Over 200 faculty members sign petition supporting Columbia's ties to Israel

[question everything]

Over 200 faculty members have signed a petition expressing their commitment to Columbia’s ties with Israel and opposing divestment from companies that conduct business in the country.

(snip)

Addressed to the Board of Trustees, the petition—the fourth in a series of petitions both in support and in condemnation of boycott, divestment and sanctions at Columbia—argues that the “shared values and interests” between the University and Israel are worth preserving through formal ties, though not every Israeli government policy is worth supporting.

“It would not be just or principled to respond to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by disengaging from Israel or from companies that do business with Israel,” the petition said. “It would be unjust to blame only one side for this conflict, and unprincipled to single out Israel for this sanction, while maintaining ties with other nations that – unlike Israel – are undemocratic, repressive, and much less restrained in their use of force.”

The list of signatories includes prominent members of the University’s faculty and administrators, including Glenn Hubbard, dean of the Business School, Dorothy Denburg, former dean of Barnard College, Nicholas Lemann, former dean of the Graduate School of Journalism, and University Professor Eric Kandel, the co-director of the Mind Brain Behavior Institute. The letter was organized by dean emeritus of the Law school, David Schizer.

More..

http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/03/20/over-200-faculty-members-sign-petition-supporting-columbias-ties-israel

[Little Tich]

1. So, 200 faculty members support the Israeli settlements, and 69 faculty members are against.

I actually didn't know that the settlements were so popular in the US...

[shira]

4. Nah, it means they oppose the racist BDS movement...

....filled almost entirely with Holocaust deniers, White supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Leftwing Fascists who support terror.

[Little Tich]

6. So 69 people sign a petition to “divest from corporations that supply, perpetuate, and profit from a

system that has subjugated the Palestinian people” and you draw the conclusion that those who signed are "Holocaust deniers, White supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Leftwing Fascists who support terror"?

Frankly, I think you're exaggerating.

[shira]

8. Antisemites never admit they're antisemites. Ever notice that?

So of course these 69 people say they have other reasons.

If the Israel-hating ranks weren't entirely saturated with vile racists - if they actually DID something about the white supremacists, holocaust deniers, neo-nazis and terror supporters within their ranks (rather than deny the problem exists) - if they'd stop ACTING like Jew haters, then you could call it exaggeration.

The game is up. More people are realizing how disgusting & vile the Israel hating movement is.

Calling it out for what it truly is is not exaggeration at all.

[6chars]

11. I have noticed that!

good point.

[Little Tich]

12. Couldn't it be even remotely possible that some of those who signed that petition did it simply

because they're opposed to the settlements and the occupation?

[shira]

16. Some naive people? Yes. But anyone who knows anything about BDS knows...

....it's a nasty, racist Jew hating organization.

I reject the notion that people involved with BDS - who have been around other BDS'ers - who have seen for themselves the disgusting hate within the movement - are good people simply opposed to settlements & occupation.

[King_David]

5. BDS has been shown to be a bigoted antisemitic organization

Targeting Jews worldwide with hate.

It's not about the occupation....

The BDS organization have left severed pigs heads in kosher Jewish supermarkets....

The BDS thugs recently would not allow an American Jew to perform at a reggae festival but had no problems allowing a hateful homophobic Gay hating POS scum to perform at the same concert.

The list is endless... And well known.

[Little Tich]

7. The list currently stands at 11 companies, none of which isn't doing business with Israel:

ASN Bank

Cactus

Danske Bank

Dexia

FreedomCall UK

G4S

Kapitalforvaltning

Kommunal Landspensjonskasse

Karsten Farms

Nordea

The Co-operative Group

Source: http://www.illinois.gov/sites/iipb/Pages/ProhibitedInvestmentList.aspx

Interestingly, I do business with one of the banks on that list almost daily...

[shira]

9. Is it really so difficult to acknowledge that people against BDS....

....tend to believe BDS is a hate movement and maybe THAT's why they're against it?

[Little Tich]

10. I have to acknowledge that people who are against BDS resist reality pretty well.

All the evidence point towards BDS being against the illegal settlements and the occupation only, and not Israel. Still, those who oppose BDS are claiming it's all about Israel. Please provide a single example of BDS causing divestment from Israel and not the settlements - the legislators in Illinois couldn't find a single example...

[shira]

13. All BDS leaders call for an end to the Jewish state. They boycott Jews like Mattisyahu....

They support terror and defend terrorists. The western BDS movement is mostly filled with white supremacists, neo-nazis, leftwing facists, and holocaust deniers. They don't give a rip about Palestinians (they actually hate Palestinians...but not quite as much as Jews).

There's no question it's a hate movement as this thread shows, with dozens of examples...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113485328

They may not be successful boycotting Israel as a whole, but there's no question they hate and want Israel gone.

[Little Tich]

14. So if there are no companies doing BDS against Israel what's the point in legislation targeting only

those who divest from the settlements?

Now when Illinois has compiled a list of companies doing BDS, it turns out that every company on the list is only divesting from the settlements, not Israel. There are a lot of people having opinions about BDS, and some people want to boycott Israel altogether, but they're not subject to the Illinois legislation - only companies not doing business in the settlements. I'm sure that when BDS legislation in other states is examined, it will be the same.

I'm leaning towards the conclusion that both BDS and the fight against BDS is all about the settlements - one side is against them, the other side supports them.

[shira]

15. No companies YET boycotting Israel as a whole. You're denying that's a goal of BDS.

Illinois doesn't want to give any legitimacy to a hate group. That's NOT difficult to understand.

That doesn't mean they're for settlements. People can be against settlements yet also be against BDS. There's no contradiction there whatsoever.

You also have the 2 sides to this matter all wrong. It's not about sides being for or against settlements. It's about sides being for or against the existence of the Jewish state & being for genuine peace in that region. BDS isn't about peace at all.

[Little Tich]

17. I see the Illinois legislation as an attempt to stifle criticism of the settlements only.

Isn't that all it actually does?

[shira]

18. You don't know the difference between criticism & antisemitism

You passionately argued that a Holocaust denier like Atzmon was merely a critic of the settlements.

Atzmon spews hate, not criticism.

That's what the Illinois bill against BDS is all about.

[Little Tich]

20. Aw, come on! - I only consider Atzmon to be an anti-Semite due to him endorsing the anti-Semitic

views of other people, not from what he's expressed himself. I've already posted my view on that subject and there's been no reason to change it.

17. I went to Gilad Atzmon's website to see what he's been up to lately.

Apparently he's cowritten a new book with Enzo Apicella, a comic called" A to Zion - The definitive Israeli Lexicon". He's also been on Press TV and he's expressed some glee over the Anne Frank's Diary affair. That's not anti-Semitic, but I've never actually seen Gilad Atzmon make anti-Semitic statements either.

The reason that I believe Gilad Atzmon is an anti-Semite is his open endorsement of other anti-Semites and his support for their anti-Semitic statements. I didn't have to search too hard to find evidence of his support for anti-Semites; apparently Gilad Atzmon has been an expert witness in the defence of Arthur Topham, who's been convicted of promoting hatred against Jews through his website, RadicalPress.com.

Arthur Topham's website promotes anti-Semitism and I completely agree with the court decision to convict. Gilad Atzmon is actually defending the promotion of anti-Semitism, which is where I draw the line.

Gilad Atzmon is an anti-Semite.

Link to Gilad Atzmon's website, November 13, 2015: Arthur Topham vs Theodore Nathan Kaufman
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2015/11/13/arthur-topham-vs-theodore-nathan-kaufman

BTW, this OP is about Falk and I haven't made up my mind yet...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1134120547#post17

Are you running out of ammunition? I see that you brought up Atzmon in another thread too.

[shira]

21. He is a Holocaust Denier himself. But that's not enough for you to conclude....

....that he is an antisemite. To you, it's because he endorses OTHER holocaust deniers.

You're making my point all over again.

Anti-racists who oppose BDS for being a hate movement have no problem denouncing Holocaust Deniers.

[6chars]

2. Good for these professors!

The BDS drive to make Jewish students and faculty unwelcome on campuses has to be actively countered.

Thank you to these brave professors who will face the condemnation of the much smaller but louder group of haters.

[shira]

19. The silent majority finally steps up @ Columbia. n/t

[King_David]

3. Good

BDS bigots are having a rough time getting a hold in even what could be considered friendly places.