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To the dismay of those who aim to destroy the only democracy in the Middle East, theatrics against Israel, often packaged in what’s erroneously called “Israel Apartheid Week,” has had to take a back seat to COVID-19.
While Israelis are among those who’ve been working around the clock to create a vaccine to stop this pandemic, those obsessed with destroying Israel have not abandoned their efforts to defame and isolate the people who live on the last remaining, religiously and ethnically diverse, land in the Middle East - a tiny patch that is about one tenth of one percent of the region.
Israel is even smaller a percentage when looking at the world trying to consume it, the Islamic-conquered world. But, for the Antisemites who run that show, it isn't about giving the Palestinian Arabs half of that one tenth of one percent of the Middle East - it's about making sure Jews are left with zero percent.
Sorting through information to determine what is fact and what is a lie is getting trickier as too many universities employ professors who exploit the lack of student courage to question their indoctrination. Too many Jewish kids are pushed into feeling shame toward Israel based on misinformation or peer pressure. So, in preparation for any upcoming, erroneously named, “Israel Apartheid Week,” here is a toolkit:
Recognize the Difference between Morality and Moral Narcissism
Being pro-Israel is naturally being pro-peace. Do not be hoodwinked or intimidated by members of organizations whose names or slogans undermine their stated goals. Jewish Voice for Peace and J Street U are among the leading anti-Israel organizations on campuses that draw Jews in as members.
During this current pandemic in which Jews have already been the subject of horrific conspiracy theories and blood libels, J Street U selected to retweet a libelous article from an anti-Israel website (+972 Magazine) that accuses Israel of not displaying Covid 19 safety instructions in Arabic. J Street U avoided posting how Israelis have in actuality been working with Palestinian Arabs to prevent the spread of the disease, through Arabic instructions and coordinated efforts.
J Street and J Street U Twitter feeds regularly feature tweets that only elicit scorn against Israel, with no context of the challenges Israelis face, relying on the fact their followers would have no sense of genuine understanding of history or current events. Diminishing the goodness of Israel is one thing, but doing it behind the mask of a pro-Israel organization is quite another. Not many Jewish leaders who claim to be looking out for the best interest of the Jewish people would take the hand and then double cheek kiss a man who maintains a bank account to pay his citizens to kill Jews, as J Street founder, Jeremy Ben-Ami did with Mahmoud Abbas.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) notes, “The PA has admitted to spending no less than 517.4 million shekels ($149.7 million) paying salaries to terrorist prisoners and released prisoners in 2019.” Imagine if half a million shekels were used to furnish hospitals to help the sick instead of paying murderers.
Most such moral narcissists are unwitting backstage supporters of Anti-Semites, while Anti-Semites themselves are on the forefront of the erroneously named, “Israel Apartheid Week,” platform.
Destruction of Israel is their goal, deception and bullying is their method.
Don’t fear the wall! Face it!
And counter it with creativity.
Research and debunk all the lies. Make sure your creations contain verifiable truths backed by reputable sources.
Here are several ideas to help informed, compassionate and passionate students counter the bigotry of the Anti-Zionists’ week-long - annual holiday.
Wall for a Wall – Counter their wall of lies and distortion by building an adjacent wall of accurate facts.
- The security barrier (what anti-Zionists base their propaganda wall on) is less than 20 years old. The Israelis were compelled to build it during the Second Intifada, when Palestinian terrorists murdered more than 1000 Israelis. It’s been an effective deterrent. The attacks decreased by about 90 percent. Your wall can Include names and faces of victims. And, it can also include dates and locations where Islamist terrorists maimed and murdered innocent people.
- You might see that some student walls erroneously accuse Jews of stealing water from Palestinians. In actuality, Israelis have helped improve water technology for them.
- And, all Israeli citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation, have equal access to opportunity. If there were no Israel, there would be no safe place in the Middle East for women, the gay community, Jews, Christians and atheists. Israel detractors ignore the success of those, like the Arab Israeli doctor who runs an emergency room. (Wishing her good health and success, with gratitude, during these most challenging of times).
Put those facts on your wall.
- Visit the Jerusalem Post’s, “New Israeli documentary shows 'Children's Army of Hamas.'” Watch the 10 minute video. Understand the emotional and social pain Islamist terrorists force their youngest victims to endure for the same cause that your anti-Israel classmates are pursuing. Post on your wall the link to Hamas on Campus https://www.hamasoncampus.org/, a website that has a short video which illustrates how those same (or similar) militants are pulling the strings of those students who take actions to smear Israel’s image and erode its security.
- And counter that overused infamous and deceptive map of the mythical shrinking Palestinian Arab territory within Israel. Display a truthful map of the increasing evolution of Palestinian control of land. And, display what they could have had, had they not rejected each offer of land in the first place. Rely on Shany Mor’s contribution to The Tower Magazine, “The Mendacious Maps of Palestinian ‘Loss.’” Israel is smaller than the island of Sicily. Include another map that puts Israel’s proportion into perspective in relation to the countries surrounding it, all of which have succumbed to Islamic conquest – the fate the Israelis battle daily to avoid.
Don’t Fear the Wall, But Do Fear Balloons and Kites
Put together several kites and clusters of balloons. Place them in trees, on the grass or on a bench, just like their deadly counterparts which blow into in Israel. Where the Islamists attach incendiary devices, put a block that contains data as to how many acres of land (that they claime to love) the Palestinian militants of Hamas have burned from this tactic. Show Israeli public service announcements warning people not to touch the deadly kites and balloons, decorated to lure children.
The Warning Flyers
Your anti-Israel counterparts too often harass students in dorms when they mischaracterize the roof-knocking method that Israel uses to spare people from buildings the Israeli Air Force targets in order to destroy Hamas weaponry. Avoid all such imposing and aggressive tactics.
But do offer hand-outs to those willing to take them. Your flyers could contain the warnings that Israeli civilians are given, “Hamas shot a rocket toward your vicinity - you have 20 seconds to find shelter.” Include a list of informational resources on the other side of that paper. You can find photos of children in Israeli shelters.
Presentations
Do invite Jewish and non-Jewish Zionists to speak on campus, because a stable democracy in the Middle East is not just a benefit for the Jewish people. Consider Somali born, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Israeli Arab reporter, Khaled Abu Toameh among so many others.
Write op-eds for your school newspapers.
And counter, in the comments sections, any op-eds that mischaracterize Israel.
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Israel on Campus Coalition, Stand With Us and Students Supporting Israel are just a few of the many organizations that provide resources for those of you on the front lines of this anti-academic aggression. Reach out to them, and to others like them, to help you implement these ideas and others.
Sign up to receive mail from leading authorities on the Middle East, many who are currently holding webinars – time wisely spent when social distancing. Among them, check out The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA), Stand With Us, The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), the Middle East Forum (MEF), etc.
Be assured that Israel is not a perfect country, but it is the most lied about country and the most bullied, despite being among the most fair and giving.
But you, the Jewish and non-Jewish Zionists among you, have integrity, curiosity and a strong moral compass. It won’t be easy to withstand the storm of professors and classmates who try to pass hateful anti-Israel indoctrination as scholarship, but the alternative of sitting quietly and trying not to be noticed will only be worse.
Faith Quintero is the author of Loaded Blessings, a family saga that alternates between Inquisition era Spain and modern-day Israel. It’s among the Federalist’s top books of 2019 list and a Montaigne Medal finalist for the Eric Hoffer awards. The Montaigne Medal is an additional distinction, awarded to "the most thought-provoking books."