Salah and Omar Barghouti flashing in the background made this all perfectly clear. The fringe movement to demonize the Middle East’s only democracy has been desperate to broaden their range of support, and have honed in on people of color as potential allies. The reoccurring tropes of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing were presented with attempts to tie them into the struggle of the indigenous people throughout the world. Even the most banal occurrences were judged as examples of the irredeemably flawed quality of Israel’s existence. Shops in Israel selling dream catchers were held up as an example of shameless "cultural appropriation." The conclusion of the panelists was clear- of all the nations of the world, only Israel was so uniquely damaged, so inherently flawed from its birth onward that all of its actions, and its very existence were called into question. Thousands of years of Jewish connection to this land were denied, with the ancient homeland of the Jewish people dismissed as a mere "settler colonialist project"

The panelists talk was long on anecdote but woefully short on facts. The steady stream of unsubstantiated hearsay and downright lies were punctuated repeatedly with the statement " It happens all the time". The solution to Israels’ "multi-tiered system of oppression’ and the "basic democratic freedoms denied to the Palestinian people" was "Boycotts Sanctions and Divestment"

Most egregious was the panelists’ white-washing of terror. The murder of Israeli civilians and the ongoing terror war against Israel was dismissed as the "cry of a baby" for attention. The panelists freely admitted meeting with people who had committed "political acts of defiance and resistance’ who had been released in a recent prisoner exchange. They acknowledged that these murderers of civilians were regarded as "heroes". The panelists offered their unqualified support for hijacker Leila Khaled, describing her as a feminist "icon" and for Sheik Raed Salah, who has recently been sentenced to prison for incitement to violence.

There was no context. There was no mention of the ongoing terror war or the thousands of Israeli civilian casualties that resulted in security precautions that continue to save countless lives. Inconvenient facts were deliberately ignored. Israel’s Supreme Court was described as " headed by a settler", with no mention that there is also an Arab Justice. Talk of the "desecration" of the ancient Mamilla cemetery neglected the salient fact that the years ago Grand mufti of Jerusalem had issued a religious decree declaring the abandoned cemetery was no longer considered sacred ground. In 1929 Arabs removed many graves and built the Palace Hotel on its grounds.

Truth, history and language itself were all sacrificed in this hagiographic tribute to Palestinian victimhood. Ignoring the rapid population growth, low infant mortality and high life expectancy of the Palestinians, the situation was instead labeled "a genocide". For those aware of the history of the region, the repeated references to Nelson Mandela, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr were particularly offensive, as both men were committed to the security of Israel and to its recognition as the state of the Jewish people. The panelists seemed unaware of the internal contradictions within their own presentation- claiming local Greeks and Armenians were Palestinians, while maintaining the Palestinians as an "indigenous" people.

Years ago, Sigmund Freud presented "projection" as an immature defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously rejects their own unacceptable attributes by ascribing them to others. There was a pervasive air of "projection" perpetuated by this panel. Photos from an Israeli art colony Ein Hod flashed on the scene, with the claim that art in Israel was an "attempt to create a folkloric cultural history". Historian Barbara Tuchman has stated that "Israel is the only nation in the world that is governing itself in the same territory, under the same name, and with the same religion and same language as it did 3,000 years ago." A rich historic, liturgical and archaeological history of the Jewish people in their homeland already exists, and has for thousands of years. Can we say the same thing about the Palestinians?

Rabab Abdulhadi , Joanne Barker and Jaime Veve should heed the words of African American Pastor and Israel Advocate Dumisani Washington, who has written:

"I do not spurn the Palestinian fight for self-determination. Every fight for justice is a righteous struggle. I would just say that, what made the Black historic struggle effective was our remembering who our enemy was — and who it was not. In the interest of defending Palestinian human rights, one may want to start with the main perpetrators: The Palestinian Authority and Hamas."

Thursday, March 13, 2014

BDS fail. Apartheid Fail.The boring variety

Oh, look. A brochure advertising a conference on industrial minerals found its way into my in box today. I'm not planning on going.


But something caught my eye about this conference.Check it out


The representative of the Dead Sea company that is presenting at this conference is the research and development manager- Mohammed Abuelhaiga.  In Israel, management positions go to those  most qualified. In this case, it appears to be Mr. Abuelhaiga.  Thats some apartheid.

In Israel, Arabs and Jews live together and work together side by side. Thats the way it should be. And thats the foundation of a future peace.

This isn't "industrial-mineral washing". This is something, a small thing, a garden-variety boring thing that shows Israel as it really is.




Fauxtography from Gaza

Israel Strikes back.

And the lies begin




Retweeted 718 times, this photo is recycled from 2012.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Northeastern SJP had "Shown a disregard for university policies over an extended period of time"

 In response to inquiries regarding the removal of SJP, its clear that the mock "eviction notices" were not an isolated event, and rather were yet another in a series of SJP actions that poisoned the campus climate at Northeastern University.

"I am responding to your recent communication about Students for Justice in Palestine at Northeastern University.

The suspension of SJP was handed down only after a careful and thorough review of the facts. Despite repeated efforts by university officials to work with the leadership of SJP, the organization has repeatedly shown a disregard for university policies over an extended period of time. Contrary to assertions from some parties, SJP leaders have not been banned permanently from participation, and the organization has had many opportunities to discuss its conduct with university officials. Further, reports that expulsion procedures have been initiated against students affiliated with SJP are false.

The issue here is not one of free speech or the exchange of disparate ideas. Instead, it is about holding every member of our community to the same standards, and addressing SJP’S non-compliance with longstanding policies to which all student organizations at Northeastern are required to adhere.

I hope this reply is helpful and sheds light on the relevant facts.

Sincerely,

Michael Armini
Senior Vice President
External Affairs
Northeastern University"



Does anyone still think SJP is a "peace" group?  From the Northeastern SJP Instagram page:


The website Americans for Peace and Tolerance has been keeping score of the Northeastern chapter of   SJP's transgressions, as well as other anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities on campus over the years.   
Check it out here

UPDATE:
Via the Blog Legal Insurrection
The list of  violations and disregard for University policies that lead to the suspension of SJP