Actress performs ‘I Heart Hamas’ at Pitt
By: Amy Friedenberger / Staff Writer
Posted on 24. Oct, 2010 in News
Jennifer Jajeh does not consider herself only a Palestinian. She also identifies as an American, a single woman, an actress, a Christian, a San Francisco native and a scotch drinker.
The filmmaker put that identity to the test yesterday afternoon in the Frick Fine Arts Building, where Pitt’s Students for Justice in Palestine hosted the one-woman play “I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You.”
Jajeh played multiple roles in the hour-and-a-half tragicomedy. While the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict served as a backdrop for her poignant tale, Jajeh said the main point of her performance was to highlight the difficulties Palestinian-Americans can face in developing a strong personal identity.
It was a message many in the 100-member audience took to heart.
“Students for Justice in Palestine has always focused on a more academically driven perspective, so this was a chance to present the issue in a more artistic manner,” said Jonas Moffat, an active SJP member.
During the play, Jajeh, now in her late 20s, took the audience on an autobiographical journey from the United States to her parents’ hometown of Ramallah, located in the West Bank.
She asked the audience to consider the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective. s
Jajeh’s struggle with finding her identity reaches as far back as the fifth grade.When her teacher asked students to do a group project researching the origins of their heritage, Jajeh was put into the Ireland group because she was the only Palestinian-American in the class.
Jajeh said her play was meant to give a representation of her experience and not the politically correct version that recounts both sides.
Representatives from Panthers for Israel and the Pittsburgh Israel Public Affairs Committee attended the event to represent the Israeli side of the issue, passing out literature and fliers before the show.
“I thought it was a bit one-sided, but that’s to be expected,” Panthers for Israel President Sam Mellitz said. “But it’s her story, so it’s her side.”
Mellitz found the presentation to be slightly skewed because Jajeh’s trip to Ramallah, which she recounted during the play, occurred during a time referred to as the Second Intifada, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence starting in late 2000.
In one of a number of emotional scenes, Jajeh recounted the death of a young Palestinian boy.
Pittsburgh Israel Public Affairs Committee President Samantha Vinokor, who also attended the event, said the play was controversial because Jajeh made generalizations and glossed over information, such as the purpose of Israeli checkpoints.
“Checkpoints are not a bunch of Israeli soldiers blocking off dates and fun,” Vinokor said. “The purpose of checkpoints is to cut down on suicide bombings.”
The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides statistics saying suicide attacks have declined as a result of checkpoints.
A question-and-answer session followed the play. One of the issues discussed involved the play’s controversial title, “I Heart Hamas.”
The Council on Foreign Relations defines Hamas as “the largest and most influential Palestinian militant movement.” Its founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state.
Moffat said that members of Pitt’s Students for Justice in Palestine do not necessarily share one single view on the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that they do not associate themselves with Hamas.
Jajeh said she does not stand behind the motives of Hamas, but she wanted the title to serve as a symbol.
“How does someone get so broken down that they resort to violence?” Jajeh asked.
48 Responses to “Actress performs ‘I Heart Hamas’ at Pitt”
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This article excluded important facts and thus only told half of the story. The reporter completely ignored the most controversial and newsworthy part of the entire event: Jennifer Jajeh’s blatant support and encouragement of terrorism and violent murdering of Israeli citizens.
Jennifer Jajeh’s chosen title “I Heart Hamas” is a call of support to the terrorist organization. However, Jajeh brushes this off by claiming the title was meant to be “cheeky.” Glorifying these very real murderers isn’t “cheeky.” In the same way that a play entitled “I Heart the 9/11 Hijackers” would offend the victims of Sept. 11, her insensitive title shows complete disregard for the victims of thousands of Hamas terrorist attacks.
As if that weren’t bad enough, Jajeh stated her other reason for choosing the offensive title was that after living in Ramallah she “got to the point where I could actually imagine blowing people up.” Can anyone believe our tuition dollars paid to bring this terrorist supporter to campus?!
Why didn’t The Pitt News cover her remarks advocating for the murder of Israelis? Jennifer Jajeh’s radical monologue included statements such as “we should just kill every f***ing soldier!” and “do I hate all Israelis…yes.” Is it OK to preach hate and violence against citizens of an entire country?
Pitt News, we students demand more balanced reporting.
Micah’s characterization of the play as offering “support and encouragement of terrorism and violent murdering of Israeli citizens” and “a call of support to the terrorist organization” is a grossly manipulative and inaccurate reflection of the contents of the play.
The play is mostly about dating and what it’s like to grow up in the United States as a person without a recognized country. The parts you quote are from a brief dramatization of the emotional reaction that the actress felt when she lived in Palestine for a year and a half and got to see Israel’s daily brutalization of Palestinians at first hand.
Everyone who lives in the occupied territories—I lived there for four years—goes through a stage where they feel rage towards the military who mistreat civilians as if that were normal. They wonder why there are not more expressions of that rage—such as suicide bombings—and end up coming to a humbling realization of the deep respect for human life shared by the Palestinians who live under the longest military occupation in history.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has corrupted generations of Israel’s youth. Until you’ve watched an 18-year-old Israeli soldier mock and torment an 80-year-old Palestinian man or woman at a checkpoint, you haven’t truly understood the darkness that can live in human souls. Same goes for watching a Palestinian family weep in the rubble of their home, or a 10-year-old child gunned down after throwing a rock in the direction of soldiers from well out of stone throwing range—posing zero credible “threat”.
What Micah really doesn’t like about the play is that it humanizes Palestinians, which is always offensive to Israel’s supporters, as this makes it less likely that people around the world will be indifferent the continuing slaughter of Palestinian civilians, and Israel’s laughable claims that it wants peace when the bulldozers never stop for even a single day in this conflict over land.
Describing a play about a personal journey of identity and emotional response to witnessing institutional violence “preaching hate” is a deeply distorted way of looking at the world. All those who attended the play, who aren’t from the “support Israel at any cost no matter what it does” brigade, as Micah clearly is, would recognize that this article is a scrupulously fair review of the play. Micah would probably argue that the killing of 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza, only 16.7% of whom were combatants, during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, and destroying 50,000 homes was “self defense”. Israel is rapidly approaching pariah status around the world, as South Africa once did, for good reason. May its apologists like Micah continue to fail to defend the indefensible so we can be done with this racist Apartheid state that defines “Jews” and “Non Jews” in its laws, has made it illegal to evangelize for the Christian faith on the streets where Jesus once walked, and which thinks it’s totally fine to drop a one ton bomb on a civilian apartment complex to kill a single “terrorist”.
Israel doesn’t stand for freedom, evidence of its hatred of Palestinians is everywhere on the ground, and its increasingly bizarre justifications for war crimes and gross violations of human rights don’t make any sense to anyone with common sense who can find alternative news sources on the Internet.
“Until you’ve watched an 18-year-old Israeli soldier mock and torment an 80-year-old Palestinian man or woman at a checkpoint, you haven’t truly understood the darkness that can live in human souls”? NO,UNTIL YOU’VE WATCHED ADULTS AND CHILDREN DISEMBOWELED OR GET THEIR HEADS SMASHED IN IF THEY WANDER INTO “PALESTINIAN TERRIRORY”, ALL TO THE CELEBRATION OF CHEERING & DANCING PALESTINIAN WOMEN,CHILDREN& MEN… you haven’t truly understood the darkness that can live in human souls
@Mr Sullivan- Or, until you’ve seen Israeli settlers on stolen land slaughter unarmed Palestinian children for the capital offense of walking too close to land which used to be theirs, you haven’t truly understood … It’s still running 3:1 Palestinians slaughtered versus Israelis. Trading bloody anecdotes and amping up the hate is not going to solve this. People know that Israelis have been terrorized by Palestinians, but few in the U.S. are aware that it is also happening the other way around. There is a difference between understanding of the Palestinians, which is what this play is about, and justifying their actions. In the same vein I think there is a difference between understanding of the Israelis and justifying their actions. 3:1
Funny that Micah didn’t leave a comment after Hillel brought Effie Eitam last year who calls for the deportation of Palestinians from their homeland and calls all Palestinians a “cancer.”
Micah apparently has never spent anytime in the West Bank or Gaza Strip. Micah missed the point completely of Jajeh’s tragicomic solo and only wants to use this venue because Micah, like all of us I guess, feels the need to vent from time to time.
That being said, Jajeh never once said “cheeky” during her 100-minutes on stage, but Micah can go ahead and make up whatever words Micah feels like to make the argument stronger.
Like Micha, I am surprised at some of the places where our student activities dollars go. Like the Hillel’s endorsement for the racist Effie Eitam or the college Republicans’ event that hosted Ann Coulter a few years back.
What’s interesting too is that Jajeh’s performace was a theatrical performace. When a reporter covers a play, they usually report on the actor, quality of performance, etc. But apparently every time we want to talk about Palestine everyone wants to have a “fair and balanced” report. It was theatre, people! And I am damn proud of bringing Jajeh to campus.
The Chicago Tribune said, ““Jennifer Jajeh has an interesting story to tell.
Sometimes-humorous, sometimes-disturbing… her discoveries of what life in Ramallah is like for Palestinians may be revelatory for most Americans.”
The San Franicisco Bay Guardian said, ““Jajeh is out to upset some staid opinions, stereotypes and confusions that carry increasingly significant moral
and political consequences for us all.”
Guess you gotta love academia for allowing an open stage for differing ideas.
I wonder if Micah will come to hear what our Israeli guest has to say on November 5. Joseph Dana of Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall will speak about his work in the West Bank, fighting in solidarity with Palestinians. Friday Nov 5, 530Pm in David Lawrence Hall 121
Hey Jonas, ever think that Micah has never been to Gaza because Israel pulled its own citizens out of Gaza with force, and handed the whole piece of land over to the Palestinians…guess you forgot to think about that before you called him out.
“The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.”
-Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein
Oh, and Jonas, I don’t think an “Israeli Perspective” would be someone who is “against the wall.” Considering that wall has been key to keeping Israel safe and secure ever since the last Intifada. Funny how a group of people, like you, is so against something that has lowered terrorist attacks 99%, must say something about your sick character.
Micah Toll’s above comment and follow up letter to the editor provide a blatantly misleading representation of my theatre show. The show does not support or encourage terrorism, as Toll asserts, but rather critically and comically recounts my experiences growing up Palestinian in America and living under Israeli military occupation in Ramallah in 2000-2001.
The decontextualized use of only 3 lines of dialogue from a 90 minute show creates a completely false and inflammatory sense of the show’s tone and message, and illustrates Toll’s lack of ability to use critical thinking to extrapolate the overall meaning of a piece of theatre. His single minded focus on controversial lines of dialogue doesn’t do justice to the often humorous journey of my character who candidly grapples with feelings of anger and frustration at the misrepresentations of Palestinians in the US and the increasingly violent turn her life has taken at the hands of Israeli soldiers, while also asserting a desire to go to parties, get an acting job, and at the end of the day not have to defend her identity and feelings.
If Toll had paid closer attention, he might have noticed that the show ends with the character choosing to assert herself through spreading knowledge and information instead of violence and destruction.
I urge those looking for more information to consult the overwhelmingly positive reviews and press stories the show has garnered over the past 2 years. Links to media coverage can be found on my website. http://www.ihearthamas.com
What I find interesting about Jajeh’s “increasingly violent turn her life has taken at the hands of Israeli soldiers,” is that while she lived in Ramallah during the second intifada there is no mention of her feelings towards terrorists who openly attacked and murdered innocent Israeli civilians. she completely blames Israeli soldiers on her feelings and the reason why Palestinians felt compelled to “resist” yet why is that you did not speak at all about the innocent Israeli children, women, elderly and so on murdered and maimed by Palestinian terrorists? How can you talk about the intifada and not discuss us those very real deaths? How can you name your show “I heart Hamas” without even thinking about how an insensitive that could be to those who lost loved ones to the hands of Hamas?
Most people in the U.S. are not aware of this, but actually rather more Palestinian children, women, elderly and so on have been killed and maimed by the Israelis (per Red Cross statistics or just about any other unbiased source). Israel justifies this as self defense, and the situation is complicated, especially since the second intifada started with Israel killing Palestinians. Trying to deny the validity of Jajeh’s feelings given the situation she was in reflects on the ignorance and bias of the person denying these feelings, not on hers. Many more people have lost loved ones to the Israelis than to Hamas, but no one in the U.S. considers that relevant.
i pretty much agree with what everyone else said. Micah needs to grow a pair and talk to us about this stuff in person instead of hiding behind his frequent letters to the editor.
also, i hope it’s clear to anyone reading this that micah is just dancing around the issue to arrive at a juvenile and imbecilic conclusion: israel is a perfect little paradise where everyone is treated equally and justly and that any and all criticism of israel is without a doubt (in his feeble little mind) anti-semitic. do not buy into this bullshit. employing character assassinations such as this with the intent to demonize and stifle an artist is a tactic right out of the zionist propaganda playbook. every student on this campus and all over the country needs to understand that it is neither a crime nor antisemitic to oppose the inhumane oppression of the palestinian people.
these ridiculous scare tactics are getting old. get a little more creative, micah.
Dear Ahmed,
Congratulations, in the same vein as my comments to your other response, your shallow words only serve to undermine the points that many of the other people here are trying to make.
I will never argue that Israel is perfect. I agree that the modern state of Israel has done some extremely bad things during its years of existence.
However, I think some important distinctions between Israel and Hamas are not being mentioned here. While innocent Gazans were killed in Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military as a whole was not trying to kill them. Some of these deaths occur because of battlefield mistakes, human error, and a very small minority of Israeli soldiers who have no regard for Palestinian life.
However, what is not being mentioned is that there is documented evidence of Hamas following practices that would lead to increased civilian deaths: using Palestinian civilians as human shields, firing missiles from places like schoolyards and backyards of homes, using ambulances to ferry weapons, etc. To be concise, the Israeli state is not following an overall plan to kill all Palestinians.
Hamas is a different story. In its charter, Hamas advocates the destruction of Israel. Hamas deliberately attempts to murder Israeli civilians and military personnel alike. The fact that more Israelis have not been killed by Hamas rockets is due to the limited range and power of those rockets and the deterrent power of the Israeli military, not because Hamas is a group of Palestinian patriots who are just defending their land.
If you were offering a real conversation instead of a shouting match, as evidenced by your writing style (Calling Micha’s claims juvenile? Pot, meet kettle), I’m sure there would be takers.
Micah, you’re par for the course for Zionist disapproval of pro-Palestinian theatre on campuses. In 2008, I directed My Name is Rachel Corrie for three performances at Muhlenberg College. The play is based on a lifetime of diary entries by Corrie, who died at the hands of an IDF bulldozer operator in 2003 while destroying a doctor’s family’s home. It is predominately about her transition from an American liberal arts student into a humanitarian activist compelled to struggle in solidarity with Gazans. The five freshmen women who alternated monologues from Rachel Corrie’s diary entries were harassed verbally by members of Muhlenberg United for Israel, slandered around campus, we had our posters all ripped down, MUFI members yawned and groaned during the studio performances, we had our set vandalized, my bike tires were slashed, and ultimately our post-show speaker, Invincible, an Israeli hip-hop artist, interrupted and shouted down. It was disgraceful.
So, here you are, trolling the web on an objective report on the performance, that I would argue even leans to your side. Pro-Israel groups are well-funded by wealthy Zionists, not to mention Israel’s US military aid, and you feel like you need to bother us for talking about human rights abuses that ALL corrupt governments, from Hamas, to Iran, to Israel, to the US are guilty of committing.
Thanks to Micah for standing up for the vast majority of Pitt students who don’t want their activities fee going to a play that promotes the support of terrorism. Below is the text of an ad that I wrote about this topic, which The Pitt News refused to publish due to its content. I didn’t realize that it was controversial to not support terrorism:
I <3 Murder.
I <3 Anti-Semitism.
I <3 Terrorism.
I <3 Human Shields.
I <3 Hamas.
On Sunday, October 24, Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a performance entitled I <3 Hamas, and Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You. The premise of the show was apparently to showcase the experience of a Palestinian-American woman, Jennifer Jajeh. Instead, what could have been an interesting story of a unique experience was given a title that should be offensive to the entire University of Pittsburgh community.
I <3 Hamas.
Hamas is a terrorist organization that currently controls the Gaza Strip. After Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Hamas began to use the territory as a launching pad to send rockets into Israel, with over 8000 rockets falling in range of Israeli cities. The organization is also responsible for carrying out numerous suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians and resulting in the deaths of both Israelis and Americans. Hamas terrorists have been documented using Palestinian children as human shields to guard militants. They have also been shown using civilian homes, mosques and United Nations hospitals and schools as terrorist hideouts and hoarding locations for weapons. Hamas is currently holding captive an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit, who was abducted on June 25, 2006, and has violated international law and the Geneva Convention by refusing to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Shalit.
I <3 Hamas.
The Hamas Charter, which is the governing doctrine of the group, uses as a source The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an anti-Semitic document also quoted by Adolf Hitler. It calls for the destruction of the State of Israel, a democratic nation and one of America’s strongest and closes allies. It calls for Jihad, or martyrdom of its adherents. It is an anti-Semitic document, and says that the Day of Judgment will not come until the Muslims fight and kill the Jews.
I <3 Hamas.
Jennifer Jajeh, the performer of this play, advocates on her blog for a “one state solution.” She falsely accuses Israel of being a colonizing nation and of occupation and ethnic cleansing. She also supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the State of Israel.
As you may be able to tell, I don’t <3 Hamas. What I do <3 is the University of Pittsburgh, an institution at which I am proud to be a student. That is why I was so disheartened to find out that the Allocations Committee of the Student Government Board allocated $2524.42 to this event. Knowing what we do about the group named in the title, this is not something that I feel student money should be going to support.
Samantha Vinokor
StandWithUs Emerson Fellow
Hey Jonas, ever think that Micah has never been to Gaza because Israel pulled its own citizens out of Gaza with force, and handed the whole piece of land over to the Palestinians…guess you forgot to think about that before you called him out.
“The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.”
-Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein
The hypocrisy in this discussion is ridiculous. Micah is speaking his mind on a play that he found offensive and people go after him personally. While those people might passionately disagree with him, they are making themselves seem petty and immature.
On to the topic of the play, loving Hamas is not something that any patriotic American should do. This is because of a two things that Hamas stands for and is associated with.
The first one is that Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist group that is illegally holding an Israeli soldier captive. That soldier was not inside of Gaza while captured, he was in Israel and Hamas crossed the border to take him.
As mentioned in some of the posts before, Hamas also has in its official charter the complete destruction of the State of Israel, which I hope is something that no one here advocates because that would mean that they are guilty of the same things that they accuse Israel of doing. Israel is also one of the closest allies of the United States and while you might not agree with what its government does, it is still the only democracy in a place in which there are few and that makes it something of a shining light.
As an aside, to say that Israel benefits from wealthy Zionists, which has anti-Semitic overtones, and from US military aid is also misguided because there is an entire UN department dedicated raising money for Palestinians.
The other major reason is that Hamas is associated with Iran. Iran is an ominous figure to almost every country in the world. Its Arab neighbors have disowned it with the exception of Syria and Lebanon, which is becoming increasingly unstable with the growth in power and authority of Hezbollah, another Iran supported terrorist group.
If anyone has been paying attention to current events recently they would know that a large number of classified US military documents were leaked to the press by an organization called Wikileaks. These documents have shed light onto significant support of the insurgent groups that the United States have been fighting by Iran directly and through Hezbollah.
By supporting Hamas, we say that we approve of Iran, a virtual military autocracy, to be able to influence the policy of sovereign nations that surround it. While this may prompt people to say that America also does this, my answer to that is that America is a hegemon and, while it may abuse the power that comes with that position in the world, it also holds responsibilities that Iran or China for that matter could never fulfill. Turkey, while a traditional ally of Israel’s, is not so buddy-buddy with Israel right now. But Turkey, a growing leader in the near-east, is not funding and training the groups that aim to destroy Israel.
It is one thing to say that one disagrees with the policies of Israel and the execution of those policies, but to support an organization that is, by international consensus, known as a terrorist group is wrong and counterproductive to the Palestinian cause. That cause, which would be to have an independent state in the West Bank, and the leaders of that cause, the Palestinian Authority, are violently opposed by Hamas. This is yet another reason why to say that one loves Hamas is wrong.
As another aside, hide behind that fact that this play is theater is just that – hiding. It cannot, on the one hand, be considered serious and eye-opening when it supports your opinion and, on the other hand, just theater when someone else finds it offensive.
I saw the show the other day and have a lot to say about it and about everyone’s comments. I offer my opinions and my knowledge as a student at Pitt who has lived in the beautiful and historic land and learned about the rich history of the land as well as the complexities of the conflict (which stems much further back than most people consider) from both sides.
My biggest issue with the show is undoubtedly the title. It is, quite frankly, rude, provocative, and insulting. Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization. And, as others have mentioned, the members practice and take pride in countless crimes that harm both innocent Israeli civilians as well as innocent citizens of the Gaza strip. Their use of human shields and direct intent of targeting innocent civilians is absolutely despicable! If anyone here cares to argue against this point, then not only is there no hope for open dialogue or peace negotiations, but there is also a room in hell waiting for you right next to Hitler. When medical supplies and food were brought into Gaza during Operation Cast Lead (it should also be noted that no country has ever given supplies to the apposing civilian population during a conflict) the aid supplies were supposed to be distributed equally for free, but members of Hamas replaced the International Red Cross’s distribution method with one of their own. They auctioned off the free aid supplies to the highest bidder and took the money for themselves.
Hamas has made life in the Gaza strip very difficult and suppressive. Not only is there no freedom of speech or freedom of the press, but women, minorities, and members of any opposition party are not given equal rights. Several cafés and hotels have been shut down or fined by Hamas because a woman was seen smoking Hukkah in public in those establishments.
Israel, as a HUGE gesture of good faith, pulled thousands of its own citizens out of their homes in the Gaza strip in 2005. What was the result? A violent and bloody civil war took place in Gaza, where Hamas took control over the media and publically executed members of Fatah (the opposing party). Additionally, Hamas destroyed the valuable green houses and farming fields that Israelis had built in the strip. These facilities could have been used to give produce and other goods to the civilian population. Hamas should have taken advantage of the hard work of the Jewish immigrants to the British colony of Palestine. These Zionistic immigrants turned a land of swamp and desert into a beautiful country who’s current number one export is oranges.
No government in history has ever been flawless, and Israelis (from all political parties) will be among the first people to criticize their government’s actions. I am a steadfast defender of Israel and I would not hesitate to criticize some of the government’s actions. Israel is faced with a difficult situation that cannot accurately be compared to any other previous conflict. With no lessons from the history of a similar event, Israel has made many mistakes along Her journey. That being said, Israel has done more than any other government in history to prevent the loss of life in the civilian population of an enemy (enemy being Hamas and Hezbollah, not the Palestinian people). A new unit in the Israeli Defense Forces was created for this exact purpose. During Operation Cast Lead Israel dropped millions of pamphlets saying where and when the troops were coming and instructing the civilian population to leave the area at those times. Additionally, Israeli soldiers made—again—millions of phone calls informing residents of Gaza that troops were coming, and they even warned the wives and children of their targets to leave. Furthermore, the IDF has risked the lives of its own soldiers to limit civilian casualties in both Gaza and Southern Lebanon. Soldiers would risk their lives and search a building for their target on foot rather than bombing it and possibly harming innocent people.
Everyone should also keep in mind that the Israeli government treats the Palestinian people better than the Jordanians (pre-1967) and better than the Turkish, Lebanese, and Syrian governments today. In Turkey Palestinians are not allowed to own property, leave their neighborhoods without a permit, or hold elite occupations (such as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, banker, and more).
There are REAL atrocities happening in countless other places across the globe (such as Sudan, the Congo, Yemen, Somalia, and even France), people spend too much time looking for facts that they want to find about the actions of the IDF during the defense of innocent people, and far too little time trying to stop the true bad guys in their unjust acts. Pitt should be showing a play called “I hate Janjaweed,” or “I <3 Tutsi.”
However to keep the focus more on the issues brought up in Jennifer’s show, let’s focus on the West Bank, check points, and the second intifada. The check points have successfully reduced terror attacks stemming from the West bank by OVER 85% and the Israeli government has been slowly taking away more and more check points as the Palestinian Authority has increased its own security measures. Additionally, it has been documented that countless terrorist have tried to smuggle themselves, weapons, explosives, or all three, through the check points by any means necessary. This includes in ambulances, children’s school bags, and body crevasses. Terrorists have dressed up as pregnant women in attempts to get into the heart of Israel and kill the innocent civilian population. The second intifada was the climax of such events. During this sad period in Israeli-Palestinian history terror attacks were occurring at alarming rates. Buses went from a popular form of public transportation to an easy mean of killing many innocent men, women, and children.
If anyone is interested in an open dialogue (not shouting session, but a true dialogue with both parties open to listening to the opposing party’s views and information) I would be happy to explain the complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The situation that faces the Palestinian people is certainly not the most desirable, but the Israeli government has done more than any other government ever to protect its citizens while minimizing harm to the citizens of the opposing side.
Sorry for the history lesson, but the fact is the Jewish people have returned home after 2000 years of exile and some people do not like this.
But EVEN BEFORE the Romans destroyed Jerusalem 2000 years ago up until today, the Jewish people have always was faced nations and movements who sought out their total destruction.
Hamas is not any different. It is one of the present day manifestations of a very old phenomenon. Different time, different context but same absolute suicidal hatred.
When one shows support of Hamas, directly or indirectly, they join the ranks of those who want or wanted to destroy the Jewish people.
It is said openly in their Charter and I think felt deeply in their hearts as an obligation.
Today, however, is somewhat different in that the Jewish people can actually defend themselves. That’s positive.
Measure it up for yourself:
When a individual terrorist, organization or nation actively seeks out your destruction – they say it openly beforehand and then move to act…you have one of two choices. You can allow yourself to be obliterated, or you can defend yourself.
To paraphrase President Obama, upon visting Israel a few years ago: If someone were shooting 1000s of rockets at my daughters, I would do everything in my power to stop it.
If you disagree with that statement – either you are suicidal as a victim, or you are suicidal in cheering on that rocket as its shot towards someone’s kids.
Thankfully, Hamas is stopped daily.
Nigel
I quote you word for word here: “The play is mostly about dating and what it’s like to grow up in the United States as a person without a recognized country.”
If this is so, why title the show I <3 Hamas? Why not something that represents what the play is about? After all that is the purpose of the title.
Jonas
Micah is not complaining about a biased Hillel sponsored event, he and a majority of people are angered by the fact that it is a Pitt funded event that does not provide multiple sides of an issue. As for you targeting Hillel for the events it sponseres, what about Students for Justice for Palestine events that specifically target one group? Are you saying that you one hundred percent support Mazim Qumsiyeh and Ali Abunimah, two people that you helped bring to campus?
Personally I think its depressing that our campus supports something that gives a positive image to a terrorist group. Hamas is supported by Iran. Numerous sources have confirmed this. Quoting Ahmadinejad, Iran's leader, "that some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order to save the Zionist regime". He claims that the United States government crashed the planes on 9/11. He claims that the United States murdered 2,966 people.
Hamas says in its own charter that it desires to destroy Israel. Where does it say in Israeli law that they wish to eliminate Palestine?
To Whom It May Concern:
After reading through numerous impassioned rants against Hamas terrorism, I almost forgot what I saw last Sunday at the Frick Fine Arts Building — an humorously honest condemnation of the inhumanity on both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict. So the reason many enraged students on this comment board have spent so much time repeating arguments against Hamas eludes me. There are only two explanations for this peculiar phenomenon: 1. Some of these commentators were completely lost on the message throughout Jennifer Jajeh’s performance or 2. Some dishonest students have decided to forget critical thinking in place of libel against an accomplished artist and an established organization.
First, let us examine a claim Micah Toll, Samantha Vinokor and Sam Mellitz have made. All three critics have attacked the show’s title, “I Heart Hamas & Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You” as “supporting terrorism.” This is indeed a serious claim, one I’m sure Homeland Security is working on as we speak. Or, alternatively, it is completely untrue. The facts that support this alternative conclusion are thus:
1. The subtitle of Jennifer’s play is “A Tragicomedy.” This was clearly a comedy show. If you think the title is in poor taste, that is your opinion; in terms of the First Amendment, Jennifer, you and even I have stayed within the our rights. If you endeavor to prove that tangible harm was done to society by this expression of free speech, I invite you to take it to the courts.
2. I would very much like to know your opinion of Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil” tour. One member of said ensemble came to CMU last year, and yet I heard very few uproars about human rights abuses in Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Does anyone care to express them now?
3. Samantha, Micah and Sam M. handed out their literature detailing the injustices of Hamas before the play even began, deciding what it comprised before seeing a single scene. I wonder if they would write an academic paper in the same manner — my feeling is that comprehension of core messages is simply unobtainable this way.
4. Jennifer Jajeh gave every member of the audience the chance to ask her questions about the play’s meaning after its conclusion, and despite their clear confusion, Micah Toll, Samantha Vinokor and Sam Mellitz simply left without saying a word.
5. Had they stayed, they would have heard Jajeh express unequivocal support for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict including one democratic state that guaranteed all citizens equal rights, and support for the non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) to achieve that solution.
6. The rationale for calling the play “I Heart Hamas & Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You” was to bring to light the human complexity involved in pushing a desperate person to despicable acts of violence. Jajeh thought it imperative to recognize the shared humanity between Israelis and Palestinians that should unite them to find a just and peaceful solution to the conflict.
Before I come back to that point, I believe it is important to establish some truths about the 43 year Israeli occupation of Palestine that many have failed to recognize in this TPN comment debate.
1. Israel’s policy of armed settlements in the West Bank (and until 2005 Gaza), are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention which explicitly states that no occupying power may not “deport or transport parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” These illegal settlements necessitate the arbitrary destruction of Palestinian homes, which is in violation of Article 17 of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights.
2. Israel’s “Security Fence,” or more accurately Apartheid Wall, does not just separate Israel from Palestine, but Palestinians from other Palestinians who live in discontinuous bantustans.
3. Five million Palestinians pay taxes to the State of Israel but have no civil rights, do not control their land, airspace, water, electricity, sewage, movement, etc.
4. The 2008-9 Israeli Operation Cast Lead was condemned by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the U.N.’s Goldstone Report, which detailed both IDF and Hamas war crimes, revealing that Israel had bombed mosques, hospitals, orphanages, schools (illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention), and used White Phosphorus (illegal under international law) on Gazan civilians. In that operation, 1,400 Palestinians lost their lives; 10 Israelis died, 5 due to friendly fire. The ratio of civilian deaths was 400:1 in terms of Palestinian: Israeli deaths.
5. An Israeli peace organization known as Gisha sued the Israeli government for rights to government documents that revealed that the current blockade on Gaza is intended to collectively punish its civilian population. Collective punishment is explicitly prohibited by Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
6. The illegal Israeli occupation cannot continue forever, and all parties should now seek a peaceful and just solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
Despite the human complexity involved in this volatile conflict involving inhuman war crimes and crimes against humanity, the solution is quite simple. Three things must occur before this solution can be obtained, however:
1. Israel must end its illegal occupation, deconstruct its illegal settlements and tear down its apartheid wall.
2. The Arab governments, such as that led by Hamas, must renounce their threats against the State of Israel.
3. All Palestinian refugees must be granted their right of return.
After these preconditions are met, the only rational solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict will be the synthesis of the two peoples into one democratic state that complies with international law and guarantees civil and human rights for every one of its citizens.
If you believe in these values, and honestly want to see a peaceful and just solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, like Jennifer Jajeh, Students for Justice in Palestine and I do, I invite you to come to our hosting of Joseph Dana on Nov. 5 at 5pm in David Lawrence Hall 120 and join us in a constructive dialogue.
Sincerely,
Ryan Branagan
Business Manager, Students for Justice in Palestine
You spelled Muhammad wrong, coward. Is this the integrity we can expect from Zionists like yourself?
Despicable.
“Muhammad” “Mohammad”
potato potawto
Aren’t there a number of ways to spell his name? I think I’ll call him Mahomet to display the amount of respect I have for him.
While you are correct about certain things, like the collective punishment, the white phosphorus, and the settlements in the West Bank, I believe that you are only choosing to look at half of the story in other instances.
The first of those is the security fence. It has very effectively stemmed the flow of weapons and terrorists into Israel. The fact that it has separated families is an unfortunate fact but one that had to be accepted by Israel when building it. Since it was built at a time when the Palestinian Authority was a major sponsor of terrorism, it was impossible for Israel to discriminate between punishing the PA, and the terrorist groups that it sponsored, and unfortunately punishing the Palestinian people. For example, the sanctions that have been leveled against Iran will punish the Iranian government, but it will also hurt the financial security of the Iranian people, much of whom disagree with the policies and actions of their government. It was not meant to disrupt Palestinian towns and families, it was meant to stop terrorism, which is also outlawed by the Geneva Convention and the UN.
The second is the occupation of the West Bank. While the settlements that have been built in the West Bank might be illegal, the occupation is not. It is land won from Jordan in a military victory. It is not and never has been an occupation of Palestine. The West Bank, by the occupation argument, is either Israeli territory or Jordanian territory and Jordan has shown very clearly, that it does not want it. It has shown this most clearly by its treatment of Palestinians, which was worse than Israelis have never done.
The third is the name of the play. By defending this play as a tragicomedy you are being veryin considerate and narrow-minded. No matter what the play was about, even though it eventually lived up to its name, the title is offensive. If I were to bring a play to campus called I love Slobodan Milosevic, and paid for it with tuition money, there would be plenty of people that would be offended. They would be offended regardless of how I felt about what the growing number of Muslims was doing to the Yugoslav culture and society. This is how I and other people feel when we see a play called I Heart Hamas. As a supporter of Israel, it disheartened me to see the Students for Justice in Palestine support something that is as offensive as this. In my opinion, this hurts the credibility of SJP.
To SAL:
Let me preface my response to your comment by thanking you for your reasoned approach, respectful language and considerate demeanor. That kind of poise seems a rarity in this discussion, and although I am not certain who you are, I hope you can make it to Joseph Dana’s presentation on Nov. 5th.
Now, to delve into your points. First, the “Security Fence” undoubtedly has cut down on terrorist attacks. However, the legality of the structure requires analysis by more comprehensive criteria. To reframe this discussion, I would like to note that there is considerably less crime in prison. And what has the Occupation accomplished other than constructing a massive open-air prison for the Palestinian people? It does not need to be said, I’m sure, that not all Palestinians are criminals, terrorists, what have you. Therefore, imposing a prison-like structure on the Palestinians as a whole is unequivocally a form of collective punishment, and without exception outlawed by the Fourth Geneva Convention. Furthermore, such physical, psychological and daily oppression certainly creates nothing but more desperate individuals who could resort to terror. This degradation and humiliation demands highlighting in any analysis of the Wall, and was precisely the crux of Jennifer Jajeh’s humanizing performance.
I agree that economic sanctions can have a negative effect on civilian populations in oppressive and/or developing countries (i.e., the one million Iraqis who died thanks to U.S. imposed sanctions in the 1990s). However, the reason we advocate sanctions on arms on Israel is the South Africa model, in which Apartheid was forced to be dismantled and the Afrikaner population did not experience a humanitarian crisis. Careful application of the same method can produce optimum results at minimum societal harm, and any humanitarian should endeavor to proceed in this manner.
Moving on to the Occupation, it should be noted that the Geneva Conventions also bar any belligerent from acquiring or annexing land by warfare. Some quick research on colonialism and aggressive expansionism should make it clear why. Further, it is not up to debate that the Palestinians are a distinct people with a history, culture, and unique character. They, like all peoples who identify with each other have the right to self-determination, which is built into the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 1 of the latter states:
“All peoples have the rights of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”
Israel’s occupation obviously makes this impossible for the Palestinian people. But for the sake of argument, what if Israel did obtain all that land? Judea , Samaria, Greater Israel, all that – what then? The State of Israel would still have millions of Palestinians without the civil and human rights that they’re entitled to under international law. The only solution, once again, is to grant everyone living in Israel citizenship and equal rights, synthesizing the two peoples into one just, democratic state. Regardless of what perspective you choose to view the conflict, this is the only realizable solution.
Now to the question of the title, once again. SAL, I noticed you did not address my question: What do you think of Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil” tour? How offended were you when CMU brought one member of the ensemble to Oakland last March? Given that the former director of Jennifer’s show was W. Kamau Bell, who has worked for Comedy Central in the past, I feel this is a parallel that demands a response if critics of the title are going to continue feigning a principled discontent. Further, SAL, I am reasonably certain that you have not seen the show. This is a very unfortunate fact if you aim to question SJP’s “credibility.” If hosting a performance that advocates a just and peaceful solution to one of the most volatile conflict zones in the world is grounds for devaluation of a student political organization, then it is clear we need to change the criteria.
Moreover, despite Samantha and Micah’s vague citation of the indignation of “we students,” they comprised a small group of 4-7 students who sat in the very back row of an auditorium full of hundreds of Pitt, CMU and Duquesne students, along with other Pittsburgh community members. With the full support of the Director of Student Life Kenyon Bonner, Student Government Board and its Allocation Committee, Students for Justice in Palestine successfully put on a show that brought humor, insight and intelligent dialogue to Oakland and ended up receiving over two hundred dollars in donations from satisfied audiences. The play was a complete success that upheld not only SJP and Pitt’s principles, but also the principles of democracy, multiculturalism, and international law crucial to the conflict’s solution. I am very proud of our student organization and I hope anyone reading this understands that we at Students for Justice in Palestine refuse to be intimidated by the libelous claims of a few dishonest malcontents in our quest for peace and justice in Israel-Palestine.
Sincerely,
Ryan Branagan
Business Manager, Students for Justice in Palestine
You mean two g’s??
Yes, two g’s, two t’s, whatever.
Just letters. Just words. who gives a shiite.
SAL,
Great response.
Ryan,
You stated that “However, the legality of the structure requires analysis by more comprehensive criteria.” in regards to the Anti-terrorist fence in the legally captured West Bank.
Do you have the same issue with The Melilla border fence the Spaniards are building in Morocco to keep smugglers and illegal immigrants out?
Do you have the same issue with the fence the Mexicans are building on their southern border to keep the drugs and smugglers and illegal immigrants out?
Do you have problems with the US building bence to keep the drugs and illegal immigrants out?
In your world is it OK to build a fence to keep out people and drugs but not OK to build a fence to keep out bomb belts hung around the torsos of brainwashed or diminished capacity individuals?
I get offended when i see people wearing those douchey IDF t-shirts. they’re a call of support to a terrorist organization. Glorifying these very real murderers isn’t “cheeky.” In the same way that a t-shirt that says “I like Nazis” would offend the victims of the Holocaust, those insensitive t-shirt show complete disregard for the victims of thousands of IDF terrorist attacks.
Lay off the bong, Sammy.
why you gotta be rude? i’m just making a point.
Then try using proper capitalization, grammar, and sentence structure. Like I said, lay off the bong
oh my mistake professor, i didnt realize i was being graded on this. what a tool
SS,
Going through life stoned, drunk, and stupid I guess is an option in your case. Your discourse and communication skills will not earn you a job at anyplace except the backroom at a warehouse. I hope your parents are proud of you and the money they pissed away on tuition. Fool. {-)
haha i’m here on a full ride dude. apparently the university thinks i’m smart enough. how much do you pay for tuition?
Ryan,
Firstly, I appreciate the compliment. I think that a lot of potentially constructive dialogue is wasted by the disrespect between the two schools of thought.
I want to address Comedy Central’s Axis of Evil tour. While there have been countless human rights violations in North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, none of them are internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. None of them have in their constitutions the complete destruction of another country or people. The Axis of Evil tour was meant as satire because of a rash and disrespectful comment made by a president we can all agree was awful. Even if the title of “I Heart Hamas” was meant as a satire, in my opinion it crossed a line. Decide for yourself if that is because of which side of the line I stand on.
This leads me to admit that I did not attend the performance. While was I informed on the content of the play from people who are on both sides of the issue, the content is not what I was commenting on. The title by itself is offensive. To be perfectly honest, Jennifer Jajeh can think whatever she likes. But, like I said before, to say that she loves Hamas crosses over the threshold between appropriate and not appropriate.
Maybe questioning the credibility of SJP was the right road to take. You should be proud of your organization, however much I may disagree with your stance on this issue. I am disappointed in SJP because, while your organization has said that you are not at all associated with Hamas, this is an association. Hamas is against a just and peaceful solution. In my opinion, this play, simply because of the name, was counteractive to your goal, which would be advocating that just and peaceful solution to this conflict. While I didn’t see the play, let this be a window into the thoughts of any student who did not see the play.
To respond to your claim that Israel is an apartheid state, I point out that there are 10 Arab members of the Knesset, not to mention the left-wing parties that champion Palestinian rights in Israel. This is a far cry from the zero black representatives that were in the South African Parliament between during the entirety of apartheid in South Africa. When other houses to the parliament were introduced to represent people of mixed race and Indian descent in 1984, blacks were still barred from running. This never has been the policy in Israel.
While you may advocate the one-state solution, I do not believe that it is the only route available. The two-state solution is more than viable and should have continued along with the moratorium on building in the West Bank. A one-state solution, because of demographics, would eventually lead to the dissolution of Israel in its current existence: a Jewish State. While this may seem attractive to some people, Jews are still an oppressed minority throughout the world, however a loud one, and it is not unjust for them to have a place to live without fear of anti-Semitism, which exists even in the most developed of democracies. For this reason, and because I am beyond impressed with the job that Abbas and his government has done in developing the Palestinian Authority into a viable and democratic regime with a flourishing economy which I hope can one day be Israel’s partner in democracy in the Middle East, I advocate a two-state solution.
I meant to say that maybe questioning SJP’s credibility was not the right road to take.
Sal,
Your comment was extremely reasonable and accurate, and should be a model for an open and mature discussion of the Arab Israeli conflict. Thank you for ability to speak rationaly and logically about a topic that sees too many people on both sides become angry and offensive.
Every year we (Panthers for Israel) offer SJP the opportunity to discuss the conflict between us, with a goal of a discussion along the demeanor of yours. We have yet to receive a response from them. Perhaps your comment could be a model for all of us.
And every year we offer Panthers for “Israel” the opportunity for a public debate. We have yet to receive a response from them. Still waiting. Ready when you are.
(I put Israel in parentheses because I still am not quite certain where “Israel’s” borders lay)
No Andrew, you put Israel in parentheses because in your ideal world Israel is nothing more than a name Jews gave to land you believe to be stolen.
Jonas,
No one in Panthers for Israel has ever received an invitation from SJP. However, we obviously now acknowledge that both organizations welcome open discourse, which is great. We look forward to being able to discuss these issues with you guys.
And as a side note, your refusal to acknowledge Israel without needing to refer to the country as “‘Israel’” is disappointing. Palestine has politically ceased to exist for 62 years, yet we recognize the right for Palestinians to have a country for themselves, governed by themselves, just as we wish Israel to receive the same right. I sincerely hope that you can one day acknowledge Israel’s existence like this.
What are the borders?
Haha, if you and I could figure that out together and all the Arabs and Israelis haven’t been able to figure it out after 62 years then the two of us would be the ones deserving Nobel Peace Prizes.
But on a serious note, I sure I don’t know what the most fair way to draw borders is. I certainly believe that Palestinians deserve an actual country as opposed to the limbo they currently live in of “Palestinian Territories”, but I also believe that Israel deserves to exist, as Jews have lived and worked the land for 3,000 years and its the only Jewish country in the entire world. I’m sure that whenever an agreement on borders is finally reached, there will never be so perfect an agreement that everyone is happy. No compromise can ever satisfy everybody, so I’m sure both sides will eventually feel a bit shafted. I do believe though that an agreement SHOULD be reached so that both sides can have their countries and both sides should be able to access their Holy Sites. The thing that most worries me is that there are extremists on both sides, such as Hamas who says that Judgement Day won’t come until all the Jews are murdered, or such as extremist Zionists that want land even past what present day borders exist.
Somewhere in the middle lies a compromise. I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but I believe it is there somewhere.
Haha, if you and I could figure that out together and all the Arabs and Israelis haven’t been able to figure it out after 62 years then the two of us would be the ones deserving Nobel Peace Prizes.
But on a serious note, I sure I don’t know what the most fair way to draw borders is. I certainly believe that Palestinians deserve an actual country as opposed to the limbo they currently live in of “Palestinian Territories”, but I also believe that Israel deserves to exist, as Jews have lived and worked the land for 3,000 years and its the only Jewish country in the entire world. I’m sure that whenever an agreement on borders is finally reached, there will never be so perfect an agreement that everyone is happy. No compromise can ever satisfy everybody, so I’m sure both sides will eventually feel a bit shafted. I do believe though that an agreement SHOULD be reached so that both sides can have their countries and both sides should be able to access their Holy Sites. The thing that most worries me is that there are extremists on both sides, such as Hamas who says that Judgement Day won’t come until all the Jews are murdered, or such as extremist Zionists that want land even past what present day borders exist.
Somewhere in the middle lies a compromise. I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but I believe it is there somewhere.
Oh Micah micah micah, first of all Israel is not a state in the eyes of international law since it does not have defined territorial borders, that’s number 1, there is no state called Israel legally ( regardless of the current political considerations ).
Number 2, Israel keeps refusing to withdraw to 67 borders and insists on violating International Law and all the UN security council resolutions ordering Israel to withdraw.
Number 3, withdrawing their forces from Gaza was not a gift darling, it is what you should have done 30 years ago, you should have not just gave them their lands back, but also pay them compensations for robbing their lands all these years.
Number 4, German nazi was the first european state to practice terrorism on a mass scale, and what is most impressive is that the nazis were actually inspired by the jewish zionism, i quote from the famous nazi Adolf Eichmann: “[H]ad I been a Jew, I would have been a fanatical Zionist. I could not imagine being anything else. In fact, I would have been the most ardent Zionist imaginable.”—A. Eichmann, “Eichmann Tells His Own Damning Story”, Life Magazine, Volume 49, Number 22, (28 November 1960), pp. 19-25, 101-112; at 22.
Number 5: The arab palestinians were there first darling ( and by arab i mean muslims, christians and jews ) THEN you came running from Europe using transfer agreements ( remember the havaara agreement you made with the nazis ? it was a nice move ) , and you had nothing in common with the native population except that you were jews just like the minority of the arab jews who were there along with arab muslims and arab christians. You are not hebrews ( hebrews are extinct ) and you are not semites, you are ashkenazi european jews who fled from the holocaust, and the holocaust is over my friend, so there is no reason for you to stay in the lands you robbed, don’t you agree ?
Number 6:” killing Israeli citizens ” mmm let’s see, Israel killed palestinian citizens, syrian citizens in Golan, Lebanese citizens in South Lebanon, turkish and american citizens in international waters, egyptian POWs in 1967 + Israel used cluster bombs; Uranium depleted shells; White Phosphorus ( aka internationally prohibited weapons) in its last wars on Gaza & in Lebanon, not to mention attacking the UN facilities. Now, let us compare that with the toy rockets of the Palestinians. The conclusion is of course you feeling like an ass . My friend, your people are war criminals and if it was up to me i would have eliminated you from this existence, not because you are jews ( i have non zionist jews friends btw ) not because you are europeans, but because you are fanatic colonialists who should be dealt with asap. I think that you will be wiped out in less than 60 years or less, the crusaders occupied palestine ( whats funny is that they also came from europe and they also claimed to have an imaginary right in the land ) for 150 years, but eventually they were kicked out, wait and see.
Sincere regards.
To Hussein M. Azmi,
I feel very sorry for you that you harbor such hateful and Anti-Semetic views as to say things such as I and my fellow Jews will be wiped out. I truely hope that one day you will be able to open your eyes to your own hate and bigotry.
That being put aside, I feel the need to correct your series of blatant errors and lies in direct responses to your numbered points. Perhaps you are in need of a few history lessons:
1)It is laughable that you claim that there is no state called Israel. I direct you to the nearest map. Then, to prove it’s international legality, a Jewish state in the British Mandate was voted for with a over a two thirds majority in the United Nations, with only the Arabs and a couple other states voting against it while shouting things such as “Death to the Jews!”. The State of Israel was immediately recognized internationally, and has since defended its right to exist in a series of defensive wars.
2)Israel is not in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 242 that you are referring to in regards to the “occupied terroritories”. The resolution says that Israel should pull out of the “occupied territories”, not that it should pull out of ALL of the “occupied territories”. The Soviets wanted this word “all” included, but it was specifically voted against including the word to show that Israel needn’t pull out of all the territories based on International Law. So to put it simply, by pulling out of some of the territories that Israel gained in a defensive war after having been attacked from those territories by an enemy force, Israel has fulfilled its obligations under international law and is not in violation of the statute. You may be referring to the Fourth Geneva Convention to state that Israel has “occupied” those lands, and that it is illegal. Again, you are simply and absolutely wrong. There was no sovereign nation in the land that Israel captured in the defensive war, since Jordan was occupying the land and never annexed it. The Fourth Geneva Convention specifically requires the land to be from a “sovereign” nation to be considered occupied and thus apply under the Fourth Geneva Convention. So here again, you are simply wrong.
3) Gaza was land that was occupied by Egypt after Egypt captured it from the Palestinians in 1948. Between 1948 and 1967 Egypt ruled the land of Gaza under military jurisdiction, and never annexed it. After Israel captured the land in a defensive war, life improved for the Palestinians after receiving more rights under Israeli rule than Egyptian. Israel has no obligation to give the land of Gaza to anyone. Egypt didn’t own it, and the Palestinians didn’t own it. It most certainly was a peace offerring to the Palestians and a chance for them to demonstrate how they planned no running a Palestinian state. The demonstration showed that the Palestinians voted in a terrorist organization to lead them and turned Gaza into the largest terrorist recruiting center in the entire world.
4) Your ability to quote Nazis and use their ideals to support your claims marks a sad, sad basis for argument. If collusion with Nazis is your point, then I direct you to research the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini. It’s amazing how good of friends he was with Adolf Hitler himself.
5) Its miraculous that you could believe this when so much physical evidence proves you absolutely wrong. There is a myriad of evidence that Jews occupied the Land of Israel many years before the people that would one day become the Palestinians. This evidence comes from written, fossil, archeological, etc. In fact, the word “Palestinian” doesn’t even appear in books or other literature until the 1920′s. Jews on the other hand have evidence dating back over 3000 years. Jews occupied the Land of Israel first, and Jews have had a continous existence there for over 3000 years. For over 3000 years Israel has not been without Jews. Fun fact: The city of Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Quran, but is mentioned repeatedly in the Torah. In 1947 when the United Nations voted in favor of a Jewish State, Jerusalem was 85% Jewish.
Also your claim that “Hebrews are extinct” could not be more incorrect. Hello, my name is Micah. I am a descendent of the Hebrews. Jews are Hebrews. Nice to meet you.
6) “Toy rockets of the Palestinians”. Toy rockets? I believe you mean mispelled death as t-o-y. These are death rockets. They are bigger than you are, and are designed to kill. Have ten seconds? Watch this youtube clip of someone who happened to be filming when a Qassam hit a house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFMih_S2AR0
Now search youtube for “Kassam attacks”. Pretty tough stuff. The difference between the IDF and Palestinian terrorists is that Israel uses precision weapons to target terrorists, whereas Palestinians put on explosive vests then cover the explosives with nails and other shrapnel to cause as many deaths as possible. They then detonate themselves in crowded hotels, malls, and restaurants. That’s the difference.
Israel is not perfect. I don’t hesitate to criticize Israel when they err. And believe me, they do err. But for the most part, they are one of the most moral and most free countries in the world. Please do your research next time. Your ignorance is hurting everyone who reads your factual errors.
This Jajeh woman is obviously talentless to a laughable degree and lands gigs at universities like Pitt because she is good-looking and has the politically correct (anti-Israel) viewpoint. She’ll keep doing the college tour circuit while the money is good, then maybe she’ll write a book that few will buy and fewer will read.