Pro-Israel groups face off with campus 'apartheid week'
Israel on Campus Coalition: Rather than spotlight the lunatic fringe, we prefer to promote Israel in positive way.
By The Forward and Josh Nathan-Kazis Tags: Israel news"Do you suffer from ANIS?"
That's ANti-ISrael Fixation Syndrome, according to a caustic poster produced by one pro-Israel group in response to Israel Apartheid Week, a global pro-Palestinian event that began on March 1 and featured events on some 14 university campuses across the United States.
The poster showed a drawing of a human posterior and a list of symptoms, asking readers if they, "Project a bloated sense of victimization?" or "Ignore the persecution of non-Arabs in Arab countries?"
The poster, which has appeared around campus at the University of California, Berkeley and is being made available to other schools, was produced by BlueStarPR, an affiliate member of the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC). It is one of a variety of disparate responses to Apartheid Week being offered by the member organizations of the ICC, a Hillel-sponsored coordinating body of pro-Israel campus organizations, even as the coalition itself advises against directly engaging Apartheid Week and its supporters.
"Israel Apartheid Week is a tired retread at this point," said Stephen Kuperberg, the ICC's executive director. "Rather than throw a spotlight on the lunatic fringe, we would rather have a coordinated approach to promoting Israel in a positive way."
Apartheid Week, whose name implies a moral equivalence between Israel and apartheid South Africa, supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which aims to discredit Israel in the international community and has raised serious concern within the Jewish community. The Week, now in its sixth year, takes place around the same time each year and focuses in particular on college campuses. Speakers at campus Apartheid Week events include Israel critics Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky, as well as anti-Israel boycott advocate Omar Barghouti.
A spokesman for one ICC member organization questioned the usefulness of direct efforts to counter Israel Apartheid Week's campaign.
"Putting out 10 reasons why Israel is not an apartheid state when the Israeli defense minister said in the last several weeks that Israel is in danger of becoming an apartheid regime may not be successful," said Noam Shelef, strategic communications director of Americans for Peace Now and its liaison with the ICC. Shelef was referring to a February 2 speech in which Ehud Barak said that Israel "will be an apartheid state" if no peace deal is reached and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza do not gain citizenship rights in their own state.
"I think we need to have a real discussion about what the policies are that are problematic - that put Israel in danger of becoming an apartheid state," Shelef said.
But StandWithUs, another ICC member, took a different stand, in favor of confronting the Apartheid Week advocates directly and going on the offensive. A booklet it produced to help pro-Israel activists respond to Israel Apartheid Week bore an image on its cover of Neda Soltani, the Iranian woman whose videotaped death at a Tehran election protest last June was seen worldwide. The booklet argues that the term "apartheid" should be applied not to Israel, but rather to Muslim societies in the Middle East, based on what it describes as gender inequality, political repression and discrimination against gay men and non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.
"Unfortunately, the [Palestinian Authority] still uses many of the apartheid practices described in this booklet on their own people," the booklet states.
"I personally don't think that's helpful at all," said Yahel Matalon, a student at Barnard College and a leader of a J Street-affiliated student group at Columbia University called Just Peace, of the StandWithUs document. Referring to the abuses by Arab states described in the booklet, Matalon said: "Okay, so that's horrible, but that doesn't excuse the treatment of Palestinians in Israel today. If what we're talking about is peace in Israel, it doesn't matter what Saudi Arabia is doing."
StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein disagreed, arguing that abuses in Muslim countries are germane because they generally escape notice. "What you've got is Islamist governments in the Middle East that are actually operating in legally sanctioned apartheid, and nobody's talking about it," she said. "Students, if they want to fight for human rights, should be fighting for these issues of the real apartheid today."
One student who distributed the StandWithUs brochure at Columbia University's campus March 1 said that some students objected to the brochure.
"There were some reactions from people that that wasn't the right message to send, but that the right message would be focusing on the vibrant multicultural society that Israel has built," said Jacob Shapiro, a member of the Columbia pro-Israel group LionPAC. Shapiro added that the brochure was one of many that his group handed out.
Like the students who confronted Shapiro, Kuperberg supports efforts that counter Israel Apartheid Week indirectly by portraying Israel in a better light. He praised one such program, dubbed Israel Peace Week, founded this year by graduates of Aish HaTorah?s Hasbara Fellowships and funded by small grants from a number of Zionist groups. The program runs concurrently with Apartheid Week on what organizers claim to be more than 40 campuses in North America and Australia.
Organizers of Israel Peace Week offered prepackaged programs to participating campuses. One is a "cafe poetry night to promote democracy and peace in Israel," according to Anna Richlin, a sophomore at the University of Rochester and a co-founder of Israel Peace Week. Students involved in putting on the night are given a packet of poems to be read during the event. In an e-mail, Richlin explained how one of the poems, titled "From Haifa to Near Faraway Cairo," promoted democracy and peace: "This poem demonstrates how Israel is a peaceful Democratic nation as it demonstrates how the Jew [in the poem] is yearning for the time when she and the Egyptian [in the poem] could be together as friends in peace. This portrays how Israel has [established] a foundation for peace, yet she has no partner for peace."
J Street and its student movement, which is not currently a member of the ICC, published a joint statement condemning Israel Apartheid Week. "Few events better exemplify the counterproductive polarization on campus than 'Israel Apartheid Week,'" the statement read. "J Street and J Street U are committed to an open, honest and civilized debate that allows students to work constructively towards adopting positions and actions that can help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
J Street U offered no new materials or programs to counter Apartheid Week, but it did reiterate an older program titled "Invest, Don't Divest," which is designed to encourage donations to a Palestinian micro-finance group.
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What Sailor is saying is the leftwing Aussie govt.prefers the industrious ,skilled ,highly educated literate Jews move out and be replaced by peasant welfare sucking iliiterates from Pakistan,Bangladesh,Aghanistan,Iraq,Yemen,Somalia,yes mate?
Carla is still confused as to who,s occupying what.Hamas is occupying Gaza which legally is Egyptian sovereign territory and the Hashemites are occupying your Palestine state of Jordan,the fascist Shiite Hezbollah is occupying Lebanon and the Iranian Revolutionay thugs are occupying Syria ,you obviously need a sound factual review of Arab politics ,salaam?
Good point Danny ,but who will take on this babysitting nightmare as the UN and it,s affiliates are running dry from 62 years of Palestine baby sitting ,what,s with the Sunni gulf states ,again to much baggage to handle for them ,maybe the despised Shiites (Ahmadinejad )will exploit the situation for their own nefarious motives?
If that,s the case CJ why do the Palestinians ignore the May 1948 League of Nations mandate of two states ,living side by side etc.?
Two reasons why York University cancelled the pro-Israel part of the debate,one the truth is all that matters (apartheid in Israel,really)and the university won,t try and handle the Muslim violence on their campus ,like all cowards the big mouthed louts just have to shout the loudest and threaten the most to get their way, nothing new in leftwing student politics?
Michael like most Palestinians believes in distorting facts on the ground to try and confuse others on this blog,well it won,t succeed as there are others who know the true facts ,sorry for you Michael?
And why do these Arab/Palestinian troublemakers have to resort to violence to get their ludicrous arguments across?
Where does the multi cultural side of this argument suddenly come up ,as you speak of govt. chauvinism and anti peace .You need to get to the point and stop procrastinating ?
Too complicated a question for Palestinian Michael who contradicts himself with every posting.He says he might respond to genuine meaasges of peace (whatever that means)if the govt.wasn,t so chauvinistic(whatever that means plus he understands Israel is a multi cultural democratic society ,but ,there always seems to be one of these buts or however,nice try mate but we don,t want your obfuscations here?
When an argument is run that sees a party to look at others rather than themselves then they have lost he argument. The don't look at us, look at them is not answering the questions. Israel's claim to be a just democratic state is not sustained by the facts. There is a sense that the Jews for a democatic Israel wherein all stand equally before the laws of the state is growing throughout the world as it is obviously here in Australia. Enthusiasm for Isreal is diminishing at a rate which was never imagined previously. With the US universities being active in debating the aparthied situation in Israel the eventuality of Israel having to face the world more alone draws closer. The left wing here in Australia is over Israel's plight and wants to see how the Jewish religion can be seen as less agressive and more humane. What is it in the teaching that causes these injustices?
As long as Israel will occupy the West Bank and develop illegal settlements in the West Bank, its imade abroad won't recover. The ghost of colonialism still flies over Europe and the USA, and the idea that a modern democracy like Israel occuîes its neighbor makes it impossible for people in the West to sympathize with Israel. There are so many beautiful things in Tel Aviv; Galilea... why destroy all this beauty by letting settlers pursue their ugly actions in the West Bank?
There were times between 500 and 1850 that there were hundreds of thousands of Jews in the Holy Land. Michael does not know this and makes assumptions that are comfortable for him rather then true. Michael also assumes that a few pronouncements from the PA mean the PA would welcome settlers into a Palastinian State. Right now, any Jew, whether they are a settler or a fervent supporter of Meretz, would be risking his life walking around Nablus. An Arab does not take similar risks walking around Tel Aviv. Once again, Michael is comfortable taking the PA at face value. Perhaps Michael will also be comfortable questioning his own assumptions. If so, that would make him unusual. Most people edit the facts to support their version of reality rather than alter their view of reality from the facts presented.
If some people in this world, especially the Arab part of it, don't like the deal the Palestinians are getting, then why don't they take them in? Let someone else's take a turn babysiting the Palestinians for awhile!
threat. What needs fixing won't be made good by ignoring it.
The following was from a report on York University in Toronto, Canada: At the last minute, York University has cancelled events organized by a coalition of Canadian pro-Israel students and organizations due to ?security? concerns. It should be understood that the apartheid week events continue as scheduled.
First, if PA, as you say "clearly raised the possibility that Jewish settlers could stay as Palestinian citizens" why is PA so much up in arms about so-called "settlements"? Secondly, Jewish villages in Judea and Samaria not for "Jews only", as you say. Any Israeli citizen can buy property there. Thirdly, there were Jews in Judea always, but nobody at that time knew that it is "west bank", as you want to rename the Jewish inheritance. All main mankind call it Judea. Arabs were never "majority" in Judea, first Arabs came there in seventh century as conquerors with Muhammad. You Michael don't know the history, but filled with bigotry against Jews.
No Michael, settlements are not "Jews only". Arabs own property in the "settlements" around Jerusalem and in other places as well. Your adoption of this lie shows that you're one of the sad, ignorant self-righteous Israel-haters who simply doesn't know what is actually happening.
As a matter of fact Israel does have a thriving multicultural society, I need go no further than hte example of my middle daughter who studies at hHebrew University and is friends with several Arab girls, so, while I might not be easy or simple the fact is that Israel is host to a diverse and growing society. You can like it or not, that's up to you, but it does exist.
The tensions at UC Berkeley escalated and resulted in the arrest of a Palestinian student for assaulting a pro-Israel girl.
J Street's approach, which is certainly the high road, isn't appropriate. The focus on Israel's issues by the human rights world, side by side with the overlooking of nearly every other problem area of the world equates to, you guessed it - anti-semitism. Criticism of Israel isn't anti-Semitic, but the disproportionate criticism of Israel with respect of everything else going on in the world simply IS anti-semitism.
"the bad things are so much more obvious and easy to say." More obvious for those who only search the bad things. And I guess you meant convenient to say, did you? And yes, Israel has established a foundation for peace, with Egypt and Jordan. Why wouldn't it work with the palestines? Oh, right it hadn't this partner for peace."
All these organisations that are so upset about "apartheid" in Arab countries should start their own apartheid week and invite guests to speak on the subject and actually do more then just intellectualize about it. Freedom of speech is for everyone and the Israel apartheid week, is part of it. Are there not jewish only roads, jewish only "illegal" settlements? Are these not part of an aparthieid regime? Goog luck setting up your own apartheid week, looking forward to hearing and reading about it.
Because he knows that the population of Israel is over 20% Arab. He knows that Christans, Muslims, Druze, and Jews all practice their religon in freedom. But he is going to speak about the inequities (which exist in Israel as they do in the US or Australia as well) and make believe that is somehow the same as the repression of Christianity or Judaism the Palestinians engage in. Perhaps Michael should look up the poll showing that over 90% of Israeli Arabs would prefer to stay in Israel to any future Palestine. And yet the Christian population of the WB and Gaza shrinks each year, so those Palestinians keep polling with their feet. No question - Israel is a multicultural pluralistic society. But Michael doesn't want to hear that - he'll just label any truth he doesn't like hasbara. Sad really
"What Michael in UK is covering up. Speaking of apartheid, why do the Arabs require a Jew-free state on land which was only Jew-free for 19 years out of the last 3000 years?" First of all, I'm not covering it up. Secondly, the PA has clearly raised the possibility that Jewish settlers could stay as Palestinian citizens. Thirdly, the settlements are Jews-only, aren't they? Fourthly, there were very few Jews in the West Bank between say 500 and 1850. Some, certainly, but Arabs were the vast majority. Is that what you've been covering up SDHD? Out of interest, if you bothered to read my first post, why didn't you take my hint and try to convince me about the thriving multi-cultural society in Israel? Is it that you don't believe in it? Or do you just always believe in attack rather than attempting persuasion?
Speaking of apartheid, why do the Arabs require a Jew-free state on land which was only Jew-free for 19 years out of the last 3000 years?
The trouble is, there are good things to say about Israel, but particularly with Bibi's extremist anti-peace pro-settlement government, all the bad things are so much more obvious and easy to say. I personally might respond to genuine messages about israel's vibrant multi-cultural society, which I know exists, if I didn't see much louder messages of Jewish chauvinism from the government. In this context, clumsy hasbara alone is not enough. "This poem demonstrates how Israel is a peaceful Democratic nation as it demonstrates how the Jew [in the poem] is yearning for the time when she and the Egyptian [in the poem] could be together as friends in peace. This portrays how Israel has [established] a foundation for peace, yet she has no partner for peace." Yeah, right, because Shas, Bibi and Lieberman are just dying to get down and dirty with the girls in Cairo while pleding eternal love and peace.