Damage Control

How far have the mighty fallen? Not far enough, not yet. But they are not free falling and there is a difference between taking it on the chin and actually plummeting into a black hole.

Last night, BBC America did a segment on Hilary Clintons speech to AIPAC. I found her speech shameful as an American and infuriating as a Palestinian. She made it “perfectly clear” that the U.S. will keep Israeli “security” at the forefront in dealings with Iran. That was her carrot stick. Then she continued on to the delicate matter of illegal expansion into East Jerusalem explaining that the U.S wasn’t actually insulted-oh no, au contraire! She stopped short of mentioning that expansion was illegal under international law, sticking only to the mutual rights of Palestine and Israel to have their own peaceful states and how that expansion was not conducive to that end. The same old blabber we have been hearing from the U.S. for a couple of weeks.

Cut to reactions from the Zionist audience. Unbelievably, some were nodding in agreement. Two or three were interviewed and practically gushed praise! All is well in Zionville. They all want peace with Palestine. They all want Palestinians to be equal. They all flashed frozen smiles for the camera. Nothing more than hasbara, par for the course.

Which is to say that it was just another load of shit! This was AIPAC’s most current public face, the one that the American public would remember.
What really happened? Watch the video below where Zionists ask for an apology from the U.S. That’s right, we offended them when they offended us! If not an apology then at least don’t let the problem remain in the American public eye for Gods sake! Bicker in private! Well, its not bickering they fear. Its an awakening of the American public to the fact that Israel is a danger to our nation and to the world at large.

ISRAEL'S NEW ATTACK PLAN

Get the cheque book out America,
Israel wants a facelift, this is gonna cost you.

More broadly,we need to think about what the right messaging for an anti-BDS campaign could be “Let Israel Live,” for example, may make Israel sound pathetic and may sound too 1940s “ kind of begging the world’s permission for Jewish survival.” But, given the culture of crisis in the Jewish world, that is the kind of slogan that just might work. We invite other suggestions.

The BDS campaign is causing Israel great problems worldwide. They have been working on their new and improved "hasbara" game plan to hide the truth, cover it up, and shut down the BDS campaign over time. Upon reading this insanity, it occurred to me what the cost of such an endeavour would be to Israel financially. When you read the "new battle plans" below, think to yourself the money that would be involved in ALL of this new "hasbara campaign worldwide" if they were to actually implement this new "War Room" worldwide. I hope Americans are willing to increase that annual 3 billion to Israel, because if you think Israel will foot the bill, think again.

Additionally I notice they have a focus on restricting free speech at Universities and also are planning to "engage" non-Jewish student leaders and offer them "free" trips to Israel where they can woo them. They also plan to "cozy up" with the media and reporters, to monitor even more of what Israel "will or will not allow" to be published to the world. They also plan to take the "war" to the Internet, that's us folks! They want to "employ" non-Jewish bloggers to attack pro-Palestinian blogs and such. Not only that they have managed to come up with the absurd rationality that the BDS will inhibit the (non-existant) Peace Process between Palestine and Isarel, how creative is that lie!

The co-chairs of this new "training organisation" are:

Dr. Mitchell Bard link The Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and a foreign policy analyst who lectures frequently on U.S.-Middle East policy.

For three years he was the editor of the Near East Report, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) weekly newsletter on U.S. Middle East policy. Prior to working at AIPAC, Dr. Bard served as a senior analyst in the polling division of the 1988 Bush campaign.

Prior to working at AIPAC, Dr. Bard served as a senior analyst in the polling division of the 1988 Bush campaign.

And also is associated with link the UJC,(read about them here)and also Israel Bonds and the Jewish National Fund.

Jewish National Fund: link

The JNF's engagement in reclaiming the Land of Israel for Jewish purposes has involved a range of massive land infrastructure development projects.The JNF's charter specifies that the purpose of the JNF is to purchase land for the settlement of Jews

The Jewish National Fund (Hebrew: קרן קימת לישראל, Keren Kayemet LeYisrael) (abbreviated as JNF, and sometimes KKL) was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine (later Israel) for Jewish settlement.Some forests have been planted for security reasons[34] and as a means of demarcating Israeli space.[35] Forests in the Negev Desert have been planted to restrict Bedouin herding.[36] After the 1948 war, forests were planted on the site of abandoned Arab villages whose inhabitants left or were expelled from their homes.[37] Olive trees, upon whose fruits and oil residents of the region traditionally relied, have also been cut down and replaced by pine and cypress trees.[38] As these forests have often been planted over the remains of Arab villages, critics say that JNF afforestation policy is aimed at erasing traces of the Arab presence prior to 1948 and covering up the demolition of Arab villages

He is also associated with:

Hillel(some examples of their "work" follow from wiki)
link UCLA Hillel rabbi and director Chaim Seidler-Feller was accused by journalist Rachel Neuwirth of verbally and physically assaulting her on the UCLA campus in October 2003.After more than three years of litigation, in a legal settlement, Seidler-Feller provided Neuwirth with a letter of apology accepting full responsibility for the attack on Neuwirth and a large financial arrangement with her.[14].

Robert Fishman, director of George Washington University's Hillel apologized for claiming that a pro-Palestinian law student was a recognized terrorist.[15]. Fishman also orchestrated a group of Hillel members to read highly critical questions pre-drafted by Deborah Lipstadt as if they were their own to President Jimmy Carter who spoke on campus in March 2007. This and their tactics of blocking the microphones from other students
(lots of stuff about them here) , Israel Bonds and the Jewish National Fund.

The 2nd Co-Chair is:

link Gil Troy is Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal

Troy is also the author of Why I Am a Zionist: Israel, Jewish Identity and the Challenges of Today. The book has been hailed as a "must read," and the most persuasive presentation of the Zionist case "in decades."

And I must note that when you view the book cover below, notice there is no Palestine, it's been wiped off the map completely


So here's their new plan for attacking the BDS campaign, read it, and pass it on:

Please read and disseminate as widely as possible

**To be forewarned is to be forearmed**

-------------------------------------

*Delegitimization of Israel: "Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions"*
*Co-Chairs: Dr. Mitchell Bard and Professor Gil Troy*

This position paper summarizes the discussions of the Working Group on
Delegitimization at the 2009 Global Forum against Anti-Semitism. Our task was to generate specific action plans to respond to the BDS " boycott, divestment, sanctions " movement, to reframe the issues in our favor and to set a new proactive agenda. If there was one clear conclusion that emerged from the two-day session in December, it was THERE MUST BE FOLLOW UP. There is a need in the Jewish world today for more coordination, for more sharing of best practices, for more LEADERSHIP in the fight against anti-Semitism. Activists in the field feel alone. Those who succeed are not sharing their successful tactics and strategies; those who are less experienced flounder, wasting precious time, resources, goodwill. Everyone was honored and excited to participate in the Global Forum; no one wanted it to be limited to a two-day meeting, and many volunteered to keep the global conversation growing.

Beyond that, this paper will spend less time on definitions and narratives, and instead serve as an initial brainstorming document. Through the use of a Wiki set up with the assistance of Dr.Andre Oboler, task force members helped edit these two papers. The first was initially authored by Gil Troy, the second on taking offense, by Mitchell Bard. We thank all the participants for all their time, passion and expertise � and look at this as the start of an ongoing process, which we hope will continue.

*BDS AS A CLEAR TARGET:*

There is a clarity in fighting against BDS that could provide traction in the Jewish world and beyond. In the current climate, Israel advocates are always going to lose a fight over �settlements� and �occupation,� or at best get mired in stalemate. BDS shifts the terrain, making the battle one over Israel�s right to exist, over the legitimacy of Zionism, over the anti-Semitic tropes shaping the anti-Israel movement, and the rank anti-Semitism behind the disproportionate, obsessive focus on Israel. It is also a battle about freedom of speech and of open discourses, given the BDS attempt to shut down normal flows of learning and commerce with Israel.

This is a battle we can win � and (shhh, don�t tell anyone) have been winning so far, in many ways, in many communities.

We also should recognize that BDS is a part of a broader campaign to delegitimize Israel. This campaign of delegitimization, Dr. Joel Fishman writes, has been "a central motif of Palestinian propaganda in international bodies" and reflects a strategy of a "People's War," as full blown political, economic, cultural, ideological struggle against the very existence of Israel.

The Foreign Ministry can help centralize the fight against BDS and
delegitimization, coordinate responses to what is a coordinated attack, share information, take a moral stand against the human rights hypocrites, engage diplomats in a fight for Israel�s basic rights, and train Israeli diplomats about the BDS movement. But the fight also has to be local not international, rooted in particular community norms, and necessarily somewhat distanced from the Foreign Ministry which is, naturally, perceived as a biased party, and whose involvement in all facets would help our enemies argue that we are fighting for Israel using the fight against anti-Semitism as camouflage.

*PUT BDS IN CONTEXT:*

Part of the fight against BDS is an educational one. And central to that is
explaining that

1. (as mentioned before) BDS crosses the line into traditional bigotry,
both by resurrecting traditional anti-Semitic tropes, and by following the
traditional ways of all bigots in attacking the essence of Israel and the
Jewish people rather than constructively seeking to change particular
policies or actions.
2. BDS is part of the �Durban Strategy� adopted by NGOs during the
infamous Durban Conference that was supposed to be against racism in late
August, early September 2001. Good liberals on campus and elsewhere who
think they are just fighting for �justice� need to be confronted with the
fact that they are advancing a particular agenda with a particular � and
quite problematic � pedigree.
3. BDS is also part of the broader Islamist strategy to undermine the
West. (Are they insane? Answer: Yes!) Especially in North America, activists need to understand how positions they are taking are aiding the same people who support shooting up Fort Hood, trying to down commercial jets on Christmas, and succeeded in killing nearly three thousand people on September 11, 2001.(I refer to my former questions, Are these people insane? Answer: Hell Yes!)

*Strategy / Vision A 5 Year Plan*

All too often, we get mired in the tactics of the day-to-day battle and are too reactive. The group decided that before plunging into a more detailed discussion of some dimensions of the problem, we should step back and think about our vision, about our strategy and about what tactics will achieve our broader goals, five years from now.

*Our Vision: *

Includes: Israel being a cause to celebrate

Humanization of Israel using a vibrant proactive approach making the Zionist case while emphasizing Israel's many positive accomplishments and appealing characteristics.(COMEDY ALERT: Appealing Characteristics like Ethnic cleansing and land stealing, and internment, war crimes and extra judicial killings? Lovely traits!)

Driving a Wedge between Soft Critics and Hard Delegitimizers

*Strategy *

To have in place legislative prohibitions vs. BDS which can then be applied in different communities, acknowledging the different legal traditions

Creating �Best Practices� which can be modeled and taught. To have in place institution(centralized, or 'hub within network' institutions) that can share information. (Committee members disagreed whether the bulk of the work should be from the government or from the community/civil society).

Institutions: To have in place Affinity Groups � lawyers, accountants, academics etc who can help fight BDS from within>(note the phrase "from within")

Israeli intellectual 'buy in' � mobilizing Israeli academics and other professional who understand the seriousness of the threat and fight it

Encouraging more Israel Studies on campus as part of a broader rebranding and reversing of the current wherein enemies of Israel on campus are rewarded and friends are punished

Debranding the NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations) � naming and shaming

Pursuing a strategy of ridicule and satire � especially on the internet(heads up they are going to attack free speech on the internet...........)

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Here are some steps we should follow to achieve those goals:

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1. Let�s Reframe to Name and Shame:

BDS means very little to most people � and sounds like a communicable disease (which in some ways, like anti-Semitism itself, it is�) The awkwardness of the language, and the venom behind the sentiments, together provide a double opportunity. We can rename and reframe their movement. We need to point out how BDS crosses the line from legitimate criticism to historically-laden, anti-Semitic messaging. We should note that BDS fails the �Sharansky Test� of Demonization, Double Standards and Delegitimization� because it singles out Israel for special condemnation, speaking for example about the �apartheid nature of the state� rather than specific policies. We could reinforce this by adding a 2-E Test � �exceptionalism� and �essentialism� � which again focuses on singling out Israel and, in the nature of traditional bigotry, condemning the actor not the act.

In that spirit, in Toronto, the Jewish Federation re-christened the movement the Blacklist, Demonize and Slander movement. In addition to exposing theanimus of the movement, the label cleverly filtered the BDS movement throughthe correct cultural framework when the BDSers targeted the Toronto Film Festival. Jane Fonda, initially, was happy to sign a petition bashing Israel. When she found out that she supported a �blacklist� � a major no-no in post 1950s Hollywood culture, she felt ashamed and retracted. Similarly, the leading academics fighting boycotts have been scientists, because free exchange is the lifeblood of the scientific community and the thought of risking that for mere politics is appalling to many. At the same time, there are (some, not enough) voices in the gay community denouncing groups such as �Queers Against Israeli Apartheid,� because they know how much more liberal Israel is than any other Middle Eastern country (the major international association of gay travel agents held its annual meeting in Israel in 2009).(NOTE: perhaps gay people should read this and this and this before they buy into this propaganda!)

These examples suggest we need to think, case by case, about how to frame the BDSers in the way that most emphasizes the gap between their actions and the democratic ideals they pretend to espouse. Recasting the campaign as a blacklist is a powerful way to demonstrate what the movement is really about. We should think of other strategies that help delegitimize the delegitimizers.

More broadly, we need to think about what the right messaging for an anti-BDS campaign could be � �Let Israel Live,� for example, may make Israel sound pathetic and may sound too 1940s � kind of begging the world�s
permission for Jewish survival. But, given the culture of crisis in the Jewish world, that is the kind of slogan that just might work. We invite other suggestions.

It is also important to determine the need for a response on a case by case basis. Some people argue that every BDS initiative must be fought out of fear of a domino effect; however, it may not be to our advantage to do so. Sometimes, we may give a trivial exercise greater meaning.

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1.1 Ensuring tactics don't defeat strategy

The campaign against the University and College Lecturers' Union's boycott attempt in the UK was a signal success, mainly due to a classic job of re-framing. The BDS crowd wants the debate to be about Israel and the pro-Israel crowd made it about academic freedom. Although this is an exquisite tactic it runs the risk of leading to a strategic defeat.

What happened was that the "bad guys" talked about how bad Israel is and the "good guys" talked about how bad boycotts are. In the end the only messages that anyone heard about Israel were how bad she is. The boycott motion was handily defeated, but such a triumph contains the seeds of a Pyrrhic victory. Perhaps it's natural to glory in any kind of victory we can obtain in this fight, however, �Israeli policy makes me sick, but boycotts make me sicker� (as stated as a typical progressive view in the BDS fight) is hardly the ringing endorsement of Israel we would all seek!

To quote Charles Jacobs (late of the David Project), students are often reduced to arguing that "Israel doesn't suck." This is only a slight exaggeration. Unless we can come up with a way to produce a new meta-frame for discussing the Middle-East the BDSs will keep us on the run until we are worn out.

(Emendation, post conference: Wes Streeting President of the UK's National Union of Studentsargued that this concern was somewhat ill-founded. In the working group session he stressed that the argument against boycotts in general had opened the way to substantive discourse on why a boycott was particularly unjust when focused on Israel. If that's an accurate depiction of what happened, then it's a good example of what we need to do to ensure that strategy is not eclipsed by tactics.)

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2. Dig Deep to Undermine

When the Student Society of Concordia University in Montreal was overtaken by Palestinians and anarchists in the late 1990s, early 2000s, rumors were rife about activists just enrolled in one course per semester to keep their eligibility for the Student Society, about money from outside the university being pumped into the pro-Palestinian activities (NOTE Israel has the cheek to say this?? With the billions it pours into HIllel and other racist orgs?) and about money from the Student Society being diverted both for personal gain and for unauthorized political use. Surprisingly, neither the Jewish community nor the journalistic community undertook the kind of Edwin-Black-style investigation the whole mess deserved, for various cultural and political reasons. Investigative journalism is an underutilized tool in the fight against coordinated movements like the BDS movement.

Similarly, we need to do more historical research, showing the polluted
origins of the Zionism is racism, Israel apartheid, and BDS movements. In October 1976, just under a year after the 1975 Zionism is Racism resolution
passed the UN General Assembly, Professor Bernard Lewis published an article
�The Anti-Zionist Resolution,� in Foreign Affairs (Vol. 55, No. 1 (Oct., 1976), pp. 54-64), uncovering the Soviet and Nazi roots of the resolution. Lewis�s research remains relevant today � as does his example.

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3. We Need a War Room

The BDS movement is well-coordinated (and well-financed). The Jewish community needs a war room, tracking this movement, sharing best practices, coaching communities. All too often (and most especially on campus), when an anti-Israel initiative is launched the few who care act as if such a thing never occurred elsewhere and start working on their own strategy � rather than relying on a broad network and a collective memory that should be helping them.

The War Room could also provide the necessary intelligence and background that could be useful in the kinds of grassroots fights necessary to defeat BDS. Whether this War Room should be linked to the Ministry, or to the Global Forum, or to another Jewish organization, or stand on its own, is an important subject we should debate.

In describing this much-needed body of activists and academics we debated the nomenclature � some call it a clearinghouse, others a hub � but we need to share information, coordinate strategy, learn from each other, and push certain lines, taking offense, not just playing defense.

In North America, the Federation system is talking about launching a coordinating body to fight BDS. England has �Fair play� functioning as a hub. In France the CRIEF coordinates. All these initiatives should be coordinated globally � through Israel, the target of the attack and the center of the Jewish people.

To be specific:

n Our guiding principle is that the first people to fight are the
people on the ground � this is added value not a command center

n The mission is to be informational and tactical � a clearinghouse of
information and like the town crier of old � a spur to action with weekly
updates, particular tactics

n Like an iceberg, partially submerged � we need to make some public
points to shape the narrative against BDS, delegitimizing the
delegitimizers, but we also need ome private initiatives. We should not
share all our strategies and tactics for the enemy to see

n Broadcast and narrowcast � having some messages that work globally,
but also customizing our messages for campus, unions, civil society

Professor Irwin Cotler spoke at the Global Forum about �the globalization of
the indictment� and our need to take back the narrative, to become the
plaintiff�. How can we do this is we don�t coordinate strategies, if there isn�t a central body for information sharing, with a great website, but also engaged experts, representing the different countries, helping to shape this battle, sending out weekly updates, helping people who want to get involved, and, as one of our participants suggested targeting the bad guys, using the blogosphere to mock them, to embarrass them, to name and shame?

Each community should of course have its own structures but this war room should act as a hub. It should start simply by coordinating a proactive, integrated structure against BDS and delegitimization � if it works, it could be a crucial resource when crises develop,and it truly could be a global forum against anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and delegitimization, but for now let�s keep it focused.

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4. BDS Draws a Line in the Sand

BDS Draws a Line in the Sand - Either testing or recruiting progressives. By implicitly shifting the debate from Israeli policy to Israel�s right to exist, BDSers have provided what we could call the J-Street Test (or the
test for J-Street). Progressives, no matter how critical of Israel, who condemn the BDS movement, prove their �pro-Israel bona fides.� (And Tal Shechter of J Street U recently sent out this message: �We should be investing � not divesting � in our campus debate, in our communities and in the people who will bring about change in the region. That�s why J Street U is launching an �Invest, Don�t Divest� campaign today to raise money for two organizations � LendforPeace.org, a Palestinian microfinance organization set up by students like us, and The Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development, which promotes Jewish-Arab Economic Cooperation in Israel.�)

Critics of Israeli policy can in fact be particularly useful in this fight � note how much of the British academic boycott was repudiated by people who were from the left but recognized the boycott threat as a great threat to academic freedom. So fighting BDS can help heal some of the rifts in the Jewish community, assert a big-tent Zionism, and invite left-wing critics of Israel who nevertheless believe in Israel�s existence to stand up for Israel on this defining issue.

The argument should be made � and this is true, not a mere tactic � that BDS
harms the peace process. Whatever one thinks of Oslo, it is not coincidental
that Israel entered into the Oslo Peace Accords only after the UN lifted its odious Zionism is Racism resolution in 1991 and that Israel made peace with Egypt only after Sadat came to Jerusalem. A nation under threat of boycott, a nation that feels its very existence and international legitimacy are threatened, is less likely to make peace, which makes the Palestinian strategy particularly self-defeating at this point (not to mention the fact that Israeli academics are among the most outspoken peace advocates).

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5. BDS merits a double ju jitsu move

BDS merits a double ju jitsu move: First, the BDS response to Israel is so over the top, it should be an opportunity to delegitimize the delegitimizers. Second, the Toronto community has been particularly effective in turning the lemons of BDS into lemonade � going from �Boycott� to Buycott � with the results being sold-out Israeli movie nights at the Toronto Film Festival, record-ticket sales for the targeted Dead Sea Scrolls, and a run on kosher wine when BDSers attacked Israeli wine. More
broadly, the second paper offers many interesting ideas for getting off the
defensive, becoming pro-active and taking the fight to the BDSers.

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6. Make this the New Soviet Jewry Movement

A �Let Israel Live� anti-BDS campaign, if done right, could provide the kind of community-wide unity, continuing passion, and identity-building activism, last seen during the Soviet Jewish movement. The threat is intense enough, the moral issue is clear enough, all we need is the motivation, leadership, and organizational sophistication to make it happen.

*7. Make the fight Horizontal, Hip, and Hysterical� *

While we do need some central coordination via a �war room,� we must not forget the importance of the netroots in combating BDS. The fight needs to be horizontal not hierarchical � what we use to call �grassroots� empowering college students to get involved using their skills, their media, their networks to push back. In the same spirit, the fight should be �hip,� rooted in the language and mores of the 21st century, presenting an updated, exciting, relevant celebration of modern Israel. And, as already mentioned, the fight should be hysterical � we forget just how powerful a tool ridicule can be as a weapon in politics, especially in our �Jon Stewart� culture.

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8. Speak to Israelis about their roles as ambassadors and dangerous role as
enablers

The fight against anti-Semitism, against BDS, and for Israel begins at home,
in the homeland. Israelis can be the most effective ambassadors and activists in the fight against BDS � this should be the kind of fight for survival that transcends most political divisions and harnesses the kind of ingenuity and passion Israelis bring to more conventional battlefields. Israelis need to understand that, for all their much vaunted, �Start-up Nation� Hi Tech inventiveness, if the European Union decides to boycott Israel, the economic impact would be devastating. The threat is real � but not well known, and usually seen, unfortunately, through a left-right prism.

At the same time, Israeli critics of Israeli policy need to understand that
in an age of instant communication, what they say �within the family,�
echoes throughout the world. The Norman Finkelsteins and Noam Chomskys of the world quote Israelis incessantly. No Israeli should feel compelled to change their politics, no matter what Chomsky and Finkelstein would choose to do. But ALL Israelis should watch their language, understanding that
false Nazi/Apartheid/Racism analogies feed Israel�s harshest enemies, who wish to wipe out the state. There is a rich bank of historical analogies and words Israeli critics can use to criticize Israel. There must be an awareness of how harmful the Nazi and Apartheid analogies are, and how they are used � the slogan �Never Again� should apply to false, offensive, analogizing, not just the mass murder itself

Note the analysis of Uri Avnery of the BDS. Avnery has a long record of harshly criticizing Israel, but distinguishes between his ultimately loving
criticism and the exterminationist agenda underlying much of the BDS Campaign. He writes: �Reading some of the messages sent to me and trying to analyze their contents, I get the feeling they are not so much about a boycott on Israel as about the very existence of Israel. Some of the writers obviously believe that the creation of the State of Israel was a terrible mistake to start with, and therefore should be reversed. Turn the wheel of history back some 62 years and start anew.

�What really disturbs me about this is that almost nobody in the West comes out and says clearly: Israel must be abolished. Some of the proposals, like those for a �One State� solution, sound like euphemisms. If one believes that the State of Israel should be abolished and replaced by a State of Palestine or a State of Happiness � why not say so openly?

�Of course, that does not mean peace. Peace between Israel and Palestine presupposes that Israel is there. Peace between the Israeli people and the
Palestinian people presupposes that both peoples have a right to self-determination and agree to the peace. Does anyone really believe that racist monsters like us would agree to give up our state because of a boycott?� Other Israelis � and other critics outside of Israel � should be appealed to on these terms, understanding that the BDS-Apartheid-Nazi-language is anti-Israel and anti-peace. See ]
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Quote/Avneri1.html]

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9. Ally, Fraternize, and Build Coalitions

Far too much of the fight against anti-Semitism and for Israel occurs within a Jewish community bubble. The Foreign Ministry can be a particularly useful force here in helping build alliances with academics, business people, politicians, anti-terror/national security types, Christian Zionists, civil libertarians � creating a broad coalition that is against demonization. Moreover, we learn from the anti-academic-boycott movement in England, whose guiding principle is that �the first people to fight BDS should be the people in the sector,� self defense is the best defense.

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9.1 Labor unions

Universities (or other institutions) that invest in Israel seldom do so for reasons of Zionist sympathy. If they have put money into Israel or Israeli companies it's because their investment advisers have told them that it's the right thing to do in order to grow their endowment. Hence, divestment would be financially inadvisable.

If, in the midst of a divestment campaign, campus unions that represent
technical, administrative and janitorial staff were convincingly informed that the divestment campaign might well lead to job cuts (and not amongst the tenured academics pushing for BDS) they might easily be persuaded to
condemn such a campaign. How embarrassing for the "progressive" academics
pushing BDS to be opposed by the representatives of the lowest paid workers on campus?

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9.2 Students

We need to do a better job of empowering and educating Jewish and pro-Israel
students. Specifically through advocacy training programs, like hasbara fellowships and many others, which bring students to Israel and give them the knowledge, skills and confidence to advocate on campus. Too many students are too intimidated to express their views. They need quick and
easy answers to the most common criticisms thrown at them, and the confidence to deliver those messages. Jewish community organizations need to invest in these programs, and send their students to Israel to learn. Setting up one hour seminars on campus don't work, students need to go to Israel, learn the situation, and practice the responses.

We also need a major push to educate non-Jewish student leaders.
Specifically, more money needs to be spent on the programs that already exist in countries like Canada to send non-Jewish student leaders (members of student government, campus organizations, campus newspapers etc). to Israel to learn the facts on the ground. They are the future leaders off-campus and in the media, and we are losing this battle.

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9.3 Reporters

We need to adopt a radically different approach to media relations:
�embracing the journalist�, building relationships to go beyond the two traditional approaches of giving information to the press and monitoring/criticizing the media for �getting the story wrong� � and instead
helping them to �get the story right in the first place�, as MediaCentral does here in Israel. Reaching out to all levels of the media � local and national � to engage rather than criticize, without the �Hasbara� agenda but instead promoting accuracy as Israel�s best ally, widening the lens and helping to reframe the MidEast situation and to affect the tone and
terminology used . Working to win the �battle for hearts and minds� through the heart rather than the head, using Dale Carnegie�s approach to "win friends and influence people" or to put it another way, "rather than fighting your enemy, make the enemy your friend�.�

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We need a creative, edgy, systematic outreach to pro-Israel bloggers, who are willing to target BDSers and delegitimizers, exposing their tactics, ridiculing them as necessary, and, as much as possible putting them on the defensive.

*9.5* *Professional Organizations and Communities*

Dr. Jonathan Rynhold, who was involved in combating the proposed British
academic boycott of Israel, suggests applying some of the lessons from that
experience more broadly. He proposes forming and informing groups of Jewish/pro-Israel professionals within various national and international professional association/organizations/unions.

Their first order of business should be passing *anti-discrimination by-laws within the organization* that are general in nature, and that do not mention Israel per se, but rather oppose discrimination on the basis of race, religion, nationality etc.

This would put the onus on the boycotters to prove they are NOT discriminating, instead of pro-Israel forces having to prove Israel�s innocence. He also suggests offering a positive alternative to the boycott, such as engaging Israelis and Palestinians through the particular professional framework of the organization. Israeli organizations should take the lead in seeking international partners and preparing the groundwork for these general denunciations of boycott resolutions. All too often we wait until the crisis is upon us, rather than laying the foundation before trouble erupts. And considering that the specter of boycott already has arisen in various academic contexts, it is particularly important to re-establish and fund an organization of Israeli academics to work with the Israeli Academy of Science against the boycott, where Bob Lapidot has been the contact person.
**

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10. Zero in on a moment to raise awareness of the BDS threat and start
delegitimizing the delegitimizers

Beyond Israel (and the communities of Israelis abroad), even many ardently
pro-Israel activists do not quite know what to do with Yom Hazikaron,
Israeli Memorial Day. Perhaps this year is the time for a mass, international, cross-community teach-in about BDS on Yom Hazikaron, remembering the fallen soldiers and victims of terror by learning that words can kill (or heal), that demonization has facilitated violence and undermines peace. An added bonus is that after this sobering, somewhat defensive day of learning, one can simply celebrate Israel�s birthday, with Yom Ha�atzmaut immediately afterwards.

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*11. Meet �lawfare� with �lawfare.�*

Professor Irwin Cotler has termed the variety of ways in which BDSers have hijacked international human rights laws to hound Israelis as �lawfare.� Many of the French delegates explained that there had been some success in applying the new French penal code outlawing discrimination based on religious or ethnic characteristics against BDSers � who sometimes have very violently ruined Israeli fruit in supermarkets. We should explore this more fully, being sensitive to the different legal traditions in the particular countries involved.

12. Let�s Push More Broadly for a Citizenship 2.0 Campaign

One way of not just wallowing or being defensive, but to take the offensive,is to push a broader, Citizenship 2.0 campaign, deputizing the next generation to fight hate on the Web in general, and anti-Israel material in particular. Part of fighting anti-Semitism should entail enlisting educators, parents and community leaders to envision Citizenship 2.0, teaching students to avoid polluting on line-discourse themselves, to combat on-line hate, to assess on-line information critically, and to use the net's
grassroots power to defend democratic values against the haters. The Internet works democratically, let�s mobilize and deputize young people in Israel, and the world over to fight hate wherever they see it (and, of course, never indulge in it). For parents, instead of grumbling about their kids being on �the computer� all the time, perhaps they could start boasting about their kids as modern Judah (and Judith) Maccabees, striding across the blogosphere, defending the Jewish people, fighting the BDS-ers and standing for truth, justice, civility and democracy./blockquote>[image: Edit Section]

GOING ON OFFENSE

The time has come to explore ways to put the boycotters on the defensive and to initiate our own campaigns to highlight issues of concern. For example:

1. Seek to have boycotters expelled from international organizations. One condition of Saudi Arabia�s admission to the WTO was that it cease its boycott of Israel. It promised to do so and then, after admission, declared it would not end the boycott. Organizations such as WTO should be pressured
to adhere to its rules and other groups (e.g., sports federations) should be lobbied to adopt anti-boycott provisions.

2. Lobby academic journals to adopt policies barring submissions from anyone who advocates an academic boycott. Journals are supposed to promote academic freedom and intellectual exchange and should not collaborate in efforts to stifle such exchanges. If academic boycotters cannot get published, they will perish.

3. Circulate information on Muslims acting contrary to Islam. If the people of countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia knew their �pious� leaders were really alcoholics, gamblers and perverts, they might hasten regime change.

4. Create a �Student Rights Watch� organization that would seek to counterbalance certain NGOs that have become Israel-bashing specialists. SRW could go in at least two different directions � one would be to make a human rights organization that monitored activities around the world with the emphasis on non-democratic states (as HRW once did) � another approach would be to have the students focus on rights as students on college campuses with an emphasis on how Israel and Jews are treated, but also monitor other
abuses inside and outside the classroom.

5. Launch a Saudi apartheid campaign. It is galling that Israel is tarred with comparisons to South Africa when there is a country that really does merit this comparison. Progressive and women�s groups should be natural allies in such a campaign, which might have a goal of adopting Sullivan-like principles for Western companies doing business in the kingdom.

6. �Buy Israel� campaign. This is already being done is some areas, but it might be adopted as an international program.

7. Buy Israel Bonds. It has been done quietly, but a more aggressive effort might be made to sell Israel Bonds to corporations and other entities (there is a danger to raising attention to it as it might create a new target for BDS). It may be a tougher sell given current interest rates at the moment, but one of the best responses to BDS is multimillion dollar bonds purchases made by banks, unions, pension plans, and others.

8. Outreach to mainline Christians. We have spent too little time on
educating non-Jews and reacting only at the last minute when some of their leaders try to adopt BDS proposals at their national conventions. These churches bring in a parade of anti-Israel speakers who are rarely countered. Rather than focus so much attention preaching to the choir, greater efforts should be made to speak directly to non-evangelical Christians. The MFA could be especially helpful in this area.

9. Outreach to key minorities. In the United States, Hispanics will become an increasingly influential factor in American politics and, therefore, the U.S.-Israel relationship. Too little effort has been given to educating this community about Israel.

10. Developing Israel Studies as an academic discipline. Most universities have few if any courses about modern Israel and many of those that are taught are usually taught badly. A variety of steps can be taken to enhance the field across the globe. In the U.S., for example, the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE), has brought 65 visiting Israeli scholars to teach for an academic year at more than 40 universities over the last 5 years. AICE also supports graduate students pursuing Ph.D.s in Israel-related fields and postdoctoral fellows. Chairs and centers of Israel studies are being created in the U.S. and, more recently, the U.K. Providing the next generation with a good education about Israel is vital for the future as well as critical to countering present campus-based efforts to delegitimize Israel.11. Try to make inroads at the UN and its associated agencies by targeting small nations. Many of these countries do not give a lot of thought to the Middle East and go with the herd. In fact, we know the UN reps sometimes act with little or no instruction from their governments. It may not be possible to overcome the Arab/Islamic bloc and its allies, but it may be possible to chip away at its majorities so votes are not one-sided and resolutions so biased (a small effort along these lines is underway in
the U.S.).

12. A priority should be placed on defunding anti-Israel UN agencies, such as the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Efforts should be made to focus the UN on a positive agenda of economicdevelopment, health and environmental protection and lobby that funds be directed away from attacking a UN member and toward the mutual interests of all members.

These are just a few ideas that we hope will serve as the basis for discussion and stimulate additional suggestions for proactive measures to improve Israel�s image, delegitimize the detractors and energize everyone committed to fighting anti-Semitism.

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AGENDA FOR THE WORKING GROUP MEETING

These were some of the questions we addressed � although it was difficult to
cover them all, let alone answer them adequately in two short sessions. Still, we include them as food for thought for future conferences.

I. Should this �working group� evolve into an ongoing task force � if so,
what is its mandate, what are its goals, who will participate, what can it
hope to achieve?

II. Have we effectively explained why BDS crosses the line from legitimate
criticism to historically-laden, anti-Semitic messaging (failing both the
3-D, Demonization, Double Standards, and Delegitimization, and 2-E,
Essentialism and Exceptionalism, tests?)

III. If there is to be a �war room� � who should run it? where should it be?
who should participate? who will pay for it? what are its goals?

IV. How can we best harness the comparative strengths of different
institutions/communities in order to achieve the most effective response?
Where specifically do the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Global Forum
fit in?

V. In strategizing regarding the BDS movement, how do we keep the messaging
positive � while motivating normally apathetic students, etc?

VI. Who can make the case to Israelis that some of the discourse in Israel
is harmful � and how can it be done in an effective manner?

VII. If the idea of a broader anti-BDS/pro-Israel movement makes sense - who
will run with it, how do we make that happen? Can we work in some
cooperative fashion or will multiple organizations insist on doing it their
way with little or no coordination?

VIII. What other ideas do we have for "Going on Offense": and which ones do
we wish to make priorities?

HOLOCAUST~OFF THE BOOKS

August 30th I wrote this:

Holocaust Indoctrination Coming to Gaza
If the Nakba is a lie to Israel, then the Holocaust is a lie to Palestinians.

Let Israel teach the Nakba to Israeli children in Israel. Then come and talk to Palestinians about teaching them the holocaust.

If the Zionists cannot accept the reality of the Nakba, then Palestine has the right to refuse acceptance of the holocaust.

Anyone who thinks that’s a harsh statement does not understand the reality of the oppressed. Because this actually amounted to “glorifying” to the children of Gaza those who are currently oppressing, occupying and killing you. The equivalent would be for the British to teach to Irish children, in Irish schools, on Irish soil, in the years 1845 to 1848 their version of the Irish Famine whilst we were under occupation, loosing our land, our homes and starving to death on a daily basis. Utter insanity. Now, once everyone is on a level playing field, with freedom and equality for all, including a Palestinian state, under Palestinian rule, without intervention or control by Israel. THEN we can have some type of discussion regarding learning about BOTH sides, IF both sides agree. That's called "equality" Only Free People Can Negotiate. Meaning Israel recognises the Nakba and teaches it in Israeli Schools and the Palestinians can do the same regarding the holocaust. Until then………………..no deal!

So I am happy to report today that the Holocaust is officially OFF the books for Palestinian children in Palestine:

Holocaust kept out of Gaza school curriculum

Schools run by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip were considering including the Holocaust as part of the curriculum this year — but the idea was put on hold when some Palestinians protested the idea. The schools in question are run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which also provides aid for Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East. link

Must Read~Israeli Comedy

This is way too funny:

It's a dog's life for Israel's pet politicians

"What else but ‘obedient’ can you call a politician who puts Israel’s interests ahead of his own citizens’ constitutional rights?"

-- Alan Baker

(Judith, a university student in her early-20s picks up the TV remote and sits down on her living room sofa. The TV comes on, and she calls to her mother.) “Hey mom, what channel is that reality show of yours on?”

MOTHER: “87.”

JUDITH: “It’s not here. There’s some kind of political talk show.”

MOTHER (comes in from the kitchen) Oh, I forgot! Damned cable company shuffled the channels again. Try channel…Hey, isn’t that Brian Cohen? Oooh, I like him! He made mincemeat of that idiot Stephen Harper on Face of the Nation. Looks like he’s got a new show. (She sits down next to Judith) Turn it up! Turn it up!”

BRIAN COHEN: “… and welcome again to Pet Politicians, the show where we talk to politicians and the animals they love. Today, I’m pleased to welcome to the show Alan Baker, Israel’s ambassador to Canada. Welcome, Alan.”

ALAN BAKER: “Good to be here, Brian.”

COHEN: “And I see you brought two friends along.” (The two men are sitting in club chairs across from each other in a den-like room. Two dogs are sitting in front of Alan Baker and jumping up for attention.) “Who’s this” (pointing to the shar-pei).

BAKER: “This is Harper. I’ve had her for about four years now.”

COHEN: “Harper? Did you name her after Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird?”

BAKER: “Nope—the prime minister. Despite the difference in sex, it seemed like the logical thing to do.” The four-legged one here (Baker starts petting Harper enthusiastically) doesn’t bark and is easy to please.”

COHEN: “Er, how do those factors relate to the two-legged Harper?”

BAKER: “The prime minister can absolutely be relied on not to make Israel look bad. No matter what news might get reported by anti-Israeli news hounds or other governments, Stephen doesn’t say anything. He’s absolutely loyal. It’s almost as if he doesn’t know any bad news is going on. (To Harper) Just like you, huh girl? Who doesn’t make a fuss, eh? Who’s a good dog! (Harper jumps up and licks Baker’s face repeatedly.)

COHEN: “That’s not very complimentary of the prime minister, though, is it?”

BAKER: “Sure it is! Canada doesn’t need to hear the story of how Israelis are killing Palestinians for their organs to sell on the black market. Just because some anti-Semitic Swedish newspaper chose to print this ‘blood libel’ doesn’t mean Harper has to give it credibility by talking about it. Also, when Israel threw two Arab families out of their homes in East Jerusalem where they had lived for 56 years, many in the world turned on Israel. Not Stephen! Not a peep.”

COHEN: “But these stories are true. Israel has been killing Palestinians for their organs, at least since 1992, and Israel has no right to any part of East Jerusalem. That’s Palestinian land under international law and…

BAKER: “True? False? International law? What’s the difference! If news makes Israel look bad it’s anti-Semitic!” (Baker is starting to get a little testy.)

COHEN: (changes tack fast) “So-o-o, Harper the shar-pei…she looks pretty healthy.”

BAKER: (calmed down) “Yes, we take good care of her. I stroke her regularly, give her treats when she's been especially good, and feed her a special food, the same one she had when she was a pup.”

COHEN: “Did you get her from a breeder?”

BAKER: “Yes, we went to B’nai Brith Kennels. They have an excellent record in breeding and developing dogs in Ottawa. All their animals are fed Hasbara, a food specially formulated to make them look good and feel good. B’nai Brith also spays and neuters all its animals and conducts rigorous obedience training.”

COHEN: “So she listens to you?”

BAKER: “Does she ever! She rolls over and plays dead on command, always keeps two steps behind me….”

COHEN: “I assume this trait is also analogous to the PM.”

BAKER: “Of course. What else but ‘obedient’ can you call a politician who puts Israel’s interests ahead of his own citizens’ constitutional rights? For example, Abousfian Abdelrazik, tortured in his native Sudan, was kept in the Canadian embassy for a year before being allowed to return home to Canada.

“Suaad Hagi Mohamud, a Toronto woman, was stopped at Nairobi’s airport because an official (chuckle!) didn’t think her lips matched her passport photo. Rather than help her, Harper upheld our policy of Muslim profiling and forced her to endure an 11-week ordeal and a DNA test to prove her identity.“Of course, Harper’s refusal to do anything to bring child soldier Omar Khadr home from Guantánamo is legendary.” (The other dog, a chihuahua, has been yipping throughout the interview and now Baker finally picks her up.) “Yes, Kenney, I see you, there! I haven't forgotten you!”

COHEN: “Kenney?! Do I have to ask?”

BAKER: “Probably not, but you might as well.”

COHEN: “Is she named after immigration minister Jason Kenney?”

BAKER: “Not exactly, She's named for the Jason Kennels, where we got her. It’s the small-dog subsidiary of B’nai Brith Kennels. Still, there are similarities with the minister.”

COHEN: “Such as?”

BAKER: “She’s very touchy and goes into barking hysterics at the least provocation. Quite the opposite of Harper, actually.”

COHEN: “How does that make her like Jason Kenney?”

BAKER: “Earlier this year, during Israel’s operation in Gaza, Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation, called Kenney a ‘professional whore who supports war.’ Kenney went barking mad! He went and cut off all federal funding to CAF. That was clearly an uncalled-for overreaction, but it's understandable. It just kills Kenney to hear anyone condemn Israel’s right to defend its homeland.”

COHEN: “But the concept of a ‘Jewish people’ was debunked by no less than an Israeli scholar Professor Shlomo Sand, so the idea of a Jewish ‘homeland‘ is logically fallacious.” (Kenney starts to growl and bark.)

BAKER: “See what happens when you upset Kenney?”

COHEN: “Indeed. Well that’s all the time we have. Thank you, Alan Baker, for being our guest. (They reach across and shake hands.) And thank you for bringing Harper and Kenney. It just proves that there’s no bitch like a political bitch. See you next time on Pet Politicians.”

MOTHER: (presses the mute button) “Whoa! You don’t see that kind of honesty on regular TV. Now that’s reality! What channel is this?”

JUDITH: “WTFN.”

MOTHER: “Better make a note of it

source

American Jews~"Target Aquired"

Months ago I did a post about how Israel is starting to panic about American Jews becoming more American than Zionist. They cite several reasons, one of which is marrying “non-Jews” or in other words interfaith marriages to us lower life "goyim", which they condemn, but sadly American Jews don’t seem to be listening anymore. So, in March 2008 Shalom TV did a show about interfaith marriages being the death of Judaism in America. So just like the busy little “hasbara” spreaders they are, the Zionists got busy on a plan to indoctrinate tiny children using, you guessed it, Sesame Street’s “Grover” who evidently has now converted to Zionism, or been bribed by AIPAC, take your pick. First the TV show on Shalom TV, followed by the Sesame Street Indoctrination info:

March 24, 2008 (Fort Lee, NJ) -- In a dramatic television roundtable on the future of American Jewry. A leading expert in American Jewish demography, Dr. Cohen decries as "horrible" the low percentage of Jews who descend from intermarriages, pointing out that only "thirteen percent of grandchildren of intermarried Jews are, by any stretch of the imagination, Jewish. Eighty-seven percent are not Jewish. That bothers me! It really is awful."(racist asshat!)

Moderated by Shalom TV's Mark S. Golub, the television panel also includes syndicated columnist and USA Radio Network Host Michah Halpern, and Betty Ehrenberg, advisor to the president of the World Jewish Congress.-snip- Ms. Ehrenberg expresses deep concern about the lower figures coupled with a "thinning out" of Jewish identity. (never mind Grover to the rescue!)

"If we will have fewer Jews, no matter how you estimate the exact number, we will have fewer people who vote, we will have a weaker political voice," she says, mindful of the community's influence on national and world affairs. "If you combine weaker numbers with weaker identification and weaker Jewish understanding, then you have a recipe for disaster .(translation=Zionist won't control America anymore!)

"It's less a question of 'Are we six million or 4.2 million or somewhere in between?'" adds Dr. Bayme. "What really is happening is that America is changing radically in terms of its population patterns. In that sense, the grounds of concern are quite real. "-snip- "If we're not realistic enough about saying it's a problem, we'll get nowhere with it. "The current generation of Jewish leadership needs to be challenged in terms of where it is going to place its emphasis. If it conducts business as usual--and I tend to think it will--then I am very agonized and very worried." Link

And now they believe the answer is to have "Grover" get em whilst they’re young, see here:

New ‘Shalom Sesame’ using Grover to bridge Israel-Disapora gap. Grover has been getting to know Israel.

The furry, blue “Sesame Street” character has visited the Dead Sea, Caesarea, the Western Wall and even Jerusalem’s shouk to sample the produce. Grover has been exploring the Jewish state as part of a Sesame Workshop production called “Shalom Sesame.”

The 12-part series is geared toward North American Jewish children and their families to forge a sense of Jewish identity by providing a taste of Israel, Jewish traditions and culture. It will include celebrity appearances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Debra Messing and possibly Ben Stiller.link

One word, "Revolting"

CNN & Canadian PM Join Zionist Group To Restrict Free Speech

What do CNN and the Canadian Government have in common? Plenty folks! It appears they are both supportive of Zionists and Anti-Free Speech. Well, we already knew that about Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper when he assisted in banning George Galloway from entering Canada to exercise his right to Free Speech. But, what we did not know until now, is that CNN joined the call for Free Speech Restrictions. Wowzer, so much for an Un-Biased press...Maybe it's time to ask CNN why it is engaging in one sided politics.

Canadian pro-Israel students, in the wake of the Iranian "Twitter Revolution," were using the social networking Web site to "expose the lies at the anti-Israel 'academic' conference taking place at York University" in Toronto.

Exposing York, started by Hasbara at York, (AKA World Union of Jewish Students) has developed a following of over 700 users since Monday, when the conference opened. Followers include senior Canadian government officials, major international news agencies, and three Israeli embassies in North America.

A follower under the name "PM Harper" presents himself to be Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but this cannot be confirmed. Other followers include Al Jazeera English and CNN's Anderson Cooper. source

ISRAEL SAYS~"FORGET GAZA, HAVE A POPSICLE"

New York, Vienna and Copenhagen, you are being targeted by the Zionist "hasbara" machine.

At some point, the Zionist hasbara Think Tank Machine must have met and said “Gee whiz, the world is starting to hate on us cos we murder Palestinian men, women and children, and steal their land, and live in an Apartheid rogue state with nukes." So we really gotta DO something about this mess we created. Quick, we gotta divert attention from the genocide we did in Gaza, all those pesky dead Palestinian children does nothing for our "image"

Then someone with a room temperature IQ spoke up and said “I’ve Got the Answer!!”

LET’S BUILD ISRAELI BEACHES ACROSS THE WORLD

Yup, that’s that plan Stan. So, the little Hasbara Zionists got busy like worker bees and began their great Hasbara task of building “Israeli” beaches across the world. And no, I’m not making this up at all unfortunately.

The “Beach” is complete in Vienna, I wrote about it here in April 2009.

Ah, but now it’s New York’s turn, yup, the Big Apple is getting a Zionist Beach built at..... wait for it………….CENTRAL PARK on June 21st 2009.

New Yorkers to stroll on Tel Aviv beach - in Central Park

New Yorkers strolling through Central Park later this month will be surprised to find the iconic park pulsating to an Israeli beat.

Would that be the "beat" of DIME Missiles and White Phosphorous? Nah, they only murder Palestinians, not Americans who give them billions in taxpayer's money.

On June 21st, truckloads of sand from Tel Aviv will be poured across sections of the park, bringing the Tel-Aviv beach to Manhattan.

During the day-long project, called "Tel Aviv Beach", "bathers" will be given Popsicles and the ping-pang of racquetball will echo through the park

Here, have a free Popsicle and forget we murdered over 400 children using your weapons you gave us. Just have a great day:):):):):)

Bathers will be able to sample Israeli street food, sold from a number of food stalls set up on the transplanted sands.

Food is not free, they want more of your money, the Billions that US taxpayers send is not enough to fund their next genocide. So shut up, eat your friggin Popsicle, play racquetball and give us all your money!

They will also get an earful of Israeli reggae band "Hatikva 6" and Israeli D.J. Hadar Marcus The project is being held in part to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv's founding. It is being organized by the Israeli Consulate in New York, in conjunction with the City of Tel Aviv.

The "Tel Aviv Beach" project was held earlier this month Vienna, where "bathers" were met by protesters who set up a "Gaza beach" demonstration protesting the event.

C'mon New York, show the world how it's done. Boycott the Racist Beach in your neighbourhood. Put a call out to all the New York dog walkers to bring them all to the giant "Doggie Bathroom Beach" Make sure you leave lots of little "Doggie Packages" behind for them to take back to Israel.

An additional "Tel Aviv Beach" in Copenhagen will be bring the sunny shores of the first Hebrew city to Scandinavia in July, where, ostensibly, sunscreen may be less of a concern.

According to organizers of the event, the laid-back, care-free atmosphere of Central Park is just like a Saturday afternoon in Tel-Aviv, all that's missing is the sand.

Contrast the relaxed image of sand, sea, music and Popsicles Israel lays out above, with the stark reality of what they want you to forget:


Palestine has a beach with sand as well, it's all they have left since Israel destroyed everything else.

America's Zionist-Israeli Lobby Victim Speaks Out

William Robinson, a professor with tenure at the University of California Santa Barbara recently had a huge "run in" with the "Zionist Censorship controllers of America" You see, he dared to use the dreaded "H" word that obviously belongs to only Jews. Never mind that many other people have had their own "holocaust" Jaysus, in Ireland our population was halved three times, so we have a right to that word as well. As do the Palestinians. Because Robinson is 100% right in his assessment. Because Israel has now become the very monster that persecuted Jews, and that is why some people find their actions quite stunning. You'd think Israel would be a compassionate nation, having faced racism, discrimination and a huge military might with no way to fight back except "resistance" Sound Familiar? It should! Israel has become the "Nazis" and the Palestinians are the "new Jews"

An outspoken critic of Israeli crimes against Palestinians, William Robinson, hits out at efforts aimed at silencing debate on the "Gaza massacre".

Robinson, who is a tenured professor of sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, ran the gauntlet after he likened the three-week Israeli war on Gaza to the Holocaust in an email to 80 of his students.

The email, which featured juxtaposed photos of concentration camp inmates and of Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip, gave rise to a raging torrent of criticism from American Jewish circles, many of whom accused Robinson of being an "Israel-bashing anti-Semitic".

Robinson, who is slated to be prosecuted for his remarks, hit back at the criticism in an exclusive Press TV interview, saying it would be "absolutely absurd" to equate criticism of Israel with "anti-Semitism".

"This is an obnoxious charge and the Israeli state and its supporters, including the Israeli lobby in the United States has been doing this for quite sometime, saying any criticism of Israel state policy is anti-Semitic, and this is an intentional tactic done to squash any open debate on Israeli policies," said the 50-year-old Jewish professor.

In a recent interview with Counterpunch, Robinson said Abraham Foxman, the national director of a Zionist lobby group, the Anti-Defamation League, is spearheading efforts to have him prosecuted for alleged unprofessional conduct.

Several groups -- including the California scholars for academic freedom and most recently the Middle East study association of North America -- have come to Robinson's defense and have described the prosecution as "a clear attempt to silence the criticism against Israel".

Universities in the United States and Europe, under increased pressure from Jewish circles, have stepped up efforts to prevent high-profile critics of Israel from appearing at universities in recent months.

Norman Finkelstein's sharp criticism of the Zionist occupation of Palestinian lands has left him without tenure in the DePaul University in Chicago despite his exemplary academic record.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was scheduled to deliver a speech and participate in a question and answer session at the Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland, but the event was cancelled following pressure from the Israeli lobby.

Tel Aviv's latest military incursion into Gaza killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians. The attack inflicted over $1.6 billion in damages on the Gazan economy.

The United States, which claims to be a supporter of human rights but is plagued by the overwhelming grip of the Zionist lobby on politics, has failed to even condemn the aggression. link

CALLING ALL EUROPEANS WHO SUPPORT PALESTINE

After Israel murdering all those hundreds of innocent women and children in Gaza, after continuing its siege on Palestine, Israel is attempting to Re-habilitate it's world image, Don't help them!


The Eurovision Song Contest is this Saturday. Israel has a trick up its sleeve; they are going to attempt to fool you. And true to form Israel is trying to make themselves look like an “all inclusive” Democracy and caring state.Israel has chosen a duo act of two women, one Arab Israeli and one Israeli Jew singing a song about "working it out" for “hasbara” purposes, in an attempt to fool the world.

Let me give you a little background on the two women who make up this “peaceful” duo that will perform and represent the state of Israel at Eurovision this Saturday. The act is comprised of “ Noa AKA Ahinoam Nini and the other woman is Mira Awad” where Noa AKA Ahinoam Nini is an Israeli Jew, the other part of the “act” (and it IS an act!!!) is Mira Awad , an Israeli-Arab singer currently living in Tel Aviv. Mira Awad, born in 1975 to Palestinian Father-Anwar, and Bulgarian mother-Snejanka, in an Arab village in the north of Israel.

And just what is the name of the song they are singing you might ask? Well, it’s called “Work it Out” imagine that!! This song they are singing is about “Peace” which I find absolutely revolting to be brutally honest. This given Israel’s genocide in Gaza. But, it gets even worse. Keep reading:

Here are the events regarding this FAKE and PHONEY “duo” that will explain why it is SO important for people who support Palestine to ensure Israel’s Eurovision score is “Nil Points” this year. You see Noa AKA Ahinoam Nini the Israeli Jew fancies herself to be a peace activist for Palestine. She professes to love the Palestinian people, she professes to want to see them prosper, she professes to care deeply about them. However, this caring came to a screeching halt when immediately after the Gaza onslaught and genocide, when many groups worldwide were performing concerts to raise money for Humanitarian Aid for innocent civilians, let us see just how true to her core values of helping innocent Palestinians she was, how true to this cause she was, how important this cause meant to her.

From haaretz: Israel Eurovision singers skip benefit concert for Gaza civilians, citing political tug-of-war

The dispute continues between a group of Arab and Jewish intellectuals and Israel's Eurovision contenders, Ahinoam Nini and Mira Awad. The two singers were due to perform last Friday at a benefit in Tel Aviv to raise money for Gazan civilian victims of Operation Cast Lead, but cancelled their participation at the last minute - just a day before the event. Their decision came after a series of letters published in the media criticized the singers against the backdrop of the fighting in Gaza, and called on the event's organizers to bar them from performing at the concert

Actor Yosef Swaid read a letter from Nini and Awad to the audience, explaining why they had decided not to participate.

The whole affair started with an open letter to the residents of Gaza, published by Nini on her blog, in which she expressed her support for the fighting in the Gaza Strip and called on the Palestinians to root out Hamas from their midst and help Israel to rid itself of the "this cancer, this virus, called Hamas." When the selection of the two women to represent Israel at Eurovision was announced, actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, filmmaker Nizar Hassan and publisher Yael Lerer published an open letter addressed to Awad, asking her "not to serve as a fig leaf in the Israeli public relations campaign." The letter's authors likewise called on Awad not to give the world an impression of co-existence in Israel.

"Every brick in the wall of this phoney image allows the Israeli army to throw 10 more tons of explosives and more phosphorus bombs. We are sure that you also see these images and cry," continues the letter.

"Today, after her wish has been fulfilled, and the Israeli army 'GOT RID' of over 1300 Palestinians, over 400 of them children, over 100 of them women, Ahinoam Nini wants to share the stage at a charity performance for the children of Gaza?"" stated the letter.

"Your hypocrisy knows no bounds. You supported those who made those children orphans, and now you want to play Mother Theresa and help them? How cynical can you be?

"Not only did you not protest, you supported the war. Maybe you can increase your popularity and try to wash your bloody hands by making headlines on the backs of these children, but you will not be able to clear your dirty conscience," continued the letter.

Ok, so what happened next in this gigantic Israeli “Fake Out” more below:

Israeli Arab singer urged to step down from Eurovision, so as not to present 'false image' of coexistence

Several local artists and intellectuals are calling on the Israeli Arab singer and actress chosen to represent Israel at the Eurovision song contest to step down, saying her participation in the "Israeli propaganda machine" would convey a false impression of national coexistence used to cover up the deaths of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"Israel would not be able to continue with its war crimes without the support of the international community, especially the United States and the European Union," the signatories, both Jewish and Arab, wrote in an open letter to Awad.

"What allows the international community to provide support is Israel's image as a 'democratic,' 'enlightened,' 'peace-seeking' country. Your participation in Eurovision is taking part in the activity of the Israeli propaganda machine," they added.

Every contribution to the "false image" Israel is building "allows the Israeli army to use another 10 tons of explosives, another phosphorous bomb," the letter says.

Actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, one of the people who initiated the open letter, said Awad's participation in Eurovision would be a "fig leaf" for Israel's actions
Haaretz

So then, let’s see what Richard Silverstein at Tikun Olam had to say about all this back then:

Jan 27th, 2009 by Richard Silverstein
I don’t know what demon possessed Ahinoam Nini’s brain when she wrote a long passionate letter to Palestinians during the Gaza war in which she railed against Hamas and called, in the most vehement terms, for the IDF to uproot it.

While sunk in a funk during the Gaza invasion, she decided to pen her plaint for peace and to tell the world what was wrong with Hamas and its Palestinian supporters. While there is much in her blog entry that is laudable and true, the entire balance is skewed heavily against Hamas and shows such a fundamental misunderstanding about what really happened in Gaza and why that I’m left dumbfounded that she could’ve gotten things so utterly wrong:

The level of sheer condescension and cultural superiority represented by this statement is mind-boggling. It shows that even those who speak out of heart-felt passion and concern can sometimes make fools of themselves. Passion must be informed by judgment and analysis. This Noa lacks. She blames Hamas for all the evils of Palestinian society. She claims she is critical of her own government and society, but whispers not a word about WHY there is poverty, suffering and misery in Gaza. What about the siege? Does she think that Hamas prefers Gaza to not have food, water, power, medicine or commerce? Where is the moral intelligence that we so often hear in her music? How did her judgment entirely desert her?

But how can Noa deign to tell the Palestinians what they are thinking in their hearts about Hamas? Is this the ultimate chutzpah or what?

Noa and Awad were scheduled to perform together at a Tel Aviv concert to benefit Gaza civilians but Israeli Arab and Jewish intellectuals excoriated Noa for her diatribe and she withdrew from the concert (here is Israeli director, Udi Aloni’s eloquent rejoinder). And rightly so. What right does she have to attempt to ease the suffering of those civilians through the concert, when she defended the very military operation by her own army which caused it?

There is some kind of moral disconnect that happens with Israeli liberals. They feel opposing their own government’s policies places them on such a high moral plane that they can start telling Palestinians how they should live their lives. It’s offensive and distasteful.

And for those interested, here are parts of her “letter to Palestinians”

Now I see the ugly head of fanaticism, I see it large and horrid, I see its black eyes and spine-chilling smile, I see blood on its hands and I know one of its many names: Hamas.

You know this too, my brothers. You know this ugly monster. You know it is raping your women and raping the minds of your children. You know it is educating to hatred and death. You know it is chauvinistic and violent, greedy and selfish, it feeds on your blood and screams out Allah’s name on vain, it hides like a thief, uses the innocent as human shields, uses your mosques as arsenals, lies and cheats, uses YOU, tortures you, holds you hostage!!

I know this is true my brothers!! I know YOU know the truth!! And I know you cannot say it for fear of life so I will say it for you!! I fear nothing!! I am privileged to live in a democracy where women are not objects but presidents, where a singer can say and do as she pleases! I know you do not have this privilege (yet…but you will, inshallah, you will…)

THE UTTER ARROGANCE OF THIS WOMAN WRITE SUCH A LETTER TO PALESTINIANS KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES!!! HER COUNTRY IS MURDERING THESE PEOPLE AND SHE SUPPORTS THE WAR!!!!!!! Letter continues below:

I know you are SICK of being held hostage by this demon, this ugly beast, not in Gaza, not in Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan, not anywhere!!! You are a people destined to flourish in peace! Your majestic history is overflowing with creativity, literature science and music, endless contributions to humanity, not crippling, torturing fanaticism, yelling Jihad and Shahid!

I see you sometimes, out in the streets, demonstrating with the monsters, yelling ‘death to the Jews, death to Israel!! But I don’t believe you! I know where your heart is! It is just where mine is, with my children, with the earth, with the heavens, with music, with HOPE!! You want nothing of this but you have no choice! I see through your veil of fear my brothers, through your burka! I embrace your hopes for they are mine!

But, now, today, I know that deep in your hearts YOU WISH for the demise of this beast called Hamas who has terrorized and murdered you, who has turned Gaza into a trash heap of poverty, disease and misery. Who in the name of “allah” has sacrificed you on the bloody alter of pride and greed.

My brothers, I cry for you. I cry for us too, yes, I cry for my fellow countrymen suffering the bombs in the south and north and everywhere, I cry for the kidnapped soldiers and the murdered ones, for their bereft families, for the innocence lost forever, but I cry especially painfully for you for I know your suffering, I feel you, I feel you!!

Awe, how nice, she "feels their pain" this woman is sick! Letter continues unfortunately, get ready for the whopper and mother of all insults:

I can only wish for you that Israel will do the job we all know needs to be done, and finally RID YOU of this cancer, this virus, this monster called fanaticism, today, called Hamas. And then… then, maybe, Inshallah, we will again have an opportunity... we will again pick up our broken bodies and souls and walk slowly towards each other, reach out a tired hand, look into eyes filled with tears and with a choked voice say: “Shalom. Salam. Enough. Enough my brother…

you want some coffee? Here, sit for a while…let's talk….we know the words, we know the songs, we know the road….
END OF LETTER

This woman cares for Palestinians like someone cares for a pet dog!!!!! She does not see them as capable human beings, able to think and choose on their own. To her they are "pets" This insane woman somehow believes that she, who FULLY and OPENLY supported the genocide in Gaza, somehow has the right to “tell” Palestinians what they should think and do, simply because she “believes” herself to be working for “peace” but of course this is only “her” version” of peace, which I might add, is exactly the same as the IDF and Israeli Governments version of “peace” hence this is why these two were picked to represent Israel in Eurovision this year!

So, are you feeling a little sick in your mouth right now? The sheer and utter “nerve” that this woman, this Israeli woman actually thinks she has the right to speak to Palestinians this way is beyond comprehension, when her OWN government just murdered thousands of them, whilst she sings about peace and writes letters to Palestinians that insult their intelligence?

Seriously people, Israel’s “act” this year is nothing more than Israeli Propaganda using the Eurovision Song Contest, Israel is hoping to have a victory in propaganda. Don’t give it to them. Israel can pressure and control UN investigations into war crimes, the US government, murder Arabs, steal land, control Gaza and threaten Iran, BUT what they CANNOT CONTROL is who you vote for!! Even if you never watch the Eurovision Song Contest, please do so this year and more importantly VOTE against Israel!! You can do this by voting for ANY OTHER COUNTRY EXCEPT ISRAEL. Let’s give Israel “Nil Points” for its disgusting Propaganda.

here are the lyrics to the propaganda, I mean "song"

English Translation
There Must Be Another Way
There must be another
Must be another way
Your eyes, sister
Say all that my heart desires
So far, we’ve gone
A long way, a very difficult way, hand in hand
And the tears fall, pour in vain
A pain with no name
We wait
Only for the next day to come
There must be another way
There must be another way
Your eyes say
A day will come and all fear will disappear
In your eyes a determination
That there is a possibility
To carry on the way
As long as it may take
For there is no single address for sorrow
I call out to the plains
To the stubborn heavens
There must be another way
There must be another way
There must be another
Must be another way
We will go a long way
A very difficult way
Together to the light
Your eyes say
All fear will disappear
And when I cry, I cry for both of us
My pain has no name
And when I cry, I cry
To the merciless sky and say
There must be another way
And the tears fall, pour in vain
A pain with no name
We wait
Only for the day to come
There must be another way
There must be another way
There must be another
Must be another way

PASS THIS INFORMATION AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
VOTE FOR ANY COUNTRY BUT ISRAEL
REMEMBER THE DEAD CHILDREN, ALL 400 OF THEM
NIL POINTS FOR ISRAEL