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BDS Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 15, 2014 12 Comments
This week we have seen a rise in open anti-Semitism throughout the world as protests against Israel spread in reaction to the Gaza conflict. It is expected in places like Pakistan and some Arab countries, where hatred and demonization of Jews always is in the open. But what is remarkable is that it is in the open in Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States.  And the heart of the hate is a coalition of leftists and Islamists -- a coalition we have written about for years regarding places such as Malmö, Sweden, and British universities. Anti-Israeli protesters carrying Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) banners and messages attacked a Synagogue in Paris while it was packed with worshipppers. In Boston, an anti-Israel protester not only attacked a pro-Israel student, she shouted that there would be no place for Jews once Israel was defeated -- only for Christian and Muslims: "We'll claim back Jerusalem, Christians and Muslims." The protest was organized by leftist and anti-Israel "Jewish Voice for Peace" -- which is anything but. Throughout the U.S. comparisons of Israelis to Nazis were predominant at demonstrations, including anti-Semitic smears. In Frankfurt, Islamist and leftists were joined by neo-Nazis, as reported by The Jerusalem Post:
A demonstration in Frankfurt against Operation Protective Edge erupted into violence, with protesters tossing stones at the police. According to the Frankfurter Rundschau paper, about 2,500 protesters appeared in downtown Frankfurt, screaming “God is great,” and slogans such as “freedom for Palestine” and “children-murderer Israel.” Eight police officers were injured. One sign at the rally was titled, “You Jews are Beasts.” German media reported that after the protests, groups sought to locate Jewish institutions. The Frankfurt police said Jewish institutions would be protected. It is unclear if the goal was to attack said institutions
The JPost did not run the photo, but I believe this is the sign "The Jews are Beasts" to which they were referring (see Featured Image also):

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 13, 2014 10 Comments
On the streets of Paris today, a crowd of anti-Israel protesters surrounded and attacked a Synagogue full of worshippers, throwing rocks and attacking the building, via Times of Israel:
Several thousand demonstrators walked calmly through the streets of Paris behind a large banner that read “Total Support for the Struggle of the Palestinian People”. But clashes erupted at the end of the march on Bastille Square, with people throwing projectiles onto a cordon of police who responded with tear gas. The unrest was continuing early Sunday evening. Media reports said that hundreds of Jews were trapped inside a synagogue in the area and police units were sent to rescue them. A person in the synagogue told Israel’s Channel 2 news that protesters hurled stones and bricks at the building, “like it was an intifada.”

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 12, 2014 9 Comments
Chloé Simone Valdary is an outspoken pro-Israel student who has organized pro-Israel events, made pro-Israel videos and written op-eds critical of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement. We have featured her videos several times, and also written about the vicious, racist attacks on her because of her pro-Israel views: On Friday, July 11, 2014, Chloé attended a pro-Israel counter rally in Boston near the Israeli Consulate. There were about 75 anti-Israel protesters, according to Chloé, and about 12 pro-Israel protesters. [caption id="attachment_91881" align="alignnone" width="500"](Protest Boston, July 11, 2014, Chloé Simone Valdary center) (Protest Boston, July 11, 2014, Chloé Simone Valdary center)[/caption] As this video shows, Chloé was physically assaulted by a woman carrying a pro-BDS poster in what appears to be an unprovoked attack: Here are more images of the woman provided to me by Chloé (photo credit Elan Kawesch):

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 08, 2014 14 Comments
We have featured them before. The screamers, and disrupters, and threateners. They say they want another Intifada -- the bloody Palestinian suicide bombing and murder campaign that killed thousands starting in 2001, causing Israel to build the security barrier. Now they complain about the security barrier, and call it the "Apartheid Wall." Oh boy, do they love to flash the bird. BDS female protester San Francisco July 2014 Coming to a campus near you this fall. Here is the latest, via Truth Revolt:
The footage was captured by Sam Levine, Executive Director of Zionist Organization of America West, who noted that the protestors were simply calling for terrorism:
The protesters chanted, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which calls for the complete destruction of the Jewish State. They also called for another intifada, which means they wish to see massive terrorist attacks perpetrated against innocent Israeli civilians. I have no doubt these lunatics would have assaulted us if it wasn’t for the large police presence and barricades that were eventually placed between us. There is no compromise with people like this.
(language warning, of course) Here are two original Legal Insurrection videos, so you can see some more of these charming youth:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 26, 2014 4 Comments
WAJ intro:  We featured Hen Mazzig previously, Israeli soldier shocked to see ugly side of U.S. campus life.  I have also followed his work helping to defeat anti-Israel BDS resolutions on campus. When I saw an extensive write up of his time in the U.S. at The Mike Report, I asked if we could run it here, and Mike kindly agreed.  Here is the report. -------------------------------------

HEN MAZZIG: I HOPE I MADE A DIFFERENCE

November 21st of 2012, Hen Mazzig was walking down Shaul HaMelech street in the heart of Tel Aviv when an ear splitting explosion ripped through the air. The gut wrenching sound echoed across the apartment and office buildings for several seconds soon to be replaced by sounds of agony, then sirens.  A Dan commuter bus, No. 142,  was  running its usual route when at twelve noon Muhammad Mafarji used his cell phone to detonate an explosive device packed with nails and shrapnel. Hen was a block away. Hen knows the value of peace. At the time Hen’s day job was as a liaison officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), he worked as an intermediary between the IDF and the Palestinian Authority (the PA), the UN, and the many non-governmental organizations. Fluent in Arabic and English in addition to his native Hebrew, Hen was the  ideal man for the job. While always the consummate professional, those with whom he worked praised Hen for his compassion and dedication to conflict resolution. Honorably discharged in June of 2012 Hen was not ready to settle down just yet, so when he was offered a job to serve as a Seattle based Shaliach for the Israel advocacy group StandWithUs, he jumped at the opportunity. This new assignment was an eye opener for a self described left of center Israeli. In just the first few months on the job Hen had been called every name imaginable, had been verbally assaulted, physically threatenedand was asked by the sponsors of an event to leave a venue out of fear for his safety. Hen details some of these experiences in his viral Times of Israel (over 22,000 shares) “An Israeli Soldier to American Jews: Wake up!”.

Posted by David Gerstman on June 23, 2014 6 Comments
One of the frustrating aspects of following the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is the "blame Israel first" syndrome. Writing in the Telegraph, Alan Johnson articulates the dynamic that is at play in It's time to Stop Infantilising the Palestinians. (h/t Elder of Ziyon)
First, by granting only one side to the conflict agency and responsibility, the dichotomy distorts key events of the conflict (e.g. the war of 1948, the collapse of the Camp David peace talks in 2000, Gaza after the 2005 disengagement). The Palestinians are cast as passive victims; a compelled people (Haaretz writer Yitkhak Laor claims the second intifada was “instigated” by … Israeli policy); a duped people (activist Tikva Honig-Parnass writes of “Barak’s pre-planned collapse of the Camp David talks in October 2000”); and a people beyond the reach of judgement. Academic Jacqueline Rose views Palestinian suicide bombers as “people driven to extremes” and argues that Israel has “the responsibility for [the] dilemma” of the suicide bomber. Second, the dichotomous understanding of Palestinians and Israelis distorts our understanding of Israel’s security. The threats Israel faces are discounted and the security measures taken by Israel reframed as motiveless and cruel acts.... The third consequence of this dichotomous thinking about the nature of the two peoples is the infantalisation of the Palestinians: they remain perpetually below the age of responsibility; the source of their behaviour always external to themselves, always located in Israel’s actions.
By the way, Alan Johnson was the Professor shouted down with abusive profanity at U. Ireland - Galway, by anti-Israel BDS protesters. A case in point of this dynamic is the common complaint that Israeli security checkpoints impede Palestinian economic progress. It's a common refrain but it ignores the reality on the ground. Aaron Menenberg observed the inner workings of the Palestinian Authority for two years recently and wrote about his experience in Terrorists & Kleptocrats: How Corruption is Eating the Palestinians Alive at The Tower Magazine. Menenberg dealt with regular Palestinians and contrasted their willingness to work for the betterment of themselves and their society with their political leadership's interest in maintaining their perks and positions.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 20, 2014 2 Comments

I appeared on June 19, 2014, on The Larry Elder Show, talking about the BDS movement. Larry was very familiar with the movement, and voiced some strong opinions. I appreciate the opportunity, thanks Larry. UPDATE: Congratulations to Larry for getting a Star on the Walk of Fame! ...

Posted by Julian Hassan on June 11, 2014 6 Comments
I graduated from Vassar College in May 2014.  I was the President of the Vassar Conservative Libertarian Union, and the anti-Israel fervor found me. Before we go into this sordid story, it gives us perspective on the times to remember that Vassar College was once a great friend of Israel. In 1975, "Students React Quickly to U.N. Zionism Vote" was a headline in the school paper:
"Concerned Vassar students gathered in the Chapel on a rainy Nov. 12 to protest the U.N. resolution condemning Zionism as racism. Chaplain George Williamson, Jewish Chaplain Derry Baker, Professor Benruy Kraut and two prominent Jewish community leaders, Rabbis Arnold and Zimmet spoke at the student organized rally."
It took thirty years, but what if I told you today that this same college community now views Zionism as the most insidious form of racism. Would it seem Orwellian? Two student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and JStreetU, were formed last fall. Both liberal, SJP rallies against a two state solution while JStreetU claims to endorse one. At a glance they might seem different, but they share a lot in common when it comes to condemning attempts by me and my group to counter anti-Israel propaganda on campus. In December 2013, the American Studies Association released a resolution boycotting Israel. Reminiscent of students in 1975, the Vassar administration swiftly rejected this resolution right after New Years 2014. Soon-after the Vassar Jewish Union (VJU) became an Open Hillel, which means they welcome anti-Israel speakers. Thirty-nine Vassar faculty then wrote a letter condemning Vassar College's decision.  Students for Justice in Palestine proceeded to swoop down on pro-Israel and neutral students. They protested a class taking a trip to Israel inside an academic building and intimidated the professors. At a Vassar Open forum I attended in May 2014 shortly before graduation, Vassar College President Catharine Hill made clear that she never has condemned the picketing of the class, and any impressions otherwise are wrong: Following complaints about the picketing of the classroom, the Vassar Committee on Inclusion and Excellence organized an open forum led by Professor Kiese Laymon that de facto established any criticism of SJP was motivated by racism, civility was a "cardboard notion," and taking a trip to Israel was the equivalent of organizing an outing to Jim Crow Mississippi. Not surprisingly, the only acceptable thing to say on campus became the lie that Israel is a racist, apartheid state. In order to show the humanity of the perceived Israeli monster, I began innocuously posting images from the Facebook page “Humans of Tel Aviv” in a Vassar student group Facebook page, to show that Israeli cities are cosmopolitan, socially liberal places that resemble Vassar in some ways. This provoked a leader of SJP to tell me “the devil has enough advocates.” Weeds often grow in abandoned fields. Looking back, the first sign of weeds was an "Apartheid Wall" that sprang up in the College Center. This is a common BDS tactic which all follow a similar formula in demonizing the Israeli state. [caption id="attachment_82985" align="alignnone" width="640"]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=648478308550930&set=pb.569630543102374.-2207520000.1396799191.&type=3&theater (Mock "Apartheid Wall" at Vassar College 2014)[/caption] I walked up to SJP and told them that I was raised in a Muslim family. They loosened up immediately and seemed eager to welcome me into their hate. There are not a lot of Arab and Middle Eastern students on campus. I remembered that a friend had told me about the Wall of Truth, pro-Israel murals that sometimes counters the apartheid walls.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 04, 2014 1 Comment
We previously wrote about a partial victory at the Modern Language Association House of Delegates during the annual meeting in January.  An anti-Israel resolution regarding alleged travel restrictions on academics was significantly watered down, and another resolution defending the American Studies Association's academic boycott of Israel was rejected. The Executive Council of MLA decided to send the travel resolution to the membership for an online vote.  The final travel resolution read:

Resolution 2014-1

Whereas Israel has denied academics of Palestinian ethnicity entry into the West Bank; Whereas these restrictions violate international conventions on an occupying power’s obligation to protect the right to education; Whereas the United States Department of State acknowledges on its Web site that Israel restricts the movements of American citizens of Palestinian descent; Whereas the denials have disrupted instruction, research, and planning at Palestinian universities; Whereas the denials have restricted the academic freedom of scholars and teachers who are United States citizens; Be it resolved that the MLA urge the United States Department of State to contest Israel’s denials of entry to the West Bank by United States academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.
There were complaints that the MLA leadership was not evenhanded in distributing materials to the membership, to the prejudice of pro-Israel members. Also, an online chat forum was disclosed in which gross anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic statements were made by MLA members. The results of the vote were just posted, and it failed to pass because less than 10% of the 30,000+ members voted.   Any resolution must be ratified by a majority vote in which the number of those voting for ratification equals at least ten percent of the association’s membership, which was 2,390 votes this year. There were 1,560 votes in favor of ratification and 1,063 votes against ratification. This is, in many ways, even more devastating than a simple loss.  It shows that the anti-Israel agenda of some radical academics simply isn't of much interest to the broader academic community.  The lack of interest by the overall membership is most telling of all. Prof. Cary Nelson of the University of Illinois issued the following statement on behalf of MLA Members for Scholars' Rights, a group opposing the resolution:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 27, 2014 2 Comments
One of the many big lies of the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement, and its supporters on campus, is that it wants peace. In fact, it wants war by other means, boycotts of various stripes to destroy Israel. The YaLa Young Leaders Conference seeks to have youth from around the Middle East talk online as a means of advancing peaceful relations. The YaLa Facebook page has over 450,000 likes. It's 2013 Annual Report (pdf.) details its activities and student involvement throughout the Middle East: YaLa Young Leaders 2013 Report members map Shimon Peres gave a speech at this year's conference held May 25, 2014. Other speakers were a mixed group, not all of whom (like Desmond Tutu) are considered favorable to Israel: (More conference videos here) Maybe it's a fool's errand, but at least it's an attempt to get youth talking to each other. Which is why it has been attacked since its inception by BDS movement supporters. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is the official international boycott organization. The American Studies Association adheres to its academic boycott guidelines. PACBI issued a statement calling for a boycott of this year's YaLa conference, Boycott YaLa-Young Leaders Group and Its Online Normalization Conferences:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 22, 2014 7 Comments
If you know any student at DePaul -- undergraduate or graduate -- you need to get them to vote against the anti-Israel divestment referendum. Unlike other divestment resolutions, this is put to a full student body vote, not just the student government. The vote is expected to be close. Every vote counts. You can help make a difference. Voting ends FRIDAY, May 23, 2014. Here's the link for students to log in and vote. Share it. STUDENT VOTING LOGIN As always happens on campuses, I'm hearing there is a pretty consistent campaign of intimidation and a university which only enforces the rules against on campus filming and campaigning against the pro-Israel students. (Videos via Paul Miller - YouTube and Twitter) Here's one of the pro-divestment students in an area of the student center taken over by pro-divestment students, who doesn't like his public conduct being videotaped:

Posted by CampusClimatologist on May 22, 2014 3 Comments
We have covered extensively the attempt by the UCLA branch of Students for Justice in Palestine to keep pro-Israel students off the student council by claiming that taking sponsored trips to Israel (and only Israel) creates a conflict of interest, UCLA testing ground for next generation of anti-Israel campus tactics. The hypocrisy was dripping, as theSJP-backed UCLA Student President-elect took sponsored trip to Israel, yet won by 31 votes slamming such trips. After a trial conducted by students, the Judicial Board of UCLA's student government found  by a 4-0-2 vote that former council members Sunny Singh and Lauren Rogers did not violate conflict of interest bylaws by accepting subsidized trips to Israel from the Anti-Defamation League and Project Interchange, and that their votes against BDS were "valid and legitimate." The decision is at the bottom of this post. While this is was a show trial in which no remedy was available, this sets an important precedent:  pro-Israel students at UCLA who associate with pro-Israel organizations need not fear being legally barred from holding office or voting on Israel-related issues.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 21, 2014 5 Comments
Two days ago we asked, Did Indian election eviscerate BDS?, noting that election of a pro-Israel party and leader made likely vastly expanded business for Israel in India.  We noted also a massive joint academic research deal signed with China. It has just been announced that Israel had signed massive trade deals with various Chinese provinces, and 350 Chinese entrepreneurs attended a tech conference in Israel, as reported by The Jerusalem Post, Israel inks tech pacts with China’s Silicon Valley
Israel signed a bilateral industrial R&D cooperation agreement on Tuesday with China’s Zhejiang Province, known as the Silicon Valley of China, as 350 delegates from the Asian giant attended MIXiii, the Israel Innovation Conference. It also inked agreements with Jiangsu Province’s Science and Technology Department to promote Israeli companies’ participation in Chinese innovation parks and a first-of-its kind pilot program to encourage Israeli companies participation in the Changzhou Innovation Park in Jiangsu (population 79 million). “The science and technology of Israel need market potential and also market rules, and Zhejiang is a great partner,” Zhou Guohni, director- general of Zhejiang Province (population 55 million), told The Jerusalem Post at the signing in Tel Aviv. “We are facing a transformation and upgrade of the industry, and we need Israel’s technology to help transform and upgrade it.” The Economy Ministry’s Chief Scientist Avi Hasson said the agreement “will help many Israeli companies expand into the Chinese market and marks the next stage in the economic and technological relationship between our two countries.”
Read on, the expansion of ties is even wider than described above. Meanwhile, on campuses like UCLA, U. Michigan, Wesleyan and a dozen or two more, naive students are trying to get their student governments to call for divestment from selected companies doing business in Israel. The student governments have no power to effect divestment of university endowments, it's all symbolic. Sure, we're going to fight BDS vigorously, to the end, because it's malicious. Witness what happened at Vassar, where SJP actually posted a Nazi cartoon and cited white supremacists for their anti-Zionist theories.
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