A good window on the paranoid mindset. Emma Silvers reports at JWeekly on the new ads in the Bay Area that call for ending military aid to Israel:
A spokesman for StandWithUs/S.F. Voice for Israel said the group will continue to speak out against “anti-Israel groups … trying to deceive the public through misleading ads.”
“Though their ads suggest they are in favor of ‘peace,’ their website explicitly calls for the elimination of the state of the Jewish people,” Dr. Mike Harris said on behalf of StandWithUs/S.F. Voice for Israel. “They actually oppose peace between a Jewish state of Israel and an Arab state of Palestine.”
Here are excerpts of the What-we-believe page from the website of those running the ads, BuildPeace.org. I have found no explicit call for anything’s elimination (thanks to Annie):
We believe that peace is possible. We support policies that promote a genuine, lasting peace based on dignity, security, and equality for both Israelis and Palestinians.
We believe that U.S. policy has been an obstacle to peace. By offering unconditional, uncritical diplomatic support and tens of billions of dollars of military aid, our government has failed the interests of Israelis, Palestinians and our own national self-interest.
One-sided U.S. engagement has worsened and deepened the conflict by promoting the militarization of a conflict that cannot be solved by arming one side to the teeth. We believe that Israeli-Palestinian peace is our business as American citizens and taxpayers. Standing aside and doing nothing or “leaving it to the experts” doesn’t make us neutral, it makes us complicit in supporting policies that have brought decades of injustice and suffering.
The international perception of the U.S. as Israel’s financial backer and diplomatic shield have undermined America’s international standing and security in the world. We believe that military aid diverts tax money we need here at home. …
Our billions in taxpayer-funded aid have perpetuated Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and the dispossession of the Palestinian people. Despite Israel’s repeated and ongoing failures to comply with U.S. policy statements, our “no strings attached” unconditional funding of Israel has continued uninterrupted.
We believe in open debate. Too frequently, critics of Israeli policy have been demonized and marginalized. It is a positive development that growing numbers of Americans (including American Jews) are defying intimidation and baseless accusations of anti-Semitism by Israeli advocacy organizations and demanding open discussion about the morality and legality of Israel’s actions and policies.
