San Francisco Protest in front of the Israeli Consulate

Via Emunah:

In 2008, 8  students were massacred  in the school library of Mercaz Harav, in Jerusalem. 15 were wounded.   Jewish websites were filled with photos of the blood-soaked library. The rest of the media was strangely silent.  The world, it seems, does not mourn dead Jews.

In a gesture near sociopathic in its scope, anti-Israel activists in the Bay area took to the streets to protest, lest anyone in the city pay attention to the dead Jews.  I recall them  standing in front of the Israeli consulate chanting  “Stop killing our children”.  Our hearts were broken over the lives lost, and still they taunted us.

They felt no compassion for the slaughtered children, who were, after all, only  Zionists.  Settlers.   Anything to strip them of their essential humanity.

That scene was repeated last Thursday at 6, again in front of the Israeli consulate. I watched, from a safe distance, while local extremist groups called for the destruction of  Israel. The usual chants of  “From the river to the sea”  were punctuated with  “we support the Intifada” and  "ba ruh, ba dam, nafdeek ya Filistin"  ("with our blood we will redeem you Palestine”).   In case their intent was unclear,  a new chant “We don’t want 2 states. We want 48”, referencing all of Israel,  pierced the air.  Activists standing by the “Jewish Voice for Peace” banner did not blink an eye.

In the last  few weeks in Israel, a  young Israeli boy, 13 was stabbed riding his bike. He is still fighting for his life. An elderly woman  was stabbed in the back.   A rabbi was hacked to death with a meat cleaver.   Ten Israelis are dead, over 175 injured in a cascade of violence spurred on by incitement at the highest levels.   And in San Francisco, again, anti-Israel activists took to the streets, lest anyone in the city pay attention to the dead Jews.

They stood with Hamas headbands. With shirts featuring the PFLP  terrorist Laila Khalid that stated  “My heroes have always killed colonizers”.   

I soon realized that there was no such thing as  a “safe distance” with this crowd. Forrest Schmidt of International ANSWER came over repeatedly to harass me.  Cheryl Davila of the Berkeley Human Welfare Commission hissed “Bitch” at me.     When I  saw the young men furtively glancing at me as  they wrapped their kuffiyehs over their faces, I knew it was time to go.

This was not Gaza.  This was not the West Bank.  This was San Francisco 2015.

Yawn. Another Protest in front of the Israeli consulate

Today, a 13 year old Israeli  boy is fighting for his live after he was stabbed by terrorists. He was targeted because he was a Jew, living in the nation-state of the Jewish people.

The UN is silent. The world media is silent.

The latest series of attacks is gleefully heralded by some as a new “Intifada”, glorifying the violence and unrest that has led to dozens of unprovoked attacks on the Israeli public. It is a direct result of incitement in the Palestinian media, government and in its religious institutions.

In response to this new wave of terror targeting Israeli civilians, several local hate groups are getting together to shout their empty slogans on an empty financial district street. The inflammatory rhetoric from the groups publicizing this local protest echoes the false claims we hear from the extremist elements all over the Middle East

The group of jihadi-wannabees, miscreants, and spare change from various failed social movements will be gathering in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco on Thursday  October 15 at 6:00pm.

Quoting our old friend ATBOTH "If a Jihadi falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?"

Sponsors include

The General Union of Palestinian students (not surprising they would support knife attacks on Israeli civilians,  given the fetish of their former president Mohammed Hammad)

Mohammad Hammad of the San Francisco State General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS)

Palestine Youth Movement-PYM
The Freedom Archives
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Students for Justice in Palestine
Arab Resource and Organizing Center-AROC
ANSWER Coalition SF
Student Kouncil of Inter-tribal Nations
Workers World Party and International Action Center

Why the late start time?  The group is desperately trying to gather enough  people to march down Market street under the cover of darkness.

As Jewish blood runs in the streets, Palestinians protest in San Francisco

Via Emunah

Remember when the Palestinians massacred 8 children at Mecatz Harav and their compatriots protested at the San Francisco Israeli consulate?

Its happening again.

105 rock attacks, 35 firebombings, and three stabbing attacks took place across Israel today.

As Jewish blood flows in the streets of Israel, a protest is planned in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco, 456 Montgomery, because the Palestinians are the victims, damn it, the victims and don't you ever forget that.

This salute to terror is sponsored by the General Union of Palestinians students (GUPS)

Thursday Oct 15 6 pm.

Solidarity rally for Israel in San Francisco

From our friends at San Francisco Voice for Israel

Photos from the streets of San Francisco, and a solidarity with Israel rally held today, July 7in front of the Israeli Consulate

And yes, the haters of light were gathered in force.  Their rally, sponsored by AROC: Arab Resource & Organizing Center, ANSWER, Coalition For Palestinian Rights (San Francisco), East Bay ACC, Bay Area PAC, MECA, United Holy LandFund (SF), USPCN, Palestinian youth movement (PYM), the International Jewish Antizionist Network (IJAN), Freedom Archives. International Solidarity Movement ISM and Free Palestine Movement featured  frenzied chants of "We support the Intifada",  "Allahu Akbar" and the classic  "Ba ruh, ba dam, nafdeek ya Falastin"

 Keeping it classy on the pro-hate side

UPDATE:
Youtube from Monday's protest at the Israeli consulate in San Francisco 

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

Violence and antisemitism at San Francisco anti-Israel rally

Sorry for the clip show.

One of our friends made this "worst of San Francisco" clip to document the vicious antisemitism and  violence from this weeks anti-Israel protests at the local Israel Consulate.  Footage came from a variety of local sources.



Its got it all.  From a  feeding frenzy of young jihadis screaming "Allah Akbar" while they tear apart a stolen Israeli flag  to gratuitous antisemitism and mayhem.  This  wasn't filmed in Pakistan, or in Somalia. This was filmed in San Francisco.

These rallies show,  if  case you had any doubt left, that these are not peace activists. Real peace activists  would not have been silent while rockets rained down on Israeli civilians. Real peace activists wouldn't steal flags from the hands of elderly people.   Real peace activists wouldn't  kick a 63 year old man in the groin.

Yitzhak Santis discusses the silence of the NGO's- non governmental organizations- in a new article in the J weekly today.  He writes:

"Silence is golden. So goes the proverb. But silence can be deadly when nongovernmental organizations claiming the mantles of human rights and peace fail to speak out when the lives of millions of Israelis are threatened by indiscriminate rocket fire. Each rocket from Gaza is a war crime, but only after Israel responded forcefully on Nov. 14 did these NGOs suddenly speak.
 
In the weeks prior to Operation Pillar of Defense, one such group, the Oakland-based Jewish Voice for Peace, lost its voice when Hamas and other terror groups were bombarding southern Israel. JVP was silent as 1 million Israelis were forced into shelters, as dozens were wounded, and children were traumatized.
Only after the Israel Defense Forces responded was JVP’s laryngitis cured. In record time, they created a section on their website called “Take Action for Gaza” complete with links to anti-Israel protests around the world (at the Nov. 16 San Francisco protest promoted on this list, “peace activists” chanted “Zionist scum, your time has come”) and a “Gaza protest toolkit.” The “toolkit” offers downloadable graphics with slogans like “Another Jew Against Attacks on Civilians. Stop the Bombs. Stop the Siege. Stop the Blank Check to the Israeli Military with U.S. Tax Dollars.”

But JVP offers no slogans protesting Hamas war crimes against Israeli civilians.
In a further display of cynically exploiting moral values, JVP’s official press release explicitly blames the Gaza crisis on Israel. Not until the statement’s fourth sentence, without naming Hamas or any other terror group, does JVP “also urge the end of rocket attacks from Gaza into civilian communities in Israel.” Their statement also holds Israel responsible “for the well-being and safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.” But JVP fails to hold Hamas responsible for the safety of Israeli civilians. Nor does JVP’s statement demand that Hamas protect Gazans situated near weapons depots and launch sites deliberately placed by Hamas in populated areas."

He highlights the hypocrisy of groups like Jewish voice for Peace which continues to provide cover to anti-Semites and to aid and abet those that would have Israel destroyed.  Read the whole article here.

We're in the first few hours of a cease-fire now.  Lets pray that it holds, and that  there is no more loss of life on either side of the border

How dare the Jews Fight Back: the San Francisco Story

The Bay area has long been considered a hub of anti-Israel activity., though there's plenty of indication that the situation is turning around.  The supporters of Israel are mobilizing and organizing.  The Jewish community is excited about  a local mission to Israel, and the stores are filled with products from Israel,  in spite of the  11 year old BDS movement

A local rabbi sent out this notice to his congregants, reminding us again, that we are all family, and that all of Israel is responsible for each other. (I've made slight changes to protect the privacy of those involved)

Our connection to Israel is deep and profound. It is a connection that has many layers. At times like this however one connection resonates most in our hearts: Israel is home, Israel is our family.

Every Shabbat  we pray for the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Israel as well as for the safety of Israel's Defense Forces. This week and this Shabbat our prayers are particularly rooted in the hope that the Holy One will bless our family in Israel with security and with peace.

In addition, this week and this Shabbat, we also wish to convey a message of love and support to the Israeli members of our family and to all members who have parents, siblings and children living in Israel, as many of us do. It is especially difficult to be away from home during this time. Our  family is here for you. We hope and pray that being in community will bring some comfort and a deeper sense of home.

 Indeed, our family is asking for our prayers and our support. Let the powerful words of our prayer book ring loud and clear:

אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה העומדים בין בים ובין ביבשה, המקום ירחם עליהם ויוציאם מצרה לרוחה ומשעבוד לגאולה השתא בעגלא ובזמן קריב

 As for our brothers of the whole house of Israel who are in distress or captivity, on sea or land, may the All-Present have compassion on them and lead them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, and from oppression to freedom, now, swiftly and soon – and let us say: Amen

On the streets,  it's the same story.  Two days of protest at the San Francisco Israeli Consulate on Montgomery Street were met with two days of counter protests in solidarity with Israel. And while the anti-Israel side expressed their intransigent rejection of peaceful co-existence with chants of  "Intifada", and  from the "River to the Sea", the pro-Israel side sangs songs of peace 

Although largely peaceful,  the demonstrations were marred by some violence. On the first night,  anti-Israel thugs, many with their faces cowardly covered in dime store masks or with made in China Kaffiyahs, tried to crash through police barricades, chanting "Zionist Scum your time has come". Yesterday, a woman was arrested for assaulting a peaceful pro-Israel demonstrator, in what may have very well been a hate crime.

Why is it likely this brutal assault was motivated by hate?  Perhaps it was Lena's own word  "Fuck you, Jew"

.


In a demonstration sponsored  and promoted by "Jewish" Voice for peace , this display of pure anti-Semitism was simply ignored.

What can you do to help our friends and our family in Israel?

Stay informed and be an advocate for Israel 

Arm yourself with accurate information and spread it through your personal and social media websites. 

You can find helpful facts about Operation Pillar of Defense and up-to-date information on the crisis in Israel on our local Israeli Consulates website 

Social media is your friend.  Need help using the new media? Drop me an email and I'll walk you through it.

Donate to Federations Israel Terror Relief Fund  (or to your favorite  solidarity group) to provide immediate services to those impacted by the rocket attacks. 

Write letters to the editor, and op eds to your local paper. Demand that Israel's side of the story be heard.

And continue please to pray for the safety of our people, and our homeland in Israel.

Are the attacks on Israeli Consulate support of the Frameline film Festival anti-Semitic?

All human institutions are inherently flawed. Nation states- as human institutions, are also inherently flawed. But according to the hate Israel cru-only the nation-state of Israel and Israel alone has flaws so deep, so all encompassing, so born of original sin, that these flaws invalidate her very existence of 64 years. To these haters, everything Israel has ever done, everything Israel will ever do, must be looked at through the prism of those flaws.

Natan Sharansky's famous 3 D's definition of anti-Semitism summarizes it best.

The first "D" is the test of demonization. When the Jewish state is being demonized; when Israel's actions are blown out of all sensible proportion; when comparisons are made between Israelis and Nazis and between Palestinian refugee camps and Auschwitz -this is anti- Semitism, not legitimate criticism of Israel.
The second "D" is the test of double standards. When criticism of Israel is applied selectively; when Israel is singled out by the United Nations for human rights abuses while the behavior of known and major abusers, such as China, Iran, Cuba, and Syria, is ignored; when Israel's Magen David Adom, alone among the world's ambulance services, is denied admission to the International Red Cross - this is anti-Semitism.
The third "D" is the test of delegitimization: when Israel's fundamental right to exist is denied - alone among all peoples in the world - this too is anti-Semitism.

Are the attacks on the Israelis consulate support of the Frameline Film festival in San Francisco anti-Semitic? They certainly represent a Double standard.

After all, promoting a countries cultural resources is an accepted and expected role of Consular services:

From the French consulate
"French American Cultural Exchange (FACE) was created to strengthen cultural ties between France and U.S. in all areas of innovation, whether artistic or educational. Hosted by the Cultural Services of the Embassy of France in New York, FACE supports several initiatives and events in collaboration with other French agencies of the United States. Missions and objectives Support the efforts of Franco-American, as well as exchanges in the fields of creation, art or education, Develop and bring together professionals and artists with French or American institutions, Combine the mutual efforts of France and the United States to create a dynamic and joint projects between our two countries"

From the Switzerland Consulate
"The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has an annual budget of CHF 1.5 million available for the implementation of cultural projects abroad. The budget is administered by the Cultural Foreign Policy Centre (CCC), which functions as a link between the cultural milieu in Switzerland and the Swiss representations around the world... The FDFA’s cultural activities are meant to showcase the values of Swiss foreign policy. In this way, they promote Switzerland’s image abroad and form the basis of an ongoing dialogue with other countries. For the FDFA, culture is a fundamental tool in advocating the interests of Switzerland."

From the Belgium consulate
"The Consulate plays an active role in promoting Belgian films, in close co-operation with Flanders Image (www.flandersimage.be) and Wallonie Bruxelles Images (www.wbimages.be)".

No one calls this into question. No one questions the right of the Swiss or the French or the Flemish to promote their culture. But when Israel's consulate supports its cultural institutions by promoting them in America and throughout the world, it’s a symptom of some nefarious plot. Yes, it’s a double standard representing nothing more than a new look for a very old hatred.

Frameline Film festival and the Israeli consulate.

Earlier I wrote a bit about the relationship between the Israeli consulate and the Frameline film festival. There is nothing unusual or nefarious about a cultural attache promoting its nation's culture. (I can't help but notice that there arent 24 page memos regarding Switzerland's participation in Frameline. Imagine that.) And a film festival that employs open and active anti-Israel activists can hardly be considered "biased" towards Israel.

But there are other issues. Three blogs reported on this, with varying degrees of inaccuracies. Interestingly enough, they aren't accepting comments that correct what they've written.

From Velvet Park Media:

"The leaked emails show conversations between Frameline and Jewish Federation staff about trying to get pro-boycott ads taken down from bus shelters."

From PrettyQueer

"Frameline’s efforts included encouraging a vigorous public relations campaign and Mr. Price’s personal attempts to censor MUNI advertisements purchased by QUIT to raise public awareness about the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and Frameline’s complicity."

And yes, the usual team of haters at "Mondofront" also wrote about this (No- I don't link to hate sites.)

These blogs miss a crucial point. Was this a deliberate ommission? We'll never know, because my comments haven't appeared on the websites. These were not paid ads. Bus shelters were vandalized. Paid ads were removed from the bus shelter and "plop art"- propaganda was placed in.

It was vandalism, pure and simple. There was no "censorship".



Switzerland is also a sponsor of the Frameline film festival. From the website of the Swiss Consulate:

"The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has an annual budget of CHF 1.5 million available for the implementation of cultural projects abroad. The budget is administered by the Cultural Foreign Policy Centre (CCC), which functions as a link between the cultural milieu in Switzerland and the Swiss representations around the world."

Switzerlands' commitment to using its Consular services to spread its culture is never once called into question. Once again, Israel is held to different standard than the other nations of the world.

Boycotting Jews. Boycotting the state of the Jewish people. Its just a new look veiling an ancient hate.

PROTEST IN FRONT OF CONSULATE TODAY

About one hundred and twenty of the usual folks on the anti-Israel side, including the most brain-damaged resident of Telegraph Avenue, plus Richard Becker, Forest Schmidt, and several middle-aged Berkeley women with sad empty lives and a thing for Levantine boys.
Oh, and the Levantine boys - but they seemed a bit drab and irrelevant.
Also three charming young damsels with flashing eyes who really appreciated my waving a shoe at them.  They screamed, smiled, and waved.

Hi ladies.  Anytime you want to talk about foot-wear, I’m ready.
You look like you’d be tons of good wholesome fun.
And you probably have lovely feet.


DEFECTIVE PEOPLE

One Arab teenager on the hatefilled side is in the running for a Darwin Award.
Getting hit by a truck for playing in traffic is a horrible way to become a shahid, but if you’re that unlikely to ever become a useful member of society, your parents will simply have to accept it.  Better than nothing, I guess.
They can always use that four-coloured battle rag as a shroud.
For their sake it should happen soon.
You eat too much.

Richard Becker spoke at one point. Something inane about revolution and struggle, a short and relatively mild version of his usual Marxist piffle.  Either he or his dogsbody Forest have probably realized that the dear ladies from code pink can’t grasp anything complicated, the angry Arab teenagers can’t spell it, and the middle-aged gentlemen of pro-Hamas convictions simply ignore it as typical prattle from a useful idiot. 
You’re on their list, Dicky.

BTW, why is Forest so red-faced?  High blood pressure?  Frustration?
I worry about him, he’s looking unhealthy.
So do you, Richard.


Seventeen signs produced by International A.N.S.W.E.R. - printed years ago and ragged from re-use.
Organizers: ANSWER, Code Pink, AROC, and the International Socialist Organization.
More than half a year in the making.
Tons of amusing e-mails.
Four Pally flags.

Just four.

Our side had way more flags, Richard.  Israeli flags.  As well as more intelligent signs.

And as usual even a few of us are more than a match for your revolutionary wannabe drones.
Just remember that most of us have jobs, Richard, and are well-adjusted.
Whereas you associate with juvenile delinquents.
And the ladies of Code Pink.
Plus Forest Schmidt.
How horrid.

Solidarity With Israel Rally Israeli Consulate San Francisco June 2, 2010

San Francisco Loves Israel. A diverse group gathered Wednesday June 2 in front of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco to show solidarity with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. 20,000 people are expected later this week at "Israel in the Gardens", celebrating Israel's 62 years of democracy, diversity and innovation.

Thank you, BBJ for the event summary:

Israeli and U.S. flags waved over Montgomery Street in front of San Francisco’s Israeli consulate on Wednesday afternoon. Days after Israeli military personnel were attacked while boarding a ship bound to break the blockade of Gaza, activists gathered to express their support for peace, democracy and the State of Israel.


A diverse and lively crowd of about seventy-five held up signs declaring “Israel Wants Peace”, “Peace Begins With Recognizing Israel”, and “Stop Demonizing Israel”. Music for the event was provided by a local DJ, a Samoan-American lover of Israel and Israeli music with an enviable collection of Hebrew-language pop, techno and hip-hop. Young and old danced to the music and waved signs and flags.


Many in attendance contrasted the joyous, upbeat atmosphere with the previous day’s protest. On Tuesday, Israel’s supporters faced a large and hostile crowd gathered in front of the consulate. A day later, there was a celebratory vibe on Montgomery Street as the crowd waved their white and blue banners.

Bay Area Peace Activists Get Results

This is the result of San Francisco Bay Area pro-peace activism. Much earlier today, the windows of the Israeli Consulate at 456 Montgomery Street in San Francisco were damaged when bricks were thrown. A brave left-wing soul, no doubt, did the deed.