MESA's Peter Sluglett's Orwellian World View

A training seminar for teaching students about the Israel/Palestine issue was recently held at San Jose State University. “Peace Building & Approaches to Teaching the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” was an all-day workshop for high school teachers and college and university professors on “how to educate students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. It was all about presenting a balanced perspective, and the composition of the panel ensured this balance- on the panel were anti-Israel Jews as well as anti-Israel non-Jews.

A letter written by the Amcha Initiative to the president of San Jose State expressed concern that the  workshop, organized by SJSU Coordinator for Middle East Studies, Professor Persis Karim, and sponsored by the SJSU Middle East Studies Program (MdES) violated "both the letter and spirit of the federally-funded USIP and Title VI grants, by engaging in anti-Israel advocacy and partisanship rather than truly educating participants about all sides of the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict"

Nonetheless, the workshop went on as planned.

Recently California Public Records act request was sent, requesting information on the funding of the seminar.   The California Public Records Act (Statutes of 1968, Chapter 1473; currently codified as California Government Code §§ 6250 through 6276.48)  was signed into law in 1968 and requires disclosure of governmental records to the public upon request.  Its all about transparency.  Sunshine, after all, is the best disinfectant. You'd think this would be a universal value amongst academics. You'd think all progressive thinkers would agree with this.

Maybe not.

This fascinating open letter was sent by the President of the  Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom.

In a completely  Orwellian twist, Prof. Sluglett feels that requesting the disclosure of funding sources under the California Public Records Act is harassment and an affront to academic freedom..  His organizational commitment to  "ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression"  fell to the wayside when Tammi Benjamin was  repeatedly attacked and harassed for expressing her academic freedom and freedom of expression.

Its "free speech for me and not for thee". We've seen this all too frequently. His letter follows:

Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi

President
San José State University
Office of the President
Tower Hall 207, One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192
via fax 408-924-1199


Dear President Qayoumi:

We are writing on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom to express concern about the response of San José State University to the ongoing controversy surrounding the April 19, 2013 workshop for high school teachers and community college faculty on teaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was organized by Professor Persis Karim, a member of your university’s faculty.

MESA was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has nearly 3000 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.

The workshop in question, “Peacebuilding, Nonviolence, and Approaches to Teaching the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” was organized by Professor Persis Karim of the Department of English and Comparative Literature with funding from the United States Institute of Peace. The workshop was organized to provide high school and community college educators the opportunity to explore ways of working with students that would help them understand this conflict more fully.

It is our understanding that even before the workshop took place, Professor Karim was subjected to a campaign of harassment and intimidation by individuals and organizations, mostly based outside San José State, who objected to the workshop’s content and participants. This campaign has continued even after the workshop, most recently by means of the circulation of a fabricated statement falsely attributed to Professor Karim and intended to damage her reputation, but also in the form of a request under the California Public Records Act that Professor Karim make available all documents and correspondence related to the workshop and its funding.

We are concerned that these attacks on Professor Karim and on the workshop have created an atmosphere of intimidation that threatens her academic freedom but that may also have a chilling effect on the free exchange of ideas at San José State. We are, moreover, concerned that your administration has thus far failed to defend Professor Karim’s academic freedom rights, and denounce the campaign against her, in a vigorous, unqualified and public manner.

As you are no doubt aware, the principles of academic freedom require that the right of faculty at institutions of higher education to engage in research, teaching, and public presentations be vigorously protected, even when some people may deem their views on issues of public interest to be controversial. We would also point out that no single public event sponsored by San José State or any other university can be expected, or should be required, to represent all possible perspectives on a particular conflict. Rather, universities must encourage and protect the expression of many different viewpoints, in different formats and on different occasions, in order to foster the full and free exchange of ideas and opinions.

We understand that the university must comply with all legitimate requests made under the California Public Records Act, but we are concerned that the information this particular request may yield could be used to harass and intimidate individuals involved in the workshop, whether as organizers or as participants. More broadly, we feel that such requests should not be used to further the political agenda of individuals or groups who do not share the perspectives expressed at a university-sponsored event of this kind.

We urge you to issue a strong and clear public statement expressing the university’s support for academic freedom in general and that of Professor Karim in particular, and its firm condemnation of the smear campaign being waged against her. Professor Karim and all those involved with the workshop, as well as your university’s faculty and students, need to know that San José State is fully committed to defending its faculty against efforts to harass and intimidate them when they share their expertise and their informed perspectives, in the classroom and beyond.


Sincerely,
Peter Sluglett
MESA President
Visiting Research Professor, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore

Singapore  is ranked in 149th position in terms of press freedom, according to an annual report by NGO Reporters without Borders.   With his selective judgement and moral hypocrisy, Prof. Sluglett must feel right at home.

 

Thank you, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Weiner

Thank you, Supervisors Weiner, Breed, Cohen, Farrell,  Tang and Yee,  and President of the Board Chiu. These seven have taken a principled and moral stand, and have asked the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to donate the proceeds of the highly inflammatory AMP "apartheid" Muni bus ads to the the Human Rights Commission.  The SFMTA has also been asked review their advertising policies to ensure that public transport remains a safe place for all passengers, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political beliefs. Please thank them for their efforts

From an article at the SF Gate Blog

When advertisements went up on Muni buses implying that Muslims are “savages,” the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency donated the revenue from the ad campaign to the Human Rights Commission. Now several supervisors are asking why the same isn’t being done for ads calling Israel an “apartheid” state.
Supervisor Scott Wiener and six of his colleagues sent a letter to MTA Executive Director Ed Reiskin Monday urging the agency to fork over the $5,030 from American Muslims for Palestine to the HRC to “be used to fight growing intolerance alienating the Jewish community.”
“I don’t think the MTA should be accepting dirty money, whether that dirty money comes from anti-Muslim bigots or whether that dirty money comes from enemies of Israel,” said Wiener, who usually never misses an opportunity to bemoan Muni’s lack of funding. “Those ads were vile, these ads are also vile.”
The ads, which run until June 6, read “End Apartheid Now!” and “Stop U.S. Aid to Israel.”

Please thank the seven Supervisors who have signed the SFMTA statement.

Scott Wiener, Supervisor, District 8, (415) 554-6968

London Breed, Supervisor, District 5, (415) 554-7630

Malia Cohen, Supervisor, District 10, (415) 554-7670

Mark Farrell, Supervisor, District 2, (415) 554-7752

Katy Tang, Supervisor, District 4, (415) 554-7460

Norman Yee, Supervisor, District 7, (415) 554-6516

David Chiu, Supervisor, District 3 and President of the Board, (415) 554-7450

The following members have not yet signed the statement. Please give them a call, and let them know how these ads defame the only democracy in the Middle east, and create an uncomfortable environment for those using public transit. Our beautiful city by the Bay should not become another battleground for the wars in the Middle East

John Avalos, Supervisor, District 11, (415) 554-6975

David Campos, Supervisor, District 9, (415) 554-5144

Jane Kim, Supervisor, District 6, (415) 554-7970

Eric Mar, Supervisor, District 1, (415) 554-7410

Campus divestment campaign is a political war on Israel

 The BDS movement is hardly a grass-roots, student run initiative. Coordinated by international organizations with hidden sources of funding,  BDS exists as part of the  Durban strategy to increasingly  isolate Israel.

From an article in the J Weekly, written by Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based research institute.

At university campuses, particularly in California, anti-Israel divestment debates in student government have become a spring ritual.

From San Diego to Berkeley and Davis, student senators introduce resolutions backing divestment, debate is scheduled immediately, propaganda is spread, supporters pack the halls, pro-Israel speakers are harassed (or worse), and student senators with almost no knowledge cast deciding votes. Whether the resolution (which has no practical impact) is adopted or defeated, Israel’s demonization is propagated.

 While presented under the façade of local student initiatives, this process is a central part of a much wider and well-financed campaign of political warfare against Israel. The delegitimization of Israel began with its founding, and has not stopped. In the early decades (before the pretext of occupation after the 1967 war), the Arab League boycott office, located in Damascus, persuaded many firms, including Pepsi and American Express, not to do business with Israel. And travelers with Israeli visas in their passports were barred from Arab countries.

At the U.N.’s 2001 NGO (non-governmental organization) “anti-racism” conference in Durban, South Africa, the political war was expanded to include false claims of “war crimes,” “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing” and even “genocide.” Boycott efforts were expanded to universities, churches and the media. They received a massive infusion of funds and “feet on the ground” in the form of highly politicized NGOs. The goal of this Durban strategy was clear: the complete international isolation of Israel.

On this foundation, the first campaigns for academic boycotts and divestments were launched a few months later by pro-Palestinian student groups and union officials, using the false allegations of an Israeli “massacre” in Jenin. Monthly and sometimes weekly events featured speakers under the banner of human rights who repeated the mantra of Israeli demonization. Although often focusing on post-1967 occupation and settlements, and stripped of the historic and military context, the message remained that sovereignty for the Jewish people, regardless of borders, was unacceptable. This is the core message of campus divestment campaigns, including those in California....

While local student groups opposing this form of campus-based political warfare against Israel have done a good job and have won some votes, they are inherently out-gunned by this powerful political machine. As a result, the pro-Israel students are largely on the defensive against divestment resolutions..
.
In order to bring an end to this spring offensive, an aggressive proactive approach and far more resources are required. To defeat divestment, the immorality of this racist propaganda must be exposed before the public campaigns begin.  This will require the extension of the anti-divestment cooperation between the pro-Israel and genuine pro-human rights groups across the ideological spectrum...
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While the debate on how best to handle the complex issues of borders, security, and occupation will continue, the rejection of the demonization of Israel as a Jewish state transcends these differences.

Read the article here

At JVP endorsed Rally, Israel is wiped off the Map

On May 19, 2013,  the American Muslims for Palestine held a Nakba rally on the steps of the State capital,  in Sacramento, California.  Endorsed by Jewish Voice for Peace, who staffed a table there as well, the event's various exhibits  not only denied the ties of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, it denied Israel's right to exist- within any borders.

American Muslims for Palestine exhibit denies the existence of Israel within any borders

American Muslims for Palestine exhibit denies the existence of Israel within any borders

All of Israel, from the River to the Sea, was labeled as "Palestine"

The sparsely attended event was meant to perpetuate AMP's cult of victimhood. Was this outrageous display mean to imply that Palestinians were still living in tents?

Faked quotes, false narratives and fabricated maps were prevalent.

This particular "information" card claimed exports and construction material were banned from Gaza.

The truth?

In April alone,  1,135 trucks containing construction material entered Gaza.  Five truckloads of flowers and three truckloads of spices were exported from Gaza.  A month earlier, in March 2013, 1,358 trucks carrying construction material entered Gaza. Nine trucks of flowers, nine trucks of date bars, two trucks of cherry tomatoes,  two trucks of furniture and 1 truck of spices were exported from Gaza.

And of course, no anti-Israel event is complete without  ubiquitous fake key photos  and the lying four part map

Fortunately, the truth is available to those who seek it.

The exhibits, the chants of "No return, no peace" and the words of the speakers at this rally make it painfully clear that that AMP, Al -Awda, Sabeel,  JVP and the other endorsers do not support a Jewish state of Israel existing side by side with an Arab state of Palestine. Their extremist  agenda does not accept the existence of Israel within any borders. These fringe groups seek to deny the Jewish people their right to self determination , through the destruction of Israel.

Human Rights Organizations Defend Tammi Rossman-Benjamin Against Attacks

From a Joint press release from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law  and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, issued May 20, 2013, declaring that  accusations against  UC Santa Cruz lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin are  "false, scurrilous, and unjustifiable"


The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East today issued a Joint Statement in defense of University of California at Santa Cruz lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin. Rossman-Benjamin, an activist known for her opposition to campus anti-Semitism, has recently been the target of a public campaign of character assassination because of her advocacy for the civil rights of Jewish college students. LDB and SPME joined together today to defend Rossman-Benjamin against these smears and to denounce efforts to suppress advocacy for the civil rights of university students.

Rossman-Benjamin is a co-founder of the AMCHA Initiative, an organization that combats anti-Semitism on American college and university campuses. She is also a member of the Brandeis Center's Academic Advisory Board and a former member of SPME's Board of Directors. Rossman-Benjamin has famously accused her university, UC Santa Cruz, of harboring a hostile environment for Jewish students. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into Rossman-Benjamin's complaint, which is now pending.

On June 20, 2012, Ms. Rossman-Benjamin delivered a speech at the Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. During the course of that speech, Ms. Rossman-Benjamin described anti-Semitic incidents at the University of California. Ms. Rossman-Benjamin attributed some responsibility for contemporary campus anti-Semitism to two organizations, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Students Association. Rossman-Benjamin also stated that some members of these organizations have had connections with terrorist organizations. In response to that synagogue presentation, student activists at the University of California have launched a campaign to condemn Rossman-Benjamin. As a result of this campaign, in March 2013, Associated Students at the University of California (ASUC) at Berkeley adopted a resolution that called on outgoing UC President Mark Yudof to condemn Rossman-Benjamin's remarks.

LDB and SPME jointly announced: "We find the accusations against Rossman-Benjamin to be false, scurrilous, and unjustifiable. Over the years, Rossman-Benjamin has tirelessly campaigned against anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli harassment. Perversely, Rossman-Benjamin is now being branded a purveyor of hate speech and Islamophobia precisely because she attempted to expose hate speech which her accusers would prefer to shield from scrutiny."

LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus commented, "I have worked with Tammi Rossman-Benjamin over the years, and I consider her to be a bold and courageous fighter for the civil rights of Jewish college students. It is reprehensible that some people are targeting her for abuse because of her fight against campus anti-Semitism."

SPME President Richard Cravatts added, "We are issuing this statement to set the record straight. We have carefully reviewed the allegations against Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, and we consider them to be completely disingenuous and false. Rossman-Benjamin should be commended for her campaign against campus anti-Semitism, rather than subjected to this sort of intimidation and abuse."

Professor Alvin H. Rosenfeld, Director of The Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at Indiana University, personally joined the Joint LDB-SPME Statement. "I know Tammi Rossman-Benjamin well," Rosenfeld commented, "and have the highest respect for her work. The allegations against her are patently false. Rossman-Benjamin is a tenacious advocate for students' rights as well as free speech. Hers is a vital, much-needed academic voice, and efforts to silence or intimidate her for her dedicated opposition to campus anti-Semitism need to be strongly resisted."

The LDB-SPME joint statement provides in full as follows:

Joint Statement in Support of Tammi Rossman-Benjamin

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law are committed to the civil and human rights of all students and professors in higher education, and we are firmly opposed to all forms of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim discrimination. We are also strongly opposed to frivolous assertions of bias that are used to squelch the free exchange of ideas or to intimidate civil rights complainants. For this reason, we must publicly assert our support for University of California at Santa Cruz lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a civil rights activist who has lately been subjected to a campaign of calumny, character assassination, and abuse as a result of her courageous advocacy for the civil rights of Jewish college students.

Ms. Rossman-Benjamin is a co-founder of the AMCHA Initiative, an organization that investigates, documents, educates about, and combats anti-Semitism at institutions of higher education in the U.S. In response to Ms. Rossman-Benjamin's complaint, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into such incidents on her own campus.

On June 20, 2012, Ms. Rossman-Benjamin delivered a speech at the Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. During the course of that speech, Ms. Rossman-Benjamin described anti-Semitic incidents at the University of California. Ms. Rossman-Benjamin attributed some responsibility for contemporary campus anti-Semitism to two organizations, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Students Association. Ms. Rossman-Benjamin also conveyed widely published reports indicating ties between the MSA and terrorist organizations.

In response, one of these organizations has launched a campaign of character assassination against Ms. Rossman-Benjmain. This campaign has included the use of flyers, blogs, and social media, as well as efforts to influence student governmental organizations. In March 2013, Associated Students at the University of California (ASUC) at Berkeley adopted a resolution "condemning Islamophobic hate speech at the University of California," and called on outgoing UC President Mark Yudof to specifically condemn the "inflammatory, hateful, and racist assumptions by UCSC lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin against Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian students, and Palestinian rights activists."

Like the ASUC, we also condemn Islamophobic hate speech, both at the University of California and wherever else it occurs. However, we also condemn false invocations of Islamophobia that are used to silence or intimidate advocates for civil and human rights.

The ASUC resolution singles out Rossman-Benjamin for her alleged "hate speech," contending that it is part of a continuing pattern "to mischaracterize and chill Palestinian activism" as the result of "a lawsuit filed in July 2011. . . against the UC Regents . . . containing extremely Islamophobic and anti-Arab rhetoric referring to Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslims Students Association as ‘anti-Semitic' and ‘pro-terrorist'" and that her comments "constitute inflammatory, hateful, and racist assumptions . . . against Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian students, and Palestinian rights activists." Ms. Rossman-Benjamin is not a party to the 2011 lawsuit.

We are also concerned about reports indicating that the University of California at Santa Cruz may be taking retaliatory action against Rossman-Benjamin based on her civil rights advocacy and her expression of constitutionally protected free speech. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has recently warned recipients of federal financial aid that they may not retaliate against civil rights complainants and witnesses. In April 2013, Acting U.S. Secretary of Education advised educational institutions that the "ability of individuals to oppose discriminatory practices, and to participate in OCR investigations and other proceedings, is critical to ensuring equal educational opportunity in accordance with Federal civil rights laws." The failure to do so may be a violation of federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

We find the accusations against Rossman-Benjamin to be false, scurrilous, and unjustifiable. Over the years, Rossman-Benjamin has tirelessly campaigned against anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli harassment. Perversely, Rossman-Benjamin is now being branded a purveyor of hate speech and Islamophobia precisely because she attempted to expose hate speech which her accusers would prefer to shield from scrutiny.

Student organizations properly enjoy freedom of speech to express their opinions at public universities, even when those opinions are factually and morally unsupportable. But those who wish to enjoy protected speech and unfettered expression on campuses also should expect that others, with dissenting viewpoints, will, and should, express those as well, especially if, as is the case with Rossman-Benjamin, they perceive the conduct of campus activists to be inimical to a civil community of scholarship and harmful to a targeted group of students.

If victims of anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice are not allowed to protest instances of this hatred, without fear of persecution, then civil rights violations will go unchecked. Those who wish to exploit academic free speech for their own causes certainly cannot deny that same freedom to others in the marketplace of ideas.

Palestinians Love Caterpillar. Why doesn't JVP?

Nearly every divestment initiative that hits American campuses and church groups insists that the institution divest from Caterpillar, a manufacturer of construction equipment that  supplies bulldozers to Israel  that allegedly are "complicit in the destruction of Palestinian homes".  In particular,  Jewish Voice for Peace has become obsessed with Caterpillar, regularly stalking their meetings, shareholder events, and social media sites. Their latest campaign has been to pressure and bully the  investment giant Tiaa-Cref  to withdraw its holdings from Caterpillar.

JVP  remains  oblivious to the fact that the Palestinians themselves have not divested from Caterpillar.  In this youtube from last year, the Palestinians celebrate the delivery of new Caterpillar equipment to the West Bank.  Maybe someone needs to remind them of the Palestinian "civil society" call to boycott.

There are Caterpillar dealerships in both Gaza and in Ramallah, incidentally.

Why does JVP insist that Americans be more Palestinian than the Palestinians? Why does JVP insist that American institutions divest from Caterpillar, when  Palestinian institutions refuse to?

AMP Muni Apartheid Ads. Press Conference Fail

Its not about the ads.  It never was.  The ads serve primarily as a convenient catalyst for garnering publicity.  With over 90,000 dead in Syria, over a million refugees from the civil war and no end in sight,  its very important to have these continuous reminders that after all, its all Israel's fault. Even if its not.   It was inconceivable that Hatem Bazien and his friends from American Muslims for Palestine would plunk down the money for advertisements without a press conference, to pat themselves on the back and roil about their eternal victim hood.  They did not disappoint.

Photos from the American Muslims for Palestine Press Conference earlier this week from their Facebook page

Lynn Gottleib and Hassan Fouda at American Muslims for Palestine Press Conference

Hassan Fouda is a regular at Bay area Anti-Israel events.  Sometimes he likes to pretend he's a Jew.

Anti-Israel activist Hassan Fouda posing as a Jew

Hassam wasn't needed to Jew-wash this time. His friends from Jewish Voice for Peace happily provided that service

Lynn Gottleib, Cecilie Surasky, Hatem Bazian and Hassan Fouda at AMP press conference

Partners in Solidarity: JVP forms alliances with some of the most extremist anti-Israel groups in the area.

Ultimately,  only the San Francisco Examiner  ran the story, but  they didn't give the extremists quite the publicity they craved, stating  "The “apartheid” campaign is the latest in a series of messages on Muni vehicles related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East."  Yep.  That's "apartheid"  in parentheses.  The Examiner article was followed by an op-ed written by  Rev. Dr. Kenneth Meshoe, a member of the South African Parliament,  president of the African Christian Democratic Party and a black South African who lived under apartheid.

Dr. Meshoe wrote:

....In my view, Israel cannot be compared to apartheid in South Africa. Those who make the accusation expose their ignorance of what apartheid really is.

Apartheid was a legal system of segregation and oppression based on skin color, with a very small white minority dominating over the vast majority of people of color....

 I believe that it is slanderous and deceptive for Israel’s self-defense measures against the terrorists’ campaign of suicide bombing, rocket attacks and other acts of terrorism that have occurred, and continue to occur, to be labeled as apartheid. I am shocked by the claim that the free, diverse, democratic state of Israel practices apartheid. This ridiculous accusation trivializes the word apartheid, minimizing and belittling the magnitude of the racism and suffering endured by South Africans of color.

I urge all people, young people in particular, to visit Israel and learn the facts for themselves so that they can confidently refute these false allegations against Israel. The misapplication of the term apartheid makes a mockery of a grievous injustice and threatens to undermine the true meaning of the term.

 In my view, Israel is a model of democracy, inclusion and pluralism that can be emulated by many nations, particularly in the Middle East.

Dutton Hall at UC Davis Occupied by Anti-Israel activists

Today, Dutton hall at U.C. Davis was "occupied"  by anti-Israel activists, using banners and tactics recycled from earlier protests. Yawn.  Its just a very public tantrum following the defeat of an Israel divestment initiative at Davis.

The photos are just charming.

Via the Davis Vanguard

This posting from the comments section is particularly interesting

From J.R., posted 05/16/13 - 06:04 PM

I walked by and saw some interesting signs pasted on the building's windows.
One said "Sharia Law".
Wishful thinking I suppose.

A university official told me that this was organized by outsiders, not students. 

More details as they become available....

Anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon's New Venue: An Oakland Auto Body Shop

On previous trips to the Bay Area, notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon performed at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists,  the Lake Merrit Methodist Church and in the Islamic Cultural Center.

Tomorrow, he is playing in an  Oakland Auto Body Shop.   Other than a sinking ship, or a dark alleyway, can you imagine a better venue for the holocaust denying racist, who has been condemned by everyone from the Electronic Intifada's Ali Abunimeh to the ADL?

7pm Wednesday May 15th
Uptown Body Shop
401 26th St., Oakland,
510.224.3518 19th St. BART
$10-$20 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds

From the ISM announcement

Gilad Atzmon was born in Israeli occupied Palestine in 1963 and had his
musical training at the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem (Composition and
Jazz). As a multi-instrumentalist he plays Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone
Saxes, Clarinet and Flutes.

Occupied Palestine, 1963? Remember that when people say to you "What about the Settlements?"

Gilad Atzmon's own words:

*  To regard Hitler as the ultimate evil is nothing but surrendering to the Zio-centric discourse. To regard Hitler as the wickedest man and the Third Reich as the embodiment of evilness is to let Israel off the hook.

*  We should never compare Israel to Nazi Germany. As far as evilness is concerned, we should now let Israel take the lead.

* I'm not going to say whether it is right or not to burn down a synagogue, I can see that it is a rational act.

*  We must begin to take the accusation that the Jewish people are trying to control the world very
seriously.... American Jewry makes any debate on whether the 'Protocols of the elder of Zion' are an
authentic document or rather a forgery irrelevant. American Jews do try to control the world, by proxy.

* I'm anti-Jewish, not anti-Jews. I think Jewish ideology is driving our planet into a catastrophe and we must stop.

Want to help keep Oakland hate-free?  Drop the Uptown Body Shop a line  uptown@uptownbody.com
Its likely they have no idea what they are hosting, so be polite and respectful.  

Tammi Benjamin Under attack: A troubling Double Standard at the University of California.

From  an article by Thomas Lifson , originally published in the American Thinker:

A troubling double standard appears to exist when it comes harassment at the publicly funded University of California. The University has taken strong action against harassment, physical assault, terrorization and targeting individuals on the basis of their ethnic origin or religion -- except when the person under assault is Jewish, and the perpetrator is a member of an antisemitic or jihadi front group. Then UC administrators have no time to answer emails pleading for protection...

Only one professor in the entire University of California so far has had the intestinal fortitude to speak out about the growing jihadi harassment of Jewish students on campus, a beloved part-time professor of Hebrew at U.C. Santa Cruz, Tammi Benjamin, who has appeared often in AT articles.

After the Civil Rights law was re-interpreted to include Jews in 2010, Tammi Benjamin made history by successfully applying for the federal Office of Civil Rights to investigation the hostile environment for Jews at UC Santa Cruz. If she wins, it will be first time the Civil Rights law is applied to antisemitism.      

     Her students love her:

Tammi is AMAZING. I've taken dozens of language classes in my life, and Tammi is hands down one of the greatest teacher's I've ever had. Her lesson plans are great, the course is thorough, and she is dedicated to helping you learn AND get a good grade. You'd have to honestly try to do badly in her classes. Wonderful person, wonderful teacher.

Frustrated by the increasing level of anti-Semitic intolerance on campus, as well as the vitriolic rhetoric directed against her personally Tammi Benjamin wrote a letter to the President of the UC system

As Tammi describes in a letter to the president of UC published this week on the website of her organization, the AMCHA Initiative, she is being harassed mercilessly for having exercised her free speech off campus….

In her letter to President Yudof, Tammi detailed clearly antisemitic actions tolerated on UC campuses, which are illegal by university rules.

At an SJP rally at UCB in 2002, UCB Lecturer Hatem Bazian, then a graduate student and co-founder of the first SJP chapter in America, told a large crowd, "Take a look at the type of names on the buildings around campus -- Haas, Zellerbach -- and decide who controls this university."

Former Nation of Islam member Imam Abdul Malik Ali, a frequent speaker on many UC campuses, has railed against the "disproportionate numbers of Jews, Zionist Jews, in the media, in finance and foreign policy."

At an MSU-sponsored speech at UCI in 2001, Imam Mohammed Al-Asi said: "We have a psychosis in the Jewish community that is unable to co-exist equally and brotherly with other human beings. You can take a Jew out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the Jew".

Al-Asi also actively promotes the lie that Jews were behind the 9-11 attack, stating: "Where were the 4,000 to 5,000 Israeli Jews that were supposed to be in those two buildings on the 11th... Did they know something we didn't know?"

Imam Abdul Alim Musa, a frequent speaker for the MSU at UCI, sells at some of his events copies of an antisemitic book, The Ascendant Qur'an, which blames Jews for conspiring against Islam. Musa maintains contact with virulently antisemitic groups such as Jamaat al-Muslimeen, which promotes Holocaust denial and anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.

Tammi concludes her letter:

As a result of the hostile environment created by these chapters and their members, Jewish students have reported feeling physically unsafe, harassed, and intimidated while on campus, and some have even reported leaving the university, avoiding certain parts of campus, and hiding symbols of their Jewishness.


Students can be pro-Palestinian without resorting to physically confrontational, disruptive, and virulently aggressive behavior and it is this behavior, which continues to escalate, that deeply concerns me. Expressing support for the Palestinians is not the same as chanting "Death to Jews!" "Death to Israel"...O Jews, the army of Mohammed is coming for you," or holding banners that read "Death to Zionism" and "Long Live the Intifada."

The quiescence and timidity of the academic community in the face of these continuing personal attacks on Prof. Benjamin must be challenged. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr famously declared "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Its time to break the silence.

MUNI Buses: The latest battleground for the war in the Middle East?

The war in the Middle east has moved to our MUNI buses, with the arrival of yet another series of deeply disturbing ads, this time sponsored by the American Muslims for Palestine. A consortium of local Jewish community organizations have joined together to condemn anti-Israel ads, in much the same manner as they did several months ago, to condemn ads that demeaned Islam. While acknowledging the constitutionally protected right of these organizations to run political ads, the statement expresses its concern regarding their polarizing and divisive nature.


The joint Statement from the Jewish Community Relations Council, The Anti-­Defamation League, and the American Jewish Committee reads:

Today, another misleading advertisement appeared in San Francisco targeting one segment of our community in an attempt to sow division in our city.

The Bay Area’s organized Jewish community strongly condemns the ad’s deceitful claim that Israel is an apartheid state. Placed by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), the ad is morally reprehensible as it employs inflammatory rhetoric designed to delegitimize Israel’s very existence. The ad’s false claims diminish the suffering of the millions of people who were truly subjected to apartheid. The term “apartheid” describes the systematic oppression of the racial majority population by South Africa’s minority through comprehensive racial discrimination.

In sharp contrast to Apartheid South Africa, Israel is a diverse democratic country that affords equal political and civil rights to all its citizens.We hope for a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and an end to the suffering on both sides.

In stark contrast, AMP’s apartheid rhetoric is profoundly misleading, and harms good faith efforts toward a peaceful resolution based on two states for two people.

Locally, the campaign promotes polarization and division among San Franciscans, who pride themselves on fostering Strong inter-­ethnic and inter-­religious relations.

The Jewish Community has long stated our concern that the repeated appearance of offensive anti-­Israel and anti-­Muslim ads is making our Public transit system a battleground for the Israeli-­Palestinian conflict. While protected by the First Amendment, extremist language directed at any group has no place in our city. We call upon all civic, ethnic and religious leaders who oppose bigoted lies and demonization to exercise their constitutional rights by condemning these inflammatory advertisements.

************
In the Orwellian world of the AMP, the JCRC statement, expressing its profound disappointment that our public transit system is being used in this manner has been labelled an "attack", an "attempt to stiffle open debate" and a "smear tactic used to shut down free speech". In classic AMP manner, the laundry list of  imagined slights is followed by a plea for donations.

The response of the American Muslims for Palestine is so far divorced from reality, I can't help but wonder if they even read the JCRC statement.  Perhaps Hatem needs  to work on his reading comprehension- the statement at no point  characterizes his efforts as "anti-Semitic", and his straw man arguments simply belie the failure of his organization to justify their actions.

...AMP has come under renewed attack by the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council, which are attempting to stifle open debate on these important issues by labeling any public critique of Israel as hateful and anti-Semitic.

“The attempt to characterize our efforts as anti-Semitic is a time-worn smear tactic used by pro-Israel organizations to shut down free speech. It is no more anti-Semitic to critique Israeli policies than it is Islamophobic to criticize Iran,” Dr. Bazian said.

AMP considers Jewish participation in our work to play an essential role in advocating for a better future for all the people of the Middle East. AMP has worked with such organizations as: Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Justice in Palestine, Jews for the Palestinian Right of Return and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. AMP routinely features Jewish speakers at its conferences and lectures.

While Israel denies its policies constitute apartheid, Tutu has said, “I’ve been very deeply distressed in my visit to the Holy Land; it reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa.”

The Jewish Voice for Peace has come out strongly in support of AMP and against attempts to stifle constitutionally protected political speech.

"Jewish Voice for Peace supports SF bus campaign criticizing Israeli human rights violations, condemns local Jewish Community Relation Council’s attempt to muzzle political speech."

"AMP remains determined to bring the truth to the American people, despite the scurrilous and false attacks by Zionist groups," said Kristin Szremski, AMP director of media and communications. "The fact the JCRC and the ADL are attacking us show that our efforts to educate the public are working and we remain more committed than ever to our mission."

AMP needs your support to continue its work. Help us bring the truth about Palestine to the American public. Donate now.   ********* To Kristin Szremski and to Hatem Bazian :  A campaign based on falsehood rests on a very shaky foundation. If your efforts are working so well, why do you feel the need to  lie, not only to the public, but to your core constituency?

Jewish voice for peace promotes Gilad Atzmon

The hypocrisy is breathtaking, even for Jewish Voice for Peace. Over a year ago, JVP issued a statement regarding the notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon- a man  who once declared  that burning synagogues  was a "rational act".  He has stated " I'm anti-Jewish, not anti-Jews. I think Jewish ideology is driving our planet into a catastrophe and we must stop."   JVP stated rather unequivocally  "we cannot endorse events in which he takes part." .

JVP Statement regarding Gilad Atzmon

From jewishvoiceforpeace.org/blog/jvp-statement-regarding-gilad-atzmon

Submitted by Sydney Levy on Tue, 03/13/2012 - 1:00pm

Jewish Voice for Peace's work for justice in Palestine/Israel is inspired by Jewish tradition, with a focus on principles of human rights, justice, and international law. JVP takes a strong stand against bigotry in any form, whether it be anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, or anti-Jewish. We do not work with anyone who uses oppressive language, imagery or those who attempt to demonize any group of people by ethnicity, religion or race.Gilad Atzmon is currently on tour throughout the US. We view his public political stances as anti-Jewish and counterproductive to the pursuit of justice. Atzmon has an extensive record of demonizing Jews as a people under the guise of Palestine solidarity. For these reasons,we cannot endorse events in which he takes part.We deeply appreciate the statement put out today that re-affirms Palestinian activists' principled stance against anti-Semitism

There must have been a breech of communication, because just last week, JVP-Los Angeles sent out a notice- wait for it- promoting  Gilad Atzmon's May 17th appearance at the Mint

How supremely  ironic to promote a man who promotes Holocaust deniers and conspiracy theorists under the tagline "The arts strengthen our communities and humanize our cultures" .

Was this email from Estee Chandler a violation of JVP policy, or was it  typical JVP hypocrisy-  using a facade of human rights-speak to mask an ugly core of  demonization against those who support the rights of the Jewish people to self determination in their ancient homeland?   Considering that Estee promotes events hosted by the Shura Council and  Al Awda on the same email, the answer is obvious.   Jewish Voice for peace's  public statements stand in direct opposition with their statements on their closed distributions lists. Jewish Voice for Peace refusal to press access to their annual Conference in Berkeley- their rejection of comments on their website devoted to "tracking efforts to stiffle open debate" highlight the hypocrisy at the core of JVP.  JVP's track record of supporting and enabling those who call for the destruction of the state of Israel reveals their sole function -that  of providing a fig-leaf for terror supporters.

Israel divestment vote at UC Berkeley the latest sign of hostile campus environment

In this article from the Jewish News Service, UC Berkeley alumnus Matt White documents the hostile climate on campus for Jewish students and supporters of Israel that culminated in 11-9 divestment vote.

April’s Israel divestment vote at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is just the latest unfortunate expression of how hateful an environment the anti-Israel movement can create for Jewish students and supporters of Israel on campus. I witnessed this firsthand during my four years as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley from 2007-2011.

In 2010, when the last similar initiative was proposed before the ASUC (UC Berkeley’s student government body), urging the University of California Regents to divest funding from companies doing business with Israel, it was only the culmination to years of hostility against pro-Israel students.

As founding members of Tikvah Students for Israel, the Zionist voice on campus, my colleagues and I were targets for hate. We were spat on. Our signs were blocked and ripped at protests. We were called “Nazis,” “kikes,” “baby killers,” “Christ killers,” and “dirty Jews.” Swastikas were scrawled across dormitory walls and signboards. Jewish students were physically assaulted at a pro-Israel concert. A pro-Israel student senator was voted out of office based on false charges. A filled shopping cart was rammed into a young woman because she was holding up a sign that read, “Israel wants peace.” Israel was libelously compared to Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa. The Israeli flag was trampled and used as an ashtray. During lectures, some professors screened films that justified Palestinian suicide bombings against Israeli civilians.

Given this history, I thought I knew what to expect when an Israel divestment measure was again introduced to UC Berkeley’s student government. But divestment is never short of nasty surprises.

The acclaimed author and civil rights activist Alice Walker was one of the first speakers during the hearing on last month’s Israel divestment measure. Though her work in the civil rights movement is laudable, her refusal to allow her seminal book The Color Purple to be translated into Hebrew, thereby deliberately withholding from only one group the very literature that can spur change, was a shameless act of bigotry. Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb of Jewish Voice for Peace called on the UC Berkeley student senate to disregard the Jewish voices in the crowd that did not support Israel divestment, because she claimed that a majority of Jews had supported slavery, too.

Most other commentators at the hearing were UC Berkeley students. Sadly, their discourse was no less extreme. That same day, hours earlier, anti-Israel protesters and Israel divestment supporters had gathered on the campus’s Sproul Plaza and chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will all be free,” a slogan that calls for erasing Israel from the map and ending self-determination for the Jewish people.

When the president and vice president of Tikvah Students for Israel mentioned the incident and the anti-Israel chant in their speeches before the student senate, many in the audience cheered for the chant. When an alumna mentioned her harrowing experiences of being told by anti-Israel students that her family in Israel deserved to be murdered by terrorists, there were laughs and snaps of approval. Among the most vociferous pro-divestment speakers was the student who brought Louis Farrakhan, who preached anti-Semitic and homophobic vitriol, to UC Berkeley a year before.

But by far the most ludicrous and horrifying moment was when an Israel divestment advocate insinuated that Israeli soldiers sexually violate Palestinian women with rats. Seriously? This was a whole new level of libel that should have shocked even the Israel divestment activists in the room, but it didn’t seem to.

The Israel divestment bill itself was filled with baseless accusations against Israel. It called for the University of California Regents to remove funding from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Cement Roadstone Holdings—the latter two because they provide Israel with security technology. Israel’s security fence and checkpoints were condemned as illegitimate, malicious impositions. No context whatsoever was included as to why Israel needs to take such precautions. The massive physical and psychological damage caused by the Second Intifada was largely ignored or dismissed. An amendment was proposed to recognize the daily hardships caused by the security fence and checkpoints, but also the massive decrease in terrorism that occurred after these measures were put in place. This amendment was voted down.

Also denied were amendments that supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and called for recognizing Israel as the homeland and state of the Jewish people. When it came to Jews, indigenous rights to Israel dating back thousands of years were not on UC Berkeley’s agenda, unlike the support and sympathy accorded to all other liberation movements.

Many in the Jewish and pro-Israel communities felt marginalized by the false accusations that hid Israel’s narrative and reasoning and declared one side of the story to be wholly correct, just, and endorsed by the UC Berkeley student government in the name of an entire student body. The rejection of these more fair-minded amendments further reinforced such feelings.

He concludes:

Those who advocated for divestment at UC Berkeley ought not to be called “pro-Palestinian.” They excuse or justify Palestinian extremists’ self-destructive terrorism against Israeli civilians, and are silent about the appalling crimes committed by the Hamas and Fatah leadership against their own people. They selectively ignore more than a half-century of the degradation of Palestinians, often enshrined in law, by countries across the Middle East.


Instead, guilty of omission, they function solely to ensure that Israel wrongly becomes an anathema to their fellow students. This is accomplished through such initiatives as the one that hit the UC Berkeley senate floor last month, an initiative whose supporters wore their true feelings on their sleeves during that heartbreaking night.

Read Matt Whites' article in its entirety at the Jewish News Service

An Arab Christian Israeli Military Prosecutor--With A Jewish Grandmother

(Photo credit: Mitch Ginsburg/ Times of Israel)

I can't be the only person who thinks that this woman's life and profession would make her a natural heroine for a series of mystery novels, except that people would probably find her too unrealistic, and complain that the author was trying to throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

Arin Shaabi's story is fascinating. Her family's complicated history is similar to others I've heard about, and her thoughts and concerns about her work as a prosecutor in military courts in the West Bank are challenging and informed, something that's not always easy to find once this subject comes up. Well worth a read.

The Israeli Army's Most Improbable Arab Prosecutor

Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, Conventional — Syria has a missile for that

This is what Israel is up against.

From the National Post:

Syria has one of the largest missile arsenals in the Middle East. Its missile build-up began as a deterrent to its primary adversary, Israel. Unable to match Israel’s conventional military capabilities, it began seeking an unconventional deterrent that resulted in what is widely alleged to be a robust chemical weapons program and ballistic missile delivery systems.

Graphic: Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, Conventional — Syria has a missile for that

Hapless Harry Fear and the Goblet of Humility

Harry Fear earned his 15 minutes of fame utilizing social media to castigate  Israel for her actions during Operation Pillar of Cloud.  It  might have given one the impression that Harry Fear was comfortably at home in Gaza . Appearances can be deceiving, however. Could these three be his only friends?

Harry was scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate from Gaza's Islamic University.  But it appears that students at the university had other ideas.   Harry's special day was repeatedly interrupted by students that didn't feel Harry was quite as great as Harry thought he was. 

 Why? The people who know Harry and work with Harry seem to think he has an ego problem.

Others are appalled that he traveled around the world telling the story of the people of Gaza,  earning thousands off of their misfortune. Still others found issue in  the quality of his "journalism", and the misinformation he helped spread during operation Pillar of Cloud

Having a public speech interrupted is an indignity usually only endured by the pro-Israel crowd. For once, Harry Fear finds himself in good company. I suspect he won't appreciate the irony.

Israel targets Iranian Weapons Bound for Hezbollah

Israel launched an airstrike in Syria today,  with Syria's state media reporting that Israeli missiles struck the Jamraya military research center near the Syrian capital Damascus, setting off  massive explosions.



This was the second Israeli strike against Syria in three days

Overnight Thursday, an attack targeted a shipment of extremely accurate guided Iranian-made missiles, stored in a warehouse near the Damascus airport.  The Fatah 110 surface to surface missiles have a precise guidance systems and were reportedly bound for Hezbollah.  These mobile, solid-fueled missiles can reach Tel Aviv and much of Israel from southern Lebanon,  representing a considerable improvement over the liquid-fueled Scud missile

According to Israeli and U.S. officials  previous Israeli airstrikes in January also targeted weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah.

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama  told the Spanish-language TV station Telemundo, "The Israelis, justifiably, have to guard against the transfer of advanced weaponry to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah". Obama also said it was up to Israel to confirm or deny any strikes, but that the US coordinates very closely with Israel.

Jewish Voice for Peace. Enabling Extremism and Intolerance

The surprises continue, according to the  latest email from Jewish Voice for Peace.  Or maybe not. Its not a surprise that JVP stands hand in hand with the most extremist anti-Israel groups out there, supporting their work, co-sponsoring their events and enabling a hate filled agenda geared to the destruction of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people

We've seen JVP  stand shoulder to shoulder with conspiracy theorists and anti-Semites for years.

Jewish Voice for Peace in San Francisco. Photo by Zombie

In this weeks mailing, JVP promotes an Al-Awda event, Jew-washing the some of the language and sanitizing it for their constituencies.   JVP apparently echoes Al-Awda's belief that Israel  is somehow "structurally unsteady, morally corrupt, and legally culpable" , and leaves in that statement, along with a call for eternal violence until Israel's destruction  "No Return = No Justice = No Peace!".  Their self-selected editing only goes so far.  Psst. Anyone want to tell "Jewish" Voice for peace that this event is scheduled for our holy festival of Shauvout?

From JVP's email:

Nakba Demonstration Los Angeles

Wednesday 5/15/2013 

No Return = No Justice = No Peace!
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 states, without any ambiguity whatsoever, that "Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive."

The Nakba ("Catastrophe" in Arabic) of 1948 refers to the planned ethnic cleansing of Palestine when the vast majority of Palestinians were violently attacked, massacred and driven from their homes, lands and villages into refugee camps by Zionist terror groups; and never allowed to return in violation of international law. This is the foundation upon which "Israel" was established and upon which its existence is built.  And it is why Israel remains structurally unsteady, morally corrupt, and legally culpable.

Please join Al-Awda's Chapters in Southern California and Palestinian Solidarity activists of Los Angles as they mark the 65th year of Al-Nakba:

Location: Israeli Consulate, 11766 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025
Date: Wednesday 5/15/2012

Time: 4:00 pm-7:00 pm

Until Return

For organizational co-sponsorship and further information, contact:
mazenalmoukdad@hotmail.com

Here's the original event alert from Al-Awda

Zahi Damuni

Nakba Demonstration Los Angeles: Wednesday 5/15/2013 

No Return = No Justice = No Peace!

Of all Zionist war crimes, none was as massive as that committed in the 1948 era with the wholesale expulsion of the Palestinian Arab people from their homes, towns and villages, as part of a calculated plan to uproot an entire population and empty the land of its indigenous inhabitants.

The Nakba ("Catastrophe" in Arabic) of 1948 refers to this planned ethnic cleansing when the vast majority of Palestinians were ruthlessly attacked, massacred and driven from their homes into refugee camps by Zionist terror groups, and never allowed to return in violation of international law. This is the foundation upon which "Israel" was established and upon which its entire existence is built and remains structurally unsteady, morally corrupt, and legally culpable.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 states, without any ambiguity whatsoever, that "Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive."

Please join Al-Awda's Chapters in Southern California as we mark the 65th year of Al-Nakba:

Location: Zionist Consulate, 11766 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

Date: Wednesday 5/15/2012

Time: 4:00 pm-7:00 pm

Until Return

For organizational co-sponsorship and further information, contact:

mazenalmoukdad@hotmail.com

****************

Enabling the worst anti-Semitism, promoting endless violence, intolerance and the destruction of Israel.  JVP needs a reminder that these are not Jewish values.

The World's most isolated Countries: Pssst. Gaza isn't on the list

From the World Policy Journal:

World's Most Isolated Countries

The Anatomy section of the Spring issue of World Policy Journal ranks the top 10 most isolated countries by our own unique metric. To create the list, we looked at five factors: number of countries to which each is connected by plane; percentage of individuals using the Internet; arrivals of international visitors and foreign military personnel; immigrants as a percentage of total population; and imports per capita in U.S. dollars. We further weighted each factor to arrive at our final index ranking....

Internet access was weighted heaviest in our metric, accounting for 30 percent of a country’s overall score. This reflects the evolving nature of what is meant by “connected.” Centuries ago, it meant that your nation was well situated along a trade route or attached by port to the nearest seat of power. Later, a railroad stopping in a principal city assumed more importance. Now, without access to a mobile phone and Twitter feed, you’re isolated from global flows of information and our era’s defining mode of communication. Much of the world might be too remote for personal encounters with large numbers of foreigners, but citizens reading about the outside world, watching videos, or lining up foreign Facebook friends can still learn about what’s outside their borders.

Contrast that data with Gaza, the "world's largest open area concentration camp"

About 20% of the population in Gaza owns a personal computer - this is more than Portugal, Brazil, Saudi Arabia or Russia. They have access to ADSL and dial-up Internet service, provided by one of four providers. About 70% of Gazans own a TV and radio and have access to satellite TV or broadcast TV from the PA or Israel. Gaza has well-developed telephone land lines, and extensive mobile telephone services provided by PalTel (Jawwal) and the Israeli provider Cellcom. According to a USAID report, 81% of households in Gaza have access to a cell phone. The PA-owned cell phone provider Jawwal has more than 1 million cellular subscribers.

In 2012  61,634 people entered and exited Gaza, a 25% increase from the previous year.

Its another  "don't bother us with the facts"moment for the anti-Israel cru.  In a world where almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes each day (that's one child every five seconds); in a world where millions are cut off from the resources they need to thrive, the only Palestine counts crowd is complicit in perpetuating a cycle of want and despair by siphoning off not just funding but compassion from those who need it the most.

Just Like the Warsaw Ghetto? Three Million dollar Flats in Gaza

Seyi Rhodes traveled to the Gaza Strip in February to film an episode of Unreported World.  He was not prepared for what he saw.  Expecting a humanitarian crisis on par with sub-Saharan Africa, instead he found   luxury villas and apartments with prices  that were on par with London and New York.

From the JC.com

    Mr Rhodes said the experience confounded his expectations. "Before I started researching, I thought the region was destitute - people living literally hand-to-mouth on aid, with constant security threats. I took it for granted that people would be living in temporary accommodation provided by the UN."

    In fact, he found "a growing wealth gap", with ordinary families struggling even to rent but new flats being sold for up to $3 million to wealthy Palestinians with money from abroad or from jobs with the Hamas government.

 "As a left-wing student, I was given one view of Gaza/Palestine," said Mr Rhodes. "But I realise now that many of those representations were entirely politically motivated.

    "Even Gazans wouldn't recognise the image that is portrayed of them sometimes. The woman crying over her dead son, the man throwing stones at tanks."

 He added that such stereotypes were "frankly offensive as most of these people live their lives with the same concerns as you and me… getting on the housing ladder, educating your children. People didn't even talk about Israel unless I brought it up."

Yet not long ago, the rhetoric out of Gaza was of mass starvation, and deepening humanitarian crisis. Organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace accused  Israel of starving Gaza.                                                                                                                              

It was a lie.
The Gaza today website, featuring some of the fine dining establishments in Gaza:

Some of these venues are rather elegant. The all you can eat buffet at the Gaza Lighthouse looks delightful.

Roots in Gaza City is lovely, as well

With medical bulletins reporting Western levels of obesity in Gaza, and with the the number of activism-tourists moving in and out of the strip on a regular basis, the lies of "Starving Gaza" were unsustainable. Seyi Rhodes stated  "As a left-wing student, I was given one view of Gaza/Palestine...but I realise now that many of those representations were entirely politically motivated."

 Indeed they were.  We won't be fooled again