Letters to the Editor 9/30
By: Letters to the Editor
Posted on 29. Sep, 2010 in Opinions
To the Editor,
I would like to comment on your coverage of the rally held on Sept. 28 on the corner of Forbes and Bigelow. In the edition of The Pitt News that was printed on Sept. 29, there was a photo of a member of Students for Justice in Palestine with a caption that did not indicate that any other student group was present at the rally [on Tuesday.] Panthers for Israel and the Pittsburgh Israel Public Affairs Committee held a pro-Israel rally [the same day] that coincided with the Students for Justice in Palestine protest. Members of the two pro-Israel organizations joined together with numerous supporters in order to display to the Pitt community that there is a strong pro-Israel voice on this campus. Students distributed information about Israel’s work with the environment, LGBT rights in Israel and Israel at the United Nations, as well as various facts about Israel and the peace process. Approximately 20 students were on Forbes and Bigelow showing support for Israel, a number that was bolstered by numerous passers-by who stopped to learn about Israel and talk to club members. The pro-Israel students who gathered [Tuesday] are passionate about the peace process and the well-being of all individuals whose lives have been affected by the conflict. We as an organization are committed to a peaceful Middle East in which Israel can exist within safe and secure borders. Panthers for Israel and the Pittsburgh Israel Public Affairs Committee are groups that are committed to educating the campus community about Israel.
Sincerely,
Samantha Vinokor
President, Pittsburgh Israel Public Affairs Committee
To the Editor,
I was very disappointed to see the biased coverage of the two Israel-related rallies on the cover of yesterday’s The Pitt News. The cover photo depicted only the anti-Israel students, even though the majority of the students present were demonstrating in support of Israel. The photographer for The Pitt News even had to stand in the sea of pro-Israel supporters to snap the photo depicting only the anti-Israel students.
Additionally, the photo chosen to run on the cover of TPN only further spreads misinformation about the Arab-Israeli conflict to our student body. The student’s misleading sign reads “Occupation is a crime.” Ironically, it is the Palestinians’ own government that is harming them most, either through Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority’s support of terrorists (Palestinian Media Watch, Jan. 5) or through Hamas stealing medicine and food supplies from their own people and burning down Palestinian children’s summer camps (Reuters, May 3). Hamas even recently reaffirmed their pledge to continue deliberately targeting and killing Israeli civilians (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 27).
Meanwhile, Israel, who these students claim as an occupying force, continues to aid Palestinian civilians. For example, Israel sends hundreds of truckloads of supplies into Gaza a day, often replacing the very supplies Hamas steals from its own people (Jerusalem Post, May 18).
I sincerely hope that TPN is more careful about monitoring its own biases in the future.
Micah Toll
Senior, Mechanical Engineering
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
12 Responses to “Letters to the Editor 9/30”
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“We as an organization are committed to a peaceful Middle East in which Israel can exist within safe and secure borders.”
Samantha, do you support Palestine existing within safe and secure borders? The existence of Palestine seems to be the real concern, given the power differential.
The logic of occupation is a reversal: it is the oppressor who faces eradication, rather than the oppressed. And so Zionism demands the eradication of Palestine, while preaching of existential threat to itself.
Dear Anonymous,
Panthers for Israel is indeed committed to a peaceful Middle East. I cannot speak for the organization, but from what I’ve seen from the other side thus far is only hatred. What Samantha and Micah have stated in their letters is true, Israel gives numerous amounts of aid to the people of Gaza, something they are not required to do by any means. The only group who has a history of demanding eradication of any group is Palestine demanding it of Israel. The people of Palestine will never be happy until Israel ceases to exist as a nation. Meanwhile, Israel has made numerous concessions to Palestine, including giving up Gaza and the West Bank. What actions of peace and compromise have the Palestinians ever made?
I wonder if the commentor above who wishes to remain “Anonymous” can provide any examples of Zionism demanding “the eradication of Palestine”. It would be first impossible for a number of reasons, including the fact that Israel provides aids to Palestians at higher rates than their own government, and the fact that there is no place known as “Palestine” in the world.
We have provided fact based arguments, citing sources to prove our side. On the other hand, “Anonymous” simply makes vague accusations that are impossible to back up. Panthers for Israel and PIPAC would be happy to engage these types of individuals in thoughtful and educated debate to prove the facts behind this conflict.
–Micah
Rubbish.
Zionism is the movement supporting the self-determination of the Jewish people in Israel.
Zionism by no means “demands the eradication of Palestine”, and the very fact that people believe this just proves the disgusting propaganda that affects public opinion today.
I am a proud Zionist, and I am not ashamed to say that I support the creation of a Palestinian state.
I challenge you to find me a “pro-Palestinian” (anti-Israel) activist who organizes things like Israel Apartheid Week and Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions against Israel movements, but can honestly say for themselves that they support not only a Palestinian state but the right for the Jewish state of Israel to continue to exist alongside that new state.
These people are either liars or hypocrites. Pick your poison.
Let me see if i understand what you’re saying Brian. You believe that a few people who support Israel also support a free Palestinian state, while those who support Palestine are collectively against the existence of Israel, and anyone who says otherwise is liar and/or a hypocrite.
Do you not understand how stupid that makes you sound? you have no idea who i am yet you automatically assume that because i support Palestine i’m in favour of the destruction of Israel. Kindly remove your head out of your ass and realize that your sorry excuse for logic and the sorry excuse for logic of others like you is the reason behind the conflict in the first place. The nerve you have to tell me what i do or don’t believe in. Come find me and call me a liar or a hypocrite to my face. Idiot.
Sam and Micah,
Thank you for providing more information about the pro-Israel rally that was held on Tuesday. Micah, thank you for providing more sources to look into to learn about the Palestinian government’s own horrible attacks against its people. True justice and peace for Palestinians and Israelis will only come when Hamas no longer has control.
Although TPN did not factually represent the rally in print-form, TPN’s online photos show the rally’s true colors. Thank you, Pitt News, for publishing these pictures online and including the letters to the editor.
-Israel Supporter
The question about the existence of Palestine is not one that can be answered by the Israelis. The “occupation” is simply not in place as a so called land grab, but it is necessary for security measures. Unfortunately, organizations such as Hamas have chosen to use violence against Israelis. As long as a threat towards the existence of Israel exists, then the country has a duty to its citizens to defend them against the threat.
If Palestine can exist as a state with safe and secure borders must come from the Palestinians themselves. When there is an acceptance that Israel is not going anywhere and extremists end their violence, then Palestine will become reality.
From an Israeli side, they would like nothing more than to have a safe and fully stable Palestine next door. There are far too many Israeli mothers and fathers who have to worry about the safety of their children in territories that Israel doesn’t really want, to allow a small minority of those who would not give the lands back to have their way.
If Israel is trying to take over the territories, it is interesting that they would cede both the Sinai and Gaza in hopes for peace.
The perfect example of this would be the issue of the blockade in Gaza. Israel is the easy scapegoat, but the blockade was also imposed by Egypt and was only necessary because Iran is insistent on providing terrorists with the means to smuggle in weapons. If there were no weapons being smuggled in and no threat of violence, Israel would not have to waste millions of dollars and endanger its soldiers lives to keep the blockade going. As long as violence is the chosen resistance by organizations like Hamas, Israel can not idly sit by and wait for its country to be attacked.
When the Pro-Israel side says that it is for peace, it means that. Until the Palestinians can put down their weapons though, that choice is not in our hands.
Shalom. Salaam. Peace.
The true voice of peace and justice in Palestine/Israel:
Israel’s Apartheid Wall and the Fight to Stop it
-Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall
with Joseph Dana
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 5
5:30 PM
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
David Lawrence Hall Room 121
Joseph Dana is a journalist, blogger and filmmaker living in Jerusalem. His coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict focuses on the Palestinian unarmed resistance movements throughout the West Bank and the impact of Israel’s occupation on Palestinian life. With two Master’s degrees in Jewish History, one from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and one from the Central European University in Budapest, he often draws on his knowledge of Jewish history to analyze Israel’s current political/social situation and relationship to the Palestinians. A contributing editor of the Israeli web magazine +972 and member of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, Dana’s writing has been featured in the Nation, Electronic Intifada, Le Monde, New York Times, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Alternet, Pulse, and Haaretz. Dana is active in Israeli direct action groups such as Taayush and the Anarchists Against the Wall.
Lets see, Spain builds a fence to separate their enclaves from Morocco, and I hear nothing from the left.
Mexico is building a wall on it’s Southern border, and I hear nothing from the left.
Israel, surrounded by enemies who want to wipe them off the Earth, and who repeatably attack and kill Israelis, tries to separate themselves from Danger and the left goes bonkers.
Why the hate, folks?
don’t deviate from the point. israel has been systematically killing and pushing the Palestinian population out of their own land for the last 60 years.try to focus on that instead of worrying about Spain and Mexico. but if you want to draw a parallel between israel and other countries, then look at south africa or nazi germany.
or even the united states in its successful campaign against those murderous and amoral heathens, the Native Americans. i dare you t call the Native Americans terrorists. tell me they dint have the right to defend themselves against a tyrannical regime that stopped at nothing to wipe out an entire group of people. people that were innately peaceful and willing to share the land but were forced to use violence because the occupying government had no regard for human life. America called it manifest destiny, israel today calls it zionism, but someone with half a brain would call it genocide..
isn’t it funny how history often repeats itself? but most of us don’t seem to see that for some reason. possibly because we choose not to.
viva viva Palestina!
To Whom It May Concern:
After a careful examination of Samantha Vinokor and Micah Toll’s claims, it becomes clear that their critiques are not only erroneous, but blatantly disingenuous. Perhaps this is due to their commitment to Public Relations, but as critics of The Pitt News’ integrity, I would have hoped for more integrity on their part. Let us analyze these two letters and see if we can arrive at a more realistic picture.
The main claim both Samantha and Micah levy against the September 29th issue of The Pitt News is that the front page picture of SJP member Karina Goulordava is inherently biased because it does not include a representation of the so-called “pro-Israel” side. However, a brief search on TPN’s website reveals five photos of the demonstrations on Sept. 28, the majority (three) of them depicting only “pro-Israel” students, with the other two of SJP members. This representation seems balanced, if not tilted slightly in their favor, so the source of their disillusionment remains unclear. None of the photographs depict both sides of the demonstration, so to be angered by the editor’s pick of what he/she believes is the best photo is solely a sophomoric expression of envy.
Furthermore, despite his affiliation with “accuracy in…reporting,” Micah Toll makes a series of false statements and exaggerations that merit an honest evaluation. For example, Micah claims that the “majority” of Pitt students stood on his side of the street, whereas the actual event featured about 20-25 students on both sides of Forbes Avenue, each receiving displays of support continuously throughout the hour-long protest. There unfortunately is no photographic evidence of this fact (thus allowing Micah to make the erroneous claim in the first place) but any third-party who witnessed the event could attest to the validity of this. Photographic evidence of Micah’s deceit exists to contradict his next claim, however, that TPN photographer “even had to stand in the sea of pro-Israel supporters to snap the photo” that would appear on the front page. I invite anyone reading this to examine the photograph in question and observe the following things: Karina, like the rest of SJP’s members, is standing on the crosswalk in the middle of Forbes, and her photographer is standing more or less directly in front of her. The traffic light/road sign pole in the background appears perpendicular to the Bigelow crosswalk/Forbes sidewalk that can be clearly seen on the left side of the picture. Unequivocally, The Pitt News’ photographer is standing in the street. This is important because SJP’s demonstration featured moving out into the crosswalk at every red light (which can be seen in another TPN photos) whereas Micah’s “pro-Israel” side stayed on the corner of Forbes and Bigelow for the duration of the protest, reducing his erroneous claim to a product of his own subjective imagination. If Micah’s genuine goal is for accurate and non-biased reporting, I would like to know why he has chosen to argue with dishonest claims that compromise his own integrity.
One aspect of the event on September 28th that has failed to receive an accurate portrayal on the “pro-Israel” side thus far needs to be addressed: SJP’s demonstration was the protest; Panthers for Israel and PIPAC’s demonstration was the counter-protest. Micah Toll, one of the organizers of this counter-protest, attended the first meeting for Students for Justice in Palestine meetings this year where we discussed our plans for the semester (including the event in question) and thereafter a “Pro-Israel Rally” appeared on Facebook with prior knowledge of our plans built into the description. I invite all those skeptical to visit the event page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163164880367214
Moreover, despite Samantha’s claims that her counter-protest was comprised of concerned students committed to the peace process, the actual counter-demonstration inspired much less hope in their sincerity. The oppositional students sang songs in Hebrew, shouted insults and abuse towards our members in Arabic and held signs about Hezbollah’s atrocities, a Lebanese group that is not a part of the current Israel-Palestine peace talks or the content of SJP’s principles. By contrast, the students that participated in SJP’s demonstration called for a truly just peace in the Holy Land for both Israelis and Palestinians and provided information on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a non-violent campaign in which every American is welcome, as modeled after the anti-Apartheid movement against South Africa in the 1970s/80s. I will refrain from debating specific points of the unjust Occupation specifically because I doubt that a meaningful solution can be rendered through TPN comments. However, I am quite sure that soon these reactionary supporters of the illegal and inhuman policies of the government of Israel will be exposed for what they truly are: jingoist zealots determined to perpetuate the conflict’s current destructive status, bereft of any viable and just solution that millions of suffering Israelis and Palestinians are praying for.
For more information on the BDS movement or Pitt’s SJP, visit:
http://bdsmovement.net/
http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/pittsjp/
Sincerely,
Ryan Branagan
Business Manager, Students for Justice in Palestine
So I have been a student at the university for about a decade and a quarter now and I have seen countless pro-israel and pro-palestine rallies. I have seen almost as many israeli support rallies and Palestinian support rallies and half as many positive-feelings-toward-the-state-known-as-israel rallies and positive-feelings-toward-the-”state”-known-as-palestine rallies. But let’s not get bogged down in history. Remember it was that man that Churchill read twice that said, “History is the remembrance of things past that we are doomed to forget.” Or was it “History is the search of lost time that we are doomed to remember”? Who knows. But let’s not get caught up in citation. The fact of the matter is that Pitt News photographers took pictures of a position that they were not in. I need not remind you of Lacan’s famous maxim. It was paraphrased by Zizek who leant it to Badiou and was later demonstrated in quite a magnum-opus by Kim Kardashian, who – I need not remind readers – is Armenian and staring back, nude at viewers covered in shiny silver paint. This, too, was the plight of those whoreish Pitt News photographers. Staring at us, reflecting us but all the while missing the true blue. The true jew. The true story.