The Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism has posted an article by the liberal LA Times praising UC-Irvine's Olive Tree Initiative. And guess who is also praising the OTI. None other than CAIR Southern California chief Hussam Ayloush.
http://octaskforce.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/uc-irvine-oti-student-i-think-it-would-be-impossible-to-claim-we-can-understand-the-area-without-considering-hamas-cair-weighs-in-on-the-oti/
"You’re dealing with people that are in conflict with each other,” said Ayloush, whose organization is based in Anaheim. “It’s not about agreeing with them,” he said. “It’s about hearing the unique narratives of each of the sides there and learning how to maneuver around it to get the parties closer together to promote peace.”
Yes, Mr Ayloush, the peace of the International Solidarity Movement.
It is hardly surprising that CAIR would love the OTI since recent revelations tend to show that there is a definite slant to the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel narrative.
In addition, Jerry Gordon has added this article in Red County:
http://www.redcounty.com/content/cair-backs-olive-tree-initiative-university-california-irvine
There is, however, one piece of good news. The Jewish Federation of Sarasota/Manatee has taken the Fogel Pledge, named in honor of the Fogel family recently murdered by extremists in the West Bank. That means they will not contribute funds or support to any entity working against the state of Israel.
If only the Orange County Jewish Federation would follow suit.
I wrote the following email to the Times reporter
ReplyDeleteI see that in your puff piece on the Olive Tree Initiative in the Daily Pilot that you described the justification for the 2009 OTI trip meeting with the Hamas official as they ""intended to meet with a member of the PA but that official didn't make it to the meeting. Duwaik .... filled in for the official." You should know that is just the most recent variation on the excuse. According to the original Jewish Federation letter to the UCI Chancellor in 2009, (copy attached below) the justification was that it was "..an unapproved, off-itinerary meeting..."
Which is it? The latest version has as much credibility as the MSU's denial that they planned in advance to disrupt Ambassador Oren's address at UCI.
You may also see in the letter that the students were told by the OTI leaders to lie about the meeting for the reasons described in the letter. It may well be that similar trips were taken in subsequent OTI trips but the later participants were simply better secret keepers than those on the 2009 trip.
It is clear that the Orange County Jewish Federation and the Rose Project (who take credit in the letter for being OTI's "largest funder") lost control of what the students would be exposed to as early as 2009. Additional highly controversial speakers that have addressed OTI students were documented and submitted to the Federation. (see http://www.ha-emet.com/tammi_rossman-benjamin_letter.html) and ignored. The liability they assume for financing these trips has been published at http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/olive-tree-initiative/ and ignored or rather that they don't deign to respond.
There has been world-wide condemnation of the Federation in various newspapers on practically a daily basis. ( See http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2011/04/american-jewrys-fight.php as only one example) A number of people have written to them and pleaded with them to cut ties with OTI. They have lost substantial support in the community and they have forgotten who their true constituency is. It is a tragedy that they continue to fund OTI under the theory that the Israeli / Palestinian conflict will be resolved on the UCI campus by these "exchanges" or that the UCI MSU will change its ways or that somehow this will reverse UCI's reputation as the most anti-Semitic campus in the country.
I trust, as a news reporter, you will see this is a more significant news story than "Group of UCI students takes trips to Middle East to talk to officials, activists in both Israeli and Palestinian territories."
Sincerely,
Newport Beach, CA
Original 2009 letter to UCI was attached. (Formerly hidden by the Federation and produced only after a Freedom of Information Act request was submitted.)