REPLY TO THE US CAMPAIGN TO END THE ISRAELI OCUPATION : Cleveland IMC (((i)))

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation recently sent me a "cease and desist" letter due to my exposure of them as part of the ISM and how they will be holding another Jew hatefest at George Mason University. You can read their letter at:

http://www.endtheoccupation dot org/downloads/responsetoleekaplanarticle.pdf

Below is my response:

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
P.O. Box 21539
Washington, DC 20009
RE: “Your cease and desist” letter:

Dear Sirs:

The article of mine, that appeared on The American Thinker web log, "George Mason University to Host Next ISM Conference” (http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/07/george_mason_university_to_hos.html) that the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation refers to, as written, is neither inaccurate nor defamatory, unless you consider the activities of your organization as defaming itself. I, on the other hand, consider your letter as a threat and attempt at intimidation to my rights of free speech.

The American people are not fools, but certain organizations do seek to fool them. When an organization such as yours presents itself as seeking “peace” but in fact supports and works closely with myriad organizations that openly advocate for war on and the destruction of the democratic and pluralistic state of Israel, I feel it is my journalistic duty to alert the public to these events.

Your claims notwithstanding on your website that you only seek to end the “occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem” are belied by both your organization’s actions, as well as the actions and admitted positions of your own representative leadership and close affiliates as I will expose in this letter. I submit that your leadership and organization are guilty of something known as “lying by omission,” or leaving out just enough information to convey a false impression while presenting a kernel of truth in a statement. In this regard, the authors of your letter, particularly Mr. Ruebner, do not mention they support unconditionally the Arab “Right of Return” in addition to the creation of a Palestinian state, a concept whereby 5 million Arabs would be allowed to move within Israel’s 1949 borders so as to demographically overrun the Jewish population and dismantle the state. You can read more about Mr. Ruebner here:

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2111 .
Responding to your bullet points:

Bullet point number 1:

You take issue with the statement that the International Solidarity Movement is “scheduling” your conference.

According to the personal explanation of Adam Shapiro, who Lee Kaplan personally interviewed at the 2003 Ohio State Divestment Conference and the husband of your chosen leader, Huwaida Arraf, both of whom are co-founders of the ISM, The International Solidarity Movement is the name used by the Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM) when it operates in the West Bank and Gaza and is comprised of myriad anti-Israel groups (one of which is yours). The ISM and PSM are not official groups or corporations, but represent all of these groups working in unison-“solidarity” toward a common goal in opposing Israel’s existence as a Jewish state and replacing it with Arab-dominated “Palestine.” Among these groups are many who call themselves ISM, but also groups such as Al Awda, SUSTAIN, Students for Justice in Palestine, Women In Black, as well as the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

Shapiro explained that the ISM is an umbrella organization. As such, if one segment is closed down by the authorities, the others can continue operating. In addition, if one arm of the umbrella makes statements such as was done by Charlotte Kates (See: http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=944)
who I believe is affiliated with your organization as well, and who stated that Israeli children are “fair game” for terrorist attacks, the others can deny she speaks for them. Hence, the fact this conference is an organizational meeting of the multiple layers of leadership of the ISM, be it under the name US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation or not, it is still an ISM organizational meeting according to the attendees. In fact, you bill it as a National Organizer’s Conference meeting in solidarity to promote divestment against Israel, an ISM program.

By your own admission in your letter, your elected leader and President is in fact a self-admitted co-founder and current leader of the ISM, Huwaida Arraf, who has admitted she works in cooperation with Hamas. The Hamas charter calls for the annihilation of Israel as a Jewish state and the expulsion of all Jews from what is today the state of Israel. See: http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm .

Nice company you keep.

Other individuals who belong to the ISM, yet curiously are also listed as members-at-large in your organization include Ms. Kates, Abe Greenhouse, Joseph Carr and others who have been exposed as higher level activists within the ISM.

Regarding earlier conferences held by your organization: See: http://www.adl.org/Israel/israel_protest_calendar_2004.asp

From an announcement of a conference held by your organization in Kansas City, Mo.

Saturday, November 13, 2004 - University of Missouri--Kansas City, Missouri
Regional Conference to “End the Occupation”

Sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to the End the Occupation and the International Solidarity Movement .

Background:

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, a regional anti-Israel group based at the University of Missouri—Kansas City, is bringing the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the International Solidarity Movement and other anti-Israel activists together for a regional conference devoted to changing U.S. policy toward Israel. The event will feature speakers who support divestment from Israel, the elimination of U.S. aid to Israel and contesting Israeli security measures. Notable speakers include Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies, Huwaida Arraf of ISM and the U.S. Campaign’s Josh Ruebner.

I note the following statement from your own website about your first conference (see:

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=29 ):

“Coordinating with the work of the ISM…” An activity your organization has done
since its alleged inception per your website.

Following are some of the activities of the ISM with whom you “coordinate”:

(1) The ISM says openly that it has direct contacts with Foreign
Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) as defined by the U.S. State Department
(2) The ISM says openly that it recruits American college students in
the hope of getting them hurt or killed in confrontations with Israeli
military forces, for propaganda purposes (e.g. Rachel Corrie).
(3) An ISM affiliate (Al-Awda) have allegedly solicited acts of
terroristic violence on the Internet: specifically the suicide bombing
of Ariel Sharon's hospital room.
(4) The ISM has provided "safe house" assistance for actual terrorists.

(1) The International Solidarity Movement has direct contacts with
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorists. We direct your
attention to "Huwaida Arraf" on the Steering Committee of U.S. Campaign
to End the Occupation. Note that this is from their own Web site.

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/downloads/2006conferencereport.pdf says,

Current Steering Committee members of the US Campaign, followed by the
year in which their terms end, are:
* Huwaida Arraf (2007) - International Solidarity Movement
* Phyllis Bennis (2009) - Institute for Policy Studies
* Felicia Eaves (2009) - Black Voices for Peace
================================
Now we have Huwaida Arraf's letter to the Washington Post (February 2007)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602027_2.html

Eric Adler and Jack Langer disparaged the
International Solidarity Movement(ISM),a movement
that I co-founded in the spring of 2001
in the occupied territories of the West Bank,
the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem to help draw
attention to the human rights abuses suffered by
Palestinians as a result of Israel's occupation.
The ISM also is a resource for Palestinian nonviolent
resistance to the occupation. The ISM believes that
average civilians can bring about change, and it tries
to unite Palestinians, Israelis and other people in
nonviolent resistance to Israel's occupation policies.

When I "acknowledged" that the ISM
"cooperates with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine,"
I was offering concrete examples of the ways
in which these groups were engaging in nonviolent resistance.

Both the ISM and the Palestine Solidarity Movement
advocate nonviolent resistance to Israel's human rights abuses
-- the ISM through organized action in the occupied territories
and the PSM by promoting international divestment from
companies that profit from occupation.

HUWAIDA ARRAF
Washington

If the return of Palestinian refugees, to their homeland, undermines Israel's identity as a "Jewish State" by compromising it's Jewish majority, then Israel has no legitimate right to exist as a "Jewish State". Any attempt to deny the Palestinians right of return in order to preserve Israel's Jewish majority is an attempt to legitimize the act of ethnic cleansing.

Israel is a legitimate state with internationally recognized borders. Any Israeli settlements outside of those borders are illegal under international law. Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territories are illegal immigrants. Natural growth is something that occurs within your borders not outside of them. The removal of illegal settlers is completely justified because their immigration to the settlements was in fact illegal.

Is there anything, one damn thing, that a leftist can do besides throw tired and trite slogans around like a dimwitted mynah bird?

There is NO legal basis whatsoever for a patrilineally inheritable "right" of return that passes from generation to generation. " Refugee" means that one has fled ones usual place of residency due to a conflict. One is no longer a "refugee" once one is re-settled beyond the conflict, and ones children, born elsewhere are certainly not "refugees". Not only is this uniquely inheritable right of return of refugees ONLY asserted by Palestinians, they assertthat it ONLY aplies to them and to no other people! Arabs states denying people citizenship because their ancestors may have left Israel in 1948 IS however an interesting legal issue.

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