Columbia University and the New Anti-Semitism

[bemildred]

A polemic to be sure, but a well reasoned and supported one,
with footnotes and quotes and stuff.

<snip>

Curiously, the charges of "silencing" and "intimidation" first made waves when it was learned that the accusing students made their case on camera. They appeared in a short film, titled "Columbia Unbecoming", produced by a Boston-based group called the David Project. At this point it is both necessary and prudent to ask: what is the "David Project"?

At its website, the organization describes itself as "a grassroots initiative that promotes a fair and honest understanding of the Middle East conflict." A noble enough endeavor, no doubt. But a few lines later, we come to this: "We train people to be pro-active in their Israel advocacy" Another page offers ­ for a fee, of course ­ an intense three-hour ideological session titled "Making the Case for Israel." Searching for a "Making the Case for Palestine" program yields no results. Similarly, a look at the speaker's roster reveals many pro-Israeli speakers, but not a single pro-Palestinian. Perhaps most revealing is the text prefacing their speaker section: "For more information on how to bring our speakers to your synagogue, school, church, or community center, please call" (5) Apparently churches and synagogues are welcome, but mosques need not apply. One wonders why.

The site then goes on to describe what it considers to be a "fair and honest position": "The essence of the Middle East conflict is about Jewish existence and self-determination in the face of a hostile Arab world and radical Islamists." (6) Israel's own recent historians take a rather different view. Commenting on the founding of Israel, Senior Lecturer of Military History in the IDF Aryeh Yitzhaki says, "a generation has passed, and it is now possible to face the ocean of lies in which we were brought up. In almost every conquered village in the War of Independence, acts were committed, which are defined as war crimes, such as indiscriminate killings, massacres and rapes." (7) Describing Zionism ­ the founding ideology of Israel ­ another Israeli historian, Tom Segev, writes: "'Disappearing' the Arabs lay at the heart of the Zionist dream, and was also a necessary condition of its existence. With few exceptions, none of the Zionists disputed the desirability of forced transfer - or its morality." (8)

Committing war crimes and disappearing people from their homes doesn't quite square well with pious rhetoric about "self-determination." But the folks at the David Project are free to cling to their pro-Israel political line. That they do so while pretending to be some kind of impartial educational group, however, speaks volumes. So much for "fairness" - and, even more so, "honesty."

The Dreaded CounterPunch

[David__77]

1. "Self-determination," what a farce...

This is like the Boer "self-determination" in southern Africa. Twin colonialisms, indeed.

[bemildred]

2. I mainly dislike the attempted censorship.

I doubt that the long term prospects of the Israeli enterprise
are advanced by this sort of shallow disingenuous political cant.
Whatever long term prospects Israel has depend on reaching an
accomodation with the Arabs, and that requires a full airing of
boths sides of the story. If it's to be war, war, war in
perpetuity with the Arabs, in the end Israel will lose. Uncle Sugar
won't be there forever to keep a thumb on the scales and the tide
is not running in Israel's favor (IMHO).

[martymar64]

3. All that's missing are the trains going "to the East"

n/t