Billboard Wars hit Middle America

The Israel/ Palestine conflict has moved to the sides of buses and alongside roadways across America.  The latest skirmish in the Billboard Wars  hails from Missoula, Montana, and was once again initiated by the notorious  Council for the National interest

From the Missoula Independent

 Soon after a pensive-looking cowboy popped up on a billboard alongside Interstate 90 between the Orange and Reserve street exits two months ago, the phones started ringing at the Har Shalom synagogue in Missoula.

 "We got calls from people in the community, non-Jews as well," says Har Shalom Board of Directors President Bert Chessin.

 It wasn't the cowboy that got the phones ringing. It was the message the middle-aged man wearing a 10-gallon hat appeared to be pondering: "$8 million a day to Israel just doesn't make sense!"...

 The message, however, hit a nerve. Chessin, for one, says the billboard is one-sided and superficial, as well as anti-Israel. Aiming to reclaim the battlefield of public opinion, Har Shalom mobilized and joined forces with Stand With Us, an international nonprofit based out of Los Angeles, to promote its own message.

 SWU educates about Israel and, according to its website, combats "the extremism and anti-Semitism that often distorts the issues." SWU's Gary Ratner says his organization commonly encounters messages like the one in Missoula. "It's called 'BDS ' boycott, divestment and sanction," he says. "It's an attempt to undermine American support for Israel and the joint values that we hold."

 When alerted to such efforts, SWU counters with its own themes, fueling a public relations war that's played out on buses, billboards and in train stations across the country. Typically the skirmishes occur in progressive strongholds such as San Francisco, Portland and New York, but now it's stretched to Missoula.

 This week, after the Council for the National Interest's billboard contract expired, Har Shalom and SWU paid to erect a new billboard in the same location. For the next two months, rather than the pensive cowboy, commuters heading east on I-90 will see the following message: "Tell Congress Not to Support Palestinian Groups like Hamas, because they don't want peace."

 "We felt that [the other billboard] shouldn't go unanswered," Chessin says.

The Council for the National Interest has sponsored delegations that have met with terror groups, Hamas and Hezbollah  and is led by Alison Weir, a noted conspiracy theorist whose work has been profiled on the website of former KKK leader, David Duke. 

JVP: Still Proudly Aiding and Abetting Anti-Semites

Looks like  a wide multi-ethnic group is now united in exposing JVP's hypocrisy.  Its not simply  "members of the tribe"  mumbling about the magnitude of chutzpah it takes to be  part of the "proud to be ashamed to be Jewish" group.  Now Palestinian activists are complaining that JVP just isn't anti-Semitic...enough.

Jewish Voice for Peace is the group that insists all  Jewish community events be open to them- while deliberately excluding anyone who disagrees with them from theirs.  Free Speech for me and not for thee. Their current project is attempting to stack the deck at a dialog organized by the New Israel Fund and the JCRC, entitled Love, Hate and, the Jewish State: A dialog for young Jews on Israel and social justice.
February 21, 2003, 7-10 pm.  Hijacking agendas.  Its what JVP  lives for.

Of course, being Jewish and being for peace are not criteria for membership. Anti-Israel activist Paul Larudee proudly claimed membership in the organization in an article he wrote for The American Muslim

For the peace activists who tirelessly work for the establishment of an Arab state of Palestine living side by side and in peace with a  Jewish State of Israel, JVP's most egregious fault lies its its insistence on standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the worst conspiracy theorists and haters  out there.

We saw that clearly this weekend when JVP sponsored Hassan Fouda at their San Francisco meeting. Described by a Connecticut rabbi as "the most hate-filled individual I've ever meet", Hassan has no trouble filling in "as a  Jew", when needed to Jew-wash a protest.

Even more damning is  the company Hassan Fouda keeps. After all, he is a founder and Board member of the Council for the National Interest, described by the ADL as   "an anti-Israel organization that opposes U.S. aid to Israel and disseminates demonizing propaganda about Israel to academics, politicians, and other audiences."   The CNIF has sent delegations to the Middle East that met with terrorist leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas, including two delegations that met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Damascus in 2009 and 2008. 

At the JVP meeting, Hassan Fouda was reporting back on his latest trip to the region.  Did JVP listen in rapt attention as Hassan discusses his meeting with extremist Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel?

From the Mail Online:

A string of extremist statements have been attributed to Salah, though he denies having said many of them.He is said to have cast doubt on Osama Bin Laden's culpability for 9/11, suggesting instead the attacks were an Israeli plot and that Jews were warned not to go to work at the World Trade Center on that day.On homosexuality, Salah reportedly said: 'It is a crime. A great crime. Such phenomena signal the start of the collapse of every society. 'Those who believe in Allah know that behaviour of that kind brings his wrath and is liable to cause the worst things to happen.'
In 2008 he was charged with incitement to violence and racism by a Jerusalem court over a speech in which he invoked what is known as the 'blood libel' – a notorious anti-Semitic slur.In the speech, delivered in February the previous year, he was said to have accused Jewish people of using children's blood to bake bread.
At the time, Israeli newspapers quoted him as saying: 'We have never allowed ourselves to knead [the dough for] the bread that breaks the fast in the holy month of Ramadan with children's blood. Whoever wants a more thorough explanation, let him ask what used to happen to some children in Europe, whose blood was mixed in with the dough of the [Jewish] holy bread.'

Hassan Fouda proudly associates with a racist and homophobe.  Jewish Voice for peace proudly associates with Hassan Fouda.  Aiding and abetting extremists, anti-Semites and bigots. Not a proud track record for  either Hassan Fouda, or for Jewish voice for Peace.

Billboard Wars Redux. The Sacramento edition

Curiouser and Curiouser.  The original announcement from the Free Palestine Movement  largely took credit for the anti-Israel billboard that went up on I 50 near Sacramento, and even requested that donations to be sent to the FPM  "office"- which just happens to be Paul Larudee's home.  It follows:

 

Here is the new billboard, paid with your donations.  It is viewed from US-50 westbound, just before it meets with I-80, southwest of Sacramento, which is a section of the main highway belt of the city, receiving major traffic.

As you can see, the billboard was designed to appeal to persons not particularly informed about the issue, and not even necessarily sympathetic to Palestine.  This is deliberate: there is no point trying to win people who already sympathize with us.  The billboard has been up for two weeks now, and will remain for another two weeks or more.  It connects to a website that offers additional information and is another donation site.

  As we previously announced, our coalition is taking the campaign national, and we expect to announce additional advertisements in other states before long, subject to your donations.  Please continue to support our work by sending your tax-exempt check to the address below, or go to our website www.freepalestinemovement.org/donate.html and donate on line.  It’s tax deductible either way, and we encourage you to sign up for automatic monthly payments to assure continuous funding.  If you are sending a check you can mail it to:

 

FPM (Bus Ad Campaign)

405 Vista Heights Rd.  El Cerrito, CA 94530

 

But now a "clarification" has been issued.  From the FPM team:

To clarify our earlier message below: the Free Palestine Movement is proud to have provided the funds for the Sacramento billboard. We are not the sponsors, however, of this billboard or of this new Stop the Blank Check campaign.  The sponsors are the Council for the National Interest and If Americans Knew.

If you want to donate directly to the Stop the Blank Check campaign to educate the American public via billboards and other media, please send your contribution directly to either of these organizations, with a note specifying that these are for the Stop the Blank Check campaign

What comes to mind is the adage "No honor among thieves".  Paul Larudee has found himself on the outs with other activists before.   In an open letter to Paul, anti-Israel activist Lubna  Masarwa accused him of falsely taking credit for the  Welcome to Palestine campaign

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.

While our not so esteemed opponents are duking it out over who takes credit for what failed project, there is some positive news from the pro-Israel side.

StandWithUs (SWU) is countering anti-Israel billboards by placing its own ad beginning November 5 for three weeks. The SWU ad encourages the public to "Tell Congress Not to Support Palestinian Groups Like Hamas Because They Don't Want Peace." It specifically targets an anti-Israel billboard that calls for ending military aid to Israel. The 12x50 foot billboard will be visible on Interstate 80 near Harbor Boulevard exit.

"We cannot allow the public to be misled by the factual distortions in yet another anti-Israel campaign. The anti-Israel ads try to undermine American support for Israel by misrepresenting Israel and its history. They leave out the real reason Israel needs to defend itself, which are ongoing threats from terrorist cells in the West Bank, from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, and from the existential threats from countries such as Iran. They leave out the numerous times Israel has given up land for peace - such as in Gaza in 2005 when, in exchange, Israel ended up with thousands of rockets fired at its southern communities, with Hamas claiming responsibility,” states Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.

"Most Americans are aware that Israel is on the front lines of terrorism, and know that the military aid the small country receives helps to protect its citizens. They know that the real injustice is that Palestinian Arab leaders have rejected all territorial compromises for peace and refuse to continue direct negotiations. SWU is gratified that the majority of Americans do not subscribe to the agenda of these misguided anti-Israel groups who sponsor the ads, and who, in effect, help the extremists whose goal is to destroy the only Democracy in the Middle East.  Most Americans recognize that Israel is at the forefront of advances in technology, conservation and humanitarian programs that have benefited the world. They understand that constructive exchanges are the best hope for peaceful coexistence," states Gail Rubin, StandWithUs Sacramento/Davis Area Coordinator.

StandWithUs has countered every anti-Israel billboard that has appeared in the United States since 2007, whether they called for ending military aid to Israel or used maps that distort the region's history. SWU countered anti-Israel billboards displayed in San Francisco and Berkeley BART stations and Muni buses five times in 2011-12; in one instance by highlighting Israel's achievements in AIDS research and water conservation. On October 22, 2012, SWU placed two ads in Portland, Oregon light rail and buses for a total of 19 that stress Israel's quest for peace. In July 2012, SWU placed six ads in 75 locations in New York's Metro-North stations to counter posters of maps that misrepresent Israel's history.

Alison Weir's Council for the National Interest attempts to Infiltrate Tea party

Increasingly, the hate Israel team has not been flaunting their real agenda. Rather, like true students of Saul Alinsky they join churches, co-ops and clubs and attempt to infiltrate the system from within. By penetrating existing institutions such as unions and political parties they are able to leverage the good will and good name of these organizations.

Notorious Anti-israel activist Alison Weir has recently admitted attempts by her group, the "Council for the National Interest" to infiltrate the tea party. The Council board features such luminaries as Hassan Fouda, Paul Findley and Pete McCloskey. Alison Weir's work has appeared on the David Duke website. Yeah. She's that kind of "peace activist"

The ADL on the Council for the National Interest:

"The Council for the National Interest (CNI), which includes the Council for the National Interest Foundation (CNIF), is an anti-Israel organization that opposes U.S. aid to Israel and disseminates demonizing propaganda about Israel to academics, politicians, and other audiences.

CNIF sent several delegations to the Middle East that met with terrorist leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas, including two delegations that met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Damascus in 2009 and 2008. A previous delegation met with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in January 2006. During the meeting, Nasrallah informed his guests of his intention to abduct Israeli soldiers. Edward Peck, a member of the delegation, later described Nasrallah's comments as a "logical, reasonable presentation" and cited it as proof that Hezbollah's image in the West was distorted. "

Egyptian anti-Israel activist and CNI board member Hassan Fouda posing "as a Jew"

Alison Weir writes:

"I’m happy to report that, thanks to your generous support, the Council for the National Interest has been particularly busy recently.

Despite some small amount of negative press and protests—from the usual radical sources—my lecture last week, “Israel-Palestine: Beyond the Headlines,” hosted by the Student Forum at the James Baker Institute for Public Policy/Rice University, was very well received. The next night I spoke to an equally receptive audience at the University of Houston. Educating and motivating young people is a priority for CNI. U.S.-Middle East relations have been contradictory and counterproductive for half a century. The future of American foreign policy is in the hands of the next generation. We have the information they need to hear—and with your help we are reaching out to students nationwide.

Our Executive Director Phil Giraldi is taking CNI’s message to new constituencies—he spoke to “Tea Party” events in Virginia and Texas, and to supporters of Congressman Ron Paul’s presidential campaign. Recruiting new friends and allies is essential to our growth and influence."

Philip Giraldi is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and former foreign policy adviser to Ron Paul. He is also a venomous antisemite who has written that "Israel-firsters" are the "masters of the executive and legislative branches." Yeah. He's that kind of "peace activist", too.

Alison continues:

"Finally, as you know CNI hosted, in conjunction with the International Council for Middle East Studies, a discussion on “The Arab Revolts and Their Consequences” here in Washington. There was a standing room only crowed that ranged from Congressional staff to the media—and included a former Congressman, a former ambassador, representatives from two European embassies, as well as organizations ranging from university study programs to the watchful eyes of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs."

Just a cautionary tale to the Tea party, and to any other organization that might find itself hosting an anti-Semite someday. A word to the wise should be sufficient.