Don’t be fooled
Hamas media campaigns distort reality. Why does our press fall victim and repeat twisted truths, rather than enlightening readers?
The boats, sponsored by a radical Islamic organization connected to Hamas, were filled with resistance fighters, disguised as peace activists.
The day before they left Turkey, Al-Jazeera TV documented the pre-battle atmosphere created by men on board the flotilla, chanting Islamic battle cries about killing and defeating of Jews in battle. They wanted one of two happy endings: either martyrdom or reaching Gaza.
The Israeli soldiers who boarded the ships encountered fierce resistance from the armed passengers. What are peaceful activists doing shooting guns, carrying knives, pipes, bats and looking for martyrdom?
So, let’s see our press tell us the real stories behind these terrorist-planned actions.
Wendy Harris | Santa Clara
If ships headed for Miami …
Imagine, if you will, that a group of people from Colombia decides that the poor people of Miami do not have enough sombreros. The generous people of Colombia load a ship with supplies and set sail for Miami. The U.S. Coast Guard believes that the ship may in fact be carrying illegal drugs and maybe even weapons! The nice people from the Colombian ship refuse to allow the U.S. Coast Guard to board. They are, after all, a well-meaning group of people who only want to give the people of Miami some sombreros. The U.S. Coast Guard boards the ship and are pummeled with iron crow bars, metal bats, stabbed with knives and one of their own is thrown overboard. Outnumbered 50 to 1, the U.S. Coast Guard personnel open fire on the Colombian crew members. Several people are killed.
When this exact scenario occurs in the Gulf of Mexico several times each year, does anyone talk about bringing the United States before the United Nations to account for its actions? Israel has a right to exist and to protect itself even if international sentiment may not agree.
Solon Rosenblatt | Greenbrae
Sad state of college campuses
Either intentionally or accidentally, the message of the article “Anti-Israel hatred on campus” (May 26) and accompanying picture illustrating protest against anti-Semitism at U.C. Berkeley, is that the anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism are tightly intertwined. Indeed, the vitriolic and malicious accusations against Israel by Muslim student organizations give rise to growing anti-Semitism on college campuses.
As noted in the State Department report of 2005, “New forms of anti-Semitism are reflected in rhetoric that compares Israel to the Nazis and attributes Israel’s perceived faults to its Jewish character.”
So far Jewish student organizations have pursued two parallel paths. StandWithUs has chronicled and protested anti-Israel accidents, while Hillel has done the same with the anti-Semitic ones. The results of their activities are simply discouraging, especially on the U.C. campuses. Probably a much better approach would have been to combine their efforts, to resolutely engage university administration in the fight against bigotry and intolerance brought to our shores from countries known for dictatorial rule and religious discrimination. Jewish students should feel proud of their heritage and Israel’s achievements in all spheres of life.
Vladimir Kaplan | San Mateo
What took them so long?
After reading “Professors condemn anti-Semitism at Irvine” (May 14), I was pleased to see that finally faculty members are taking a stand against campus anti-Semitism.
The U.C. Irvine campus has been known for instances of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic speech. We also see blatant anti-Semitism at U.C. Berkeley and U.C. San Diego where a student and former head of the campus Muslim Student Association, Jumanah Imad Albahri, seemed to advocate the mass murder of Jews.
During his speech there, David Horowitz asked if those in the audience were for or against the head of Hezbollah’s statement suggesting that all Jews gather into Israel so he wouldn’t have to hunt for them, one young woman leaned into the microphone and said, “for it.” This exchange was posted on You Tube, so it cannot be denied. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSvyv0urTE).
That would have been a good time for professors to say something. Instead, the university didn’t respond until seven days later.
Clearly, Jews in the neighboring campus communities and professors on campuses need to speak up immediately. Imagine if someone had made the same vicious statement about other minorities. There would be a prompt response.
Danielle Diamond | Berkeley