Dear Editor,
We are writing to express our concern over an article that ran in the Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 edition of The Spectrum. An article featured on the front page and continuing on the fourth page, entitled “Students for Justice in Palestine returns to UB” is filled with numerous inaccuracies.
The Spectrum wrote of this issue as if it is black and white. It is not. Nonetheless, we truly appreciate the apologetic nature of The Spectrum and its editor, Sara DiNatale. It is not taken for granted.
Anti-Israel advocates often claim that Palestine has been occupied for 66 years. In order to fix this ignorance, we have to take a look back into the history.
In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition a block of land into Israel and Palestine. The international community gave 54 percent of that land to Israel. As a result, five Arab countries attacked Israel in attempt to annihilate the Jewish population, with Israel surviving against all odds.
In 1967, Israel was again attacked by several of her neighbors, in which the tiny nation defensively won the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza strip from Egypt. Note: Israel gained control of Jordanian and Egyptian land; there was never an occupation of a past or present Palestine simply because there was and is no state of Palestine.
The article mentions an “apartheid” wall. The incorrect usage of the word “apartheid” demonstrates extreme ignorance and diminishes the plight of those who fell victim to actual apartheid. Furthermore, the article provides no explanation for the existence of the security fence. Due to the violent and indiscriminate terrorist attacks targeting Israeli civilians committed by Palestinian terrorists, a fence was erected in order to protect the lives of innocent Israelis, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.
Every country has its own borders and has the right to protect its borders. From 2002 to 2003, alone, there were 73 Palestinian suicide bombings on Israeli civilians. Since the security fence was erected, the number of Palestinian attacks on Israeli innocents has drastically decreased.
Israel is a democratic country that adheres to a moral and just set of laws. Israel condemns and punishes to the full extent of the law those who break the laws that exist to protect all of the citizens of Israel. Even further, when an Arab child was recently kidnapped and murdered, the Israeli perpetrators were arrested by the Israeli police force for their hideous crime. There is no double standard in Israeli law.
Within the article, SJP claims to be a “humanitarian group,” however, SJP does not openly condemn the human rights violations of Hamas or any other Islamic terrorist organization in the Middle East. SJP serves only to demonize the State of Israel and delegitimize its right to exist.
Found within the article, SJP said they are “not against Judaism or those who practice it. The club is against the ideology of Zionism, which is the belief in the preservation and protection of the Israeli state.”
First, Zionism is simply the belief in the right of the Jewish people for self-determination, just like every other people. Second, SJP is openly stating that they do not believe that Israel has the right to exist or to defend itself from terror. Their disbelief in Israel’s legitimate right to exist in any capacity disallows any successful resolution for peace. Nowhere do they condemn any terrorist attacks committed by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, on the state of Israel.
It should be noted that the SJP umbrella leadership is a proponent of the BDS movement (Boycott Divestment Sanction), which has the end goal of wiping Israel off the map. SJP is not pro-Palestinian; they are anti-Israel. Further proof can be found simply by looking at SJP national and local events. The two speakers they brought in last year, Eva Barlett and Miko Peled, both called for the destruction of Israel and failed to propose any ideals for a prosperous Palestinian state.
Just three weeks ago, a Jewish student at Temple University was physically assaulted and called anti-Semitic names (i.e. “Kike”) by an SJP member for approaching their table at a club fair. The intentions of SJP are worrisome.
Ben Balderman and Logan Woodard, the president and vice president of UBI, met with SJP over the summer. SJP claims to not be supporters of Hamas within the article, however, at the meeting they openly stated that they do in fact support Hamas. When this was said, they were asked if they were aware of the Hamas Charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel and the eradication of the Jewish people (i.e. "The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him"). They responded by saying that they had no idea what the Charter was and had never heard of it; demonstrating their blind following of a genocidal terrorist organization.
In contrast, UB for Israel has open discussion and events. We want peace. We dream of a bright future for both Israeli and Palestinian children. We hope for a prosperous life for both peoples. Amen!
With this opportunity, we would like to encourage all of your readers to like “UB Israel – UBI” on facebook.
B’kavod Rav- Appreciatively,
UB for Israel Board
Benjamin Balderman, President
Logan Woodard, Vice President
Yulia Shtork, Treasurer
David Perl, Secretary
Emily Hill, Communications
