Submission: SJP film screening does not reflect anti-Semitism

Last Wednesday, Students for Justice in Palestine screened the documentary “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the U.S.”

Ironically, this documentary which chronicles how false accusations of anti-Semitism are used to delegitimize criticism of Israel, has been falsely accused of anti-Semitism. On Friday, a coalition of students wrote a submission to the Daily Bruin in an attempt to smear the film and SJP. The authors attempted to cast a work of media criticism as a work of bigotry.

This film simply presents an intellectual conversation about why our media has failed to show Palestinians as human beings. It examines how Palestinians living under a nearly fifty-year long military occupation have been deliberately portrayed to U.S. audiences as people motivated only by hate. In the U.S. media, violence by the Israeli military towards Palestinians is consistently cast as self-defense, yet violence by Palestinians is labeled terrorism. Violence in any case is wrong, but there is a double standard which excuses Israeli violence.

It is fair to critique media coverage of all issues. Consider how in the 2016 presidential election, little attention was paid to climate change policy, although countless scientists have warned of its consequences. Similarly, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others have iterated the injustice of the occupation and settlement construction. Yet in the 2016 presidential debates, questions regarding Israel and Palestine were only framed as how to alleviate Israeli suffering – with no mention of Palestinians.

The central accusation of the submission is that the film represents an “intellectualization” of anti-Semitism. According to its authors, the film was reminiscent of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” the infamous embodiment of European anti-Semitism.

People cognizant of the context and implications of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” should know better than to assume its relevance here. The protocols were forged by Russian czarists, who sought to delegitimize communism by portraying it as an international Jewish conspiracy to victimize gentile Europeans. The protocols enabled ultranationalist leaders to treat European Jews as threats in their respective countries.

 

If the concept of scapegoating a religious minority on the false grounds that it has a suspicious, foreign agenda sounds familiar, it should. President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that a ban on Muslim entry to the U.S. would be effective in mitigating domestic terrorism. His son suggested Syrian refugees should be denied entry because, just as one would not eat a bag of Skittles knowing a few were poisonous, accepting refugees is not worth the risk.

This profiling and demonization of Muslims has been recognized as unacceptable by most of the UCLA community. Yet this same Islamophobia ensures few think twice when the American media covers Palestinians exclusively as violent terrorists and excuses Israeli military offensives as self-defense, and it ensures the daily lives and struggles of Palestinians are rarely seen because they do not fit the racialized frame of Palestinians as people to be afraid of.

The implication of portrayals like these is that Muslims – like Jews, according to the protocols – have no primary national identity, that their allegiance is to some broader and more sinister religious objective, and they are thus untrustworthy.

Our disappointment, however, is directed not only towards those who perpetuate Islamophobic stereotypes in the media, but at the students who felt it necessary to blatantly lie about the content of our film. Readers are welcome to compare the film’s transcript against the inaccurate accusations against it and reach their own conclusions. We do not doubt a fair and objective media is valued by all Bruins.

 

The authors of the previous submission heard SJP explicitly express our politics at the film screening – the pursuit of human rights, freedom and opposition to all bigotry. They heard Sut Jhally and Robin Kelley respond directly to the type of accusations made in their article. That they heard us clearly state our pursuit of peace and anti-racism, but still claimed the contrary, shows that they are more dedicated to denigrating SJP than to productive discourse.

Let’s be clear – the crisis in Palestine is greater than ever – home demolitions are rapidly increasing, and more settlements exist now than ever before. Those who truly care about peace should focus their energy on how to end the occupation. Those who prioritize smearing SJP’s efforts to educate and organize against oppression over actually ending that oppression actively preclude peace.

Sarah Schmitt, SJP Programming Director

Omar Mansour, SJP Outreach Co-Director

Robert Gardner, SJP External Affairs Director

Yacoub Kureh, SJP President

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24 Comments

  1. When you “specifically” target Israel for these kinds of films and for BDS in a sea of Islamic Countries with abysmal human rights records, then there has to be a name for it.

    1.5 Million Palestinian Arabs live in Israel proper as citizens on land that hypocritical activists say is ethnically cleansed, and Israeli Arabs have a high longevity rate than Americans living in America.

    Hypocritical activists say it would be better for peace if the West Bank (the birthplace of David, Solomon, and Jesus) were free of Jews. That may sound good on paper, but all Jews were removed from Gaza 11 years ago, and Hamas rockets rained down on Israel within weeks, which is one of many lessons learned from the this conflict. Israel was a target for Arab terrorism prior to the 1967 war, when there were no Jewish settlements in the Gaza or the West Bank.

    There are 28 other conflicts and border wars in the world today involving Muslim leaders and Muslim regimes. There are dozens of terrorist organizations operating freely in host Countries. Singling out the tiny Jewish State for boycott has to have a name for it.

    1. Watch the movie, then come back and have a discussion.
      “All Jews were removed from Gaza 11 years ago,” yes, but an Air, land, and economical, electrical, blockade is present. NO ONE can move in or out of gaza, they cant fish, they cant fly, they dont have electricity, they cant rebuild destroyed hospitals and power plants because of the blockades. So yea, the israelis left gaza, but they control every aspect. When the repressed fight back its considered unjust.

      1. Hamas never stopped firing rockets, which sets off Israel’s early warning sirens, causing thousands of Israeli parents to grab their children and run for bomb shelters, and knowing that Israel is going to respond to each act of war and war crime. Every Hamas rocket fired into Israel is an act of war, with a known Israeli response, which Palestinians then use as propaganda.

        Egypt banned Hamas and branded it a terrorist organization.

        Jordan banned Hamas in 1999. In 2013, Jordan rejected requests to allow Hamas to return.

        Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah disagree and are fighting with each other in Syria (Sunni/Shiite conflict).

        Syrian President Assad- Hamas is an uninvited guest

        Can you name one Arab Country that supports Hamas and their methods? Please be specific!

        1. So because of Hamas, its ok to sweep the atrocities that the palestinian PEOPLE are facing under the rug? so we shouldnt ever hear about their plight and struggles because hamas, so they must all be terrorists? They are humans also, regardless of their skin color, arab, muslim, jewish, white, middle eastern, black, whatever. it seems to you it doesnt matter, the israelis are the only ones worthy of our sympathy.
          and LOL Assad, you think he is any better than Hamas?

          1. I could not agree with you more. On the other hand, for example, every Hamas rocket fired into Israel’s civilian populations are an act of war and a war crime, which is specifically designed to provoke a known Israeli response. The responses are always couched by hypocritical activists as atrocities. Israel is far from perfect, but give me a break.

            The plight of the Palestinian Arabs are brought on by their own leadership. Had Arabs accepted the 1947 UN Partition Resolution, they could have been building an independent Palestinian nation for the last 68 years, instead of choosing war to win everything, know that if they fail, they can still continue the fight to go back to the status quo.

            A war is not over until the last combatant is either dead or lays down his arms, followed by terms of surrender, otherwise it will remain a perpetual war. Look at Iraq– On October 13, 1932, Iraq became a sovereign state, and it was admitted to the League of Nations. Iraq still was messed up by a complex web of social, economic, ethnic, religious, and ideological conflicts, all of which retarded the process of state formation. The declaration of statehood triggered an intense competition for power in the new entity. Sunnis and Shias, cities and tribes, sheiks and tribesmen, Assyrians and Kurds, pan-Arabists and Iraqi nationalists–all fought for places in the emerging state structure. Unable to establish deep roots, after the Ottomans Empire, the political system was overwhelmed by conflicting sectarian demands. What has changed in 80 some years?

            As far as sympathy for the Israelis, you might want to spread those sympathies to all the ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East without compete right of self determination. Jews are the only ethnic and religious minority with the complete right of self determination. Where more women have a college education than most of the Middle East combined.

      2. “They can’t fish, fly, don’t have electricity” – that sounds awfully familiar. Oh, that’s right – Syria, Afghanistan and most other parts of the Middle East have the same problems…

        1. So it’s a rule that anyone in the Middle East can’t have the freedom to fish, fly, have electricity Cuz other countries are like that too? Your logic doesn’t make sense. Then again your name says you love trump so that doesn’t surprise me

          1. Don’t dismiss those who voted for Donald Trump, as it was a victory [against] the Washington establishment. The far left were laughing as Trump made a mess of 16 well respected Republicans during the primaries, but when he turned it around on the Democrats, it was not so funny anymore. Washington is pisssssed!

            Having said that, I voted for President Obama twice, as did most American voters. I love him, and would vote for him a third time if I could, even though I have a few disagreements (disagreements without the benefit of having the same intelligence as Obama). What a shame to lose a President like Obama, especially after gaining eight years of on the job experience. But he has to be exhausted by now. As someone who loves this Country, I can only hope that the Trump administration will be successful in promoting the general welfare of the United States. Those who amass the great fortunes do well under every administration, but Mr. Trump has made some big promises to the masses of labor class people (as do all politicians), and I want him to be successful.

          2. Poor Andee – so misguided. Arabs living in Gaza and other parts of the world are like the neighbor who snoops into your backyard and is jealous of your possessions. Arabs want what the Israelis have without putting any work into it. Simple as that…

        2. That is what the Arab Spring was all about. Young Arabs wanted more freedom, better education, free entrepreneurship, unrestricted internet, and some kind of democracy. For the most part, they have been shut down by the same leaders, dictators, and totalitarian governments. And then, on the other side of the coin, they have Islamism, political Islam, and Islamic Sharia, which is just as restricting.

          On the other side of the coin, President elect Trump believes we should have a little less freedom to burn the flag, take our jobs, capital, and industry out of the Country, that all people entering this Country should sign the guest list on the way in and provide verifiable documentation, and heavily tax those who are bringing in cheap goods which undermines our domestic goods and services.

  2. Written like true hypocrites…

    Let’s say I were to support a film about terrorism and it’s connect to Islam. I then interview a variety of Muslims that have lived it (e.g. Ayaan Hirsi or Bassem Eid) that confirm the brutality of the Palestinian leadership and terrorist groups that identify as Muslims across the world. I then provide the many quotes from Palestinian leaders talking about wiping out the Jews and children’s songs and camps supporting attacks against Jews. I can point to the fact the the PA and Hamas pay salaries to Palestinians who murder Jews – higher salaries than Palestinians get for normal government jobs. I can point to the fact that SJP and the Muslim association at Ryerson purposefully ruined a vote for Holocaust Rememberance day even though it had no mention of Israel. I can point out that a professor at a Palestnian university was fired because he brought his students to Aushwitz.

    Would you be in support of the intellectual conversation on this topic?

  3. It’s pretty simple– the Palestinians are barbarians who would deprive liberals of their “rights” in a second. Ever hear of the lgbt club at Gaza U? didnt think so. They toss gay men off roofs. This film is blatant anti antisemitism. Shame on our Bruins for hosting it.

    1. Perhaps there is a rational basis for antisemitism – for example, consider this quote from Ovadia Josef, who was the leader of the Shas political party in Israel and who also served as the chief rabbi of Israel ..

      “Why are Gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat. That is why Gentiles were created.”

      The web site antisemitism101.com explains antisemitism.

  4. This is an insightful article. I think its true that discourse about Palestine’s is easily labeled as anti-semitism in order to shut down conversation. It is important to have evidence based opinions, and I think this film screening helps people gain some knowledge they would not hear otherwise. The injustice being committed against Palestinians often goes unheard. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

    1. “Goes unheard” – you must be joking? The majority of opinion articles on this site have been related to Palestinian/Israeli “supposed” oppression. Majority of debates on the UCLA campus have been related to this topic. Is there anything else in the world we can all discuss? Where are the articles about the be-headings by cartel members on our southern border? How about the killing of white farmers in South Africa? How about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia? The rape epidemic in Sweden by migrants? You know why – because none of this fits in the narrative. As a 1st generation immigrant – I am appalled at the lack of uniformity in today’s fight for causes. – And this my friends is why Trump won!!!!!

  5. This is a great response to that previous opinion piece. Thanks for clearing this up, hopefully they can read this and ask some questions and actually watch the movie themselves, rather than smear and just promote hate. Whenever theres an article written about Israel Palestine, it seems the trolls in the comments just say the same exact stuff. EVERYONE should watch the movie, THEN criticize when they have the evidence laid out in front of them. Its really easy to hide behind keyboards and say SJP is evil etc. thanks for standing up for SJP and those who support it!

  6. So I’m assuming you thought no one would actually read the transcript carefully, otherwise you probably wouldn’t have linked to it. There’s a section about how “Jewish organizations” came together at a conference to plan out this supposed “Occupation of the American Mind”. They don’t say it was the “Israel lobby” but explicitly that it was key Jewish groups. That sh*t is straight out of the Protocols.

    Also, how shamelessly hypocritical can you be? Surely you can see the irony in accusing the pro-Israel community of prioritizing smears against you over working towards peace, when their article was a response to you screening a movie which smears Israel and the Jewish community. Not to mention that for years you have prioritized tearing down Israel, Israelis, and anyone who supports them over and above advocating for a just peace based on self-determination for both sides (wait, you actually never do that… I wonder why?).

    This whole “play nice” routine means less than nothing, coming from you.

  7. If SJP wants to put an end to charges of anti-Semitism, they should cease their nation-wide tactics of bullying, disruption and intimidation. Did anybody disrupt this showing? Last May at UC Irvine, SJP and their allies disrupted a film showing by Students Supporting Israel to the point campus cops had to be called to restore order. This is what SJP does. After all, they were co-founded by UC Berkeley professor Hatem Bazian, who has called for an intifada in America.

    If the administators of our universities had any guts, they would ban this brown-shirt organization from their campuses.

  8. Like the Muslim anti-Jewish propaganda really needs amplification? On a campus where Jews are hassled for being Jewish; where expressing a pro-Israeli position just might get you shunned (or a failing grade if done in class); where you Jewishness just might get you booted out of a leadership role in student government; on that campus the Palestinian posture is not displayed properly? Proving that the authors of this submission (if they really are Jewish) prove that some Jews are the stupidest people in the world.

    1. As a gentile devoted to fighting anti-Semitism, I have learned that the Jewish community is quite fragmented on everything-even life or death issues.

  9. And I’m glad the authors are so concerned about the Palestinians: a word of concern about the Christians of Aleppo, 200,000 of whom have been murdered, forceably converted, and otherwise driven from their homes of a milenia? And any concerns about the Coptic (Christians) of Egypt, where death and havoc by their Muslim neighbors have reduced them from 20% of the population to 5%? And of course the 1,000,000 Jews who use to live in the Muslim ME have now been eradicated so that the Muslim ME is now Judenreit. Any concerns about all of them, posters? Or do only Muslim lives matter?

    1. Well stated. How ironic we are always being lectured about Islamophobia while religious minorities in virtually every Muslim-majority nation are being persecuted and murdered. The fact is that in America we do not persecute people like they do. We are not burning mosques nor murdering Muslims because we know better and don’t blame innocent Muslims for the acts of others. We need to start talking about the victims of Muslim hate.

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