Free Palestine Now Response to Anti-Defamation League’s Accusations of Anti-Semitism in the Anti-War and Palestinian Solidarity Movement
by Ben Laurel
fpn@vcu.edu
January 17, 2003

     On January 15, 2003 the Anti-Defamation League issued a press release labeling the upcoming anti-war and Palestinian solidarity demonstration in DC on January 18^th, 2003 as anti-Semitic and incorporating our organization Free Palestine Now as a part of an anti-Semitic and hate preaching movement. Free Palestine Now emphatically rejects and condemns these baseless accusations.
     These growing anti-war and Palestinian solidarity demonstrations that are taking place all over the country are in no way promoting religious prejudice towards Jews.  But instead are expressions of opposition to the US governments imperialistic oil driven war on Iraq, and to US backed Israeli government’s oppression of the Palestinian people.  The chants and messages that could be heard most often at the last major Palestinian solidarity demonstration in DC in April were messages against the Israeli occupation and apartheid like policies. No proof has been offered that these marches were in any way promoting anti-Semitic bigotries. In addition, what the Anti-Defamation League failed to mention was that most of these demonstrations have pretty sizeable Jewish contingents and a large number of the speakers and organizers were Jews, as well.
     The Anti-Defamation League’s incorporating Free Palestine Now in to being a part of an anti-Semitic movement is a complete slanderous lie. They have offered no proof what so ever that our group is in any way promoting the hatred of the Jewish people. Criticism of the Israeli government and anti-Semitism are two completely different things. Just like criticism of the Chinese government’s brutal occupation of Tibet and promoting anti-Chinese sentiments are two completely different things. What the ADL failed to mention is that one of the co-founders of Free Palestine Now is a Jewish man.  In fact in the editorial section of our web site there is a critical look at the Egyptian government’s recent airing of a T.V. program based on the horrifically anti-Semitic “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” (see Thoughts on the Recent Airing of the Ant-Semitic T.V. Program Based on `The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' by Ari Packer (http://www.studentorg.vcu.edu/fpn/eldersofzion.html).  They also seem to over look our mission statement which reads, “We are unique in the fact that one of the two founders of the organization is Jewish and that we proudly boast Palestinians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Atheists and Arabs as members.  We, as an organization, flatly reject any and all forms of racism and anti-Semitism and strive to create a multi-cultural student organization based upon the common goal of liberating the oppressed Palestinian people from Israeli terror.” Free Palestine Now and the rest of the Palestinian solidarity movement are instead fighting the Israeli government’s racist oppression of Palestinians which can be summed up by one of the over 500 Israelis refusing to serve in the Israeli army in the occupied territories Tamir Sorek when he said, “It is a war that aims to maintain a racist, undemocratic, apartheid regime.”