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Stories have been piling up these last few days. There just isn't enough time to do proper individual posts for each story. So we're going to cheat and post a bunch of worth-your-time stories as one post.
Leading us off is an article by CAMERA media analyst, Sean Durns:
Numerous outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR and Slate magazine, among others, ran commentaries that whitewashed and obfuscated on Omar's anti-Semitism. The vast majority of them pretended that Omar was talking about Israeli policy and not the loyalty of American Jews. Virtually none noted that her comments met both the State Department and the widely adopted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definitions of antisemitism. Omar was even given column space in The Washington Post, in which she disingenuously claimed to support a "two-state solution"—a position that is irreconcilable with her support for BDS.
With the growing concern over anti-Semitism in the United States, the media's failures are worse than inexplicable—they're unacceptable.
"Sunlight," the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, once wrote, "is said to be the best disinfectant." However, the press—the self-styled "guardians of truth"—is failing to provide such light with full and honest reporting about the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism in Congress. Their failure will enable the virus to spread.
Next up is Steven M. Flatow on Rashida Tlaib, whom Flatow shows, to no one's surprise, is not quite honest when speaking of her dear Palestinian grandmother:
Tlaib understands the power of grievance rhetoric. Once she says, "my living grandmother [is] in the West Bank in the occupied territories," that changes the whole dynamic of the debate. In fact, it's a "two-fer": Her own grandmother is an "occupied," persecuted person, which gives Tlaib standing; plus, it's her "living grandmother," so she's a real live eyewitness, which presumably gives Rep. Tlaib's assertions even more validity.
Except that Congresswoman Tlaib is lying.
Grandma Tlaib is a resident of the Palestinian Arab village of Beit Ur al-Fauqa. The Israeli occupation of that village ended in 1995. It has been governed by the Palestinian Authority, not Israel, for the past 24 years. For the congresswoman to claim that her grandmother is "occupied" by the Israelis—and therefore a victim of persecution and an eyewitness to Israeli "human-rights violations"—is, simply, a lie.
In the autumn of 1995, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed an agreement with then-P.A. chairman Yasser Arafat, known as the Oslo II Accord. It provided for the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the territories where 98 percent of the Palestinian Arabs reside, including Beit Ur al-Fauqa. The Israelis withdrew. The occupation ended.
Roger L. Simon writes about American Jews being on the brink of a civil war:
Trump's approval of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights is the natural outgrowth of these policies. It is high time. Fifty-two years ago, when the Heights were still under the control of the ruthless Hafez al-Assad, who, like his son Bashar after him, had a proclivity for mass-murdering his own people, the Golan was used as a high ground for firing artillery into Israel. Now it's used for vineyards and as a staging area for Israeli medics to help save the lives of the long-suffering Syrian people.
Yet still, Jewish "liberals" object to Trump's actions. Dan Shapiro--Obama's ambassador to Israel--got his knickers in the proverbial twist on Twitter, complaining that there hadn't been sufficient "policy planning" (gasp!) and the Russians might be upset, a pretty funny accusation from people who were whining that Trump has been soft on Moscow for the last two years.
It does seem though, according to the NY Post, that some of New York's Jewish Democrats are getting frustrated with the Democrats tolerance of (or is it a welcoming of) anti-Semitism. How frustrated? We won't know that until 2020.
"I feel confident that [Omar's] words were not based on any anti-Semitic attitude," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Many Jewish Dems in the city aren't buying it.
"The fake defense she doesn't know what she's saying? I don't believe it," said Sara, a Queens teacher who asked not to be fully identified. "This is a grown woman and a member of Congress. Trying to excuse this as naivete is inexcusable."
For her and others, anger is sparking immediate action.
"The watered-down resolution triggered my decision to walk away from the Democratic Party," said Allison Gangi of Manhattan.
"I never dreamed anti-Semitism would have become mainstream on the left, but it has."
Sara said she is "not comfortable anymore being a Democrat" and will register as an independent.
Among his Teaneck neighbors, Schwartz said, "Our only question now is, do we start voting Republican, or do we become Republicans?"
Others say they feel like the wandering Jew of legend.
"I'm homeless. I don't think I can vote for Trump, even though he's great for Israel," said Jason, a start-up owner from Long Island who asked that his surname not be used. "But as a Jew, I can't see a way to support the Democratic Party. It's supporting your own destruction."
You may have already heard that Rep. Ilhan Omar will be speaking at a CAIR banquet. CAIR, as we know, is an unindicted con-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism case.
Political street artist Sabo put up a number of signs criticizing anti-Semitic comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles amid the freshman lawmaker's appearance in town for a speech.
Ilhan Omar is scheduled to speak at a fundraiser for the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Los Angeles Saturday. Counter-events have been organized against her appearance.
What's this? Berkeley CA professors are warning that BDS is a threat to academic freedom? Who woulda thunk?
More than 200 American university leaders have already rejected BDS, while none have affirmed support for the boycott, "so the UC chancellors do not stand out in their opinions," the faculty added.
The group also countered claims that the chancellors' statement would chill pro-Palestinian activism, noting that the professors themselves were able to publish their op-ed in the Daily Californian.
"If the signatories of the previous op-ed and others who support their views want nothing to do with Israel, that is their prerogative," they wrote. "But there is no reason why the University of California should permit them to foist their politics and discriminatory attitudes on the rest of the university."
In more news from California:
California State University (CSU) agrees to landmark settlement with The Lawfare Project and Winston & Strawn LLP to safeguard Jewish students' rights
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Lawfare Project and Winston & Strawn LLP today reached a landmark settlement in their lawsuits against the California State University (CSU) public university system.
The settlement in Volk v. Board of Trustees comes ahead of this month's scheduled trial for a lawsuit brought by two Jewish students who allege that San Francisco State University (SFSU) and the Board of Trustees of CSU discriminated against them.
As part of the settlement, SFSU agreed to:
Public statement: Issue a statement affirming that "it understands that, for many Jews, Zionism is an important part of their identity";
Coordinator of Jewish Student Life: "Hire a Coordinator of Jewish Student Life within the Division of Equity & Community Inclusion" and dedicate suitable office space for this position;
External review of policies: "Retain an independent, external consultant to assess SFSU's procedures for enforcement of applicable CSU system-wide anti-discrimination policies and student code of conduct";
Independent investigation of additional complaints: "SFSU will, for a period of 24 months, assign all complaints of religious discrimination under either E.O. 1096 or E.O. 1097 to an independent, outside investigator for investigation";
Funding viewpoint diversity: "SFSU will allocate an additional $200,000 to support educational outreach efforts to promote viewpoint diversity (including but not limited to pro-Israel or Zionist viewpoints) and inclusion and equity on the basis of religious identity (including but not limited to Jewish religious identity)"; and
Campus mural: Engage in the SFSU process to allocate "space on the SFSU campus for a mural to be installed under the oversight of the Division of Equity & Community Inclusion, paid for by the University, that will be designed by student groups of differing viewpoints on the issues that are the subject of this litigation to be agreed by the parties (including but not limited to Jewish, pro-Israel, and/or Zionist student groups, should such student groups elect to participate in the process)."
"California State University's public recognition that Zionism is an integral part of Jewish identity represents a major victory for Jewish students at SFSU and across the country. Today, we have ensured that SFSU will put in place important protections for Jewish and Zionist students to prevent continued discrimination. We are confident that this will change the campus climate for the better," said Brooke Goldstein, Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. "The Lawfare Project was proud to play a role in securing justice for Jewish and Zionist students at SFSU. We commend the student plaintiffs who showed the courage to stand up and advocate for their civil rights."
https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-media-goes-to-bat-for-congressional-anti-semitism/?fbclid=IwAR18cDj1MsbQA9heeB4XeaKXzN0Jrk9KHXO025aLky_-FZR8ETGIJFkduM0
https://www.jns.org/opinion/rep-rashida-tlaib-its-time-to-start-telling-the-truth/?fbclid=IwAR3GN4HqyL6dPPlgb_0muJpT3j1P_6jlazcO4rwBasExJC88z7ohwZu7VYs
https://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/american-jews-on-the-brink-of-civil-war/?fbclid=IwAR0Ll2bPnlXheHKo6SIOqFlLvV27teOCv7FzYHlZMRbXqpWxaBUqk1rY6P4
https://nypost.com/2019/03/16/jewish-voters-are-furious-at-dems-defense-of-ilhan-omar/?fbclid=IwAR2A-iQqnVtE6OI3FdYWV4fgaWsSFFd8vllTuND0N6_-sJlVbBJDzqMuP0Y
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/03/23/photos-street-artist-sabo-calls-out-ilhan-omar-over-her-anti-semitic-remarks/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/03/21/17-uc-berkeley-professors-warn-discriminatory-bds-campaign-poses-clear-and-direct-threat-to-academic-freedom/
https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2019/3/20/sfsu-settlement
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