Jewish Community Relations Council

Israel

From the River to the Sea…

by Aliza Craimer

August 28, 2006

Anyone who lives or works in downtown San Francisco, or who watches the nightly news, knows that there has been a flurry of rallies in the Bay Area in recent weeks over the Middle East conflict.

News coverage of the pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides of the street follows a standard formula, giving the impression of parity and suggesting that both sides’ messages are about peace, but from different perspectives. After viewing some footage sent by the Jewish Community Relations Council, some stations have finally started to pay attention to the messages. What’s shocking is how many stations and newspapers have expressed little concern over the fact that hate is being promoted on the streets of San Francisco. A deeper look at the chants and slogans heard at two recent rallies reveals disturbing truths.

Dozens of Jewish community organizations sponsored a rally in solidarity with Israel. While more than 1,500 supporters gathered in Justin Herman Plaza, a group of about 20 pro-Palestinian protesters lined up outside the plaza, held back by police.

While the Israel rally focused on a wish for peace and the disarmament of the terrorist group, Hezbollah, in line with U.N. resolution 1559, the pro-Palestinian protestors shouted in Arabic:

“Falasteen Beladna; Wel Yahood Kelabna”
“Ya Allah, Ya Allah, please help Hezbollah”
“Bel Roh, Bel Dam, Nefdeek ya Falasteen”

That night, no news station reported that members of the pro-Palestinian group were yelling, “Palestine is our country; and the Jews are our dogs” (the first chant above). Local Jews, whose mother tongue is Arabic and whose families were kicked out of Arab countries after the creation of Israel, translated the Arabic chants. The fact that pro-Palestinian protestors felt no shame in yelling anti-Semitic slurs and giving the Nazi ‘seig heil’ salute was shocking, especially given the Bay Area’s pride in its liberal respect for diversity. One would hope that this respect would be extended to Jews.

Although Hezbollah is a recognized terrorist group, which has been condemned even by Saudi Arabia for instigating the latest conflict, these protestors felt no compunction about pleading with Allah (God) to help Hezbollah. The third Arabic chant is translated, “With our soul, with our blood, we will sacrifice for Palestine.” This verbal message was echoed by a prominent sign: “Not suicide bombers. Not homicide bombers. Not murderers. They are martyrs in the highest part of heaven.” These messages, clearly advocating violence against Israeli civilians and justifying suicide bombings, were presented unabashedly and went unquestioned by the media.

At another recent gathering, pro-Palestinian protestors rallied outside the Israeli Consulate and Jewish groups and individuals organized a pro-Israel counter-rally across the street. Television crews filmed both sides of the street, and there was a dramatic contrast, with the pro-Palestinian side shouting anti-Israel chants over a megaphone and the pro-Israel side quietly holding peaceful signs and Israeli and American flags.

This prompted a number of people on the pro-Israel side to ask, “Where are our chants? Why aren’t we saying anything?” The reason is simple — our views do not lend themselves well to simplistic chants and slogans. Jews do not celebrate the deaths of innocent civilians, be they Lebanese, Palestinian, or Jewish. The majority of Jews support Israel’s right to exist and support the right for Palestinians to have their own state, existing peacefully beside Israel — the two-state solution. Most Jews do not want to chant things that are untrue or that show hatred to Palestinians to gain world support. As a result, the pro-Israel side stays quiet and its signs, simple.

Unfortunately, such nuance is not evident from the pro-Palestinian side, although the media again missed a major story. Consider this slogan, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Israel has got to go”. The message here, in English, is plain — ‘Israel has got to go,’ not ‘we need a Palestinian state too.’ Another popular chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” sent the same message to those who understand the history and geography of the Middle East. The river referenced here is the Jordan and the sea is the Mediterranean, both of which demarcate the outer borders of Israel. This chant asserts that ‘Palestine will be free from the river to the sea’, leaving unsaid, but obvious, that this will happen when Israel is destroyed. Both messages clearly advocate Israel’s destruction, not peace or co-existence.

Another pro-Palestinian chant, “Israel is an apartheid state”, is an emotional and shocking accusation. It does not stand up to reality, but is nevertheless used to defame Israel. Pro-Palestinian protestors had no qualms about using this slur, overlooking the fact that apartheid is a system of legal segregation that was enforced in South Africa from 1948–1994, in which people were classified by racial groups and in which non-white people could not vote. Israeli society, while not perfect, is a pluralistic democracy in which Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouin all have the right to thrive and participate in the political system. The same cannot be said for the racist, authoritarian dictatorships surrounding Israel and throughout the Middle East. As the racial diversity of Israelis makes clear, there is no such racial classification and segregation in Israel. Even Palestinian nationalist supporter Edward Said’s blunt statement that “Israel is not South Africa” does nothing to stop pro-Palestinian protestors in San Francisco from leveling this charge.

By contrast, pro-Israel supporters did not yell or hold defamatory signs about Palestinians. In fact, rally organizers explicitly warned in advance that signs bearing any racist comments would not be tolerated. On the pro-Israel side, one saw signs like “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace”, “Free Gilad Shalit” and “Stop Hezbollah Rockets”. None of these signs have the emotional weight or point scoring potential as the Palestinian signs and chants do, but all of these signs have two things in common: their messages are based on facts and they do not promote hatred against another people or deny their right to a national existence.

At these rallies, Israel’s supporters called for peace and a cessation of violence, while many Palestinian supporters and rally organizers called openly for more bloodshed. The difference between these two messages could not be clearer and yet, few have questioned the anti-Semitic messages emanating loud and clear from the pro-Palestinian side. Most recently, signs saying “Kill Jews” were seen at a San Francisco rally. No matter where one’s sympathies lie in this conflict, everyone should reflect on these messages and ask themselves, is any expression of hatred against the Jewish people beyond the pale?

Jewish Community Relations Council

of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

Jewish Community Relations Council

of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

Israel

From the River to the Sea…

by Aliza Craimer

August 28, 2006

	Israel From the River to the Sea… by Aliza Craimer August 28, 2006 Anyone who lives or works in downtown San Francisco, or who watches the nightly news, knows that there has been a flurry of rallies in the Bay Area in recent weeks over the Middle East conflict. News coverage of the pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides of the street follows a standard formula, giving the impression of parity and suggesting that both sides’ messages are about peace, but from different perspectives. After viewing some footage sent by the Jewish Community Relations Council, some stations have finally started to pay attention to the messages. What’s shocking is how many stations and newspapers have expressed little concern over the fact that hate is being promoted on the streets of San Francisco. A deeper look at the chants and slogans heard at two recent rallies reveals disturbing truths. Dozens of Jewish community organizations sponsored a rally in solidarity with Israel. While more than 1,500 supporters gathered in Justin Herman Plaza, a group of about 20 pro-Palestinian protesters lined up outside the plaza, held back by police. While the Israel rally focused on a wish for peace and the disarmament of the terrorist group, Hezbollah, in line with U.N. resolution 1559, the pro-Palestinian protestors shouted in Arabic: “Falasteen Beladna; Wel Yahood Kelabna” “Ya Allah, Ya Allah, please help Hezbollah” “Bel Roh, Bel Dam, Nefdeek ya Falasteen” That night, no news station reported that members of the pro-Palestinian group were yelling, “Palestine is our country; and the Jews are our dogs” (the first chant above). Local Jews, whose mother tongue is Arabic and whose families were kicked out of Arab countries after the creation of Israel, translated the Arabic chants. The fact that pro-Palestinian protestors felt no shame in yelling anti-Semitic slurs and giving the Nazi ‘seig heil’ salute was shocking, especially given the Bay Area’s pride in its liberal respect for diversity. One would hope that this respect would be extended to Jews. Although Hezbollah is a recognized terrorist group, which has been condemned even by Saudi Arabia for instigating the latest conflict, these protestors felt no compunction about pleading with Allah (God) to help Hezbollah. The third Arabic chant is translated, “With our soul, with our blood, we will sacrifice for Palestine.” This verbal message was echoed by a prominent sign: “Not suicide bombers. Not homicide bombers. Not murderers. They are martyrs in the highest part of heaven.” These messages, clearly advocating violence against Israeli civilians and justifying suicide bombings, were presented unabashedly and went unquestioned by the media. At another recent gathering, pro-Palestinian protestors rallied outside the Israeli Consulate and Jewish groups and individuals organized a pro-Israel counter-rally across the street. Television crews filmed both sides of the street, and there was a dramatic contrast, with the pro-Palestinian side shouting anti-Israel chants over a megaphone and the pro-Israel side quietly holding peaceful signs and Israeli and American flags. This prompted a number of people on the pro-Israel side to ask, “Where are our chants? Why aren’t we saying anything?” The reason is simple — our views do not lend themselves well to simplistic chants and slogans. Jews do not celebrate the deaths of innocent civilians, be they Lebanese, Palestinian, or Jewish. The majority of Jews support Israel’s right to exist and support the right for Palestinians to have their own state, existing peacefully beside Israel — the two-state solution. Most Jews do not want to chant things that are untrue or that show hatred to Palestinians to gain world support. As a result, the pro-Israel side stays quiet and its signs, simple. Unfortunately, such nuance is not evident from the pro-Palestinian side, although the media again missed a major story. Consider this slogan, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Israel has got to go”. The message here, in English, is plain — ‘Israel has got to go,’ not ‘we need a Palestinian state too.’ Another popular chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” sent the same message to those who understand the history and geography of the Middle East. The river referenced here is the Jordan and the sea is the Mediterranean, both of which demarcate the outer borders of Israel. This chant asserts that ‘Palestine will be free from the river to the sea’, leaving unsaid, but obvious, that this will happen when Israel is destroyed. Both messages clearly advocate Israel’s destruction, not peace or co-existence. Another pro-Palestinian chant, “Israel is an apartheid state”, is an emotional and shocking accusation. It does not stand up to reality, but is nevertheless used to defame Israel. Pro-Palestinian protestors had no qualms about using this slur, overlooking the fact that apartheid is a system of legal segregation that was enforced in South Africa from 1948–1994, in which people were classified by racial groups and in which non-white people could not vote. Israeli society, while not perfect, is a pluralistic democracy in which Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouin all have the right to thrive and participate in the political system. The same cannot be said for the racist, authoritarian dictatorships surrounding Israel and throughout the Middle East. As the racial diversity of Israelis makes clear, there is no such racial classification and segregation in Israel. Even Palestinian nationalist supporter Edward Said’s blunt statement that “Israel is not South Africa” does nothing to stop pro-Palestinian protestors in San Francisco from leveling this charge. By contrast, pro-Israel supporters did not yell or hold defamatory signs about Palestinians. In fact, rally organizers explicitly warned in advance that signs bearing any racist comments would not be tolerated. On the pro-Israel side, one saw signs like “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace”, “Free Gilad Shalit” and “Stop Hezbollah Rockets”. None of these signs have the emotional weight or point scoring potential as the Palestinian signs and chants do, but all of these signs have two things in common: their messages are based on facts and they do not promote hatred against another people or deny their right to a national existence. At these rallies, Israel’s supporters called for peace and a cessation of violence, while many Palestinian supporters and rally organizers called openly for more bloodshed. The difference between these two messages could not be clearer and yet, few have questioned the anti-Semitic messages emanating loud and clear from the pro-Palestinian side. Most recently, signs saying “Kill Jews” were seen at a San Francisco rally. No matter where one’s sympathies lie in this conflict, everyone should reflect on these messages and ask themselves, is any expression of hatred against the Jewish people beyond the pale?