11 Really Great Questions (a.k.a. Nekama's Troll Hammer")

This was published back in August 2003 by "Nekama" in a comment on a LittleGreenFootballs.com article. The original had some foul and at times anti-Islamic language, but when one cleans up the language a bit, these are important arguments against the anti-Semites' various false claims:

1. Are you aware that the Disputed Territories never belonged to the “Palestinians” and only came into Israeli possession as a result of the 1967 six day war in which Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon all massed forces at Israel’s border in order to “push the Jews into the sea”. The Arabs lost and Israel took control of the land. Do you agree that if the Arabs don’t want to lose territory to Israel, then they shouldn’t start wars? Do you agree that there is justice that Israel, who as far back as 1948 has always sought peace with her far larger neighbors, should live in prosperity - making the desert bloom - while the residents of 19 adjacent Arab countries who are blessed with far more land as well as oil wealth have practically no GDP in comparison?

2. Did you know that the “Palestinians” could have had their own country as far back as 1948 had they accepted the UN sponsored partition plan which gave Israel AND the Palestinians a countries of their own on land which Jews had lived on for thousands of years before Mohammed was born? The Arabs rejected the UN offer and went to war with the infant Israeli nation. The Arabs lost and have been whining about it ever since. Do you agree this is like a murderer who kills his parents and asks for special treatment since he is now an orphan?

3. Can you tell us ANY Arab country which offers Jews the right to be citizens, vote, own property, businesses, be a part of the government or have ANY of the rights which Israeli Arabs enjoy? Any Arab country which gives those rights to Christians? How about to other Arabs? Wouldn’t you just LOVE to be a citizen of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, or Syria? (Note: Turkey doesn't count here - it wants to be part of the EU, not the Middle East)

4. Since as many Jews (approximately 850,000) were kicked out of Arab countries as were Arabs who left present day Israel (despite being literally begged to stay), why should Arabs be permitted to return to Israel if Jews aren’t allowed to set foot in Arab countries? Can you explain why Arabs can worship freely in Israel but Jews would certainly be hung from street lamps after having their intestines devoured by an Arab mob if they so much as entered an Arab country?

5. Israel resettled and absorbed all of the Jews from Arab countries who wished to become Israelis. Why haven’t any Arab countries offered to resettle Arabs who were displaced from Israel, leaving them to rot for 60 years in squalid refugee camps? And why are those refugee camps still there? Could it be that the billions of dollars that the UNWRA has sent there goes to terrorist groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, El Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, or Hezbollah? How did Yassir Arafat achieve his $300 million in wealth? Why aren’t these funds distributed for humanitarian use?

6. Did you know that the Arabs in the disputed territories (conquered by Israel in the 1967 war which was started by Arabs) and who are not Israelis already have two countries right now? And that they are called Egypt and Jordan?

7. If your complaint is about the security fence which Israel is finally building in the Disputed Territories, are you aware that it is built solely to keep the “brave” Arab terrorists out so that they can no longer self detonate on busses, in dining halls or pizzerias and kill Jewish grandmothers and schoolchildren? Why are the Arabs so brave when they target unarmed civilians but even when they outnumber their opponents they lose when they are faced with Jewish soldiers?

8. Please explain why you are so concerned about Arabs, who possess 99% of the land in this region and are in control of the world’s greatest natural resource, which literally flows out of the ground? Can’t their brother muslims offer some of the surplus land and nature’s riches to the “Palestinians”? Or is it true that Arabs are willing to die right down to the last “Palestinian”?

9. Why do you not exhibit the same level of concern for say, people in Saudi Arabia who are beheaded, subject to amputation, stoning, honor killing etc.? What about women who are denied any semblance of basic civil rights, including the right not to be treated as property for the entertainment and abuse of her father, brothers, or husbands? What about the Muslims in Sudan and Egypt who are still enslaved, or the women there whose genitalia are barbarically cut off? How about the oppression of Shiites by Sunnis, the gassing of the Kurds by Iraq, or the massacre of “Palestinians” by Jordan (Black September)? Why doesn’t this concern you?

10. Did you ever stop to wonder how much better off everyone in the region would be if Arabs stopped trying to kill Jews and destroy Israel? What would happen if the Israelis gave up their weapons and disarmed? Would they live to see the next day? But what would happen if the Arabs completely disarmed? You know the answer: They would all be AT PEACE! And if there is no war to rile them up, the Arabs would be forced to look at their own repressive, pre-medieval societies. Why would they want to do that when there are Jews to kill?

11. Have you heard “People who define themselves primarily by what they hate, rather than who they love, are doomed to failure and misery”? Can you see the parallels to the Arabs, who are blessed with land and oil, but still gladly train their children to kill themselves in order to kill Jews? Have you heard Golda Meir’s words to the effect of “There will be peace when the Arabs love their children more than they hate ours”? Why do the Arabs hate so much?

If you need assistance or require additional study, then please refer to the following links:

History of the Middle East Conflict:
http://www.infoclick.org/conflict.html

Thousands of women killed for honor: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0212_020212_honorkilling.html

Muslims lament Israel’s existence:
http://www.iht.com/articles/98479.html

Disputed Territories – Forgotten Facts
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0n1m0

The size of Israel compared to neighboring countries in the region
http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps.htm#index

Jews expelled from Arab Countries
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/PrinterFull&cid=1056508742342

One Million Jews flee Arab countries – why no right of return for them?
http://www.forgottenexodus.com/

Middle East Facts
http://yashiko.middleeastfacts.com/

Middle East Truth
http://www.mideasttruth.com/

Larry Miller on Hypocrisy
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/161yaihr.asp

A comment on the C'far Qana deaths

As you may already know, as many as 60 people - about half of them children - died when a building in the Southern Lebanese village of C'far Qana collapsed. It's a horrible tragedy, one which almost everyone wishes hadn't happened.

That said, some things need to be pointed out:

1. The village of C'far Qana was used by Hezbollah to fire at least 10 rockets at Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, Afula, and Ma'alot since the start of the current conflict two and a half weeks ago; dozens of rockets were fired from nearby the village with the same targets in mind. As a result of these attacks, 18 Israeli citizens are dead and hundreds of Israelis were wounded.
   
2. The building collapsed about eight hours after an IDF strike. So the building did not collapse immediately - why then were people still in the building? Why did the parents keep their children in an unsafe building? What exactly brought the building finally down? It could have been Hezbollah armaments inside the building, or just the building falling over after being damaged eight hours prior to collapse.
   
3. Israel repeatedly dropped flyers in the area warning civilians that if they remained, they would be at risk and thus they should head north of the Litani River, about 25 miles north of the Israel/Lebanon border. Why didn't these civilians evacuate? Why didn't Hezbollah evacuate them? Did Hezbollah keep them hostage? Were they willing human shields? Heck, why is Hezbollah firing rockets from inside a civilian village in direct contradiction of international law?
   
4. Why the high death toll? According to one Lebanese blogger, Hezbollah wouldn't let in the cranes that could have moved the rubble and permitted people to reach the injured sooner.
   

Before anyone knee-jerkedly points accusatory fingers at Israel, they might want to know the answers to these questions.

Oh, and one more thing:
Frimet and Arnold Roth, whose then 15-year-old daughter Maliki died during the August 2001 Sbarro restaurant bombing, published a great piece which really lays out the Double Standard of the world when it comes to civilian casualties in this conflict. The point is made especially well here:

However, let's be brutally honest. Many of those who claim to be outraged and distressed today over the unnecessary loss of life are thrilled at the opportunity to join in the bash-Israel free-for-all.

When the innocent women and children are Israelis, the reactions heard 'round the world are few, tempered and carefully "balanced" so that they include rebuke of the victim, Israel, as well.

UPDATE

The Jerusalem Post is now reporting the following:

The IDF on Thursday completed its inquiry into this week's incident in the Lebanese town of Kana, in which 28 Lebanese civilians were killed.

The report, which was submitted to Defense Minister Amir Peretz, stated that intelligence indicated that the building hit in the deadly strike was not occupied by civilians, but was being used by Hizbullah.

Hassan Nassrallah: In His Own Words

I recommend all check out this CAMERA article to see what set of anti-Semitic, genocidal bastards Israel is dealing with - and who the UCI MSU praises unequivocally on a regular basis:

Hassan Nassrallah: In His Own Words

Snippets:

The widening arena of Hezbollah’s attacks stemmed from Nasrallah’s perception that Jews anywhere are legitimate targets. In fact, Nasarallah has said:

If they (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide. (Daily Star, Oct. 23, 2002)

Shiite scholar Amal Saad-Ghorayeb analyzed the anti-Jewish roots of Hezbollah ideology in her book Hezbollah: Politics & Religion. In it, she quotes Hassan Nasrallah describing his antipathy toward Jews:

If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice, I do not say the Israeli. (New Yorker, Oct. 14, 2002)

Nasrallah also incoroporates anti-Semitic rhetoric in speeches. For example, he has characterized Jews as the "grandsons of apes and pigs" and "Allah’s most cowardly and greedy creatures." (MEMRI: Al- Manar, Feb. 3, 2006)

So, Chancellor Drake, when a MSU speaker or member next says he/she supports Hezbollah - or, for that matter HAMAS, Islamic Jihad, Iran, or terrorism and martyrdom in general - are you going to wimp out once again and just speak platitudes asking us to just "get along"?

Or are you - for once - going to use your free speech rights and state explicitly that such speech threatens Jewish students, faculty, and staff?

Are you going to - for once - enforce the campus's rules about harassment, intimidation, and bias, as well as the MSU's repeated and blatant violations of its own annually signed statement agreeing to uphold the Principles of Community?

We've already had to send in the lawyers for these civil rights violations. When that's over, if things aren't fixed appropriately, don't be shocked if UCI and/or members of your administration end up as defendants in civil and/or criminal court.

My patience with UCI's use of my tax dollars only goes so far. And I'm not alone in that view.

Chazak Amenu: Judaism's "We Are The World"

I recently stumbled across the song Chazak Amenu while looking around the web for podcasts.

It's from the two CD set "Voices for Israel", which according to the website:

VOICES FOR ISRAEL: CHAZAK AMENU is the most ambitious Jewish Music project ever undertaken, bringing together over 50 Jewish Music stars from throughout the broader Jewish community, joining their voices for Israel.

The objective of VOICES FOR ISRAEL is to express support for, and solidarity with, the people of Israel during these trying times, and to promote a global sense of Jewish unity and community.

And there is no more inspiring way to convey our innermost hopes, feelings, and prayers than through song.

The Chazak Amenu MP3

Lyrics

Sheet Music

If you like this video, please buy the CD Disclaimer: I have no monetary or other arrangements with these folks - I'm simply spreading the word because this music touched me.

G-d willing, we will bring these folks to UCI for a concert.

Good cartoons

These cartoons illustrate exactly why Israel is back in Lebanon and Gaza:

What is "disproportionate"?

Found this semi-satirical post via IsraelMatzav. Doesn't completely hit a home run, but gets pretty darn close:

"Disproportionate"

Chair of UCI Academic Senate puts out a statement

I received this from someone and thought it would be good to post it. Apparently the UCI Academic Senate (the UCI faculty senate) has NO clue what to do to remove the widespread problem of anti-Semitism on campus, other than hope that the UCI Difficult Dialogues project will calm things down.

UCI Difficult Dialogues is about complete - by the looks of it, there is only one event left for Fall 2006, and it's still TBD. I hope to G-d that it's had a significantly positive effect on the campus. Here's my yardstick to know if UCI has changed dramatically for the better:

I'll compare the number of times we see an anti-Semite visit campus this coming school year (2006-2007) vs. the past few years (2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006). 2005-2006 was almost weekly.

A dramatic change in quantity would be if we only saw an anti-Semite once the entire school year and there was NO anti-Zionism week. Under this yardstick, this dramatic change wouldn't be a complete fix, but would be a good start.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Free Speech and Campus Civility
Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 09:33:29 -0700
From: Academic Senate
To: as00@UCI.EDU

Dear Colleagues:

Several of you have written to me asking what the Senate can do to reinforce Chancellors leadership with regard for speaking out for free but civil speech on campus. The first thing we can do is thank Chancellor Drake for his leadership, and I would like to also thank Vice Chancellor Gomez and the many other leadership and staff members who have worked hard behind the scenes to help the campus maintain a safe and civil atmosphere while strongly supporting free speech rights.

As Senate members and educators we also have a responsibility to do our part. I urge you to use your contact time with students to discuss issues of free speech and responsibility. A sad byproduct of the current political tensions is that some of us simply chose to avoid political discussions in order to avoid conflict. This may be especially true for those of us with moderate voices, who don't want to get caught up in difficult discussions.

If you have suggestions for what the Senate can do to participate and encourage civil discussion, I would be glad to listen.

Also, I want to publicize two leadership activities you might want to join or use as examples for your own activities. First, I have reproduced below an abstract of the UCI Difficult Dialogues Project: Imagining the Future: Dissent, Dialogue and the Freedom to Inquire.

This project is being lead by Vice Chancellor Gomez and is supported by the Ford Foundation. Next, I am reproducing an open letter to the campus and community from Kristen Monroe, Director of the UCI interdisciplinary center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality. This letter says much more eloquently what I am trying to say here.

Please join me in thanking Chancellor Drake, Vice Chancellor Gomez and Professor Monroe for their examples of leadership on this issue.

Ken Janda
Academic Senate Chair

UC Irvine Difficult Dialogues Project: Imagining the Future: Dissent, Dialogue and the Freedom to Inquire

Principal Investigator: Manuel N. G , Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Building on continuing attempts to protect academic freedom, this project, with support from the Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues Program, will use techniques drawn from peace-building and respect initiatives already under way to foster productive dialogue on campus. The project will develop and launch three new cross-disciplinary courses designed to educate students about contemporary issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, traditions of religious conflict and religious tolerance, and peace building.

The first course, Religious Diversity and Conflict, jointly developed by faculty in religious studies and in conflict resolution, will be submitted for approval for one or more breadth requirements. The second will be a two-quarter pilot seminar entitled Imagining the Future, an interdisciplinary, team-taught course focusing on solutions to the myriad problems that would remain in the event of a final peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. The third course, for upper-division students, will be a series of seminars on the Politics and Ethics of Difference.

In addition to these courses, the university will develop a series of teaching seminars to increase the ability of faculty and graduate teaching assistants to facilitate dialogue in existing courses that deal with sensitive topics. Workshops will offer participation in the conflict resolution process, and experts will promote dialogue both on and off campus.

Finally, the project includes a year-long series of lectures and other public events designed to heighten awareness of religious and ethnic conflict, peace-building techniques, and successful collaborations that have grown out of situations once dominated by conflict.

Statement from UCI Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality

StandWithUs responds to the UCLA Hillel Director

The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles published a shortened version of the the StandWithUs letter to the editor that responded to the op-ed written by the Director of UCLA's Hillel, Rabbi Seidler-Feller's op-ed. (see here for my own take). Since the shortened version cut out a bunch of key information, I'm posting the full version for all to see

In his op-ed (6/23) Rabbi Seidler-Feller mischaracterizes pro-Israel campus activism and ignores its importance and effectiveness. UCLA, in the heart of Jewish Los Angeles, does not always reflect what is happening nationally and internationally. But even at UCLA, students ask StandWithUs for help countering anti-Israel speakers like Norman Finkelstein and Malik Ali who lectured there in May of 2006.

It was activism that has exposed Malik Ali's bigotry and perhaps contributed to the Muslim students apology. Successful student activism occurs all the time, as it did at Concordia University where unchallenged, escalating incitement culminated in a violent anti-Israel riot in 2002. At our international student conference last winter, Concordia's Jewish student leaders reported great improvement because we organized ourselves and got involved in student government. We countered the lies, wrote op-eds, and educated the campus." Their activism made a difference.

The Rabbi's approach certainly can enhance these efforts, but contrary to his charge, activist groups like SWU promote coalition and bridge building as a necessary part of activism. If the pro-Israel/pro peace community abandons activism, it will do so at great risk. Anti-Israel organizations and their funding on far too many campus and reports of biased Professors in the classroom remain strong though the Rabbi minimizes their depth and breadth. Jewish students must continue to counter them with confidence, knowledge, coalition building, and - yes - thoughtful activism as needed.

Roz Rothstein, National Director StandWithUs
Roberta Seid, PhD, Educational Consultant, StandWithUs
Esther Renzer, President, StandWithUs