by Bill Levinson

Only an organization as shameless as A Jewish Voice for Peace, could accuse someone of “muzzling” a pro-Palestinian activist. This was “Posted by Rob Lipton under Free speech,” on a site that permits no contradiction or debate of its content. “Fortunately, many commenters have their own blogs, so there will be no shortage of outlets in which you can fully air your views,” and Jewish Voice for Peace is about to get more than its fill today.

From day one, it seemed clear that there was a need for a space where people could freely debate challenging political issues related to Israel, Palestine, and US foreign policy. Over time, however, the comment boards seem to have drawn in those who communicate in a more polarized fashion, and have chased away people seeking more thoughtful dialogue. Lately, the site has become a forum for posting anti-Semitic in particular, and also other bigoted and racist comments, as well as ugly personal attacks.

A cursory review of A Jewish Voice for Peace’s Web site shows that it is quite capable of posting anti-Semitic material all on its own. The material is, in fact, quite similar to that we saw at MoveOn.org’s disgraced Action Forum. Perhaps some of JVP’s people were posting to MoveOn as well, or at least taking their cues from it. Now it is far from surprising that Muzzlewatch accused us of trying to “smear” MoveOn.org last year. It is also the same organization that accused ZOG of getting it audited by the IRS. (Given the apparent discrepency between what JVP told the IRS on its Form 990 and what it actually did, as reported to the entire world on its Web site, we doubt that the IRS needed ZOG to direct its attention to this group.)

A Jewish Voice for Peace’s Web site shows that it is quite capable of posting anti-Semitic material all on its own.

http://www.muzzlewatch.com/?p=214
Bucking the pressure at Jewish newspapers: is it possible or even desirable to tell the truth about the Jewish state?
Posted by Cecilie Surasky under Media

As many working in the Jewish press know all too well, truth-telling about Israeli policy is not exactly embraced. In fact, it is often treated with outright hostility, especially by funders, especially those with large pockets. …Comments are closed.

Right, Ms. Surasky, truth-telling about Israeli policy is not exactly embraced, especially not with ZOG and the Learned Elders of Zion looking over their shoulders. We understand quite clearly that that is in fact what you were trying to say.

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_237.shtml

By Mitchell Plitnick, Director of Education and Policy, Jewish Voice for Peace; Joel Beinin, Professor of Middle East Studies at Stanford University; and Cecilie Surasky, Director of Communications, Jewish Voice for Peace

As the war on Iraq rages on with no end in sight, the scandals around its beginnings continue to proliferate. Because of these scandals, one question now being revisited is the role the state of Israel may have played in initiating the invasion of Iraq.

We know that the Iraq invasion was pushed forcefully by the neo-conservatives in the Bush Administration. Many of the neocons are Jewish, though not all of them.

…On a number of levels, Israel was a factor in the disastrous decision to invade Iraq. But to say it was the major or decisive factor is enormously out of line with the evidence. Iraq was a war for American interests as perceived by those who have the power to make those decisions. It was not a “war for Israel”.

Well, it’s to their credit that, after they talked about how Ariel Sharon and all those neocons (some of whom are not Jewish) supported the war, it wasn’t a “war for Israel” after all. Now let’s take a look at their new job posting.

A Jewish Voice for Peace on Breaking the Jewish Chokehold on Debate
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_713.shtml

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: NATIONAL DIRECTOR
JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE – SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is a progressive, national, grassroots, membership organization dedicated to a resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict based on principles of democracy, human rights and respect for international law. JVP calls for an end to the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem; a resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem consistent with international law and equity; an end to all violence against civilians, and recognition of the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians for security and self determination.

JVP is seeking a National Director to provide overall leadership to an organization in the midst of a transition from a San Francisco Bay Area based grassroots group to a high-impact national membership organization with chapters throughout the US.

…Courage and integrity. [These sound like characteristics that would DISqualify anyone from working for JVP.]

…Select Accomplishments:

…Church Divestment – JVP plays a consistently important role with churches interested in selective divestment. This initiative targets corporations profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Fighting anti-Semitism and Charges of anti-Semitism – JVP has been a leader in fighting the actions of many powerful organizations and individuals in their attempts to silence critics of U.S. and Israeli policy. Its book, Reframing Anti-Semitism: Alternative Jewish Perspectives, which counters the equation of criticism of Israeli policy with anti-Semitism, sold out on its first run in six weeks. Reframing Anti-Semitism is now in its sixth printing. JVP also published a globally distributed report regarding the Simon Weisenthal’s selective use of the charge of anti-Semitism to silence critics of Israel at the World Social Forum.

Breaking the chokehold that major Jewish organizations have had on debate on these issues – JVP’s new and acclaimed blog Muzzlewatch exposes efforts at stifling debate.

Yes, we can just imagine that sinister Jewish organizations imposing a chokehold on debate. Or, as Jewish Voice for Peace’s friends at MoveOn.org put it on their Action Forum (with eight out of eight voting to agree),

Another neo-con appeared today on C-Span to defend Bush and his spying program! I am Jewish and proud of it (despite everything) but I am sick of seeing those neo-cons posing as average joes on national television to defend Bush and his lies. Since they don’t have the decency or honesty to identify themselves by saying: “But you know, I am a Zionist and may be biased” and since most Americans can’t tell the difference and don’t have the courage to ask, maybe they should be forced to wear an Israeli flag on the lapel of their jackets. Isn’t it time to tell the American people the truth, i.e. that Jews control all the media.

JVP joins MoveOn.org in blaming Israel for the collapse of peace talks
It is also no surprise that JVP’s position on why the 2001 peace talks broke down is almost identical to MoveOn.org’s, as stated by Noah T. Winer’s official bulletin.

It was Israel that cut off negotiations with the Palestinian Authority in January 2001 at Taba, when, according to all parties involved, a deal had never been closer. Ehud Barak was about to be voted out, and he felt unable to present compromises to the Israeli public amid the violence that was occurring and being at the end of his tenure.

Compare to:

MoveOn Bulletin
Friday, June 20, 2003
Noah T. Winer, Editor
noah.winer “at” moveon.org

In July, 2000 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak broke off talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat at the Camp David summit hosted by U.S. President Bill Clinton. That September, Ariel Sharon, chairman of the Likud party, made a provocative visit to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Control over this holy site for both Muslims and Jews is contested by Palestinians and Israelis. The visit implied Israeli sovereignty over all Jerusalem, the eastern portion of which is considered occupied territory by the international community. So began the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising.

Both JVP and MoveOn.org blame Israel for breaking off peace talks that, as subsequent events have proven repeatedly, were never backed by any good will or honesty on the part of the Palestinians to begin with. Our key point is, however, that JVP and MoveOn.org are pretty much on the same wavelength (in fact, the same wavelength as the International Solidarity Movement and Electronic Intifada, with Noah Winer citing the latter as a reference in his official bulletin). “BLAME ISRAEL.”

JVP joins the International Solidarity Movement in Anti-Israel Blood Libel
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_496.shtml

JVP renewed its call in honour of the American peace activist Rachel Corrie on the third anniversary of her murder on March 16, 2003, when an Israeli Army Caterpillar bulldozer crushed her to death. Rachel was standing in front of the bulldozer as part of an effort to protect a Palestinian home from being demolished in the Gaza Strip City of Rafah.

We were quite prepared to believe that Rachel Corrie’s death was a tragic accident, noting that the driver could not see her while she knelt in front of the bulldozer’s huge blade. However, as long as JVP and the International Solidarity Movement are tossing around accusations of “murder,” we will remind our readers that at least three people expressed motives for wanting Rachel Corrie dead.

(1) http://www.standwithus.com/news_post.asp?NPI=85 “Recently, the Director of the [International] Solidarity Movement, George Rishmawi, explained to the San Francisco Chronicle that the recruitment of American student volunteers is useful to the Palestinian Movement because “if some of these foreign volunteers get shot or even killed, then the international media will sit up and take notice.”"

(2) Joseph Smith, who was present when Corrie died and whose highest priority was apparently to take pictures, said, “”The spirit that she died for is worth a life. This idea of resistance, this spirit of resisting this brutal occupying force, is worth anything. And many, many, many Palestinians give their lives for it all the time. So the life of one international, I feel, is more than worth the spirit of resisting oppression.” (Rachel’s life, of course, not Joseph Smith’s life.)

(3) A Hamas terrorist said openly that Rachel was worth more dead than alive. “‘Her death serves me more than it served her,‘ said one activist at a Hamas funeral yesterday. ‘…Her death will bring more attention than the other 2,000 martyrs.’” Making of a Martyr by Sandra Jordan, Guardian Newspapers. Remember that Hamas is in the business of killing people, even Palestinian children whom it equips with bombs without their knowledge, and perhaps it did more than just “wish” for something to happen to Rachel Corrie. It’s interesting that her body was cremated before it could be tested for drugs. We are not saying that Rachel was a drug user, but rather that something might have been put into her food without her knowledge to impair her judgment, so she would not try to get out of the bulldozer’s parth.

Bottom line: When you are more useful to your friends dead than you are alive, it is time to find new friends.

A Jewish Voice for Peace’s ISM Connections

Rob Lipton adds, “Kaplan repeatedly and inexplicably calls JVP “The ISM’s “Jewish Voice for Peace”, a statement so strange its hardly worth addressing. (Here, presumably, he is referring to the International Solidarity Movement.)” (1) We recommend that Mr. Lipton re-read Aesop’s fable about birds of a feather flocking together. (2) There is also the famous parable, “Be careful what you wish, you might get it,” and Mr. Lipton is about to get plenty of links between JVP and the ISM. (3) The following statements are not from us, the bogeyman, David Horowitz’s Frontpagemag, or any other source hostile to JVP and the ISM. They are FROM JVP and the ISM!

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/04/13/
rachel-corrie-foundation-peaceworks-conference/

Formats and Speakers: We are considering formats that include lectures, panels, and small group discussions with emphasis on action flowing from the work we do together. The voices of conference attendees will be as important as those of the thoughtful and powerful speakers who will participate:

… Liat Weingart: Co-Director of Jewish Voice for Peace in San Francisco.

In other words, the ISM is not just talking about JVP, it says a JVP member is going to be a speaker or lecturer at one of its events.

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2005/06/14/
nyc-activists-take-message-against-caterpillar-to-business-and-
sustainability-conference-at-waldorf/

The protest earlier this morning was endorsed by the International Solidarity Movement - NYC, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine, Queer Resistance for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Women of a Certain Age, Jews Against the Occupation NYC, and the BootCAT Campaign.

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/30/bilin-dennis-fox/ says, “The group I’m traveling with this week — Jewish Voice for Peace — arrived in Bil’in at about 10:30 am.”

Now let’s see what jewishvoiceforpeace.org has to say about the International Solidarity Movement:

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_834.shtml “Tanya spoke in Berkeley in 2004 in a benefit for Jewish Voice for Peace and the International Solidarity Movement.”

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_384.shtml

For our readers in Northern California, Tanya Reinhart will be here on June 29 in a benefit for Jewish Voice for Peace and the Northern California Chapter of the International Solidarity Movement. She will be making appearances in Mountain View, Santa Cruz and Sacramento as well.

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/cmt.shtml

Jewish-Palestinian Solidarity Committee
The Jewish-Palestinian Solidarity Committee (JPSC) supports Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. We work in solidarity with those who oppose the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. We support Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories and those who refuse to serve in the army for political reasons and reasons of conscience.

JPSC has organized events that support the Rebuilding Homes Campaign, Yesh Gvul, New Profile, and presented speakers from those groups. We provide a forum for other groups and actions supporting Palestinians who are resisting the Occupation, expansion of settlements, and expropriation of land. We work in support of Palestinian and Israeli groups committed to nonviolent resistance to the Occupation, including the International Solidarity Movement and Ta’ayush. We support cultural and political exchanges not only in Israel and Palestine but locally as well. We recently helped sponsor an evening of Arabic and Jewish culture at the Arab Cultural Center in San Francisco, and will continue to learn about and celebrate both cultures together.

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_740.shtml

Write your representatives. Go to the demonstration, or organize one. Educate yourself more deeply, then talk to someone who has less information. Stand in vigil with the Women in Black. Some of the founders of the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine are organizing nonviolent civil resistance in Lebanon. Join them, or support them.

Res ipsa loquitur, the thing speaks for itself.

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Related: Israel, Anti-Semitism

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