February 23, 2006

From the "Know Your Enemy" Department: US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Folks, take out your notebooks, it's time to study history again and learn who the contemporary enemies of Israel are, starting with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, (endtheoccupation [dot] org), is an anti-Israel coalition whose mission is "to change those US policies that both sustain Israel's 38 -year occupation of the palestinian West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, and deny equal rights for all".

The group has started a petition opposing H.R.4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006. (But folks, it is a mistake to think of Judeophobia being a mostly Muslim problem; some Jews have signed below as well, mainly because of their pathological need to see themselves as modern, progressive and tolerant I'd say. These Jews are the Erev Rav, but more on who is the Erev Rav in another post.)

The 193 organizations at the end of this post have signed a letter urging Members of Congress to oppose H.R.4681. I wholeheartedly support H.R. 4681, Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006. Read about why you should also support it, here.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, like so many other anti-Israel organizations, thrive on the intentional use of false data in order to sway world opinion against Israel. For example, their rhetoric is littered with concepts, mostly mythical, intertwined with words like "East Jerusalem", ""Palestinians", "West Bank", etc. There is no law on earth that requires the Jewish people to accept the revision of their history nor their own demise merely because Arabs and arabists say we should.

For example, the concept of "Palestinians" is one that did not exist until about 1948, when the Arab inhabitants, of what until then was Palestine, wished to differentiate themselves from the Jews. Until then, the Jews were the Palestinians. There was the Palestinian Brigade of Jewish volunteers in the British World War II Army (at a time when the Palestinian Arabs were in Berlin hatching plans with Adolf Hitler for world conquest and how to kill all the Jews); there was the Palestinian Symphony Orchestra (all Jews, of course); there was The Palestine Post; and so much more.

The Arabs who now call themselves "Palestinians" do so in order to persuade a misinformed world that they are a distinct nationality and that "Palestine" is their ancestral homeland. But they are no distinct nationality at all. They are the same – in language, custom, and tribal and family ties – as the Arabs of Syria, Jordan, and beyond. There is no more difference between the "Palestinians" and the other Arabs of those countries than there is between, say, the citizens of Minnesota and those of Wisconsin.

What's more, many of the "Palestinians", or their immediate ancestors, came to the area attracted by the prosperity created by the Jews, in what previously had been pretty much of a wasteland.

The nationhood of the "Palestinians" is a myth.

So too is the concept of the mythical "West Bank". Again, this is a concept that did not exist until 1948, when the army of the Kingdom of Transjordan, together with five other Arab armies, invaded the Jewish state of Israel, on the very day of its creation. Even thought the Jews defeated the Arabs, Transjordan stayed in possession of Judea and Samaria and the eastern part of Jerusalem. The Jordanians expelled all the Jews from the area that they occupied, destroyed all Jewish houses of worship, and renamed as "West Bank" the territories that had been Judea and Samaria since time immemorial.

The attempt, quite successful, was to persuade an uninformed world that these territories were ancestral parts of the Jordanian Arab Kingdom (itself a very recent creation of British power diplomacy).

The world continues to call this territory the "West Bank", a geographical and political concept that cannot be found on any except the most recent maps.

But those signees listed below are grossly uneducated to know any better. It is Palestinian rejection of Israel's right to exist and not Israeli policies that are the cause of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. See, folks, because unlike the political Arabian Nation, the Zionist movement to Palestine/the Land of Israel represents a return, not an invasion. The only religious argument that makes sense is to point out how so many Jewish holy places exist in Israel. It's hardly irrational that Jews should want to live near the Wailing Wall or other sites of great importance in Jewish history and religion, particularly given how poorly Muslims have treated such sites.

Arabs and their apologists refuse to accept the fact that if Arabs had not attacked Israel in the first place, there would never have been an "occupation".

In fact, prior to 1967, Jordan had occupied the West Bank and Egypt had occupied the Gaza Strip; their presence in those territories was the result of their illegal invasion in 1948, in defiance of the UN Security Council. Jordan's 1950 annexation of the West Bank was recognized only by Great Britain (excluding the annexation of Jerusalem) and Pakistan, and rejected by the vast majority of the international community, including the Arab states. Where was the international outrage then?

See, folks, the current territorial dispute is contrived by the myth of an Israeli decision "to occupy," rather than the reality of a result of a war imposed on Israel by a coalition of Arab states in 1967.

The truth is Arabs are the singular instigators of this longest running war against the Jews, this war of hatred perpetrated upon Jews since the first wave of anti-Jewish riots in 1920-21 (which was characterized by the brutal murder in Jaffa of the prominent Jewish author Y. Brenner), during the 'Disturbances' of 1929 (which included the massacre of the Jewish community in Hebron), during the Arab Revolt of 1936-39, and in many other recorded incidents of wholesale anti-Jewish Arab violence throughout the pre-state period.

In 1929, Arabs shot and murdered 66 innocent Jewish men, women and children while praying in a synagogue in Hebron. On August 23rd, 1929, the Grand Mufti preached to a crowd fomenting them into a cauldron of hate, viciousness and cruelty and charged them with their holy mission: "Itbah al-Yahud!" - "Slaughter the Jew!" and that's what Arabs have been doing to Jews for almost a century.

And all this occurred before there was an "occupation". The politically-loaded term "occupied territories" or "occupation" seems to apply only to Israel and is hardly ever used when other territorial disputes are discussed, especially by interested third parties. For example, the U.S. Department of State refers to Kashmir as "disputed areas." Similarly in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the State Department describes the patch of Azerbaijan claimed as an independent republic by indigenous Armenian separatists as "the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh."

The often-repeated Arab claim that the Israeli 'occupation' is somehow to blame for the Palestinian terrorism is nothing more than an empty retort, repudiated by the facts, and disproved by a century of historical reality.

In 1956, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Desert, both of which were held by Egypt, because Arab terrorists were infiltrating into Israel from the Gaza Strip and killing Jewish children in elementary schools. By infiltrating those territories, Israel cut the Gaza Strip off from Egypt, stopped the terrorism, and ensured that the Suez Canal and Straits of Tiran would be open to Israeli shipping - something the Egyptians tried to deny.

Since the Palestinians refused to make peace with Israel even when they were offered the entire Gaza Strip and most of the "West Bank" in 2000, it is clear that just handing them territory is not going to solve any problems.

To those with a moral conscience, I say, be disgusted with the demonization of Israel, the nazification of Zionism, the politicization of all things Israeli, the Islamic oversimplification reducing all discussions of Israel to the Palestinian problem. Be disgusted with the myth that all will be peaceful once the Israeli "occupiers" are gone. Be disgusted by Arab bullies who make life miserable for non-Arabs in the Middle East and around the the world.

Do not fall into the trap of endlessly denying what Islam is as revealed by its 1400 year history. Do not become like the 193 zombies and illiterates listed below, who are too uneducated, too cowardly, too mendacious, too uncivilized to know the real truth.

Know your enemy:

14 Friends of Palestine, San Rafael, CA
Afrikan Amerikan Institute for Policy Studies, Greenville, SC
Albany Peace Seekers, Albany, OR
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Washington, DC
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Chicago Chapter, Elmhurst, IL
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Kentucky Chapter, Louisville, KY
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Los Angeles Chapter, Lacanada, CA
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—New York Chapter, New York, NY
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee—Philadelphia Chapter, Philadelphia, PA
American Arab Forum, Denville, NJ
American Council on Middle East Policy, New York, NY
American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia, PA
American Friends Service Committee—Chicago, Chicago, IL
American Friends Service Committee—Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta, GA
American Palestinian Public Affairs Forum, Louisville, KY
Americans Committed to Justice and Truth, Sagle, ID
Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Santa Barbara, CA
Americans for a Palestinian State, Oakland, CA
Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland, OR
Ann Arbor Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, Ann Arbor, MI
Arab/Jewish Peace Alliance, Albuquerque, NM
Arab Student Union, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI
Atlanta Palestine Solidarity, Atlanta, GA
A Touch of the Holy Land, Amery, WI
Ayar Engineering and Trading, Inc., Falls Church, VA
Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice, Oakland, CA
Benedictine Sisters, Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, KS
Bethlehem Association, Media, PA
Birmingham Peace Project, Birmingham, AL
Black Voices for Peace, Washington, DC
Bosnia Support Committee, Washington, DC
Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Boston, MA
Boveri Workgroup, Bethesda, MD
Break the Silence, Berkeley, CA
Bubbes & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East, Philadelphia, PA
Buffalo/Western New York International Action Center, Buffalo, NY
Catholic Peace Fellowship, Philadelphia, PA
Children of Abraham, Birmingham, AL
Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Indianapolis, IN
Citizens for Fair Legislation, Alameda, CA
Citizens for Just Democracy, Amarillo, TX
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, Kansas City, MO
Coalition for Peace with Justice, Chapel Hill, NC
Colorado Jews for Just Peace, Boulder, CO
Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, Oak Park, IL
Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine, Wainscott, NY
Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, New York, NY
Community for Peace, Winston Salem, NC
Council for the National Interest, Washington, DC
Council on American-Islamic Relations—Ohio, Columbus, OH
Dane County (WI) Democrats for Peace, Cottage Grove, WI
DC Anti-War Network, Washington, DC
DC Poets Against the War, Washington, DC
Deir Yassin Remembered, Geneva, NY
Dollars and Sins, Princeton, NJ
Don Quixote Society, Sherwood, OR
Duval Greens Party, Jacksonville, FL
Ecumenical Peace Institute, Berkeley, CA
El-Bireh Palestine Society, Cleveland, OH
Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Chicago, IL
Episcopal Peace Fellowship of East Carolina, Carolina Beach, NC
Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Southwest Washington, Vancouver, WA
Eyes Infinite Films, Golden Beach, FL
Florida Palestine Solidarity Network, Pensacola, FL
Free Speech League, Winston Salem, NC
Friends of Deir Ibzi’a, Berkeley, CA
Friends of Middle East Peace, Corvallis, OR
Friends of Sabeel—North America, Portland, OR
Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
Global Exchange, San Francisco, CA
Grassroots International, Boston, MA
Green Party of the United States, Washington, DC
Helena Peace Seekers, Helena, MT
Hindus for Peace and Justice, West Melbourne, FL
Home for Peace and Justice, Saginaw, MI
Home Perfection Contracting, Springfield, VA
Imagine-Life, Washington, DC
Institute for Palestine Studies, Washington, DC
Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights, Austin, TX
International Action Center, New York, NY
International Socialist Organization, Chicago, IL
International Solidarity Movement—Chicago Chapter, Chicago, IL
Iowa Green Party, Iowa City, IA
Islamic Education and Information Center, Milpitas, CA
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions—USA, Chapel Hill, NC
Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development, Washington, DC
Jewish Voice for Peace, Oakland, CA
Jewish Women for Justice in Israel/Palestine, Boston, MA
Jews Against the Occupation, New York, NY
Jews for Global Justice, Portland, OR
Joining Hands Against Hunger, Atlanta/Palestine, Atlanta, GA
Justice Committee, Congregation of St. Joseph, Cleveland, OH
Justice First Foundation, West Kingston, RI
Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Louisville, KY
Lakeshore Peacemakers, Manitowoc, WI
LA Petrophysics, La Habra Heights, CA
Latinos Por Mumia, Bronx, NY
Louisville Committee for Israeli/Palestinian States, Louisville, KY
Louisville Committee for Peace in the Middle East, Louisville, KY
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Madison, WI
Maine Peace and Justice in Israel/Palestine, Portland, ME
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Washington, DC
Michigan Peace Team, Lansing, MI
Middle East Children’s Alliance, Berkeley, CA
Middle East Fellowship, Pasadena, CA
Middle East Peace Now of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Middle East Policy Advisory Council, Oakland, CA
Middle East Research and Information Project, Washington, DC
Middle Eastern Center for Cultural and Religious Affairs, Baton Rouge, LA
MidEast: Just Peace, Cedar, MI
Monterey County Citizens for Middle East Peace, Monterey, CA
Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation—Kansas City Chapter, Kansas City, MO
Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation—San Diego Chapter, San Diego, CA
Muslim Community of the Palouse, Moscow, ID
Muslim Student Association, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Muslim Voters of America, Oak Park, IL
Naka ’48, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
National Association of Muslim American Women, Columbus, OH
National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco, CA
Northern Detroit Society for Peace and Justice, Sterling Heights, MI
Not in My Name, Evanston, IL
Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee, WI
Olympia Friends Meeting, Olympia, WA
Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project, Olympia, WA
Pacifica Forum, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Kent, OH
Palestine-Israel Action Group, Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, Ann Arbor, MI
Palestine/Israel Justice Project of the United Methodist Church, Minnesota Annual Conference, Paynesville, MN
Palestine Solidarity Committee, Seattle, WA
Palestinian American Congress, Astoria, NY
Palestinian American Congress—CT Chapter, South Windsor, CT
Palestinian Concern Group, Seattle, WA
Palestinian Education Network, Concord, NH
Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara), Anaheim, CA
Palestinians for Peace and Democracy, San Antonio, TX
Pakistan Weekly, Berkeley, CA
Partners for Peace, Washington, DC
Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement, Washington, DC
Peace Action, Silver Spring, MD
Peace Action Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Winston-Salem Friends Meeting, Winston-Salem, NC
Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas, Wichita, KS
Peace Majority Report, Lindenhurst, IL
Peace Mark, Valley Center, CA
People of Faith CT, West Hartford, CT
Peoria Area Peace Network, Peoria, IL
Progressive Democrats of America, Phoenix, AZ
Queers for Palestine, New York, NY
Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, Olympia, WA
Rebuilding Alliance, Palo Alto, CA
Red Wing Alliance for Peace, Red Wing, MN
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, Boulder, CO
Rule 19, Cambridge, MA
San Diego News Service, San Diego, CA
September 11 Action, Piedmont, CA
Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of Detroit, Detroit Leadership Team, Farmington, MI
Soft Sound, St. Louis, MO
Sound Service Company, North Hollywood, CA
South Bay Mobilization for Peace and Justice, San Jose, CA
Southern Vermont Tikkun Community, East Dummerston, VT
South Kingstown Justice, Peace and Action Group, Narragansett, RI
South Suburban Progressive Forum, Monee, IL
St. Louis Women in Black, St. Louis, MO
St. Peter’s College Social Justice Program, Jersey City, NJ
Strength Through Peace, Fort Collins, CO
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, Ann Arbor, MI
Students for International Knowledge, Loma Linda, CA
Talking Drum Collective, Stone Mountain, GA
Tikkun, Berkeley, CA
Tri-City Peace and Justice, Fremont, CA
Tucson Women in Black, Tucson, AZ
Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, Cambridge, MA
United for Peace and Justice, New York, NY
United for Peace and Justice, Irving, TX
Ursulines of Tildonk for Justice and Peace, New York, NY
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Washington, DC
Veterans for Peace, Pensacola Chapter, Pensacola, FL
Veterans for Peace, Rachel Corrie Chapter #109, Olympia, WA
Virginia Anti-War Network, Aylett, VA
Voices of Palestine, Seattle, WA
Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, Washington, DC
We Are Wide Awake, Clermont, FL
WESPAC Foundation, White Plains, NY
Western North Carolina Peace Coalition, Asheville, NC
Western New York Peace Center, Buffalo, NY
Western New York Veterans for Peace, Buffalo, NY
Winston-Salem Friends Meeting, Winston-Salem, NC
Women Against Military Madness, Middle East Committee, Minneapolis, MN
Women in Black, Los Angeles, CA
Women in Black, Metro Detroit, Detroit, MI
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section, Philadelphia, PA
Young Korean American Service and Education Center, Flushing, NY
Youth for Justice in Anchorage, Anchorage, AK

Source: http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1188

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