From our friends at StandWithUs Background: University of California Student Association (UCSA) is a system-wide student organization with representatives from each campus. On Saturday, September 15, a resolution was passed condemning HR 35, a California State Assembly resolution at UC Berkeley. Accusing Israel of “racism,” the UCSA urged the UC Board of Regents to divest from companies aiding Israel in alleged human rights violations. The planning of the initiative was kept secret until the day of. No agenda was published in advance. With no engagement from Jewish and other campus groups, there was no way for opponents of the measure to have their voices heard. Meanwhile, leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were given an opportunity to convey their message at the meeting.
The UC Student Association (UCSA) board’s resolution on Saturday, September 15th, 2012 called for "all institutions of higher learning" to boycott and divest from companies doing business with Israel. It also denounced official efforts to address anti-Semitism on UC campuses—the UC Campus Climate Report on Jewish Students and California Assembly Resolution HR 35.
"The resolution's attack on legitimate concerns about anti-Israel extremism and anti-Semitism is deeply disturbing, but even more disturbing are the proponents' devious, undemocratic tactics. They essentially ambushed Jewish and other pro-Israel students by using secretive tactics, not notifying anyone who might disagree with the proposed resolution. To further their lack of transparency, they debated it during the weekend of Rosh Hashanah, the holiest days of the Jewish year, when Jewish students were unavailable to object to the anti-Israel resolutions. It's not surprising they reported that no dissenting views were heard. This is a pattern. We've seen anti-Israel extremists use these guerrilla tactics in the past as well to shut down debate and ram through their hostile agenda," said Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs CEO.
The UCSA is supposed to act as the voice of UC students, and the resolution claims it reflects campus-wide sentiment. It does neither. Boycott and divestment resolutions have been defeated on all UC campuses where they were introduced. Worse, the 12-member board went out of its way to shut out and silence pro-Israel students. Arielle Gabai, president of the UC Berkeley Jewish Student Union, stated, "We were told that it was spur of the moment that day, and our campus representative wasn't able to contact us for some reason or another, then we found out in the Daily Cal article that they have been talking about this since August....It's very clear that Jewish students' voices were left out. It was a conscious effort to silence Jewish voices." While Jewish and pro-Israel student groups were excluded from this meeting, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was asked to make a presentation.
"It is unacceptable that public tax money supports the UCSA when it promotes anti-Israel bigotry and willfully excludes tens of thousands of students who pay dues and whom it is supposed to represent. The anti-Israel extremists' single-minded obsession with undermining Israel in any way possible leads them to manipulate procedural rules, to try to hijack school institutions, and to foment unnecessary bitter divisiveness on campus. This latest ploy both confirms the very problems described in the campus climate report and the assembly resolution and makes it even more imperative for UC to seriously study both documents," concluded Rothstein.
YOU CAN HELP: Please sign this petition to be sure that the recommendation to institute official efforts to address anti-Semitism on UC campuses is adopted! After you sign it, please forward it to your friends! We need 10,000 signatures asap. Thank you in advance for your support.
UPDATE
Read what UC students think about this fiasco here and here.
A very important passage from Noah's article: indicates that the secrecy regarding this meeting was engineered by Students for Justice in Palestine, specifically to prevent opposition.
"The absence of an opposing voice — considering the vote count and attendance — on such a controversial topic strips the body of its legitimacy and transparency. This was not spontaneous, according to UC San Diego External Affairs Vice President Olamide Noah, who said the UCSA board had been working on the resolution since its congress in August. Abbasi’s lack of outside input, not necessarily his choice in voting, undermines the trust promised during his campaign last spring.
An email sent out by Luma Haddad, a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine, to core members in the organization reveals the most shocking part of this lack of transparency. Haddad explains to the members why “there was not much word spread about this in the last few days that led up to the meeting.” She then establishes that this was done “in order to prevent unwanted lobbying/intimidation tactics.”
When an opposing voice is actively neglected from a major debate on legislation, that body and that legislation becomes permanently tainted. Whether or not members of the UCSA board purposely committed this withholding of information is unclear, but the fact that that sentiment explicitly existed by some of its key supporters destroys the democratic process supposedly involved in the vote."
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
House of Horrors at SF State Today
Bloody dolls. Bodies on stretchers. It wasn't Halloween at San Francisco State University today- it was the General Union of Palestinian students resorting to every cheap trick in their playbook to demonize Israel. The podium of Malcolm X Plaza was highlighted by a huge "Zionism is Racism" sign, along with sign showing a fist smashing through a star of David. Yeah, GUPS isn't willing to accept a Jewish state of Israel within any borders. They've made that abundantly clear.
Todays' hate-fest was meant to commemorate the anniversary of the massacre of Sabra and Shatila. Lebanese Christian Phalangist militias were allowed by Israeli troops to enter the refugee camps on September 16–17, 1982, in an effort to root out terror cells. The Phalangists left hundreds dead in retaliation for the murders of Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel and 25 of his supporters earlier that week.
The GUPS presentation was long on vitriol, but short on information, on history, and on facts. More signs read "Stop USA Aid to Israel". "Stop killing Priests and destroying Houses of Worship". "Aren't you tired of Israel playing the victim?" "The Only Peace Israel Wants is the Last Piece of Palestine". What really happened at Sabra and Shatila? You'd never actually know listening to GUPS.
From Myths and Facts, at the Jewish Virtual Library
Todays' hate-fest was meant to commemorate the anniversary of the massacre of Sabra and Shatila. Lebanese Christian Phalangist militias were allowed by Israeli troops to enter the refugee camps on September 16–17, 1982, in an effort to root out terror cells. The Phalangists left hundreds dead in retaliation for the murders of Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel and 25 of his supporters earlier that week.
The GUPS presentation was long on vitriol, but short on information, on history, and on facts. More signs read "Stop USA Aid to Israel". "Stop killing Priests and destroying Houses of Worship". "Aren't you tired of Israel playing the victim?" "The Only Peace Israel Wants is the Last Piece of Palestine". What really happened at Sabra and Shatila? You'd never actually know listening to GUPS.
From Myths and Facts, at the Jewish Virtual Library
Israel had allowed the Phalange to enter the camps as part of a plan to transfer authority to the Lebanese, and accepted responsibility for that decision. The Kahan Commission of Inquiry, formed by the Israeli government in response to public outrage and grief, found that Israel was indirectly responsible for not anticipating the possibility of Phalangist violence. Subsequently, Defense Minister Ariel Sharon resigned and the Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Raful Eitan, was dismissed. The Kahan Commission, declared former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, was “a great tribute to Israeli democracy. . . . There are very few governments in the world that one can imagine making such a public investigation of such a difficult and shameful episode.” Ironically, while 300,000 Israelis protested the killings, little or no reaction occurred in the Arab world. Outside the Middle East, a major international outcry against Israel erupted over the massacres. The Phalangists, who perpetrated the crime, were spared the brunt of the condemnations for it.Today GUPS did the same, exploiting the deaths of innocents to score cheap rhetorical points against Israel. But their tale full of sound and fury, signifying nothing was largely ignored by the students hurrying to their classes.
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Incoherence of Obama's Foreign Policy
Mike L.
{Cross-posted at Israel Thrives and Geoffff's Joint, Bar and Grill.}
It should be clear by now that Barack Obama's foreign policy is both incoherent and counterproductive. Obama came to office hoping to use a softer approach to the Muslim world in the belief that American belligerency and imperialism were the causes of Islamic unrest. He thus, in contrast to the Bush II regime, sought outreach. He created distance between the United States and Israel, or "daylight" as it is often said, and reached out his open hand in the Cairo speech of 2009 only to find it slapped back.
Barack Obama, for reasons that I find unfathomable, even went so far as to praise the rise of the radical Jihad as something akin to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the Revolutionary Spirit of '76. Upon the fall of Tunisia to the Jihad he said the following:
These words were not in praise of democracy, whatever Obama's intentions, because the misnamed "Arab Spring" is simply not about democracy. I pretty much saw that from the beginning and must wonder why this former president of the Harvard Law Review failed to do so. How is it that a man as sophisticated and intelligent and educated as President Barack Obama could not see that, at least potentially, the "Arab Spring" was really a radical Jihadi winter?
Upon coming to office Obama decided that the enemy of the United States was not the Jihadi movement, but a small section of it known as "al-Qaeda." It was bin Laden's organization that hit the United States on 9/11/01, so he could not possibly dismiss this organization. Obama had to declare war upon it and upon Osama bin Ladin. As president of the United States he had no choice in the matter.
The choice he did have, however, was just what to do about political Islam. His decision was to isolate al-Qaeda while supporting the Jihadi movement in the form of its largest organization, the Muslim Brotherhood. The problem, of course, is that the Muslim Brotherhood is the parent organization of al-Qaeda and Hamas and G-d only knows how many other organizations that promote the genocide of the Jews, the slaughter of gay people, and the subjugation of women. In this way, whatever his intentions, Obama deceived the American people (and the Jewish people) into thinking that he actually opposed the rise of the Jihad when, in fact, he supported it.
I do not believe that Obama supports the Jihad because he favors their goal of a worldwide Islamic caliphate at the expense of the west and the genocide of the Jews. On the contrary. Obama supports radical Islam in the sense that, as a student of Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said, and western post-colonial academic thought, he sees that movement as response to western imperialism. Because we are allegedly to blame for their hatred, we can appease their hatred by welcoming the Jihad into the western fold.
If we are nice to the Jihadis, in other words, perhaps they will be nice to us... or so the thinking goes.
Of course, the entire construct is false. One cannot fight al-Qaeda while supporting Qaeda's parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood. One cannot defeat the Jihad by supporting the Jihad, as the Obama administration has done through advancing the prospects of the Brotherhood. One cannot support freedom or western-style democracy in the Middle East by betraying the democratic state of Israel.
The reason that the Obama administration's foreign policy viz-a-viz the Middle East is failing is because it is grounded in logical inconsistencies. It is incoherent. One cannot befriend a movement and declare it an enemy at the same time and that is precisely what the Obama administration has sought to do. One cannot befriend the Muslim Brotherhood while declaring al-Qaeda the enemy because those movements are associated movements and latter derives from the former.
It is therefore not very surprising that the administration recently declared that Egypt is now neither enemy, nor ally. Egypt, under Mubarak, was an ally of the United States, but now it is no longer. Egypt, like many other countries throughout the Arab and Muslim world since Obama came to office, has embraced political Islam and we will have to deal with the consequences of that fact, as will Israel.
In the mean time, western progressives continue to make like ostriches and refuse to acknowledge the significance of any of this.
And that may be their very biggest mistake as the riots and mayhem and murder and theocratic screechings go on and on and on.
{Cross-posted at Israel Thrives and Geoffff's Joint, Bar and Grill.}
It should be clear by now that Barack Obama's foreign policy is both incoherent and counterproductive. Obama came to office hoping to use a softer approach to the Muslim world in the belief that American belligerency and imperialism were the causes of Islamic unrest. He thus, in contrast to the Bush II regime, sought outreach. He created distance between the United States and Israel, or "daylight" as it is often said, and reached out his open hand in the Cairo speech of 2009 only to find it slapped back.
Barack Obama, for reasons that I find unfathomable, even went so far as to praise the rise of the radical Jihad as something akin to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the Revolutionary Spirit of '76. Upon the fall of Tunisia to the Jihad he said the following:
There are times in the course of history when the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change because they speak to a longing for freedom that has been building up for years. In America, think of the defiance of those patriots in Boston who refused to pay taxes to a King, or the dignity of Rosa Parks as she sat courageously in her seat.
These words were not in praise of democracy, whatever Obama's intentions, because the misnamed "Arab Spring" is simply not about democracy. I pretty much saw that from the beginning and must wonder why this former president of the Harvard Law Review failed to do so. How is it that a man as sophisticated and intelligent and educated as President Barack Obama could not see that, at least potentially, the "Arab Spring" was really a radical Jihadi winter?
Upon coming to office Obama decided that the enemy of the United States was not the Jihadi movement, but a small section of it known as "al-Qaeda." It was bin Laden's organization that hit the United States on 9/11/01, so he could not possibly dismiss this organization. Obama had to declare war upon it and upon Osama bin Ladin. As president of the United States he had no choice in the matter.
The choice he did have, however, was just what to do about political Islam. His decision was to isolate al-Qaeda while supporting the Jihadi movement in the form of its largest organization, the Muslim Brotherhood. The problem, of course, is that the Muslim Brotherhood is the parent organization of al-Qaeda and Hamas and G-d only knows how many other organizations that promote the genocide of the Jews, the slaughter of gay people, and the subjugation of women. In this way, whatever his intentions, Obama deceived the American people (and the Jewish people) into thinking that he actually opposed the rise of the Jihad when, in fact, he supported it.
I do not believe that Obama supports the Jihad because he favors their goal of a worldwide Islamic caliphate at the expense of the west and the genocide of the Jews. On the contrary. Obama supports radical Islam in the sense that, as a student of Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said, and western post-colonial academic thought, he sees that movement as response to western imperialism. Because we are allegedly to blame for their hatred, we can appease their hatred by welcoming the Jihad into the western fold.
If we are nice to the Jihadis, in other words, perhaps they will be nice to us... or so the thinking goes.
Of course, the entire construct is false. One cannot fight al-Qaeda while supporting Qaeda's parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood. One cannot defeat the Jihad by supporting the Jihad, as the Obama administration has done through advancing the prospects of the Brotherhood. One cannot support freedom or western-style democracy in the Middle East by betraying the democratic state of Israel.
The reason that the Obama administration's foreign policy viz-a-viz the Middle East is failing is because it is grounded in logical inconsistencies. It is incoherent. One cannot befriend a movement and declare it an enemy at the same time and that is precisely what the Obama administration has sought to do. One cannot befriend the Muslim Brotherhood while declaring al-Qaeda the enemy because those movements are associated movements and latter derives from the former.
It is therefore not very surprising that the administration recently declared that Egypt is now neither enemy, nor ally. Egypt, under Mubarak, was an ally of the United States, but now it is no longer. Egypt, like many other countries throughout the Arab and Muslim world since Obama came to office, has embraced political Islam and we will have to deal with the consequences of that fact, as will Israel.
In the mean time, western progressives continue to make like ostriches and refuse to acknowledge the significance of any of this.
And that may be their very biggest mistake as the riots and mayhem and murder and theocratic screechings go on and on and on.
Salafists Convicted in Gaza of Vittorio Arrigoni 's death
A Gaza military court has convicted four members of the Jihadist Salafi faction for the kidnapping and murdering of Vittorio Arrigoni in Gaza last year. The Italian Activist was a member of the International Solidarity Movement. The Salafis share the radical ideology of al-Qaida and are rivals of the Hamas Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip.
Mahmud al-Salfiti, 24, and Tamer al-Husasna, 26, were found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Vittorio Arrigoni and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Khadr Faruk Jerim, 26, received a 10-year prison term for kidnapping. Amer Abu Ghola, 26, was jailed for a year for providing the house in which Arrigoni was found hanged.
From the J Post
Mahmud al-Salfiti, 24, and Tamer al-Husasna, 26, were found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Vittorio Arrigoni and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Khadr Faruk Jerim, 26, received a 10-year prison term for kidnapping. Amer Abu Ghola, 26, was jailed for a year for providing the house in which Arrigoni was found hanged.
From the J Post
The group had hoped to force Hamas to release a Salafist leader, Hisham al-Saidni. Hamas police said the kidnappers killed Arrigoni before a deadline they had set for Saidni's release had expired.
Arriogni's killing horrified international pro-Palestinian activists and tested Hamas's authority in the enclave, which it seized from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's allies in a brief civil war in 2007.
Saidni was recently freed without charge after pledging not to disturb public order, Hamas said.
There was no immediate reaction from Jihadist Salafi groups that have accused Hamas security forces of arresting nearly 40 of their men, some for firing rockets against Israel.
Three of the defendants were identified by the Hamas-run court as Hamas security men who had been working for the Salafi group for ideological reasons. Two received life sentences and one was jailed for 10 years. The men flashed defiant smiles as the sentences were handed down.
The fourth man, a fisherman, fled Gaza after the killing and was sentenced in absentia to 12 months. Two other men were killed in a gun battle with Hamas forces trying to rescue Arrigoni.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
For the sake of Zion I will not be silent
Shana Tova. May this be a year of peace and tranquility for all of us.
From this weeks Haftarah (for Nitzavim)
Isaiah 61:10 - 63:9
For the sake of Zion I will not be silent,
For the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still,
Till her victory emerge resplendent
And her triumph like a flaming torch.
Nations shall see your victory,
And every king your majesty;
And you shall be called by a new name
Which the Lord Himself shall bestow.
You shall be a glorious crown
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the palm of your God.
From this weeks Haftarah (for Nitzavim)
Isaiah 61:10 - 63:9
For the sake of Zion I will not be silent,
For the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still,
Till her victory emerge resplendent
And her triumph like a flaming torch.
Nations shall see your victory,
And every king your majesty;
And you shall be called by a new name
Which the Lord Himself shall bestow.
You shall be a glorious crown
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the palm of your God.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Sydney Australia experiences its "Arab Winter"
From the Sydney Morning Herald;
Eight people were arrested and six officers were injured after a protest swept through the Sydney CBD this afternoon.
Police said that, about 1pm today, a group marched from Sydney Town Hall to Martin Place, where a confrontation occurred between protesters and police outside a building housing the US consulate.
The protests were triggered by a US film, Innocence of Muslims, portraying the prophet Muhammad as a womaniser and paedophile.
Police said two of the injured officers are now in hospital. Two vehicles were also damaged.
The crowd carried signs such as "Behead all those who insult the prophet" and "Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in hell".
Police used capsicum spray on the protesters, who at times pelted officers with bottles. Up to 500 people stormed through the city, working their way through Pitt Street before moving to Hyde Park amid a heavy police presence.
The protesters were pushed back as police dogs were deployed and capsicum spray was used.
Police made several arrests in Hyde Park amid violent confrontations with demonstrators....
Late in the afternoon a lone man from outside the group shouted: "Shame on you for promoting murder in the name of religion."
The crowd swarmed at him attacking him and sparking a second wave of violent clashes with police.
Police rushed to the man's aide and dragged him out of the park under a rain of waterbottles, sticks and abuse.
Read it all here
UPDATE:
More Photos from the Sydney Riots
FURTHER UPDATES
From our friends at the Online Hate Prevention Institute
(1) protests in Sydney were a mixture of ordinary Muslims (including those who brought their children along) who were trying to peacefully protests and what looks to be organised Islamist groups, some of whom appear to be set on violence,
(2) The Islamist groups do not represent the Muslim community in Australia,
(3) individual Muslims and the Muslim community as a whole are speaking out against today's violence,
(4) the Muslim community needs support online - so if you see anyone tarring the entire Muslim community as a result of today's events - please correct them.
The violence should be condemned, but the Australian Muslim community as a whole is not to blame for it and is just as appalled at it as the rest of the Australian community.
Friday, September 14, 2012
A reminder to Jewish Voice for Peace: Real Peace Activists should Condemn Terror.
Jewish Voice for Peace's current newsletter contains this appeal from Rebecca (Bekah) Wolf
Bekah is a former member of the extremist International Solidarity Movement. She is a BDS advocate who has proudly displayed a photo of her husband with Islamic Jihad terrorist Khadar Adnan.
Yep. This man. The one screaming at a funeral of a senior commander of the Al Quds brigade "Who among you is the next suicide bomber? Who among you will carry the next explosive belt"?
Khadar Adnan is no "voice for peace". And in case you had any doubt, neither is Bekah Wolf and her cheering section at Jewish Voice for Peace.
UPDATE
Hadar Sela, one of the contributors to the renowned CIFWatch blog has written an in depth post on Bekah Wolf and hubby Mousa Abu Maria in her post Meet the Abu Marias "Mr and Mrs " ISM style . Well worth checking out the profile of two "peace" activists who found love and unity in their mutual hatred for the Jewish state.
Bekah is a former member of the extremist International Solidarity Movement. She is a BDS advocate who has proudly displayed a photo of her husband with Islamic Jihad terrorist Khadar Adnan.
Yep. This man. The one screaming at a funeral of a senior commander of the Al Quds brigade "Who among you is the next suicide bomber? Who among you will carry the next explosive belt"?
Khadar Adnan is no "voice for peace". And in case you had any doubt, neither is Bekah Wolf and her cheering section at Jewish Voice for Peace.
UPDATE
Hadar Sela, one of the contributors to the renowned CIFWatch blog has written an in depth post on Bekah Wolf and hubby Mousa Abu Maria in her post Meet the Abu Marias "Mr and Mrs " ISM style . Well worth checking out the profile of two "peace" activists who found love and unity in their mutual hatred for the Jewish state.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Bluestar: Israel's Sacrifices for Peace
Bluestar is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of Israel advocates and leaders. They disseminate free resources for campus and community activists and teach Israel education programs: Write On For Israel/San Francisco teen and adult programs as well as BlueStar Fellows, a program for college students.
Much thanks to them for creating a response to the ridiculous 4 part map that is ubiquitous at anti-Israel events. You know the one. The maps documenting "Palestinian loss of land" grace nearly every anti- Israel campaign. But a lie told a million times is still a lie.
From Bluestar: Don't be Fooled by Lies About Palestine
The Truth- Israel Gives Up Land for Peace
1947
100% of the green and white areas are under British control.
• 86% of the land is public.
• 14% of the land is private. (Jews own 33% of this private land, while Arabs own 67%)
1949-1967
100% of the green areas are under Jordanian and Egyptian control.
• Jews and Arabs continue to own private land in Israel (white area)
• Most land in Israel continues to be public.
1967–present
1967: Israel offers 100% of: • West Bank to Jordan
• Sinai and Gaza to Egypt
• Golan to Syria
1982: Israel gives up 100% of Sinai to Egypt for peace
1993: Israel gives up land to Palestinian Authority
1994: Israel gives up land to Jordan for peace
2005: Israel gives up 100% of Gaza to Palestinians
2008: Israel offers 95% of West Bank to Palestinians
Today: Arabs own more private land in Israel than Jews.
Most land continues to be public.
To download a copy visit Bluestar. To have this design as a postcard for your next pro-Israel event, Bluestar asks for a minimal donation of just $6 for 50 postcards, plus $2.95 shipping and handling. Please visit their donation page to order postcards.
For more information of the real history of the region visit Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Much thanks to them for creating a response to the ridiculous 4 part map that is ubiquitous at anti-Israel events. You know the one. The maps documenting "Palestinian loss of land" grace nearly every anti- Israel campaign. But a lie told a million times is still a lie.
From Bluestar: Don't be Fooled by Lies About Palestine
The Truth- Israel Gives Up Land for Peace
1947
100% of the green and white areas are under British control.
• 86% of the land is public.
• 14% of the land is private. (Jews own 33% of this private land, while Arabs own 67%)
1949-1967
100% of the green areas are under Jordanian and Egyptian control.
• Jews and Arabs continue to own private land in Israel (white area)
• Most land in Israel continues to be public.
1967–present
1967: Israel offers 100% of: • West Bank to Jordan
• Sinai and Gaza to Egypt
• Golan to Syria
1982: Israel gives up 100% of Sinai to Egypt for peace
1993: Israel gives up land to Palestinian Authority
1994: Israel gives up land to Jordan for peace
2005: Israel gives up 100% of Gaza to Palestinians
2008: Israel offers 95% of West Bank to Palestinians
Today: Arabs own more private land in Israel than Jews.
Most land continues to be public.
To download a copy visit Bluestar. To have this design as a postcard for your next pro-Israel event, Bluestar asks for a minimal donation of just $6 for 50 postcards, plus $2.95 shipping and handling. Please visit their donation page to order postcards.
For more information of the real history of the region visit Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Los Angeles Transportation committee Endorses Veolia Contract
Hot on the heels of their BDS fail in Sonoma, its yet another fail for the Hate Israel cru. In spite of their intense lobbying efforts, tonight the Transportation committee of the Los Angeles City council endorsed a five-year, $160-million contract for Veolia and sent it on to full city council for a vote.
Veolia has been targeted by the BDS cru for daring to provide transportation services within Israel and the disputed territories.
A broad coalition gathered in support of renewing the Veolia contract, including union leaders, members of the Jewish community and representatives from Veolia, who together exposed the real agenda of the BDS movement.
In the words of BDS Grand Marshall Omar Bargouti, BDS is meant to be "euthanasia" for Israel.
Its not quite over yet- and the full city Council has yet to vote on the contract.
Stay tuned...
UPDATE:
On her blog "Body on the Line" Anti-Israel activist Marcy Newman expressed her dismay with the result, admitting 'In the end, we lost', and blaming the "insurmountable Zionist hold on American politics."
She writes:
Veolia has been targeted by the BDS cru for daring to provide transportation services within Israel and the disputed territories.
A broad coalition gathered in support of renewing the Veolia contract, including union leaders, members of the Jewish community and representatives from Veolia, who together exposed the real agenda of the BDS movement.
In the words of BDS Grand Marshall Omar Bargouti, BDS is meant to be "euthanasia" for Israel.
Its not quite over yet- and the full city Council has yet to vote on the contract.
Stay tuned...
UPDATE:
On her blog "Body on the Line" Anti-Israel activist Marcy Newman expressed her dismay with the result, admitting 'In the end, we lost', and blaming the "insurmountable Zionist hold on American politics."
She writes:
"In general, it was quite a disappointing meeting. Most of the council members there were either flipping through paperwork (which may or may not be related to what were addressing today) or played on their cell phones."
My First Death Threat
Mike L.
{Cross-posted at Israel Thrives and Geoffff's Joint, Bar and Grill}
Yes, I could hardly be more excited to announce the fact of my very first honest to G-d death threat.
I just now, after enjoying a very nice dinner of homemade chicken parmesan over penne with Laurie, jumped onto the computer only to find this cute little note:
Oh, joy.
{Cross-posted at Israel Thrives and Geoffff's Joint, Bar and Grill}
Yes, I could hardly be more excited to announce the fact of my very first honest to G-d death threat.
I just now, after enjoying a very nice dinner of homemade chicken parmesan over penne with Laurie, jumped onto the computer only to find this cute little note:
you will be killed ass hole
saif El Islam killalljew@hotmail.com
Fuck damn on you dirty shit,
you will be killed
curse on you all fucking jews
Oh, joy.
Hate Speech On Facebook: Report Hitler Memes
The title is "[Controversial Humor] Hitler Memes". It appears to be run by high schoolers, and no, its not funny in the slighest. As of today there are 653 "likes".
You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Controversial-Humor-Hitler-Memes/375000169220913
Perhaps if enough people report this page it will be shut down It is not just hate speech- it is a direct incitement to violence .
Here's how. Go to the facebook page. Next to the Like button on the page there is a drop down menu that is part of the Message button. Click on the arrow pointing down and that will reveal a menu with options. Click on "report page". Click on "Hate Speech", (targets a religious group, or targets a race or ethnicity, depending on your preference) Then click on "Report to facebook" and hope that they do the right thing.
If that happens, expect Jewish Voice for Peace to claim that the voices of the people have been muzzled by the Zionist lobby.
UPDATE:
Thanks to Nycerbarb:
Here's one more thing you can do. Sign the petition at change.org and ask Facebook to take our complaints about Hate speech seriously.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
San Jose Imam linked to Hezbollah arrested in Mexico
Rafic Mohammad Labboun Allaboun, an imam from the Shiite Association Bay Area (SABA) Mosque in San Jose, California along with George Abdalah Elders and Justin Yasser Safa (aka Samer Yousef Safa), were arrested Saturday, September 8, in Mérida in southern Mexico. They are suspected of being part of a Hezbollah terrorist cell that operates in Central America and the Yucatán. Labboun is considered the highest ranking Hezbollah member in the San Francisco Bay area.
Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) in cooperation with the FBI and Homeland Security and local police apprehended the suspects. It has long been suspected that Hezbollah was establishing terror cells in South and Central America. Labboun was carrying a false Belize passport with the name Wilhelm Dick, and was deported within hours of his arrest. He had a court appearance on Monday morning, September 10, in Houston and then was returned to the San Jose division of the Northern District Court of California.
A 2010 internal memo from the Tucson Police Department leaked by the hacker group LulzSec had warned that Hezbollah was establishing operations and stockpiling arms in Mexico. In April 2009 Jamal Yousef was arrested in New York and revealed that a huge cache of weapons smuggled by members of Hezbollah were stored in Mexico. In 2010 Hezbollah militant Jameel Nasr was arrested in Tiajuana.
Labboun recently served 27 months in U.S. prison for 7 counts of credit card fraud, involving over $100,000 worth of gold. Authorities believe the money ended up in Lebanon, and was used to finance terrorist activities by Hezbollah.
The imam who replaced Labboun at the SABA mosque, Nabi Raza Abidi, has been denied permanent residency status in the United States and his re-entry into this country was blocked by the State Department last year. The ban was eventually lifted, but Abidi and the SABA mosque are still suspected of ties with Hezbollah and Iran
Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) in cooperation with the FBI and Homeland Security and local police apprehended the suspects. It has long been suspected that Hezbollah was establishing terror cells in South and Central America. Labboun was carrying a false Belize passport with the name Wilhelm Dick, and was deported within hours of his arrest. He had a court appearance on Monday morning, September 10, in Houston and then was returned to the San Jose division of the Northern District Court of California.
A 2010 internal memo from the Tucson Police Department leaked by the hacker group LulzSec had warned that Hezbollah was establishing operations and stockpiling arms in Mexico. In April 2009 Jamal Yousef was arrested in New York and revealed that a huge cache of weapons smuggled by members of Hezbollah were stored in Mexico. In 2010 Hezbollah militant Jameel Nasr was arrested in Tiajuana.
Labboun recently served 27 months in U.S. prison for 7 counts of credit card fraud, involving over $100,000 worth of gold. Authorities believe the money ended up in Lebanon, and was used to finance terrorist activities by Hezbollah.
The imam who replaced Labboun at the SABA mosque, Nabi Raza Abidi, has been denied permanent residency status in the United States and his re-entry into this country was blocked by the State Department last year. The ban was eventually lifted, but Abidi and the SABA mosque are still suspected of ties with Hezbollah and Iran
Monday, September 10, 2012
Red Hot Chili Peppers rock Tel Aviv!
Ignoring months of threats, intimidation and bullying by the BDS cru, the Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked Tel Aviv tonight, playing to over 50,000 fans this evening.
Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer arrived in Israel from Turkey, landing at Ben-Gurion Airport in a private jet Sunday afternoon. Shortly after, they went to the Kotel in Jerusalem- holiest site for the Jewish people.
And the BDS'ers went crazy. From the facebook Page "Tag An Artist Against Apartheid", set up to harass artists scheduled to perform in Israel
The claim that our holiest site was part of "Occupied East Jerusalem" was followed by bitter and vengeful comments
But the show went on.
From the Times of Israel
And the music was a joy. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are generally categorized as funk-rockers, but that sells them short. Flea and drummer Chad Smith propel every song infectiously forward — everybody, but everybody was dancing throughout — but there’s melody and harmony and subtlety to their music, too, and they replicated it onstage, outdoing their recorded versions with instrumental intros, layers of extra vocals, fresh keyboards and more. And they had Israeli trumpeter Avishai Cohen up on stage for two numbers for even more pep.
I'm thinking "BDS fail". Again. Only the addled brain of BDS'er and anti-Israel activist Remi Kanazi (who called the campaign to bully the RHCP a "success" )could think otherwise.
Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer arrived in Israel from Turkey, landing at Ben-Gurion Airport in a private jet Sunday afternoon. Shortly after, they went to the Kotel in Jerusalem- holiest site for the Jewish people.
And the BDS'ers went crazy. From the facebook Page "Tag An Artist Against Apartheid", set up to harass artists scheduled to perform in Israel
The claim that our holiest site was part of "Occupied East Jerusalem" was followed by bitter and vengeful comments
But the show went on.
From the Times of Israel
And the music was a joy. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are generally categorized as funk-rockers, but that sells them short. Flea and drummer Chad Smith propel every song infectiously forward — everybody, but everybody was dancing throughout — but there’s melody and harmony and subtlety to their music, too, and they replicated it onstage, outdoing their recorded versions with instrumental intros, layers of extra vocals, fresh keyboards and more. And they had Israeli trumpeter Avishai Cohen up on stage for two numbers for even more pep.
I'm thinking "BDS fail". Again. Only the addled brain of BDS'er and anti-Israel activist Remi Kanazi (who called the campaign to bully the RHCP a "success" )could think otherwise.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Intelligence Officers Storm Al Aqsa
From http://www.alarab.net :
Settlers and intelligence agents stormed the courtyards of Al Aqsa Majid.
The article claims the Israelis desecrated the area south of al-Aqsa mosque with loud concerts and by speaking Russian. Apparently the "intelligence officers" can be clearly identified by their frilly blue umbrellas and floppy hats.
Another view of the "storming"
Settlers and intelligence agents stormed the courtyards of Al Aqsa Majid.
The article claims the Israelis desecrated the area south of al-Aqsa mosque with loud concerts and by speaking Russian. Apparently the "intelligence officers" can be clearly identified by their frilly blue umbrellas and floppy hats.
Latest Day O'Rage against Veolia Los Angeles
Fresh from their BDS fail in Sonoma County, the BDS'ers have moved their energies south. The object of rage is still Veolia- this week, Los Angeles is in their cross hairs. The Los Angeles Transportation Committee is holding its first public hearing regarding its contracts for the operation of short run bus routes, which are currently held by Veolia
Israel supporters:
WHEN:
Next Wednesday, September 12th. The hearing begins at 2pm but arrive EARLY
WHERE:
L.A. City Hall (Press Conference on East Side of Main St.)
200 North Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Transportation Committee Meeting in Room 1010 (10th floor) of City Hall (Large white building on the west side of Main St.)
WHY:
All who attend and wish to speak will be granted the chance and your voice could make the difference. Remind the Committee that the last thing on the boycotters’ mind is human rights, peace or justice and that the stated goal of the BDS movement in the words of their own leadership- is the elimination of Israel. Remind them that their duty is to provide the very best transportation services to the public, and that foreign policy judgements are beyond the scope of their committee.
If you cannot attend, please call the Transportation Committee members(Monday & Tuesday especially, offices are open between 9:00am and 5:00pm):
Paul Koretz (213) 473-7005
Bill Rosendahl (213) 473-7011
Tom La Bonge (213) 473-7004
Bernard Parks (213) 473-7008
Jose Huizar (213) 473-7014
Thanks to our friends down south, and keep us informed regarding the proceedings.
Israel supporters:
WHEN:
Next Wednesday, September 12th. The hearing begins at 2pm but arrive EARLY
WHERE:
L.A. City Hall (Press Conference on East Side of Main St.)
200 North Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Transportation Committee Meeting in Room 1010 (10th floor) of City Hall (Large white building on the west side of Main St.)
WHY:
All who attend and wish to speak will be granted the chance and your voice could make the difference. Remind the Committee that the last thing on the boycotters’ mind is human rights, peace or justice and that the stated goal of the BDS movement in the words of their own leadership- is the elimination of Israel. Remind them that their duty is to provide the very best transportation services to the public, and that foreign policy judgements are beyond the scope of their committee.
If you cannot attend, please call the Transportation Committee members(Monday & Tuesday especially, offices are open between 9:00am and 5:00pm):
Paul Koretz (213) 473-7005
Bill Rosendahl (213) 473-7011
Tom La Bonge (213) 473-7004
Bernard Parks (213) 473-7008
Jose Huizar (213) 473-7014
Thanks to our friends down south, and keep us informed regarding the proceedings.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Has Richard Silverstein finally seen the light?
Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles. Has anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein seen the light, just in time for the days of Awe? His website at http://www.richardsilverstein.com/ has undergone a dramatic make-over.
Aussie Davie at IsraellyCool writes about it here: Now THIS Is Tikun Olam. He implies that this ultimate makeover might not have been entirely voluntary.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Gay Pride Parade Gaza
Shhh. Don't tell Hamas.
A facebook page has been set up promoting the first ever gay pride parade in Gaza, scheduled for Thursday, November 1, 2012
From Facebook:
Come celebrate the First Ever Gaza Gay Pride Parade. Let's show the occupation that Palestine is free and Liberal. Come and celebrate gay culture in Palestine! We are free to be gay! World Peace! Come and celebrate in the new Liberal, Palestine!
We will be marching down Nuseirat street.
I've got a bad feeling about this, because, well, Gaza is neither free nor liberal.
The location is listed on facebook as the Almat'haf Hotel & Cultural House Alrasheed st., Gaza, Palestine, 00972 .
The Almat'haf facility is just what we've come to expect from the worlds largest open air concentration camp. They have lush landscaped grounds
Yes, thats a koi pond in Gaza.
They take particular pride in their wedding cakes
Their buffet looks nice, too. About what we've come to expect from an area frequently compared to the Warsaw ghetto.
Will there really be a Pride Parade in Gaza? Will participants survive the experience? Stay tuned.
A facebook page has been set up promoting the first ever gay pride parade in Gaza, scheduled for Thursday, November 1, 2012
From Facebook:
Come celebrate the First Ever Gaza Gay Pride Parade. Let's show the occupation that Palestine is free and Liberal. Come and celebrate gay culture in Palestine! We are free to be gay! World Peace! Come and celebrate in the new Liberal, Palestine!
We will be marching down Nuseirat street.
I've got a bad feeling about this, because, well, Gaza is neither free nor liberal.
The location is listed on facebook as the Almat'haf Hotel & Cultural House Alrasheed st., Gaza, Palestine, 00972 .
The Almat'haf facility is just what we've come to expect from the worlds largest open air concentration camp. They have lush landscaped grounds
Their buffet looks nice, too. About what we've come to expect from an area frequently compared to the Warsaw ghetto.
Will there really be a Pride Parade in Gaza? Will participants survive the experience? Stay tuned.
More lies from "Occupied Palestine"
The blog "OccupiedPalestine" is always good for a laugh. Todays headline reads "The IOF arrest 3 children in al-Khalil, two young men in Bethlehem" and is illustrated with a photo of a clearly terrified young boy.
Trouble is, he's not one of the "children" arrested today. The photo has been used and reused since 2010.
Oh, yes. The "children" listed are teenagers NizarAbdel-Rahman Jaradat (14), Feras Yaser Jaradat (15) and Talji Sabri Jaradat (16). Teenagers. Not "children".
Just another day of lies from "Occupied Palestine"
Trouble is, he's not one of the "children" arrested today. The photo has been used and reused since 2010.
Oh, yes. The "children" listed are teenagers NizarAbdel-Rahman Jaradat (14), Feras Yaser Jaradat (15) and Talji Sabri Jaradat (16). Teenagers. Not "children".
Just another day of lies from "Occupied Palestine"
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:
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
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)