American Public Health Association (APHA) rejects anti-Israel resolution

Despite months of lobbying by anti-Israel activists and a  desperate last minute petition drive, the American public health Association has defeated an anti-Israel resolution by a margin of 3 to 1.

From the BDS world digest
  

Last night on November 5th 2013, the American Public Health Association (APHA) dealt a huge loss to the BDS campaign after it had extensively propagandized the committee members on Israel’s medical practices towards the Palestinians in occupied territories. For months, BDS activists had gone after members on the APHA committee to convince them to vote in favor of their prestigious organization to boycott Israel and it’s medical practices. The committee held its vote last night, and was overwhelmingly voted against boycotting Israel by 74% compared to 3% voting in favor of boycott. This loss deals a huge blow to the BDS campaign which has been desperate in searching for wins lately in the campaign to boycott Israel. 

 The importance of going after a prestigious organization such as the APHA shows that the BDS campaign and their activists have no limit to which organization they will reach out to and no limit to the means that they will use in order to get a victory. The BDS activists were using improper information in order to sway committee members to vote in favor of boycott, for example that Israel refused to medically treat Palestinians and grant access to public health when needed. If the BDS campaign had been victorious in getting the American Public Health Association, an organization full of medical professionals in the United States to boycott Israel, the immediate effect would have been felt in the public diplomacy realm. This would have catered to altering Israel’s image in the medical field, which is something that Israel takes great pride in.

 
The document, "Improving Health in Occupied Palestinian Territory" was not written by impartial social scientists, instead, it was authored by activists with a clear political agenda.    Co-written by anti-Israel activists Amy Hagopian, Nancy Stoller and Cindy Sousa, it is characterized by sloppy data, sloppy science and a universally sloppy conclusion- that Israel is always to blame. They present "facts" devoid of context , and come to the conclusion  (don't they always?) that BDS is the answer.  They discuss life expectancy in Gaza, without noting that it is significantly higher than the world average of 66.57 years  or that it far exceeds that of its neighbor, Egypt. They discuss stunting, without context- the Palestinian territories have the second lowest rate of stunting in the region.   And they blame  Israel for the high rate of birth defects in the region, ignoring the enormous role of consanguineous marriages in the occurrence of congenital malformations. They write about the "decline in amount of food consumed", without mentioning the Western levels of obesity, and efforts to control that as a public health concern.

Obesity rate among Palestinians

They largely ignore the huge role Israel has played in providing health services to the Palestinians, and throughout the region.  In the end, the American Public Health Association was not fooled, and rejected the measure by a margin of 3 to 1.

The reaction to this major BDS fail?  "Even when we lose we win". We've heard that one before.

Three Arrested for Storming Friends of the IDF San Francisco Fundraiser

From 22-year-old Bay Area native Ilan Benjamin, author of  “Masa: Stories of a Lone Soldier.” 

“From my first week of basic training to my last day serving next to Gaza, it was driven into our heads again and again that our purpose was to defend innocent people,” he says. “And not just Israelis but Palestinians, too. I saw whole operations foiled based on intelligence of high civilian clusters situated too close to our target. The IDF goes out of its way to protect human life. In 21⁄2 years of service, I was never given one immoral order.” 

Friends of the IDF exist to support young people like Ilan Benjamin who risk their lives to defend Israel's borders and to protect her citizens. FIDF provides educational, social and recreational programs for them, as well as support for the families of fallen soldiers.  In 2011,  FIDF brought 77 Bar/Bat Mitzvah children to a trip to the U.S., presented Rosh Hashana gifts to 4,900 widows,  hosted  700 widows at R&R centers in Israel and funded workshops for nearly 1,000 bereaved siblings. 
From the FIDF website:

The strength of the IDF, which has been guarding the State of Israel since it declared independence in 1948, derives from the selfless determination and great capabilities of the young men and women who form it. At the tender age of 18, all Israelis are drafted into the IDF. Those who serve commit to uphold the difficult tasks of defending Israel’s borders and guaranteeing the safety of its people.

 The Israeli government is responsible for training IDF soldiers and providing them with the necessary tools for their service. FIDF is committed to providing these soldiers with love, support, and care in an effort to ease the burden they carry on behalf of the Jewish community worldwide.

 The Israeli government is responsible for training IDF soldiers and providing them with the necessary tools for their service. FIDF is committed to providing these soldiers with love, support, and care in an effort to ease the burden they carry on behalf of the Jewish community worldwide

On Sunday, October 20, San Francisco Friends of the IDF  held their annual fundraiser at the Intercontinental Hotel. 

A tiny group of protesters stood in front. According to reports, some protesters appeared to be wearing  pajamas.  Is this an indication that they consider themselves a "sleeper cell" or is it just a testament to significant mental health issues? We can only wonder.

Dalit Baum of the American Friends Service Committee and Nancy Stoller stood in protest. No strangers to anti-Israel activism, both women were involved in the repeated harassment of Cliff's Variety Store in the Castro, because it dared sell Israeli products.  Noura Khouri- a woman so extreme she once referred to the saintly Rev. Cecil Williams as "racist" was also there.   Yet in spite of promotion by groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, and Women in Black, less than 10 came in opposition.

Desperate for some acknowledgment, members of the group came into the hotel, allegedly approaching the FIDF registration desk screaming "Intifada", before they were removed by police. 

Three were cited and later released. One was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Protesting a non-profit that aids widows. Terrorizing people gathered in a hotel lobby. Assaulting those who disagree with them.  Thats the face of pro-Palestinian activism in San Francisco today