Bay Area Anti-Zionist groups sponsor talk with member of Israeli Knesset

Yesterday, some of the most extreme anti-Israel groups in the Bay Area got together to sponsor a talk by an Israeli member of the Knesset.

In a gesture of startling hypocrisy, If Americans Knew,  Sabeel, Arab Resource Organizing Center, Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, CAIR,  Al Awda and others ignored their own established policies against  "normalization"  and hosted a member of Israel's government. 

Oh, but he wasn't a Jew.  That matters, apparently.   These extremists hosted Sami Abu Shehadeh, a member of Israel's Knesset member of the representing the Arab nationalist party,  Balad.  If you ever had a doubt that BDS and the movement to isolate Israel economically, politically and socially was directed solely toward Jews, now you have evidence.  

The very presence of of Sami Abu Shehadeh within the Israeli government negates the claims of these groups that assert that Israel is an "apartheid" state.   

Incidentally, although Jewish Voice for Peace has, on paper at least, denounced white supremacist Alison Weir, they had no trouble promoting and co-sponsoring this event with her and her group "If Americans Knew".  So much for that "formal policy".

Arabs make up nearly 20% of Israel’s population. They have full citizenship, including the right to vote, and have a major presence in the fields of  medicine, academia and in government.   Whatever these groups original intention was in sponsoring Sami Abu Shejadeh,  it was lost in translation.  The event only served to shine a spotlight on the hypocrisy and the falacies of their own movement.

Unclear on the concept: David Mandel of JVP Sacramento

Jewish Twitterati is abuzz with Sacramento Jewish Voice for Peace's lack of knowledge of the most basic of Jewish ritual observances- the lighting of the Hanukkah candles.

"Asajew" David Mandel  posted a photo of his Chanukiah on the first night of the celebration.  Four candles are lit.   The shamash is empty.

The comments are priceless.
From A Yid In Dixieland
"JVP celebrates the 4th night of Hanukkah on the first night. And no shamash. Rumor has it they used a burning tire to light them."

A helpful suggestion from Talia Katz
"JVP posted this photo on their Facebook page...If you're going to pretend to be devout Jews, at least Google "Hanukkah" before posting a picture like this."

From  The Proctologist of The Elders of Zion:

Ignorant of  Jewish history.  Ignorant of Jewish Rituals.  "Proud to be ashamed to be Jewish"  JVP is the comic relief of Jew-ish social media.

And if that weren't enough, this travesty of a "Hannukah" celebration was a fundraiser for the terror-supporting SFSU professor Rabab Abdulhadi, whose fiscal sponsor is the extremist antisemtic Al Awda group.

Blood Libel from Al Awda co-founder Zahi Damuni

Dr. Zahi Damuni is the co-founder and the first executive director of the anti-Israel extremist group Al Awda.   He's well published, and has taught biochemistry at the university level.

You'd think he'd have some rudimentary research skills.

You'd be wrong.

Blood Libel from Al Awda co-founder Zahi Damuni 

Yesterday, Zahi Damuni  published a photo, claiming it represented the 1967 mass murder of Egyptian prisoners of war.

Blood libel.

The actual photo was taken during the Yom Kippur war, in 1973, by photographer Micha Bar-Am.  Its captioned  "Suez Canal.October 1973.  A trench with Egyptian prisoners of war captured by the Israelis along the banks of the Suez Canal."

Suez Canal.October 1973.A trench with Egyptian prisoners of war captured by the Israelis along the banks of the Suez Canal.

This modern day blood libel  has been shared over 900 times, proving again that a lie can travel half-way across the world, before the truth gets a chance to put on its pants.

Incidentally Zahi Damuni has at least 3 separate Facebook accounts.   Not suspicious at all.

Al Awda orders. Jewish Voice for Peace Complies

Al Awda orders.

Eyad Kishawi  of Al-Awda orderd the shut-down of Israeli peace activist

Jewish Voice for Peace complies.

Jewish Voice for Peace members were among those arrested at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center for attempting to silence former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Arrest of professional Israel-hater Ellen Brotsky of Jewish Voice for Peace 

From the J Weekly:

Speaking May 16 to a near sellout crowd at the JCC of San Francisco, Barak said the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies are “embarrassing,” and that they have “locked the door on the two-state solution, which is the only viable and sustainable one.”

In town as part of a book tour in support of his newly published memoir “My Country, My Life,” Barak was scheduled to speak the next day at the Commonwealth Club. At the JCC, he said many things that would please progressive observers of Middle East politics, such as harshly criticizing Netanyahu’s support of Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank.

Not progressive enough for more than a dozen anti-Zionist protesters in attendance, part of a larger group protesting outside. They noisily interrupted Barak three separate times, chanting slogans, such as “Palestine will be free,” and calling Barak — a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces — a war criminal.

Eyad Kishawi's response

Birds of a feather. Al Awda hosts Carlos Latuff. JVP promotes it.

Al Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is not a peace group.  The extremist group does not accept the existence of Israel within any border, promotes intolerance, rationalizes violence, and has pushed conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic tropes to its followers.

According to the venerable Anti-Defamation league (ADL), Al Awda has openly supported terrorist groups, writing that 

"At least five communiques from the PFLP including one in conjunction with the Al -Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and one joint statement with Hamas were distributed via Al-Awda's main listserve. Nearly all of the communiques expressed support for terrorist activity, extolling "martyrs", encouraging the "resistance" and detailing violence against Israeli troops"

Its co-founder Zahi Damuni has called for "armed struggle" against Israel, stating that the  "armed Palestinian resistance must react in the middle of Tel Aviv".  

Its not surprising that controversial San Francisco State Professor Rabab Abduhadi  would appear at a terror-enabling gala.   Its not surprising that the gala would feature the notoriously anti-Semitic , holocaust denying cartoonist  Carlos Latuff

And its also not surprising that Jewish Voice for Peace would endorsed and promote this event on their Facebook page.

The only thing that is surprising is that anyone, anywhere still believes that JVP is a progressive peace group.

Birds of a Feather. Israel Haters Unite to protest AIPAC

This weeks AIPAC policy Conference is the largest ever- with over 18,000 in attendance.  Jews and their diverse allies from all over the country have gathered in Washington DC in solidarity and support of a strong relationship between the US and Israel.

And of course, there are protests and planned disruptions.

Where else but an an AIPAC policy conference can  "Jewish" Voice for Peace, Code Pink, Al-Awda and International ANSWER find common cause with the Westboro Baptist Church?

Extremist Al Awda Perpetuates Intel BDS Hoax

The BDS' holes will do nearly anything to claim victory.  Routine restructuring of a corporate portfolio, the usual ups and downs of the financial market- its all used to tout the "success" of the BDS movement- the momentum, as they like to say is "unstoppable".   As often as not, in the absence of any real success the BDS'ers  will invent something out of thin air.  It's happened before. It will happen again, because at its core, the BDS movement is morally bankrupt and is built on a fragile foundation of lies.

This is one of the more elaborate BDS schemes I can remember.

A fake press release was recently sent out announcing that Intel is suspending investments in Israel, pending an investigation  of war crimes, and a  fake website was set up that mimics Intel's real PR site. The site has since been removed.

Intel found out about the hoax and issued a terse statement:

An unknown individual has sent what purports to be a news release to some members of the media concerning Intel’s operations in Israel. This is a hoax. The purported news release does not come from Intel and is false.

Extremist truth optional group Al Awda  helped perpetuate the fraud, with an email blast to their group yesterday. They've had no issue disseminating misinformation in the past.

 The text of the fake press release follows:

 Intel To Suspend Investments in Israel Due to Assault on Gaza

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:- Intel is suspending previous plans to invest an additional $6 billion in Intel's Kiryat Gat facility in Israel until further notice.

- Intel will conduct a reevaluation of its business relationship with Israel to ensure compliance with Intel's stated Code of Conduct guidelines and Corporate Responsibility goals.

---

SANTA CLARA, Calif., August 7, 2014 – Intel CEO Brian Krzanich today announced the suspension of a previous decision to invest an additional $6 billion in Intel's Kiryat Gat facility in Israel and that a reevaluation of its business relationship with Israel will be conducted. The review will help to ensure compliance to Intel's stated Code of Conduct guidelines and Corporate Responsibility goals.

"Intel takes seriously our commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. "We view corporate citizenship as the relationship forged between Intel, the communities in which we operate and society in general. At Intel, corporate citizenship is firmly anchored in our corporate values."

Intel's Code of Conduct serves as a compass that guides the actions of employees, directors, and business partners, ensuring consistent and uncompromising integrity as we build trusted relationships around the world. Intel is also a United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) LEAD member. The first two UNGC Principles are regarding human rights.

Intel releases an annual Corporate Responsibility Report. "For us,corporate responsibility means achieving business success in ways that demonstrate respect for people and the planet and uphold the values and high standards of ethics expressed in our Human Rights Principles and our environmental health and safety policies," adds Krzanich. "In all our activities, we need to uphold Intel's long-standing, global reputation as a role model for socially responsible behavior."

Intel Israel is the country's largest private-sector employer. Mooly Eden is Intel Israel president and is also in support of the decision. He is confident that Intel Israel is "here to stay", despite the investment
suspension. Eden has been speaking to Israeli government officials over the past weeks regarding its military policy and the negative attention it brings to the country and those businesses that operate within. "Intel has consistently been recognized as one of the world's leading corporate citizens and most ethical companies," states Eden. "Our commitment to doing the right thing runs deep in our corporate culture. We don't view corporate responsibility as a fad or marketing scheme."

The Kiryat Gat facility is only 15 miles from the northern Gaza Strip. Reports of the destruction and loss of life resulting from Israel's recentassault on Gaza, in addition to the blockade that Israel has imposed on the people of Gaza for the past several years is not something thatbusiness leaders can continue to ignore.

Further details on Intel Israel's business evaluations will be released in the coming weeks.

PRESS CONTACT
Nick Veritas
Intel Corporate, Assistant Director
Communications & Public Affairs
+1 408 805 0679
nick.veritas@newsroom-intel.com

UPDATE

Al Awda has issued a retraction

'Zahi Damuni' zahi@al-awda.org wrote:


Apologies to all. But this story appears to have been a hoax.

The Truth optional World of the anti-Israel activist

One of the most consistent characteristics of the anti-Israel groups locally is how they ignore the endless provocation that leads up to the inevitable Israeli response.

On Tuesday, an unholy coalition from Al Awda, Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine and allies are planning a protest  in front of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles to demand that Israel stop defending her citizens.

Not a single one of these groups condemned the endless barrage of rockets falling on Israel over the last few months, but the moment Israel responds, they take to the streets.

Interestingly, this truth-optional group has chosen to illustrate their action alert with a photo they purport as being an attack on a Palestinian youth from 2013, writing

08-12-2013: The child’s uncle, Mofeed Sharabaty, said that more than twenty Jews of the Beit Hadassah illegal settlement in the center of Al Khalil attacked Zeidan Sharabaty, 13 as he was heading to a nearby store.

The attack is one of hundreds of assaults carried out by Jews against Palestinians, their lands and property, especially in Al Khalil city (Hebron), as these illegal settlers also live in the heart of the city in Palestinian homes and property illegally occupied and confiscated.

Ummm. No.

Even though multiple people commenting on the post have explained to the moderators that the photo is from 2009, and portrays a Jewish youth,  the language has not been changed, and photo remains and is used to promote the Tuesday protest.
  

Anti-Israel activists' commitment to "peace" is about on par with their commitment to truth and accuracy. 

More ignorance from Al Awda

All too often, the Israel haters come out with a statement so offensive, so jaw-droppingly ignorant,  and so inaccurate all you can do is shake your head in wonder.

Todays clueless comment comes from Zahi Damuni, co-founder of the extremist group Al Awda, who writes: 

"What we have is Gaza like situation in the Yamouk camp. Every now and then there is food delivery  and people act like the siege is over. Its not over until its over... "

To Zahi Damuni: At least 85 people have died from hunger in theYamouk camp in Syria. 20,000 more Palestinians are starving.

From the Independent:

“Bread is a dream for children inside Yarmouk Camp,” says Fuad, a Syrian Palestinian music teacher who tries to help bring food to the 20,000 Palestinians besieged inside Yarmouk. Standing by a barrier of sand and rubble that blocks an entrance to the camp in south Damascus, he adds that “people have been trapped in there for 185 days and are sick because they are eating weeds we used to feed our animals”.

Contrast that with Gaza where three separate surveys found "alarming" rates of obesity.  In  Gaza, food comes in regularly.  Food is also exported.

In December alone,  4522 truckloads of goods entered Gaza. 2,135 of those carried food, while the others carried humanitarian and construction materials

54 truckloads of goods were exported from Gaza, including 37.5  truckloads of strawberries,   7 of spices,  9 of flowers, and one of cherry tomatoes.

For Zahi Dumani to imply an equivalence between Syria and Gaza is a sign not only of his tenuous grasp of reality, but also of his moral and intellectual bankruptcy.

As of today, no flotillas or global marches are being planned to break the siege of Yarmouk.

Eyad Kishawi: Haters Gonna hate

Eyad Kishawi of Al Awda doesn't seem like our little local blog very much.  He writes:

 "Hello to my network- savvy friends. Below is a vitriolic sight to think about, which spreads lies and defames justice- for- Palestine activist. Their Google ranking is number one on BDS and high for every activist they defame" 

I left your typos in, Eyad, because I want to be accurate in quoting you. Zionists are like that.

Eyad continues:

"Time to bury them on google by mentioning them in context"

 It sounds like Eyad Kishawi is proposing cyber warfare.

Eyad. I have an alternate plan. If there is anything here that is inaccurate, please let us know, and we'd be happy to update the information. If anyone feels they have been "defamed", we'd be happy to evaluate their allegation, and adjust or update the posts accordingly. Accuracy is important to us, because, well, you know. Zionists are like that.

Mahatma Gandhi once said “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Eyad Kishawi is initiating the "fighting us" stage. We both know what comes next.

Let it roll, Eyad. Let it roll.

                                               

Eyad Kishawi of Al Awda spreads misinformation. Again

Eyad Kishawi, one of the movers and shakers of the northern California extremist group, Al-Awda might be a little too quick on the send button.  Although he's been challenged more than once for sending false and misleading information,  it still seems to happen. regularly.

Presenting this weeks indiscretion from Eyad Kishawi: Spreading a quote  falsely attributed to Nelson Mandela, and widely exposed as a fraud as early as 2007.

From the Augean Stables, written by Prof. Richard Landes:

Joel Pollack of Guide to the Perplexed has a couple of posts on the Sabeel conference at the Old South Church. In the first one he discusses a quotation from Nelson Mandela on the back of the Official Program.

I sat down in a pew near the front and opened the folder of conference materials. The back page of the official program was entitled “Apartheid?” and was filled with quotes and maps aimed at proving the Israel-apartheid analogy. They had a line from Jimmy Carter, a line from Archbishop Desmond Tutu (the conference’s keynote speaker), and a line from—no, wait, really?—Nelson Mandela:

“Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.”

Sounds rather damning, doesn’t it? And who could disagree with Nelson Mandela? There’s only one problem: Nelson Mandela never said, wrote or endorsed those words. They are the creation of an Arab journalist named Arjan El Fassed. When I exposed El Fassed’s fraud earlier this year, he claimed: “There is no possible basis for Pollak to say I intended people to believe the memo was written by anyone other than myself.”
In spite of El Fassed’s admission, the Israel-haters continue to use his Mandela quote to promote their views.

Years after this quote was exposed and relegated to the midden heap of agitprop, its still  polished off and paraded as fact. According to the media watchdog CAMERA  this fake quote, written by Arjan El Fassed, an activist affiliated with Al Awda (You knew that Eyad. I know you did)  made it though eight PC(USA) voting bodies (five presbyteries and three committees) before it appeared on the agenda of the denomination's General Assembly in 2012. And  now, 6 years after it was first exposed as a fraud, Eyad Kishawi is still spreading it.

Prof. Landes writes "The ability to distinguish empirical information that reflects what happened, and information that comes from dishonest sources, constitutes one of the fundamental skills of any civil society."

Admit the fraud, Eyad. Apologize for your role in perpetuating it. We'll happily post your disclaimer.

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.

Stop Palestinian Child Abuse

Citing  the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations in 1959 Zahi Damuni  from the Al Awda Palestinian Right of Return organization urges us to demand an end to the abuse of Palestine's children   He encourages his readers to take a moment to call  (1-202-456-1111 ) or  write to President Obama ( http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments).  Its a splendid idea.

DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

 Adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 1386 (XIV) of 10 December 1959

  WHEREAS the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

  WHEREAS the United Nations has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,

  WHEREAS the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth,

  WHEREAS the need for such special safeguards has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924, and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the statutes of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with the welfare of children,

  WHEREAS mankind owes to the child the best it has to give,

  Now, therefore, Proclaims
   THIS DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD to the end that he may have a happy childhood and enjoy for his own good and for the good of society the rights and freedoms herein set forth, and calls upon parents, upon men and women as individuals, and upon voluntary organizations, local authorities and national Governments to recognize these rights and strive for their observance by legislative and other measures progressively taken in accordance with the following principles:

1    The child shall enjoy all the rights set forth in this Declaration. Every child, without any exception whatsoever, shall be entitled to these rights, without distinction or discrimination on account of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, whether of himself or of his family.

2  The child shall enjoy special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and by other means, to enable him to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. In the enactment of laws for this purpose, the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration.

3  The child shall be entitled from his birth to a name and a nationality.

4  The child shall enjoy the benefits of social security. He shall be entitled to grow and develop in health; to this end, special care and protection shall be provided both to him and to his mother, including adequate pre-natal and post-natal care. The child shall have the right to adequate nutrition, housing, recreation and medical services.

5  The child who is physically, mentally or socially handicapped shall be given the special treatment, education and care required by his particular condition.

6  The child, for the full and harmonious development of his personality, needs love and understanding. He shall, wherever possible, grow up in the care and under the responsibility of his parents, and, in any case, in an atmosphere of affection and of moral and material security; a child of tender years shall not, save in exceptional circumstances, be separated from his mother. Society and the public authorities shall have the duty to extend particular care to children without a family and to those without adequate means of support. Payment of State and other assistance towards the maintenance of children of large families is desirable.

7  The child is entitled to receive education, which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the elementary stages. He shall be given an education which will promote his general culture and enable him, on a basis of equal opportunity, to develop his abilities, his individual judgement, and his sense of moral and social responsibility, and to become a useful member of society.
  The best interests of the child shall be the guiding principle of those responsible for his education and guidance; that responsibility lies in the first place with his parents.
  The child shall have full opportunity for play and recreation, which should be directed to the same purposes as education; society and the public authorities shall endeavour to promote the enjoyment of this right.

8  The child shall in all circumstances be among the first to receive protection and relief.

9  The child shall be protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation. He shall not be the subject of traffic, in any form. The child shall not be admitted to employment before an appropriate minimum age; he shall in no case be caused or permitted to engage in any occupation or employment which would prejudice his health or education, or interfere with his physical, mental or moral development.

10  The child shall be protected from practices which may foster racial, religious and any other form of discrimination. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, and in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the service of his fellow men.

What if you gave a protest and no one came? The Southen California Edition

As part of the annual Youm El-Ard/Day of the Land Activities in Southern California, Al-Awda, The extremist Palestine Right to Return Coalition has organized yet another protest in front of the Israeli, er "Zionist" consulate.
 
Los Angeles: A Day of the Land Demonstration will be held on Friday March 29, 2013, starting 3 PM in front of the Zionist consulate (11766 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025) with participation from all of Al-Awda's chapters in Southern California. Organizations wishing to co-sponsor, please email mazenalmoukdad@hotmail.com

And its deja vu all over again. Just like the Al Awda organized protest earlier this month in San Francisco, no one showed up. Eric Golub documents the latest Al Awda fail here:

The failed Good Friday Los Angeles Palestinian protest

Maybe it was the Christian spirit of Good Friday, but Palestinians made their most positive contribution to humankind in the entire history of their existence. For once, they stayed in their homes and left the rest of society alone.

 A planned anti-Jewish protest in Los Angeles fell flat when nobody showed up. It’s a sad day in Palestinian culture when hatred of Jews takes a back seat to sleeping in on a paid American holiday.

 The protest was scheduled for March 29 at 3:00pm PST at the Israeli Consulate. The issue would be Palestinian “right of return” to Israel. For those unfamiliar with the Palestinian movement, they are demanding their own separate independent state of Palestine while also demanding to have four million refugees who are not really refugees move to Israel.

 Why would they want their own state yet return to Israel? The answer is to flood Israel with so many non-Jews that Israel would effectively be destroyed. This has always been the “peaceful” purpose of the Palestinian movement...

 The Palestinians in Los Angeles faced the ultimate indignity. Like fading Hollywood celebrities, they were non-controversial.  They were prepared to hold a protest, and nobody cared.

Contrast that with American Muslims for Palestine's effusive rant  from yesterday : "The interest  shows the American public is ready to accept the Palestinian narrative!".  Perhaps this rather complete lack of interest shows quite the opposite- that the American public stands firm with our closest ally in the region, Israel, and realizes that ultimately,  while the Jewish people have truth and history on their side, the Palestinians are left with  mere"narrative"

Al Awda Protest Rally Massive Epic fail

What if you gave an anti-Israel protest and no one came?  A March 1 protest was called in front of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco by Al Awda and their partners in Slime. It was endorsed by many, yet the streets were empty.   Two dozen bored and listless self styled anarchists , aging hippies and their Islamist allies loitered around aimlessly, then invented excuses to leave early.

Even with the collective might and power of endorsers including: Bay Area Women in Black, GUPS: General Union of Palestine Students, Northern California. Friends of Sabeel, US Palestine Community Network, Palestine Action Network ,All-African People's Revolutionary Party, ANSWER: Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, Arab Resource & Organizing Center,

BAYAN USA,  Gabriela USA, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, International League of Peoples' Struggle, International Socialist Organization, Middle East Children's Alliance, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement,  Palestinian Youth Movement, and  the SF Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines the "solidarity rally' achieved neither sound nor fury.

Is it possible that the anti-Israel movement in San Francisco Bay area, once considered a hub of the de-legitimization of Israel, is losing steam?  Or is it  just too hard to find common cause with Palestinian hunger striker and convicted terrorist mastermind  Samer Issawi, who has been

convicted of severe crimes, which including five attempts of intentional death. This included four shootings, between July 2001 and February 2002, in which Isawi and his partners fired on police cars and buses travelling between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem. In one attack, a policeman was injured and required surgery. On October 30, 2001, Isawi, together with an accomplice, fired at two students walking from the Hebrew University campus to their car in a nearby parking lot. In another case, Isawi provided guns and explosive devices to a squad, who fired on a bus. Finally, in December 2001, Isawi ordered an attack on security personnel at Hebrew University, providing a squad with a pistol and a pipebomb. Two of the squad members tracked security personnel but opted not to execute the attack.

Or, wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles, could the local anti-Israel crew actually have found day jobs?
Nah....

Incidentally, while Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) did not officially endorse the street protest, they had no trouble shilling for terrorist Samer Issawi via their twitter feed

UN cuts ties with official tied to false Gaza tweet

 All things come to those who wait.

Kulhood Badawi, a public affairs officer at the United Nations Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)  has been terminated.  Badawi  gained notoriety for tweeting a 2006 photo of a girl from Gaza, and falsely insisting she was killed by the IDF during its shelling of Gaza  Its taken nearly a year, and its likely too late to undo the damage. At the time,  Badawi's tweet was picked up by dozens, and spread virally via social media.  In the Bay Area, Eyad Kishawi of the local Al-Awda chapter also spread this discredited photo

From the J Post

Kulhood Badawi, a veteran public affairs officer in the Jerusalem branch of the United Nations Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has been "separated" from the UN, say officials in New York.

The de facto firing, publicly explained as a contract non-renewal, comes shortly after the conclusion of an internal investigation lasting almost a year.

The investigation conducted by the UN Development Program centered on a February 2012 Twitter post containing the photograph of a dead Palestinian girl, who Badawi insisted was killed by the IDF during its shelling of Gaza.

Subsequent investigations revealed that it was in reality an archived Reuters photo originally taken in 2006.

According to Reuters, the photograph was that of a young woman killed as the result of local clashes in Gaza, not as the result of any IDF action.

Badawi, it was later discovered, had been involved in several earlier controversial actions, including a 2006 demonstration in Jerusalem in which she labeled current Defense Minister Ehud Barak a "war criminal." UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Valerie Amos, while not disputing Badawi¹s actions, publicly questioned whether the world body could be held accountable for "personal" tweets.

As such, she launched the inquiry that Israel's UN mission charged was a "whitewash," with Ambassador Ron Prosor repeatedly insisting that Badawi be fired.

Amos then explained she was awaiting conclusions and recommendations. Yet weeks turned into months, with the investigation having been concluded in October 2012, and repeated inquiries to Amos for updates produced nothing.

On Wednesday, an email from the UN revealed that all facets of the fact-finding mission had finally been completed, and that the organization had opted not to renew Badawi's contract.

Avi Mayer describes how the story went down at Storify

BDS fail of 2012. Record Tourism in Israel

The year isn't even over yet, but it looks  like 2012 will set a new record  for incoming tourism to Israel.. Nearly 3.3 million visitors arrived in Israel up to the end of November 2012, and even more are expected for the Christmas holiday season.

Thats a massive BDS fail.

According to Al Awda's Eyad Kishawi, in an article published in  Al-Jazeerah, January 19, 2006 "Divestment from Israel in its 5th year"  (Yes, divestment started in 2001, and has been been failing for over 11 years now) there is only one strategic call:    "Material isolation of Israel until Palestinian exiles are repatriated to their towns of origin and receive reparation for lives and properties destroyed by Israel.".  Eyad Kishawi is calling for the end of Israel as a Jewish state,  and BDS is a tool for achieving this goal.

Tourists are flocking to Israel, Eyad.  Your dream of an isolated Israel is failing.  What happens to a dream deferred?

From YNET 

To date, the year 2012 will end as a new record year for incoming tourism. About 3.3 million visitors arrived in Israel up to the end of November 2012, and of these 60% were Christian tourists (52% Catholic; 21% Protestant and 10% Orthodox)

About half of all Christian tourists are pilgrims. Most of the Christian visitors to Israel also visit Bethlehem passing through Rachel’s Crossing and the various offices work to facilitate a welcoming, fast and comfortable transfer every day of the year.

According to the ministry’s 2011 Incoming Tourism Satisfaction Survey, about 87% of pilgrims were first-time visitors. Most pilgrims visit Capernaum, Yardenit, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Mount of Olives, Via Dolorosa and Bethlehem.

Source countries where pilgrims represent a very high rate among those visiting include Indonesia (83%), Nigeria (82%), Poland (69%), Portugal (59%), Romania (57%), India (50% and Brazil (49%).  

Eyad considers divestment a 20 year process, but even he must be grinding his teeth  just about now.   If the goal of  BDS was the isolation  and the eventual destruction of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people his movement is failing.  BDS at 11 is no further than achieving its goal than BDS at 5.

Cindy and Craig Corrie at Al Awda this weekend

Last week Israeli courts exonerated the Israel Defense Forces after the Corrie family accused them of deliberately murdering ISM activist Rachel Corrie with a bulldozer. Israeli courts said she knowingly entered a war zone and refused to move despite being warned, and that her death was accidental rather than malicious. The lawsuit was one in a series of actions and events orchestrated by the Corrie family, to keep their daughters life and death in the public eye.

From Zahi Damuni of the extremist Al- Awda group, announcing the appearance of Rachel Corrie's parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie via Skype at the Al Awda Convention this weekend:

Cindy and Craig Corrie, the parents of martyr Rachel Corrie who was brutally killed while trying to save a Palestinian home from demolition by the Israeli occupation, will be joining us via Skype from Haifa at the Grand Banquet of The Tenth Annual Int'l Al-Awda Convention this Saturday . Cindy and Craig Corrie have been seeking justice for their daughter since her brutal death. They have shown remarkable strength, patience and resilience in the face of adversity they have endured including most recently at a "trial" in which a Zionist court in occupied Haifa ruled its own military was not guilty of Rachel's murder and blamed martyr Rachel herself for her own death.

The Corries tacit support of the Al-Awda agenda (which considers all of the land between the "river to the sea" occupied Palestine, denies the Jewish people's connection to their ancient homeland and supports mythical Palestinian "right to return" ) makes it quite clear -in case you had any doubt remaining- that they are not peace activists.

From Abraham Miller, emeritus professor of political science and a former head of the Intelligence Studies Section of the International Studies Association, originally published at PJ media

Since her death, Corrie’s activist, militant, and Israeli-bashing parents have transformed her death into a cottage industry. The Corries can be seen making the rounds of the liberal churches talking about the Palestinian cause and how the Israelis maliciously killed their daughter. For audiences predisposed to hate Israel and support the Palestinians as an oppressed people, the Corries and their “martyred” daughter comprise a saga that reinforces their jaundiced views.

It is not just the liberal churches that venerate the Corries. Yasser Arafat, too, showered them with adulation for donating their daughter to the cause. Just as their daughter put her life at risk to help mass murderers, the parents stand for photo ops with people who speak of past crimes against Jews and openly boast of those they are about to commit.

The Corries have learned nothing from their daughter’s experience. Mrs. Corrie openly brags of two nieces who are active members of the ISM, and she hopes their activism will emulate her daughter’s.

Rather than sue the State of Israel, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin has suggested that, "Rachel Corrie's parents should sue the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) for being responsible for their daughter's death."

I'm not holding my breath.