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Why Is the Associated Press Supporting and Praising Someone Who Urged the Murder of Jews?
The bodies of people, some of them elderly, lie on a street after they were killed during a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
There’s more than one way to whip up hatred.
For example, someone could stand on a street corner in an Israeli city less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre, and urge the crowd of hundreds to repeat the following:
Hisham’s Gaza will not bow, not to a tank and not to artillery … Gaza, Al Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah … the nation calls for a struggle … there’s no solution and no solution … only uprooting the occupation … Raise your voice … Death is preferable to humiliation …
Greetings from Um al-Fahm to the freedom fighters (shahidim) … Greetings from Um al-Fahm to proud Gaza … Hey, people join [them], join [them] … Our nation is sacrificing its blood … Hey, join us, our people. [Original in Arabic. Translation from Hebrew to English by CAMERA.]
Someone could also conceal the contents of these words, and falsely portray them as anti-war sentiment, then depict the innocent speaker as unfairly persecuted by a repressive regime, as was done in this news article: “Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza.”
In the first case — not a hypothetical — Ahmed Khalefa led chants at a demonstration that took place without a police permit in the northern Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm on Oct. 19, 2023, well before Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip even began.
At the gathering — which was broadcast live on Facebook — the Israeli Arab lawyer expressed solidarity with the Hamas terrorists who carried out the atrocities in southern Israel, and urged his fellow citizens to join them.
In the second case — also not a hypothetical — a leading news organization, the Associated Press (which claims a daily global audience of 4 billion), covered up Khalefa’s incitement, recast him as an anti-war protester, and fostered antipathy against a supposedly repressive Israel.
In the telling of Sam McNeil’s Nov. 24, 2024 article, Israel has imposed a “yearlong crackdown against Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza.”
McNeil presented Khalefa as the poster child representing “more than 400 Palestinian citizens of Israel who, since the start of the war in Gaza, have been investigated by police for ‘incitement to terrorism’ or ‘incitement to violence,’ according to Adalah, a legal rights group for minorities.”
“Ahmed Khalefa’s life turned upside down after he was charged with inciting terrorism for chanting in solidarity with Gaza at an anti-war protest in October 2023,” intoned McNeil.
The AP journalist repeatedly referred to Israel’s allegedly heavy-handed laws — “Just being charged with incitement to terrorism or identifying with a terrorist group can land a suspect in detention until they’re sentenced, under the terms of a 2016 law” — but never once specified what exactly it was that Khalefa said which resulted in the charges.
Instead, McNeil relied on Khalefa’s characterization — or, rather, whitewash — of the words that landed him in hot water:
[Khalefa] said Israeli prosecutors took issue with slogans that broadly praised resistance and urged Gaza to be strong, but which didn’t mention violence or any militant groups. For that, he said, the government is trying to disbar him, and he faces up to eight years in prison.
Not only did McNeil withhold from readers Khalefa’s actual words, a peculiar oversight for a news organization that insists it works according to the motto of “advancing the power of facts,” but he notably also never bothered to consult with the Israeli jurists who handled the case.
Moreover, the AP neglected to mention that Khalefa’s case was heard in Israel’s High Court, a significant fact that challenges the flimsy narrative in which Israeli authorities “see us more as enemies than as citizens,” as the defendant told McNeil.
In his decision to release Khalefa to house arrest last February, Israeli Supreme Court Justice Ofer Grosskopf ruled (translation by CAMERA):
In times of peace, as well as in times of war, there are statements that are not protected by the freedom of expression, and there are forbidden exhortations which do not fall under the right to protest. From a theoretical standpoint, the line is very clear. Even during wartime, the expression of stances regarding the war is legitimate: one may call for its end; it’s permitted to express support for its continuation. It’s permitted to support a ceasefire arrangement which will bring back the hostages; one may call to continue fighting until Hamas is eradicated. One may express horror at the consequences of war;
It’s permissible to point out the dangers of stopping it before its goals are achieved. These are all positions which are worthy of being heard, which are permitted to express, even when the mortars are noisy and the guns are thundering. In contrast, expressions of support for the enemy and calls for carrying out war crimes are harmful and dangerous, and their use is unacceptable and forbidden. The freedom of expression does not protect, and the freedom to demonstrate does not legitimize, voicing views supporting atrocities carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, or cheering our enemies’ position, or calling for their victory in the military campaign in Gaza. They do not enable the voicing of support for genocide, or calls for mass expulsion.
He continued:
These are stances forbidden from public discourse during times of peace, and in times of war they pose a special danger. Indeed, voicing treason and hatred is not a freedom held by anyone; it poses a danger to our ability to coexist during times of peace, and is liable to turn into a viable threat to our very existence in times of war.
The distinction that Justice Grosskopf clearly delineates is completely lost on the AP’s McNeil, who cannot consider anything aside from a double standard. He wrote:
Over the summer, around two dozen anti-war protestors in the port city of Haifa were only allowed to finish three chants before police forcefully scattered the gathering into the night. Yet Jewish Israelis demanding a hostage release deal protest regularly – and the largest drew hundreds of thousands into the streets.
It also seems to have eluded McNeil that Israeli laws banning incitement and glorification of terror organizations resemble those in other Western democracies, including the United Kingdom.
Concerning the specifics of Khalefa’s case, Justice Grosskopf ruled:
Both the magistrate court and the district court determined that the defendant’s statements at the demonstration overstep the boundary between permitted and forbidden. I accept these positions. The statements which the defendant and Jabareen made at the protest, according to their plain meaning, possess expressions of praise for the enemy, and words of backing for their deeds.
The aforementioned Jabareen, as in Muhammad Jabareen, also made an appearance in McNeil’s article, which stated:
“Anyone who tries to speak out about the war will be imprisoned and harassed in his work and education,” said Oumaya Jabareen, whose son was jailed for eight months after an anti-war protest. “People here are all afraid, afraid to say no to this war.”
Far from saying “no to this war,” Jabareen led the crowd in these chants:
Blessings from Um al-Fahm to proud Gaza … resist, resist, resist … do not bargain with your rights … raise, raise, raise the voice … death is preferable to humiliation, Hisham’s Gaza will not bow … not from a tank and not from artillery. Resist, resist, resist … and do not compromise on Gaza. Resist, resist, resist … do not compromise on your lands. There is no other. The shahidim are beloved to God. [Translation from Hebrew to English by CAMERA.]
McNeil also used rhetorical tricks to demonize Israel as an undemocratic oppressor of minorities.
“Israel says its Palestinian citizens enjoy equal rights, including the right to vote, and they are well-represented in many professions,” he wrote, qualifying the easily verifiable reality of strong professional representation and full rights for Israel’s Arab citizens (whom he misleadingly terms “Palestinians”).[Emphasis added.]
In reality, not only can Israeli Arab citizens petition Israel’s High Court, but they may also serve on the bench, as does High Court Justice Khaled Kabub, a Muslim.
On the other hand, McNeil stated as fact the following questionable claim with zero qualification: “However, Palestinians are widely discriminated against in areas like housing and the job market.”
Applying McNeil’s methodology, the conclusion is damning: The Associated Press says it advances the power of facts. However, the wire service widely discriminates against Israel, concealing facts that don’t serve its predetermined anti-Israel narrative.
Tamar Sternthal is the director of CAMERA’s Israel Office.
The post Why Is the Associated Press Supporting and Praising Someone Who Urged the Murder of Jews? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Occidental College Settles Antisemitism Complaint
A general view of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC, on Dec. 1, 2020. Photo: Graeme Sloan via Reuters Connect
Occidental College in Los Angeles has agreed to “sweeping reforms” of its handling of antisemitism to settle a civil rights complaint brought by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.
According to the ADL, which issued an announcement of the agreement on Tuesday, the college will refer to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism during its investigations of antisemitic conduct and add a section on antisemitism to its educational programming on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents education institutions receiving federal funds from practicing or allowing the practice of discrimination based on race, religion, and ethnic origin.
The ADL and the Brandeis Center jointly filed their complaint against Occidental College, a measure which allows for negotiating a resolution to the matter before the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) renders a ruling. The civil rights organizations charged in their claim that the college failed to correct a “pervasive and hostile environment” in which Jewish students were subject to “severe antisemitic bullying, intimidation, and physical threats” amid an explosion of anti-Jewish hatred precipitated by Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.
“This agreement demonstrates Occidental College’s commitment to counter all forms of contemporary antisemitism and underscores their recognition that effectively combating antisemitism requires understanding the relationship between Jewish identity, Israel, and Zionism,” Brandeis Center president Alyza Lewin said in a statement. “We are gratified by the school’s engagement in meaningful discussions at the highest levels of the administration, and we are heartened that Occidental has committed to creating a safer environment for Jewish students. When implemented, this agreement will help ensure that Jewish students are able to learn and thrive in an environment free from antisemitic hate, discrimination, and harassment.”
ADL chief executive officer Jonathan Greenblatt added, “This outcome demonstrates how the Title VI OCR process can work to effectively protect Jewish students. We are deeply grateful for the US Department of Education’s dedication and assistance in resolving this case. It is our hope that this resolution will lead to other college administrators implementing these or similar measures proactively to address antisemitism on campus.”
Occidental College’s settlement treads a path taken by other institutions of higher education against which legal action was taken to address a surge of campus antisemitism over the past year, amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
In June, Columbia University settled a civil lawsuit in which it was accused by a student of neglecting its obligation to foster a safe learning environment amid riotous pro-Hamas protests that were held at the school throughout the final weeks of the academic year.
The resolution of the case, first reported by Reuters, called for Columbia to hire a “Safe Passage Liaison” who will monitor protests and “walking escorts” who will accompany students whose safety is threatened around the campus. Other details of the settlement included “accommodations” for students whose academic lives are disrupted by protests and new security policies for controlling access to school property.
In July, New York University agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of money to settle a lawsuit brought by three students who sued the school for responding, allegedly, to antisemitic discrimination “with deliberate indifference.”
By resolving the case, NYU avoided a lengthy trial which would have revealed precisely who and which office received but failed to address numerous reports that — according to the court documents filed in November — NYU students and faculty “repeatedly abuse, malign, vilify, and threaten Jewish students with impunity” and that “death to k—es” and “gas the Jews” were chanted by pro-Hamas supporters at the school.
NYU did not merely pay money to quell the complaints of its accusers, however. Over a month after the settlement was reached it updated its Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy (NDAH), including in it language which identified “Zionist” as a racial dog whistle that sometimes conceals the antisemitic intent of speech and other conduct that denigrates and excludes Jews. As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the policy acknowledges the “coded” subtleties of antisemitic speech and its use in discriminatory conduct that targets Jewish students and faculty.
NYU went further, recognizing that Zionism is central to the identities of the world’s 15.7 million Jews, an overwhelming majority of whom believe the Jewish people were destined to return to their ancient homeland in the land of Israel after centuries of exile. “For many Jewish people, Zionism is a part of their Jewish identity. Speech and conduct that would violate the NDAH if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the NDAH if directed toward Zionists,” the university said.
Anti-Israel activity on college campuses has reached crisis levels in the year that followed Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, according to a report published by the ADL in September which revealed a “staggering” 477 percent increase in anti-Zionist activity involving assault, vandalism, and other phenomena. Titled “Anti-Israel Activism on US Campuses, 2023-2024,” the document painted a bleak picture of an American higher education system poisoned by political extremism and hate.
“The antisemitic, anti-Zionist vitriol we’ve witnessed on campus is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past,” Greenblatt said in a statement accompanying the unveiling of the organization’s research. “Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the anti-Israel movement’s relentless harassment, vandalism, intimidation, and violent physical assaults go way beyond the peaceful voicing of a political opinion. Administrators and faculty need to do much better this year to ensure a safe and truly inclusive environment for all students, regardless of religion, nationality, or political views, and they need to start now.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Occidental College Settles Antisemitism Complaint first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Rashida Tlaib Uses Thanksgiving Message to Express Solidarity With ‘Palestine,’ Other ‘Indigenous People’
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) addresses attendees as she takes part in a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the US Capitol, in Washington, DC, US, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) used the holiday of Thanksgiving to “mourn” the “indigenous people” of “Palestine” and elsewhere “fighting for freedom on their own land,” portraying one of America’s most storied celebrations in a negative light.
“This Thanksgiving we mourn the Indigenous people killed by European settlers and the United States in order to steal their land,” Tlaib reposted on Instagram. “From here to Palestine, we stand in solidarity with all Indigenous people as they fight for freedom on their own land.”
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman elected to the US Congress, has long been an outspoken critic of Israel. The congresswoman was slow to issue a public statement acknowledging the Palestinian terror group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7, and since the onslaught, she has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “apartheid.” She has also alleged that American support for Israel stems from “anti-Palestinian racism.”
US Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), another staunch critic of Israel and progressive lawmaker, also used Thanksgiving as an opportunity to take shots at America, arguing that the beloved holiday represents “stolen land and broken treaties” for Native Americans.
Lee has been on the receiving end of immense criticism over her anti-Israel rhetoric in the year following the Oct. 7 atrocities. In the weeks following the slaughter, Lee co-sponsored a resolution calling for a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas. She has similarly accused the Jewish state of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza. In a statement commemorating the anniversary of Oct. 7, Lee only wrote that she mourned “those killed one year ago and those massacred in the year since,” seemingly drawing an equivalence between Hamas’s terrorism and Israel’s defensive military operations.
“Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude and togetherness for many, but it’s also a reminder of stolen land and broken treaties for others. Today, let’s honor Native communities by committing to the fight for sovereignty, justice, and the promises this country has failed to keep,” Lee wrote.
In contrast, some other members of Congress called attention to the American hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza in their Thanksgiving statements.
“As we gather with family today, we must not forget the families who are missing their loved ones who were taken hostage by Hamas 418 days ago — including New York’s own Omer Neutra,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said. “Let us pray that by this time next year, they will be reunited safely with their families.”
“As you spend Thanksgiving with your family and friends, don’t forget the 100+ families whose loved ones are being held hostage by Iran-backed Hamas for the second holiday season in a row. It’’ been 419 days. Enough! Bring them home NOW!” US Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said in a statement, referring to the 101 hostages still in captivity in Gaza.
Of the remaining hostages, seven are Americans.
The post Rashida Tlaib Uses Thanksgiving Message to Express Solidarity With ‘Palestine,’ Other ‘Indigenous People’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Antisemitism in Berlin Surges to Record Levels This Year, New Data Show
Pro-Hamas demonstrators marching in Munich, Germany. Photo: Reuters/Alexander Pohl
The number of antisemitic incidents in Berlin in just the first six months of this year surpassed the total for all of 2023 and reached the highest annual count on record, according to a new German report.
Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) on Thursday released data documenting 1,383 incidents of antisemitism in the German capital from January to June, averaging nearly eight a day.
The figure compiled by RIAS, a federally-funded body, was a significant increase from the 1,270 antisemitic outrages tallied in 2023 and the highest count for a single year since RIAS began monitoring antisemitic incidents in 2015.
Of the 1,383 incidents documented in the first half of this year in Berlin, two were cases of “extreme violence,” another 23 were attacks (six of which were against children), and 37 were targeted acts of property damage, including 21 acts involving memorials.
In the first extremely violent incident, a Jewish student in Mitte was punched several times in the face on the street and then kicked in the face after he fell to the ground in February 2024. The victim, a member of student groups working to combat antisemitism, had been doxed online as a “right-wing Zionist,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
The second incident also occurred in Mitte, this time in May, when a visibly Jewish Ukrainian was physically attacked by an unknown assailant while on the way to synagogue. The attacker yelled “Free Palestine” while assaulting the victim, and no one reportedly intervened.
RIAS also documented 28 threats, such as direct messages on social media, and 1,240 cases of abusive behavior.
“The content of antisemitism also continued to be more violent and uninhibited. Seventy-one incidents contained threats of annihilation, including graffiti that openly called for the killing of Jews,” the report noted.
In the first half of 2024, 74 antisemitic incidents were documented in educational institutions in Berlin, including 27 incidents in schools. “The nature of the incidents is alarming: Jewish or Israeli children were beaten, spat on, threatened, and treated with hostility by their classmates,” according to RIAS. “Antisemitic incidents occurred in schools in 9 of 12 Berlin districts.”
A striking 71.6 percent of all antisemitic incidents during the first half of 2024 in the German capital were related to Israel.
RIAS previously reported a major spike in antisemitic incidents across Germany since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
There have been 230 antisemitic outrages per month since Oct. 7, 2023, compared to around 50 such incidents per month before the onslaught.
“These data indicate a lasting change in the dynamics of incidents: the number of antisemitic incidents in Berlin remained at a significantly higher level in the first half of the year than in the months and years before, starting with the sharp increase following Oct. 7,” RIAS summarized.
However, many antisemitic incidents had nothing to do with Israel or its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
“It can be observed that in this context the boundaries of what can be said have shifted overall and some antisemitic statements seem to be acceptable even to [normative] society,” RIAS wrote. “They range from the demonization and delegitimization of Israel, to antisemitic conspiracy myths, trivialization of the Holocaust and reversals of perpetrator and victim, to open antisemitic insults.”
The antisemitism monitoring group concluded that rates of antisemitism show no sign of letting up in Berlin: “A downward trend is not foreseeable at the time of publication of the report.”
Europe has experienced an explosion of antisemitic incidents in the wake of the Hamas atrocities of last Oct. 7. In many countries, anti-Jewish hate crimes have spiked to record levels.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), police registered 5,154 antisemitic incidents in Germany last year, a 95 percent increase compared to the previous year.
However, experts believe that the true number of incidents is much higher but not recorded because of reluctance on the part of the victims.
“Only 20 percent of the antisemitic crimes are reported, so the real number should be five times what we have,” Felix Klein, the German federal government’s chief official dealing with antisemitism, told The Algemeiner in an interview last year.
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