UN holds first-ever meeting on anti-Semitism on Thursday

[inanna]

Source: Associated Press

43 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly is holding its first-ever meeting devoted to anti-Semitism on Thursday in response to a global increase in violence against Jews — a meeting scheduled even before the recent attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris.

The daylong informal meeting will feature a keynote address by French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Levy and speeches by Canadian, German and French ministers and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power in the morning. A panel discussion in the afternoon will include U.S. and Canadian lawmakers and several human rights experts including an Israeli professor.

Assembly spokesman John Victor Nkolo said the 193-member world body has discussed anti-Semitism many times in sessions dealing with intolerance, xenophobia, violence, racism and human rights violations. But he said "based on the available records we were able to check, this is indeed the first time that anti-Semitism as such is specifically the subject of an informal meeting of the U.N. General Assembly."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/un-holds-first-ever-meeting-anti-semitism-thursday-050957815.html

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Should be interesting.

I do wonder what will come of this.

[leftynyc]

11. My guess

is absolutely nothing.

[Behind the Aegis]

16. True, but it is a start.

It also allows for the ones who enable/excuse/ignore anti-Semitism to have something to kvetch about.

[shira]

17. Oh, you mean the ones who can never see Jews as victims - but always evil & oppressive? n/t

[shira]

18. I concur. The UN actually promotes hatred of Jews...

[Violet_Crumble]

20. Yeah, that Holocaust Remembrance Day is displaying such hate, right?

http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/

And when it comes to UNRWA, that thing's taken from 'Camp Jihad', a debunked propaganda film by a RW zealot carrying out his own personal jihad on UNRWA. He's a very obsessed individual and he's made similar dishonest propaganda clips, including 'UNRWA Goes To War'. Think of the Fox idiots with their bullshit about no-go zones for non-Muslims in England and Paris and yr in the ballpark. So here's some questions for you, assuming you watched it.

Where's the UNRWA students in that clip?
Where's the UNRWA teachers in that clip?
How is someone saying that Israel and Palestine will never find peace an example of hate? Me and many others hold the same pessimistic view.

Now for some actual facts about UNRWA and that clip for those DUers who are interested:

UNRWA Rejects Allegations of Incitement as Baseless: Statement by UNRWA Spokesperson Chris Gunness



22 October 2014

In recent days, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been attacked after an Israeli film-maker released a film, “Camp Jihad,” alleging that UNRWA promoted anti-Semitism and incitement to violence in its 'summer camps’. These false accusations have been repeated in various media outlets.

UNRWA has conducted a lengthy and detailed investigation into the film and we categorically reject the allegations it contains. The film is grossly misleading and we regret the damage it has caused to UNRWA and the United Nations.

The film-maker concerned has a history of making baseless claims about UNRWA, all of which we have investigated and demonstrated to be patently false. It has long been the practice of the film-maker to show non-UNRWA activities and portray them as activities of UNRWA. He has done this again and we again reject his allegations. Our repeated rejection of his falsehoods is a matter of public record.

The main accusation in the film is that incitement is promoted during UNRWA 'summer camps’. The 'summer camp’ shown in the West Bank was not affiliated with or organized by UNRWA. The only UNRWA summer activities actually depicted are those shot in Gaza. However, our investigation of the film has revealed that absolutely nothing anti-Semitic or inflammatory was done or said in the scenes filmed in Gaza.

In addition, those interviewed in the film are presented with captions that identify them as UNRWA staff members. However, only one of those interviewed is an UNRWA staff member. The comment she makes does not violate UNRWA’s neutrality policy.

Some of the interviews filmed in the West Bank took place during the course of a third party’s activities inside what is indeed an UNRWA installation. However, UNRWA did not organize or manage these activities, and – here, too – none of the interviewees were UNRWA staff members. In addition, the interviews were organized by the film-maker and conducted with children, without parental consent, in an unethical, highly 'leading' manner, by a media organization he contracted.

We firmly condemn the anti-Semitic and inflammatory statements made during some of the interviews filmed in the West Bank, and we have suspended our relationship with the third-party organization, pending a review. However, we reject in no uncertain terms the allegations that UNRWA promotes incitement and the notion that UNRWA is responsible for the views expressed in the film.

UNRWA is committed to fostering human rights and tolerance, and teaches these values through the curriculum in its schools. UNRWA is one of the few organizations that has implemented human rights and conflict resolution training for millions of Palestine refugee children in the complex political environment of the Middle East for over 12 years.

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-rejects-allegations-incitement-baseless

Here's some information on what UNRWA does.

http://www.unrwa.org/what-we-do/education

[shira]

21. Speaking of the Holocaust, here's some UNRWA Holocaust denial...

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-miseducation-of-chris-gunness/

It's so bad, Chris Gunness won't even reply to it.

Even assuming the 'Camp Jihad' video is 100% BS, there's still plenty of evidence UNRWA schools promote Jew hatred.

Hamas runs everything in Gaza, where UNRWA does educational programs. Most employees are Hamas approved or Hamas loyalists. Hamas has their stamp on everything going on there. That's how totalitarian regimes work. Even if the UN wanted to do its own thing, they couldn't. Hamas won't allow it.

I'll show you another example when you're ready.

[Violet_Crumble]

22. So you've gone from the UN is anti-semitic to one individual in a union of workers said something?

Even if I was in a 'This sounds like stuff that Fox would run with for a stupid and unquestioning domestic audience, so who am I to think the whole UN is anti-Semitic thing reeks of bullshit?' mood, I'd think it's all a bit on the majorly stinky side. I dunno, a video every bit as debunked as the no-go non-Muslim zones in England and Paris stories, and added to it some weirdo blogger shrieking away in his own comments section demanding that the head of UNRWA answer to him RIGHT NOW GODDAMMIT!! because someone supposedly wrote a letter but the only source of it appears to be from an extreme RW site that has anti-Muslim hate sites like Jihad Watch on its blogroll. I'd like to say they're compelling reasons for me to stamp it all with a 110% Verified Fact stamp, but unfortunately I can't.

So, I take it that we're in agreement now that the UN doesn't promote hatred of Jews anymore than it promotes hatred of Muslims, Christians or Buddhists. Which is good because the UN is a great multilateral organisation and we really should leave the knee-jerk the UN is evil stuff to the conservatives at Fox News and over at Discussionist...

[shira]

23. Here's a different video, from Israel...

It's not 'Jihad Camp' either...

[Violet_Crumble]

25. It's done by the same person who did the other two...

At the risk of sending you off in a flurry of ferrying every clip he's ever done from YouTube to here, can I ask you whether you've stopped and thought that maybe some people have an agenda against the UN and maybe they shouldn't be trusted?

[shira]

26. Some people have an agenda, like Bassem Eid?

Eid is a Palestinian human rights activist who grew up in an UNRWA camp...



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4602659,00.html

[Violet_Crumble]

29. I'm talking about the guy who made those videos...

[shira]

31. The guy making those videos didn't make UNRWA employees & students....

....say what they were saying in those videos.

Eid, who is as credible as it gets, just provides even more evidence.

You're not interested in that, however.

[Violet_Crumble]

33. I'll refer you back to my post where I copied and pasted what UNRWA had said...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=995916

I'm sure you'll totally ignore it yet again.

And here's something from UNRWA about that guy's video 'UNRWA goes to war'

UNRWA rejects allegations of incitement as baseless


22 October 2014


The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been attacked after an Israeli film-maker released a film, “UNRWA goes to war,” alleging that UNRWA promotes anti-Semitism and incitement to violence in its schools. These false accusations have been repeated in various media outlets.

UNRWA has conducted a detailed analysis into the film and we categorically reject the allegations it contains. As in his past discredited films, the film maker repeatedly shows non-UNRWA schools, non-UNRWA students and a non-UNRWA teacher claiming they are associated with UNRWA. The interviews with children are highly “leading” and the translations from Arabic to English are grossly misleading. Other allegations in the film relating to the conflict in Gaza have already been rejected by UNRWA repeatedly and as a matter of public record. For example we proactively condemned the placing of weapons in our schools by militants as a flagrant violation of our neutrality.

UNRWA is committed to fostering human rights and tolerance, and teaches these values through the curriculum in its schools. UNRWA is one of the few organizations that has implemented human rights and conflict resolution training for hundreds of thousands of Palestine refugee children in the complex political environment of the Middle East for over 12 years.

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-rejects-allegations-incitement-baseless

[shira]

27. Then there are the rocket launchers found in UN facilities this past summer.

Not once or twice, but 3 times!

I know this is difficult to acknowledge.

It's a narrative buster.

How do you explain the rocket launchers found in UN facilities?

[Violet_Crumble]

34. Israel retracts false allegation

Israeli officials retracted this morning their earlier claim on Friday that the rocket that killed a four-year-old child in Southern Israel was launched from an UNRWA school in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli news reports that the rocket was launched from an UNRWA school were false. The same media outlets that rushed to report the incident without seeking confirmation from UNRWA are required and called upon to also report the Israeli army retraction. We also call on Israeli military spokespersons and other official sources to ensure the accuracy of their facts before going public.

UNRWA deplores the killing of all children during this conflict, including the killing of the four-year-old Israeli child yesterday and the hundreds of Palestinian children killed since the start of the current fighting. We call on all parties to ensure protection and care of children affected by armed conflict, in accordance with their obligations under international law.

UNRWA is working under incredible pressure right now in Gaza providing assistance to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting. Even during this extraordinarily difficult situation, we do our utmost to maintain the highest standards of neutrality for our staff, our property and in our installations.

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/israel-retracts-false-allegation

on edit: I dug back a bit further and found this one. I'm not sure what yr complaining about, nor how this would be an example of yr claim that the UN promotes hatred of Jews. Maybe you could explain it?

Cache of rockets found in UN school in Gaza



A cache of rockets was found earlier today at an UNRWA school in central Gaza. The discovery came during a regular UNRWA inspection of the school, which was closed for the summer and not being used as a shelter. All the relevant parties have been notified.

“We condemn the group or groups who endangered civilians by placing these munitions in our school”, said UNRWA Spokesperson, Chris Gunness. “This is yet another flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises. We call on all the warring parties to respect the inviolability of UN property.”

Because of fighting in the vicinity of the school we have been unable to get a UN munitions expert to the school, but we hope to do as soon as the security conditions allow.

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/cache-rockets-found-un-school-gaza

[shira]

24. Similar video - with Palestinian Human Rights activist Bassem Eid

Even more damning, interviews from Palestinians...

[Violet_Crumble]

28. Again, it's by the same one as the others...

Do you even watch these? Same voice over. Same sub-titles. Same everything.

And a dead giveaway that it was the same as the Camp Jihad and UNRWA goes to war was this bit:

Produced by:
Israel Resource News Agency
CENTER FOR NEAR EAST POLICY RESEARCH Ltd.
POB 71098
Beit Agron International Press Center
37 Hillel Street
Jerusalem 94581 Israel
Tel. [phone] or
cell phone [phone]
David Bedein, Bureau Chief
[e-mail]

Oh, and while I was over at YouTube looking at it, I spotted this one on the same page. Good to know Glenn's on the same page...

That guy cracks me up!

[shira]

30. You're attacking the messenger & ignoring the clear evidence....

....within the videos, including interviews, and recordings of very nasty shit being taught within UNRWA schools.

You're not interested in the facts.

[leftynyc]

32. Attacking the messenger is all the poster has

Up against your solid evidence, it looks pretty pathetic.

[Violet_Crumble]

36. Pointing out that this guys clips have been debunked isn't attacking the messenger...

And if you can see 'solid evidence', I think you may be confusing that the same way you confused 'attacking the messenger...

btw, how are you, leftynyc? It's always nice to see someone who doesn't resort to snark and personal attacks arrive in a thread!

[Violet_Crumble]

35. I'm telling you those clips have been well and truly debunked...

Go back and read what UNRWA said about it. Then come back to me and explain why you choose to ignore it.

[leftynyc]

38. If you choose to believe the same

people who allow repulsive antisemitism taught in their schools, welcome the same on the floor of the UN, and allowed arms to be housed in those same schools, knock yourself out. Me? I'd throw them the fuck out of NY in a minute. The UN has been taken over by countries led by tin pot dictators.

[Violet_Crumble]

39. I'm hoping that yr interested in reading about what UNRWA actually does...

...as opposed to what some obsessed twit on YouTube claims.

http://www.unrwa.org/what-we-do/education

I guess the world would be a better place if the UN with it being run by all those tinpot dictators was disbanded and replaced with folk like him, Netanyahu, Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller?

One by one:

'who allow repulsive anti-Semitism taught in their schools'

Not in UNRWA schools.

Likewise, our curriculum and textbooks have been subjected to independent review. UNRWA in the West Bank and Gaza uses the books of the Palestinian Ministry of Education, which makes sense given that we are preparing students for public exams. A US State Department review of the text books used by UNRWA found them to be free of incitement, that the curriculum was "peaceful" and one in which "religious and political tolerance was emphasized".

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/features/unrwa-beyond-myths

'welcome the same on the floor of the UN'

I'm pretty sure that UNRWA don't welcome anything on the floor of the UN. When it comes to something being said in the SC, GA, or in the multitude of committees I doubt very much that someone can be stopped from saying something even if it is ugly. That would be censorship and just a bit dictatorial. Maybe yr more familiar with how the UN works than I am?

'allowed arms to be housed in those same schools'

I've already posted about this allegation in this thread. But here it is again. Read it and tell me exactly what it is yr complaining about.

Cache of rockets found in UN school in Gaza



A cache of rockets was found earlier today at an UNRWA school in central Gaza. The discovery came during a regular UNRWA inspection of the school, which was closed for the summer and not being used as a shelter. All the relevant parties have been notified.

“We condemn the group or groups who endangered civilians by placing these munitions in our school”, said UNRWA Spokesperson, Chris Gunness. “This is yet another flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises. We call on all the warring parties to respect the inviolability of UN property.”

Because of fighting in the vicinity of the school we have been unable to get a UN munitions expert to the school, but we hope to do as soon as the security conditions allow.

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/cache-rockets-found-un-school-gaza

There's also this:

UNRWA conducts six-monthly checks of the names of all suppliers and other payees against the 1267 list. There have been no matches. With regard to UNRWA installations, in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, UNRWA’s operations support officer programme, a team of specially tasked officials, conducts regular installation inspections. The Agency protests armed incursions into its installations by the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian militants. There is a strict no weapons policy in UNRWA installations. Inappropriate conduct triggers Agency investigations and can result in the denial of discretionary assistance such as burial expenses, shelter rehabilitation or re-housing assistance. In addition, the gravest accusations made by UNRWA‘s critics have been shown to be unfounded upon investigation. The repeated claim during the Gaza war that there were militants in our installations is perhaps the most notable high-profile recent example.

All the above neutrality measures are underpinned by internal and external oversight and auditing. Moreover, we report regularly on all the above to our donors, including the United States, who conduct their own regular reviews. The support for the work of UNRWA from the governments of the US and Israel speaks for itself.

http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/features/unrwa-beyond-myths

[shira]

42. So we shouldn't believe our lying eyes & ears when we view that video?

Last edited Fri Jan 23, 2015, 04:18 PM - Edit history (1)

It's all just made up?

Bullshit.

BTW, Bassem Eid wasn't debunked and won't be. He knows damned well what goes on in the camps.

[JDPriestly]

2. K&R.

[msongs]

3. since many arabs/palestinians are also semites, we will see how inclusive this meetingis nt

[Behind the Aegis]

4. For the two hundered and fifty-first time...

an·ti-Sem·i·tism
/ˌan(t)ēˈseməˌtizəm/
noun: antisemitism
hostility to or prejudice against Jews.

It is a misnomer created by a Jew-hating POS who decided the German Judenhass (Jew hate) was not PC. It does NOT mean "hostility to or prejudice against Semites." You have been REPEATEDLY been told you aren't using the correct definition, yet you still continue with this line.

[Buenaventura]

6. Horseshit n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Compelling. Take it up with...

Ernest Renan and Wilhelm Marr!

[MrBig]

10. What an intelligent response

I bet it's frustrating when facts get in the way of what you want to believe is true.

[branford]

5. Antisemitism is hatred of Jews,

and does not mean "hatred of anyone with Middle Eastern origins." To try to parse the plain and accepted meaning of the term and dilute its insidious and historically pervasive evil, represents ignorance or tendentiousness, usually to apologize for or deny Arab antisemitism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism

[hack89]

13. Learn some history about the word anti-semitism.

In 1873 German journalist Wilhelm Marr published a pamphlet, Der Sieg des Judenthums über das Germanenthum. Vom nicht confessionellen Standpunkt aus betrachtet - "The Victory of the Jewish Spirit over the Germanic Spirit. Observed from a non-religious perspective."[11][page needed]&/or[need quotation to verify] in which he used the word Semitismus interchangeably with the word Judentum to denote both "Jewry" (the Jews as a collective) and "jewishness" (the quality of being Jewish, or the Jewish spirit).

This use of Semitismus was followed by a coining of "Antisemitismus" which was used to indicate opposition to the Jews as a people[citation needed] and opposition to the Jewish spirit, which Marr interpreted as infiltrating German culture. His next pamphlet, Der Weg zum Siege des Germanenthums über das Judenthum - "The Way to Victory of the Germanic Spirit over the Jewish Spirit", (1880), presents a development of Marr's ideas further and may present the first published use of the German word Antisemitismus, "antisemitism".

The pamphlet became very popular, and in the same year he founded the Antisemiten-Liga (League of Antisemites),[12] the first German organization committed specifically to combating the alleged threat to Germany and German culture posed by the Jews and their influence, and advocating their forced removal from the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism

[Cha]

8. KICK.. mahalo inanna~

[inanna]

9. Auschwitz survivors, 70 years on

A slide show from Reuters:

Link: http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/auschwitz-survivors-70-years-on?articleId=USRTR4MC0W&utm_source=twitter

[leftynyc]

12. Thank you for posting that

That they managed to survive and in some cases thrive is a real testament to the human spirit.

[inanna]

40. Never Again

http://www.ushmm.org/

[inanna]

14. Stand up to rising anti-Semitism, philosopher tells UN meeting (Toronto Star)

At UN General Assembly meeting devoted to anti-Semitism, speakers challenge world to take action to counter the rising hatred of Jews.

French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy challenged the world at the first-ever UN General Assembly meeting devoted to anti-Semitism to take action to counter the rising hatred of Jews, which he denounced as “radical inhumanity.”

In a keynote address, Levy decried that “faulting the Jews is once again becoming the rallying cry of a new order of assassins.”

The United Nations was established on the ashes of the Holocaust after the Second World War, and one reason was to fight the “plague” of anti-Semitism, Levy noted. He called for new arguments to counter Holocaust deniers and those who deny Israel’s legitimacy.

“It is up to you who are the faces of the world to be the architects of a house in which the mother of all hates would see its place reduced,” said Levy, who is Jewish. “May you in a year’s time, and in years after that and every other year, reconvene to observe that the mobilization of today was not in vain.”

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/01/22/stand-up-to-rising-anti-semitism-philosopher-tells-un-meeting.html

Stand up to hatred. Period.

[Comrade Grumpy]

15. Hmm, some of my least favorite people will be there.

Bernard-Henry Levi and Samantha Power, the humanitarian warrior caucus.

[inanna]

19. Quotes From UN General Assembly Meeting on Anti-Semitism (Associated Press)

UNITED NATIONS — Jan 22, 2015, 8:03 PM ET

Here are some quotes from Thursday's U.N. General Assembly meeting on anti-Semitism.

French philosopher Bernard Henri Levy:

"A world without Jews indeed would not be a world. A world in which the Jews once again would become scapegoats for all people's fears and frustrations would be a world in which free people could not breathe easy, and where the enslaved would be even more enslaved."

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador Abdallah Al-Moualimi:

"Anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia and all crimes that are based on religious hate are inextricably linked, they're inseparable."

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power:

"Rising anti-Semitism is rarely the lone or the last manifestation of intolerance. When the human rights of Jews are repressed, the rights of other religious and ethnic groups are often not far behind."

<snip>

Germany's Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth:

"Anti-Semitism is gaining ground in a loud and aggressive manner ... Because of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, my country fights and will always fight anti-Semitism in whatever form it is expressed."

Link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/quotes-general-assembly-meeting-anti-semitism-28413780

[Violet_Crumble]

37. Link to the UN site and video

http://www.un.org/pga/220115_informal-meeting-anti-semitism/

The video's cute

[inanna]

41. +++++++++!

Thank you!

That is a cute video! What a mouthful to say for some of those youngsters, eh? Was I impressed!

[inanna]

43. The voices of Auschwitz (Washington Post)

Published on January 23, 2015

There are fewer and fewer of those who still remember.

The Russian army entered Auschwitz — the network of extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland — on Jan. 27, 1945, liberating the most notorious site of the Holocaust. In the decades since, groups of survivors have gathered to honor that day — including an annual remembrance at Auschwitz itself. This year, they mark the 70th anniversary of liberation on Tuesday — a day that, for a significant portion of remaining survivors, may be the last major remembrance of their lifetimes. The numbers themselves tell the story.

A decade ago, 1,500 survivors traveled to Auschwitz in southern Poland to mark the 60th anniversary. This year, organizers are expecting 300 or so. “This is the last big one for many of the survivors,” said Ronald Lauder, billionaire philanthropist and president of the World Jewish Congress, which is financing the travel expenses for more than 100 survivors. “By the time we reach the 75th anniversary, there may be almost no survivors left. But they are coming now, because they want to bear witness, to stand there and say, “we outlasted Hitler. We made it.’”

The survivors partly carry a legacy of horror, memories of the brutality of a labor prison that, by September of 1941, became an assembly line of death where more than 1 million would perish at the hands of the Third Reich. The vast majority of the victims were the Jews of Europe, subjected to Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution.” But others also deemed outside the racial and ideological lines of the Nazis also died. Ethnic Roma. Homosexuals. Jehovah’s Witnesses. Polish prisoners of war.

cont'd...

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/world/2015/01/23/with-fewer-voices-auschwitz-survivors-speak/

I've probably read more about the Holocaust than any other event in history. Still, I'm always a bit humbled by how much more there is to learn....