UCSB’s Students for Justice in Palestine organized a series of events this week to encourage open discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Gaza Awareness Week kicked off Monday in the MultiCultural Center with a lecture by journalist Alison Weir — founder of the non-profit organization If Americans Knew that focuses on media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The MCC Theater will screen a documentary today at 3 p.m. about the 2008 Israeli air strike in Gaza.
The week concludes tomorrow with a vigil for victims of the aforementioned military operation “Operation Cast Lead” at 6 p.m. in Pardall Tunnel.
According to Weir, the American media is politically biased in favor of the Israeli cause.
In her presentation, Weir presented a two-year study on the death tolls of each population. The report found that 165 Israelis and 549 Palestinians were killed during the first year of the dispute, but the U.S. media nevertheless reported five times more Israeli casualties than Palestinian.
She also said the U.S. gives Israel about $7 million per day — allegedly more aid than it distributes to all other nations combined.
“I saw a beautiful land and people being destroyed through the use of my tax money,” Weir said. “I was seeing intentionally created poverty through the use of my money.”
However, Jeremy Ely, executive director of American Students for Israel and fourth-year economics major, said the U.S. provides Israel with aid because both countries share the values of freedom of the press, religion and democracy.
“Israel also has unique and unmatched security threats,” Ely said. “The U.S. wants to see it secure and safe from the threats surrounding it.”
Although Ely agrees that the situation in Palestine is devastating, he said it’s time for the nation to unite against Hamas and accept Israel’s peace offer.
Students for Justice in Palestine member Maryam Griffin, a third-year sociology graduate student, said this week’s demonstration — stakes dug into a campus roundabout representing numbers of casualties from the siege on Gaza — conveys a striking message of unfair odds.
“It was a very bloody siege and massacre of people living in the Gaza strip,” Griffin said. “The reason I use massacre is because 1,400 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and only 13 Israelis were killed — four of which were by friendly fire.”
To understand Palestinians you must first understand Islam:
thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Quran-Hate.htm
thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm
thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/009-friends-with-christians-jews.htm
To understand Palestinians you must first understand Islam:
http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=4&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=614&PID=0&IID=5174&TTL=The_Expulsion_of_the_Jews_from_Muslim_Countries,_1920-1970:_A_History_of_Ongoing_Cruelty_and_D
To understand Palestinians you must first understand Islam.
It is NOT a coincident that every single Islamic country is ruled by a theocratic despot, or a strong-arm dictator, or a familial dictatorship. This is Islam.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/why_islam_will_never_accept_th.html
Looking back on the discussion, I would have liked to ask her about journalistic access and its potential impact on this study, including its relevance today. Access, even journalistic access into the West Bank and definitely into Gaza is at the mercy of politics and individuals at the border gates/checkpoints. In Israel-proper, where many of these media outlets are based (economic reasons? communication reasons?),there is much easier access from place to place, unlike even within in the West Bank. I think it’s important to note that this directly impacts the stories that get told– timing, accuracy, perhaps even awareness that… Read more »
One of the events showcased a journalist whom has spent time in Israel/ West Bank. The website she created is :http://ifamericaknew.org/
Preston,
Fortunately America is learning.
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/8348/muslims-project-islam-worst-traits-onto-israel
“Arafat”: You’re right, it’s not coincidence that the Middle East is dominated by authoritarian regimes. The United States put a lot of money into propping up dictators that would be friendly to the US, and arming fundamentalist theocratic movements when they proved useful in fighting ‘communism’.
The fact that the region is dominated by authoritarian regimes has nothing to do with the fact that the people are majority Muslim. Many muslims have fought for democracy and against dictators in their countries before and they continue to do so today.
Zach, I’ll have to respectfully disagree. To assume much of the problem in Islamic dominated countries is America’s fault, or Israel’s fault, or imperialist’s fault, or colonialist’s fault is to defy reason. It is the typical leftist, guilt-ridden response and ignores the real reasons as well as the facts. Japan was blown to smithereens after WWII. Germany more of the same. The Eastern bloc countries in a few short decades have (mostly) developed countries where most freedoms are respected. Israel, in 60 short years and despite fighting five wars, has developed a leading-edge country where discoveries in agriculture, medicine and… Read more »
Arafat, First off, you are misspelling a person’s name that is written out right in front of you. That’s kind of insulting. Second, I didn’t see any sort of leftist diatribe going on. You wanted to talk about Palestine and Islam. Zack was responding to that particular situation. He mentioned other examples of US backed dictators in the Middle East in order to give some backing to his claims. You, however, want to make generalizations about Islam without recognizing internal diversity. If Islam necessarily was a violent, hatred-filled religion then it would be impossible for any Muslims to be anything… Read more »
My apologies for the spelling error. It was not intended as an insult and was nothing more than an oversight on my part. Brian, let me say two things. First I do not argue that individual Muslims can — and often are — supremely wonderful people. Muslims are born no different than I, with two feet, two hands, one nose, one brain, etc…but that is often where the similarities begin to end. When Muslims are conditioned like the following Muslims are: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/07/hey-kids-come-watch-a-dramatization-of-your-moms-death-by-suicide-bombing.html the similarities between they and I are nil, as my upbringing and theirs is as different as night… Read more »
arafat – i enjoyed reading your posts. you are well-informed and articulate.
unfortunately, the palestine supporters and sympathizers are generally not about reasoned and sound debate. they are all about feeling good about themselves, and about hating america. so, reasoned and sound debate are not on the agenda for them.
Thank you, vanzorge.
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative in our community. Your post provided us with valuable information to work on|.You have done a excellent job!