Paul Larudee struggles for relevance: One "Democratic" state in Palestine

Paul Larudee continues to struggle for relevance. After the failure of his various high profile ventures (Flotillas, Flytillas, global marches), the poor man may be forced to return to piano tuning.

Pal Larudee in happier times

His newest venture, "One Democratic state in Palestine" flies in the face of the the Palestinians' own desires.  Less than 20% of Palestinian surveyed are interested in a democratic state where Jews and Arabs have equal rights.

The mailing address of this new "movement"  is 

One State Assembly
405 Vista Heights Rd.
El Cerrito, CA 94530

Its no a coincidence that the address of the "Assembly" is Paul's own home in the verdant hills overlooking San Francisco Bay.  This new  "organization" shares the address and the taxpayer ID number  (20-5516191 )with the Iranian born activists' other ventures, including the:

Free Palestine Movement
Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism
International Solidarity Movement
Syria Solidarity Movement
The Palestine Children's Welfare Fund

The shared goals and points of unity of Paul's affiliated organizations include the destruction of Israel, the regions only democracy, and the increasing the regional hegemony of the Iranian mullahs.

The Taxpayer ID number is registered as belonging to the  "Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees" and is listed as an "Educational" organization

The group's demands:

One state in all of Palestine
Equal rights for all
Restoration of all property to those who lost it
Return of all refugees to their homes

Ironically, the group demands of "resisting"  the expansion of a "racist, single-ethnic society.", which if realized, would thwart the Palestinian's deepest desire.

Wishing Paul as much success in this latest venture, as in all of his previous ones.

Dennis Kucinich cozying up to the butcher of Syria. Again

Local Israel-hater Paul Larudee is in the news again.  His non -profit “Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees” is under scrutiny for paying Ohio gubernatorial candidate  Dennis Kunich tens of thousands of dollars to speak at a conference hosted by pro-Assad radicals.  Kucinich, 71, served in Congress from 1997 to 2013, before his loss to fellow Democrat Marcy Kaptur.  Kucinich  had initially failed to disclose this payment in state ethics filings.

The non-profit The Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees  operates out of Paul Larudee’s home high in the El Cerrito hills  and acts as the parent organization for the pro-Assad  Syria Solidarity Movement.  Co-founder of the group, Kamal Obeid is a conspiracy theorist and a member of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth. Paul Larudee gained notoriety by his participation in the blockade running Gaza flotillas, and his meeting with Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyah.

Paul Larudee Feted by Hamas  leaders in Gaza

Assad,  widely considered by the world to be a war criminal, met with Kucinich during the trip.  It wasn't their first time meeting.

From cleveland.com
Dennis Kucinich must sever ties with apologists for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad: editorial

In 2007, our editorial board condemned Dennis Kucinich's "pseudo-diplomacy in the Middle East." Instead of assisting the cause of peace, he'd allowed himself to be used as a propagandist for the vile Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. That was compounded by the tone-deaf way Kucinich financed a number of his Syria trips with special-interest cash, undercutting any pretense to an untainted view of the Syrian conflict.

Regarding the 2007 trip, Kucinich told The Plain Dealer's Stephen Koff it was paid for out of his presidential campaign funds -- although a campaign spokeswoman later said she'd "heard that a group of people in Cleveland were paying for it." Kucinich's prior trip to Syria, Lebanon and Jerusalem, in 2006, had been financed by AACCESS-Ohio, a local Arab-American group with pro-Assad views.

From cleveland.com

In spite of his cozying up to war criminals, and taking funds from extremists, the paper has enforced Kucinich in the governor's race.

An online petition has started, requesting that the Cleveand Plain Dealer  revoke their endorsement of Kucinich in light of these current revelations.

In light of the revelations that Dennis Kucinich was paid to give a speech to an organization sympathetic to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, we the undersigned demand that the Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com revoke their endorsement of Mr. Kucinich.

The Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, who paid Mr. Kucinich $20,000 for the speech, is a front group for a number of organizations that have:

Expressed support for keeping the murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad in power.
Denied both Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Russia's involvement in the use of a nerve agent on British soil.

Claimed that "Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International — both past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize — and the White Helmets — nominated for the prestigious award — and others documenting the violence and helping victims of the long-running Syrian battles are actually front groups for the U.S."

In addition, the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees' treasurer, Paul LaRudee, has written a blog post claiming that Israel is a "racist state" and that he would encourage companies to boycott all Israeli products until Israel "dissolves itself".  Mr. LaRudee has also stated that the "Judaization" of Jerusalem must be stopped. 

Please sign and promote this petition to your lists.

Also consider  contacting the IRS  to have the non-profit status of Paul Larudee's  “ Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees” revoked.

Members of the public may send information that raises questions about an exempt organization's compliance with the Internal Revenue Code to IRS - EO Referrals, 1100 Commerce Street, MC 4910 DAL, Dallas, TX 75242.  They may use Form 13909, Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral) Form, for this purpose.

In addition to oversight by the IRS, tax-exempt organizations are subject to oversight by State charity regulators and State tax agencies. You may also want to send a copy of the referral you send to us to your state charity regulator and/or state tax agency.

UPDATE
Kucinich has said he will be returning a $20,000 speaking fee he received from Larudee's pro-Assad group.

In which Israel-hater Paul Larudee whines about lack of support

After such failed high profile ventures as the Gaza flotilla and the Global March to Jerusalem, hapless Israel-hater Paul Larudee can't get any respect. The El Cerrito activist recently sent out an impassioned email blast, bemoaning the  "lack of volunteers and funding" for the once vigorous International Solidarity Movement  (ISM)

Apparently, the response to Paul's plea for help was underwhelming.  Not one check?   Poor, poor Paul.

Denied entry into Israel in 2006, Larudee was once described in the Jerusalem Post as one of the International Solidarity Movement's "top leaders"

Security officials said that Larudee was one of the ISM's top leaders and was behind anti-Israel activity during IDF operations in the territories during the height of the Intifada between 2002 and 2004. Officials said that he was once found in the home of a suicide bomber and that he participated in a violent anti-Israel demonstration. "This person is a danger to the state," one official said. "He is one of the ISM leaders, was in the past involved in anti-Israel activity and therefore will not be allowed to stay in the country."

Paul Larudee in happier times.  Photo from the Contra Costa Times

Why the fall from grace?  Was it Larudee's propensity to take credit for other's actions?  

From: lubnna (at) gmail.com 

          To: larudee (at) pacbell.net 

Paul, I regretfully send you this second letter and will publish it publicly as you have left us no choice. You have appeared in the media over the last week, often stating that you organized the Welcome to Palestine campaign. All statements you have made in regards to this campaign were false. As organizers, we were surprised by your statements as you were never part of this campaign. Sadly, your declarations about our campaign being about the right of return have confused the media and brought on damage to our basic plan. We appreciate your will to work for Palestine but trying to take over any activity has profoundly affected the trust we have in you and we would be very surprised if any respectful organization in Palestine will be willing to work with you. We urge you to stop giving statements to the media in the name of the Welcome to Palestine campaign. 

Lubna Masarwa  

On behalf the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign 

Was it his ties to Iran's mullahs, and his open support for terror groups?  Was it his endorsement and promotion of notorious Jew-haters like Gilad Atzmon and Alison Weir?  Was it his connection to the frighteningly conspiratorial International Union of a Unified Ummah?

Whatever the reason, its time for the aging activist to take on a new hobby.  Have you considered macrame, Paul?

Paul Larudee: The $10,000 Nakba Road Trip Fail

Paul Larudee has been on the outs of the social justice warrior club for quite a while. Even the regressive left knows to keep their distance from the piano tuner from El Cerrito. His  ties to the Iranian mullahs, his support of the Syrian  butcher Assad,  and his endorsements of notorious anti-Semites have contributed to his persona non grata status in the local activist community.

The failure of his Nakba tour surprises nobody. Paul took his show on the road, and  it was not a success.

A plea for money from terror apologist Paul Larudee :

Paul Larudee in happier times. Photo from Contra Costa Times

“You mean they will actually pay us to come and speak?” This was Amena’s reaction when I told her that the North America Nakba Tour would be self funding. In the Middle East and often in Europe, speakers are usually funded by philanthropists or institutions with deep pockets. We had no such backing, but plunged ahead, anyway.

We planned in reverse. How much can we raise? An honorarium of $500 plus travel expenses is quite reasonable, but we decided on $500 for two speakers from overseas, and we figured that we could make the travel fit into that. Next, we decided on our itinerary and filled in the events afterward. Finally, we decided on the expenses.

OK, not a perfect fit, but Allah Kareem (God is Benevolent), as they say. Someone will rescue us.
We were hoping to raise at least $17,500 (35 events x $500), and hopefully more from generous audiences. The reality is that although the scheduling was successful, two were canceled (one allowing us to keep the deposit), and five gave no more than half the requested amount. Fortunately, others exceeded the requirement, so that we expect to raise $15-16K.

Unfortunately, our expenses didn’t stick to the plan, and we have a roughly $10,000 deficit, as you can see in chart below. Can you help us? We would like to repeat this tour, with improvements, but if we can’t recover our costs, there’s little hope of this...

Expense (actual or estimated)	Amount
Visas (US & Canadian + second try on US)	$   1436
Airfare (speakers, with upgraded transatlantic, coordinator, attempts to bring Canadian visas)	6491
Vehicle purchase + tax, less estimated resale	4640
Extended warrantee	1400
Used luggage rack + lock	390
Auto Insurance	700
Car maintenance	300
Health insurance for speakers	1412
Gasoline (estimated for 12,000 miles @ $.15/mi.)	1300
Tolls & parking	200
Travel equipment	200
Speaker travel per diem	510
Road service	130
Gifts for homestay hosts	849
Telephone and mobile internet for speakers	380
Food, lodging, supplies on the road	2500
Entrance to parks and monuments	900
Medical	200
Driver compensation	2000
TOTAL	$  25938

Sorry, Paul. Failure to plan on your part does not  constitute an emergency on anyones part.

Incidentally, Paul's "nonprofit "Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees  EIN 20-5516191 reported  over $166,000  in contributions last year.  Where could all that money be vanishing to?

Pass the Popcorn: Stanford SJP cancels Nakba tour because of Alison Weir's participation

Paul Larudee has friends in all the wrong places. He's hobnobbed with Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. He sat cheering in the audience while fellow flotidiot Ken O'Keefe regaled the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists with fake Talmud quotes and blood libel. And he is a vocal supporter and promoter of white supremacist Alison Weir.

According to Paul,  Stanford Students for Just Us in Palestine cancelled a presentation on the so-called Nakba at the eleventh hour because of Alison Weir's participation. The talk was arranged by the Free Palestine Movement, the ISM – Northern California and the al-Awda Palestine right to Return Coalition. 

Yep. Alison Weir is so caustic, so toxic, she's been rejected by SJP.  Ponder that, and pass the popcorn.

From Paul

Last night, Mariam Fathalla and Amena Elashkar were scheduled to speak at Stanford University, sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine. The previous day, I had asked Alison Weir, who has been giving talks on Palestine for 15 years all over the country, to meet with Amena and give her advice on reaching American audiences since this is Amena's first trip to the U.S. It was an excellent, fruitful meeting. 

I then said it would be valuable if Alison could hear Amena's presentation to see if she would have any suggestions. Alison is extremely busy but agreed to come down to Stanford with us for that purpose.

When Alison learned we did not yet have any written materials along to provide the audience, she brought some along with her for us to use and also gave us some of her books that we could sell to help raise money for the tour. We had already discussed that IAK would supply their excellent written materials for the tour.

We had no idea that Alison would turn out to be an issue, or that some members of the Stanford SJP would object to what Amena might wish to say.  We view Alison as an extremely committed and popular antiracist writer, speaker, and activist, and people even follow her work in refugee camps in Lebanon.  We know that some groups oppose her and If Americans Knew, but we also think that most do not, and that in any case this should not be an issue in the Nakba Tour.  Alison, however, is not not one of the national organizers of the tour, and she was not intended to be one of the speakers or to have any role in the presentation at Stanford. She was simply there as a favor to us, as described above.

However, some members of the SJP immediately objected to Alison's presence, perhaps assuming she was going to speak, and also to the presence of her book and the If Americans Knew materials. We immediately explained that Alison was not to be a speaker and was just there to sit in the audience and that we had invited her to come with us. We also agreed to remove the books, but said we were disturbed that they also wished to censor the materials we could make available on our own tour. In all my years of activism, I've never heard of such a thing.

Amena then began discussing the situation with the students, and was extremely upset when they told her that she could not speak truthfully about her feelings and the feelings of the thousands of dispossessed Palestinian refugees living in camps about their situation, about the Nakba, and about whether or not Israel has "the right to exist" that Israel partisans claim.  This was not an issue at the two previous talks.

When it became clear that they wished Amena to censor her excellent talk, she refused to do so and the event was canceled. 

We think it is extremely important that people hear from Amena and Mariam. They represent millions of Palestinian refugees whose rights and views have been trampled upon and who are often ignored. Thank you for helping us bring their voice to the discussion. It is long past time that they are heard.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Paul Larudee, Tour Coordinator

UPDATE:

Stanford SJP responds,via their Facebook page

On Wednesday April 7, Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine decided to cancel our event “The Exiled Palestinians.” This was due to the presence of Alison Weir, who has openly expressed anti-Semitic sentiments. Although she was not invited, Ms. Weir came to our event with the purpose of selling copies of her book and distributing materials promoting her personal website. When asked to remove her materials, she eventually removed her books but left other materials advertising her website. We expressed our discomfort with her materials as well as her presence at our event given that she claimed to be associated with the event, but she refused to leave....

We are sorry that we could not host this event as an opportunity to hear Palestinian voices, however we remain committed to making sure that our spaces do not play host to individuals who advance white supremacist discourses.

In the  "Comments" section, local anti-Israel activist Jane Jewell blames this little family spat on (wait for it....) the "Zionists", writing:

Don't be too hard on the Stanford students. They are clearly being used. They are young adults, with their whole lives ahead of them, looking for a good job when they leave university to start them off on their careers. Many Zionists have a lot of money and power when it comes to helping students get on the first rung of their career ladder. In fact, Alison Weir's book, Against Our Better Judgment, describes their colossal influence in this country. At all costs, students must not be given the opportunity to read this outstanding little book. I would not be at all surprised if one of them was approached by some behind the scenes Zionist with a comment like, "you are looking for a job in law when you leave here, isn't that right? You don't want to be associating with people like Weir, or your chances may not be so good."

In fact, I would put my money on it. Otherwise, why else would an organisation supposed to be supporting Palestine, cancel speakers about the Nakba? It would be like a Jewish organisation refusing to have a holocaust survivor speak. 


This is the only explanation of why the students, supposedly for Justice in Palestine, would cancel a speaker on the Nakba.

True Confessions of an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) Volunteer

Just this week, Paul Larudee of the Northern California International Solidarity Movement (ISM) issued an “ an urgent call for volunteers to join us in Palestine”

He doesn’t offer much in a way of a job description, instead stating

The campaign will begin during the last week of September and will last around 5 weeks.  We request a minimum one week commitment from volunteers, but stress that longtermers are needed as well. We ask that volunteers start arriving around the 20th of September, so that we will be prepared when the harvest begins.

We request a minimum two week commitment from volunteers, but stress that longtermers are needed as well. The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will run weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please see the join ISM page or contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

Fortunately, our friends at Israellycool are able to fill in the blanks, with a post by a Swedish activist, Daniel Borg, who joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) a few years back.

Before joining ISM group in Hebron I had my training in Ramallah during two days. How to obstruct IDF ops? How to freely walk in a neighbourhood and alert the coordinators the movements of incoming IDF patrols? When to go out and show your presence to the military, so that they dont dare shoot at your direction? Shield a house that IDF want to demolish? Shield stone-molotov-throwing militants? Yes. Our job. PLO (now Fatah, but it is the same) uses well meaning idealistic western youngsters to aid, shield and make-possible their terrorist agenda. The Fatah-coordinators made it clear to us that ISM uses only non-violent means of resistence, but in the meantime stressed that if the Palestinians chooses to use violence our job is to shield them. It is the Palestinians that live under occupation and humiliation, not us western activists, so we should let them make the operational decisions and we internationals are there to act like human shields and protect them from the IDF.

Daniel’s personal observations of interactions between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians lead him to believe that much of what he has been taught is not true

Yes I was extremely astounished. This encounter between the IDF soldier and the Palestinian kid contradicted everything I was being told and what I thought was the normal mode of IDF-conduct. Surely this soldier’s behaviour must be a very rare glimpse of humanism in the overrall aggressive IDF, like a dolphin swimming in a sea of sharks. But no, it was not. It was rather the normal mode of conduct. I monitored the same group of soldiers from early morning to late evening, and their basic way of treating the Palestinians was that of non-interference and respect. Not once did I see anything that comes close to a violation. I spent three weeks monitoring the IDF soldiers, with my camera around my neck. There was nothing to film, no transgressions whatsoever ...

Daniel concludes

The irony did not cross my mind at the time, that I went to Hebron to document Israeli war crimes but came home with IDF-humanism and Palestinian war crimes.

During my time in Hebron I did not know about the incessant terror attacks against the extremely small Jewish community of Hebron. I did not know that Jewish residents are killed whenever they are not protected, children, women, elderly. I did not know that Israel has effective control of a very small portion of Hebron. I did not know that the actual Apartheid in Hebron is directed from the Arabs against the Jewish community. I did not know the religious and historic importance of Hebron, as the number two capital of the Jewish people.

How could I know? How could my collegues know? We are immersed in the pro-pal false narrative. Fueled by CNN, New York Times, Le Monde, all centrist and leftist poltical parties in Europe, all our left leaning teachers, all our cultural establishment. Among many others. I got social, political, educational status by joining ISM, an anti – Geneva Conventions, terrorist organisation.

Read it all at Israellycool

Who is Behind NoTaxDollarsToIsrael.com ?

The bus wars continue.  Spotted in San Francisco today

NoTaxDollarsToIsrael.com is run by Paul Larudee of the Free Palestine Movement. Paul is a proud member of Jewish Voice for Peace  and  was personally invited to Gaza by Hamas.  He has been involved in a variety of assaults on Israel's borders and sovereignty, including  the Global march to Jerusalem, and various flotillas

NGO Monitor has assembled a factsheet  highlighting the extremist rhetoric of Paul Larudee

From the NGO Monitor Factsheet

The domain ‘NoTaxDollarstoIsrael.com’ is registered to Paul Larudee who is also the website’s administrator.

Larudee’s extremism includes the promotion of antisemitic themes, rationalization and justification of terrorism, and meeting with and receiving a medal of honor from leaders of Hamas.  Hamas is listed as terrorist organizations by the EU, the US, the UK, Canada, and many other countries.

Larudee has written of Jewish/Zionist “control” over US “media” and “government”:
In his article Strangler Fig Nation, Larudee’s main theme is that Israel, through the American Jewish community, is a “parasite” 1  feeding off the host/victim nation – the United States – by “controlling” key U.S. institutions. The article includes the following points (links in the original):

“the Israel Lobby has grown with few constraints, fed by its domination of the American Jewish community, extensive control of publishing and the media, the establishment and control of strategic think tanks that provide governmental advisers, and by a well-coordinated and lavishly funded political campaign machine.”

 “Israel now controls US policy in the Middle East.”

  “Israel has thus constructed a strangler fig network of roots and vines that is feeding itself from the resources of world’s most powerful nation while gradually starving that nation… if a strangler fig is allowed to thrive, its host will wither and die, and only its form will remain as an empty shell for as long as the parasite continues to survive.”

Larudee linked the phrase “domination of the American Jewish establishment” to the website of the Institute for Historical Review (IHR). IHR is described by the Anti-Defamation League as “the world's single most important outlet for Holocaust-denial propaganda.” The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the IHR’s “real purpose is to promote Holocaust denial and defend Nazism.”

In an interview on official Iranian media outlet Press TV Larudee “noted that the Western media is controlled by pro-Zionist propagandists and this is why the international community does not react to the Israeli crimes.”

In another Press TV interview (Dec 1, 2013) Larudee said, “Well, any non-Jew is a threat to Israel. So they need to be gotten rid of one way or another.”

In another Press TV interview (July 6, 2014) Larudee said, “I think I can say with confidence that the United States will defend its citizens to the extent that it is permitted to do so by the Israeli government. The United States never goes any farther than Israel is willing to accept.”
Larudee has expressed support for terrorism, euphemistically called “armed resistance”:

In an interview on the Berkeley, California radio station KPFA, Larudee said:

“Although we 2 are totally dedicated to non-violence, we recognize that not everybody that we work with in the Palestinian community is necessarily devoted to non-violence. And under international law, it is permitted for oppressed and occupied peoples to resist using armed resistance. This is permitted and we recognize their right to do so.”

The latest bus ads on MUNI are just another ugly, inaccurate attempt to demonize Israel by enablers of terror and anti-Semitism hiding behind the veneer of "Peace activism'

Read NGO Monitor's full report on Paul Larduee here

Etsy-gate continues

Our story so far:

Paul Larudee of the International Solidarity Movement had a "shop" on the website Etsy that was shut down for a direct violation of the sites guidelines- for reselling items he did not design or make.

Although the ISM's support for terror regimes was not a contributing factor in the decision, Paul has pulled the "discrimination" card, claiming:

This is ripe for exploitation by persons who want to persecute others or sabotage their competition.  In our case, our Palestinian advocacy is not appreciated by persons or groups who would be pleased to see Palestinians disappear from the remnants of historic Palestine where they cling to existence under horrific conditions.  I can well imagine that such persons might organize in such a manner as to create a critical mass of reports in order to motivate you to close our store.  It is therefore not accurate to say that our store was not suspended due to our support of Palestinians and Palestinian human rights, only that this was perhaps not your intention.

 The Etsy representative calmly and patiently explained the policy, writing

"Based on the information you've provided, it appears that you, the person responsible for running the Etsy shop, are not making or designing the items being sold. As a result, I've determined that your business does not meet Etsy's Guidelines and suspended your selling privileges."

Oops.

But Paul's a classy guy. If he's going down, everyone is going down. Speaking of  "sabotaging the competition",  he writes to Etsy, fingering all other resellers of Palestinian goods:

Here is a partial list of other Etsy producers of the same or similar keffiyehs as ours, some of them from the same producer in Palestine:

Same items from other Etsy stores, same producer as ours (Yasir Hirbawi, in Palestine), all cotton:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/198998850/arab-shemagh-keffiyeh-black-or-red-100?ref=sc_2&plkey=3e1c222b0032b6ac8313133d5b54bbcb18abbab3%3A198998850&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/214622312/keffiyeh-shemagh-made-in-palestine-green?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/212910901/arab-shemagh-keffiyeh-black-or-red?ref=sr_gallery_9&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/219519834/original-palestinian-keffiyeh-shemagh?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_page=3&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

Made in Turkey or other countries, same manufacturing process, often with synthetic fabric.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/190866398/upright-keffiyeh-scarf?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/154013318/black-and-white-keffiyeh-style-scarf?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/212878117/vintage-huge-square-black-white-tassled?ref=sr_gallery_7&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164541859/unisex-keffiyeh-scarf-white-and-black?ref=sr_gallery_8&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/210422949/checkered-egyptian-scarf-keffiyeh-black?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_search_query=keffiyeh&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

Paul, Larudee
ISM-NorCal

There you have it, activists.  As your Etsy shops get closed down, one by one, you now know who is responsible. No, its not  the Worldwide Zionist Conspiracy, though we are sitting back with our popcorn and enjoying the show.  This is in the hands of your very own Paul Larudee.

Is Paul Larudee funneling donations to terrorist organizations?

In January, Paul’s  Free Palestine Movement solicited donations “to help Palestinians in Gaza” by donating to the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund. He included a photo of a baby who had alleged frozen to death just to tug at the heart strings.

The Free Palestine Movement and the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund are both sock puppet accounts organized under the rubric of Paul Larudee's 501 c 3, the Association for Investment for Popular action Committees (yes, that be would "AIPAC") EIN 20-5516191.

The Vista Heights address is Paul's own  home.

Paul’s priorities are interesting. If he were really interested in  buying warm blankets for babies, why did he just spend $8,000 on 15 anti-Israel advertisements on San Francisco MUNI buses?

Paul whose ties to Hamas leaders have been well documented now finds himself in a quandary. Banks have refused to release the funds which had been earmarked to the “ Charitable Association for Palestinian Relief in Lebanon,"  quite a bit of a hike from Gaza.

From a series of  emails sent out by Paul Larudee, exhorting his followers to harass bank compliance officials (I've removed the phone numbers and emails) into releasing funds:

From: FPM Newsletter
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 1:01 PM

Subject: US Banks are refusing to release the funds you sent for freezing Palestinians in Gaza
US Banks are refusing to release the funds you sent for freezing Palestinians in Gaza
It's true. You sent us nearly $5000 and now the banks are refusing to release the funds. We tried to send the first $3720 of that amount from our account at Bank of the West to the Charitable Association for Palestinian Relief in Lebanon. For this transaction, Bank of the West used the international banking services of Mellon Bank in New York. 

Mellon stopped the transaction and requested further information. By that time we were in the process of changing banks, so we cancelled the transaction and asked them to return the money to our account so that we could send the money from the new bank (and add additional funds received). In addition, the information requested made no sense (for example, the personal details of Syrian ex-president Hafez al-Assad, who died fifteen years ago). Now they are threatening to confiscate the funds permanently at 4:00 p.m. TODAY Pacific time (7:00 p.m. Eastern).

We do not believe they have the legal right to do this, but we also do not want to spend a lot of money on legal services. PLEASE CALL and tell them to release the funds. They have no right to keep our money if we have canceled the transaction. We do not know what will happen after 4:00 today, but we suggest continuing to call daily for as long as is takes to release the money. We will update you whenever we have more information. 

PLEASE CALL and tell them to release the funds for freezing Palestinians. And don't bank at Bank of the West or use the services of Mellon Bank.
Tanya Kazak, Vice President, Compliance Manager, Bank of the West 
Karen Nelson, Customer Service Manager, El Cerrito Branch, Bank of the West

From: FPM Newsletter
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2015 7:47 AM
Subject: Keep calling the Banksters. Your actions are helping
Keep calling the Banksters. Your actions are helping. 

Yesterday we received a call from Tanya Kazak, the Vice President and Compliance Manager for Bank of the West within 15 minutes of posting our appeal for your action. She had already received five calls and by the time we finished talking, she had received twelve. Karen Nelson at the local branch was routing her calls to the 800 number, but here is a new number for her: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Here also is the text of a message that we sent after hours to Ms. Kazak after consulting with our attorney. It explains further actions that we intend to take. Your suggestions are welcome, and if you learn anything that might be of use, please send it to us. 

Tanya Kazak 
Vice President, Compliance Manager 
Bank of the West 

Ms. Kazak, 
Our legal counsel advises us that Bank of the West is illegally withholding our funds and that you have provided no justification to demand the information that you are asking. He advises not to provide that information until and unless you demonstrate the legal necessity to do so, and he invites you to call him to discuss the matter further. His name is Tom Nelson and he can be reached at xxx-xxx-xxxx or xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Until now, Bank of the West has steadfastly refused to state that Bank of New York Mellon requires the requested information as a condition of releasing the funds to be returned to the Association. In addition, Bank of the West refuses to state in writing what the consequences will be if the Association refuses to provide the requested information by your deadline of 4:00 p.m. PST, Feb. 18, 2015, which has now passed. 

In the absence of such statements, we conclude that the demand is frivolous, malicious and insincere, and made in violation of the law but under the assumption that law enforcement will not act to protect our rights for a sum of money that would be within the jurisdiction of small claims court if we were an individual and not a corporation. Clearly, BNY Mellon and/or Bank of the West consider themselves to be too powerful to abide by the law and the amount too small for theft statutes to be enforced. 

However, we have other means of defending our rights, and we intend to pursue them. These include state and federal banking authorities and public officials. We also have the power of our supporters and human rights advocates everywhere, whom we can ask to demand from you directly and through public demonstrations and the press to honor our rights. We can bring attention to your immoral and arrogant practices, and we can encourage the public to boycott your bank. Please do not think that we are without recourse merely because our accounts do not represent a major part of your business. 

Let me remind you that Bank of the West chose to use BNY Mellon for the subject transaction. You may have business with them, but our business is with you and we hold you responsible for the return of our funds, regardless of your interaction with BNY Mellon. Please do the right thing and return our funds without delay. 

What you can do: 
. Keep calling Tanya Kazak at xxx-xxx-xxxx and tell her to return our funds immediately. If Bank of the West wants to use their own funds to reimburse us, we have no objection, and we will then allow them to keep any funds returned to them by Bank of New York Mellon. Call Karen Nelson at xxx-xxx-xxxx and xxx-xxx-xxxx with the same message. Perhaps sequential numbers above and below those two numbers will also work.

. Send the same message by email to (email removed)
. You may wish to call Bank of New York Mellon at xxx-xxx-xxxx We have had no direct dealings with them, but you can perhaps ask the operator to direct you to the compliance section of the international wire transfer division. You can tell them that it is in reference to a cancelled wire transfer in the amount of $3720 from the account of the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, sent from the Bank of the West, El Cerrito, California branch to the Charitable Association for Palestinian Relief in Lebanon on January 26, 2015. They are not authorized to give you any information, but your purpose is to deliver the message to release the funds that they are illegally holding even after the transaction was cancelled. Let us know about your experience.
. If you bank at Bank of the West, find a new bank, and let us and them know. This kind of pressure makes a big difference.
Thank you for all your help. The essence of the Palestinian struggle is that we won't be bullied.


From: FPM Newsletter
Subject: [fpm.news] The latest on bank confiscation of funds for Palestinians whose homes were destroyed in Gaza

The latest on bank confiscation of funds for Palestinians whose homes were destroyed in Gaza
Your calls and emails have caused Bank of NY Mellon and Bank of the West to twice postpone their deadlines for threatened actions. 

As you know, the Free Palestine Movement is a human rights advocacy organization and its sister, the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund is a humanitarian aid organization. Is it likely that we will surrender our own human rights at the same time that we fight for those of Palestinians? We don't think so. 

The latest communication from Quinn Osborne, Vice President and Lead Counsel for Bank of the West says that we must answer a list of questions or "the Funds will be blocked in accordance with the U.S. sanctions laws." We would very much like to see the laws that authorize banks to block the return of funds to depositors in the case of cancelled transactions. We do not believe that such laws exist and neither does our legal counsel, Tom Nelson. We also do not believe that they have the right to ask any questions in the case of a cancelled transaction, only if they are being asked to complete the transaction.

We have already filed a complaint with the State of California and we are preparing a press release. The reference number for the wire transfer is 20150126-00006615, sent on 26 January, 2015. If you call BNY Mellon at xxx-xxx-xxxx, you can ask for the compliance section of the international wire transfer department and demand the funds of that cancelled transaction to be returned to the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund immediately. We will also try to find more numbers and email addresses for you to call and write. 


Please let us know your experience and any ideas that you may have to bring further pressure on lawless banks that take upon themselves authority that they do not have. Let us know especially if you withdraw your account from Bank of the West. We know of one very big account that was already moved to another bank. Thank you!