Dr. David Wesley Lecture

Demonstrate for an end to Israel's assault on the people of Gaza

Wednesday, January 14th at 8pm Outside the Michigan Union on State St.
Demonstrate for an end to Israel's assault on the people of Gaza

Demand an unconditional and immediate cease-fire and total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza

The Michigan is located at 530 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1308

*******Notice********
Please do not bring the flags of any political parties

We support an immediate and unconditional cease-fire in Gaza, in addition to a complete withdrawal of all Israeli Occupying Forces from the Gaza Strip. We support an immediate and unconditional end to Israel's illegal siege of the Gaza Strip and demand that all border crossings be opened for the purposes of humanitarian aid and economic freedom. We support a comprehensive halt to all United States military aid to Israel.

ARMBANDS FOR JUSTICE

Black armbands will be distributed campus-wide for people to wear in support of an unconditional and immediate cease-fire and total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. They will be distributed by members of the Action Gaza committee and will be available at the informational tables set up near the posting wall in Mason Hall TODAY, Wednesday, January 14 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Armbands will also be distributed at TODAY's demonstration in front of the Michigan Union from 8 PM to 10 PM.

Wear your armbands daily until a ceasefire is issued. When people ask about your armband, talk to them about the atrocities being committed in Gaza, the devastatingly disproportionate attacks upon the Palestinian people and Israel's blatant abuse of human rights and repeated violations of international law. If you would like to get an armband, please contact Kamelya Youssef at kyoussef@umich.edu.

Russia bids for control over the Middle East

Russian FM Lavrov announced the upcoming financial support for Palestinians during Abbas’ visit to Moscow. As his presidential term expires on January 9, this seems Abbas’ last official visit - significantly, to Chechnya.

Russian support to Palestinians will come largely in military sphere. In Lavrov’s diplomatic speak, Russia supports Abbas’ “security measures.” The only Fatah’s security measures we see in Israel are related to terrorist attacks: scores of Fatah policemen are vacationing in Israeli jails for terror activity. Not a single Palestinian terrorist was intercepted by Fatah policemen. The few terrorists comfortably jailed in Palestine were arrested by IDF and released to Fatah.

Russian pledge to Palestine has nothing to do with humanitarian concerns. Russians never delivered food or other humanitarian supplies to Palestinian refugee camps, but look for “security cooperation” with Palestinians. In plain English, Russians seek a military foothold at Israeli borders. To that end, they pledged ten MIG-29 jets to Lebanon’s Hezbollah government free, and build a mammoth navy base in Syrian port of Tartus. The navy base will host S-300 and later S-400 anti-aircraft defense which would protect most of Syria against Israeli reprisals. Under the Russian ABM umbrella, Syria can develop its nuclear weapons without fearing Israeli preemption.

Russia’s Middle East policy also includes TOR-1M and S-300 deliveries to Iran and joint nuclear program with Egypt.

Russian expansion comes despite that country’s economic troubles. Russian economy relies on oil, gas, and other natural resources almost as much as Saudi Arabia. Oil and gas revenues account for about 60% of Russian budget (both directly and through taxes on businesses which thrive on high oil prices). During the years of windfall oil profits, Russian government built currency reserves, but they dwindle quickly as oil prices fell.

Instead of minding its own business and building a modern economy, Putin-Medvedev’s government grew increasingly hostile. Domestically, the regime amended the high treason law: the new formulation easily includes all dissidents. The tax administration hunts down crisis-stricken businesses: the reduced tax revenues are blamed on evasion rather than economic downturn. In the “near abroad”, Russia continues military incursions in Georgia and introduced gas blockade of Ukraine. Russian Gazprom monopoly refused transporting Asian gas to Ukraine, and slapped it with gas prices substantially higher than those offered to West European customers.

Russia cannot gain rich or advanced countries on its side. They are either not interested in Russian overtures, or prefer relations with the West, if only for economic reasons. Russians have nothing to offer Saudi Arabia or Emirates, but court the world’s outlaws such as Iran or Venezuela.

The Old Europe also falls victim to Russian bullying: France and Germany, the EU cheerleaders, depend on Russia for gas supplies, as are most other European countries. Staunchly anti-American EU embraces Russia if not for any other reason than to slap the United States. In its latest meeting at FM level, NATO discussed Georgia: not the way of defending it from Russia, but how to get over it and re-establish ties with Russia.

US-Russian nuclear cooperation, arms reduction, and anti-missile treaties are practically abandoned. Russia threatened to stop dismantling its nuclear warheads and selling the uranium to America, though the deal went on smoothly for fifteen years. Putin resumed militarily useless but highly provocative flights of Russian nuclear-armed strategic bombers around Europe.

Russia’s increasingly strong relations with Hezbollah, Hamas, and PLO are best viewed on the background of its worldwide strategy. Lacking funds to buy clients with aid, having too little economic clout to obtain friends with trade advantages, Russia resorted to the old Soviet tactics of stirring trouble. That policy amounts to racketeering: if Russian role is not acknowledged, regional troubles ensue. Propping the miscreants like Iran or PLO is way cheaper than staging conflicts and immensely cheaper than any civilized way of spreading one’s influence.

Unless Russia breaks again into the post-democratic anarchy, it is out to create major troubles for the world.

Allison Weir Public Event

Allison Weir Public Event

Alison Weir is a reporter and executive director of If Americans Knew (ifamericansknew.org), a website devoted to misreported or unreported events regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Event Info

Host:	S.A.F.E.
Type:	Education - Workshop
Network:	Global

Time and Place

Date:	Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Time:	7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:	TBA
City/Town:	Ann Arbor, MI

Contact Info

Email:

barder@umich.edu

Description

Alison Weir is a reporter and executive director of If Americans Knew (ifamericansknew.org), a website devoted to misreported or unreported events regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Weir will be in town for two days. The first day, she will hold an informal workshop with members of SAFE and interested members of co-sponsoring organizations, offering information and support about effectively reporting and addressing media bias. The second day, she will hold a lecture on campus speaking about American media bias concerning the ongoing conflict, as well as sharing some of her experiences in Israel and the Occupied Territories. The overall purpose is to encourage the audience to question and further engage media representations of conflict, and to develop a greater sense of intellectual curiosity and in response to American media outlets. The event will impact campus by enriching the always-lively Israeli-Palestinian campus debate.

If Americans Knew is a non-profit organization that focuses on the Arab-Israeli conflict and United States foreign policy regarding the Middle East, offering analysis of American media coverage of these issues. Its mission, according to the group's website, is to provide "what every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine."[1] The site is generally critical of U.S. financial and military support of Israel. The group blames the pro-Israeli lobby in the US, AIPAC, for advancing support for Israel.

In addition to the freelance journalist and founder Alison Weir [2], board members [3] and staff include critics of Israel, such as Francis Boyle, a law professor, Eugene Bird, the president of the Council for the National Interest, Paul Findley, a former United States Representative, Andrew I. Killgore, a former ambassador of the United States to Qatar [4], and Pete McCloskey, a Democratic politician from California.

Presenting: DAM & Jackie Salloum

Presenting: DAM & Jackie Salloum

Slingshot Hip-Hop

Event Info

Host:	S.A.F.E.
Type:	Music/Arts - Exhibit
Network:	Global

Time and Place

Date:	Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Time:	8:00pm - 10:30pm
Location:	Michigan League Ballroom
City/Town:	Ann Arbor, MI

Contact Info

Email:

barder@umich.edu

Description

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSVXjNLFgo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAM_(band)
http://www.dampalestine.com/
http://www.jsalloum.org/
http://www.slingshothiphop.com/

SAFE is planning to bring renowned up-and-coming Palestinian American filmmaker Jackie Salloum to present an exclusive screening of her newest film “Slingshot Hip Hop”. The film, featured at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, is a feature-length documentary chronicling the lives of Palestinian rappers in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. The event will raise awareness about the film, drawing attention to oppression and how art can be used to express social justice. After the screening, Jackie will lead a discussion about the film. Our goal for the event is to spark meaningful dialogue around Palestinian issues while raising cultural awareness about this facet of Palestinian life.
Palestinian rap group DAM, heavily featured in the documentary, will also give a performance after the film. The audience will have the opportunity to experience DAM’s story full circle as they can enjoy their performance at the Michigan Theater right after watching raw and emotional footage of their struggles in Palestine.

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The young Palestinian-American artist, whose work was featured at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, was born in Dearborn, Mich. She grew up in a traditional home, surrounded by Middle Eastern food and music. Arabic was her first language.

In 2001, Salloum moved to New York City to pursue her interest in art as a graduate student. Her early work depicted conflict in Latin America. However, when the Israeli military raided Jenin in April 2002, Salloum was galvanized into a new focus on her Palestinian roots.

After the "Meen Erhabe" video, Salloum went on to make a movie montage for her senior thesis. She named it "Planet of the Arabs", and illuminated Hollywood�s widespread depictions of Arabs as villains and terrorists. Then Salloum experienced "a big shock." "Planet of the Arabs" went on to become an official selection at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Her early successes inspired Salloum to create the world's first full-length feature film about Palestinian Hip-Hop. "SlingShot Hip Hop" will premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.




Da Arabian MC's Suhell Nafar, Tamer Nafar, Mahmoud Jreri DAM is the first and leading Palestinian Rap Group. It is composed of Tamer Nafar, 27, his younger brother Suhell, 23, and Mahmoud Jreri, 24. The group has been performing together since the late 90s. Tamer, who had been performing Rap since 1998 with his brother, was first contacted by Mahmoud Jreri. Mahmoud was writing his own lyrics so they quickly decided to join forces and the group was born in 1999. All three members of the group were born and grew up in the slums of Lod, a mixed town of Arabs and Jews, 20 km from Jerusalem.

DAM's music is a unique fusion of East and West, combining Arabic percussion rhythms, Middle Eastern melodies and urban Hip Hop/Rap

The lyrics of DAM are influenced by the continuing Israeli - Palestinian conflict as well as by the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality. DAM also draw their influence from such controversial issues as terrorism, drugs and womens rights.

Musically they take their inspiration from both Hip Hop artists (Nas, 2Pac, Mos Def, IAM, NTM, Saian Supa Crew, MBS etc.) and Arabic music (Marcel Khalifa,Kazem Saher,George Wassouf, Majda al Romi etc.)

The songs, lyrics and music, are written and arranged by all members of the group and musically produced by them and other known producers.

DAM's debut album "Stop Selling Drugs" was released locally in 1998, followed by the second album called "Min Irhabi" (who's the terrorist?) which was released in 2001. The controversial title track of this album was released on the net and more than 1 million people downloaded it within one month from the website ArabRap.Net. The song was also distributed free with Rolling Stone magazine in France and became a "street" anthem. It was also featured in a compilation in France with Manu Chao, Zebda, Noir Desir and many other top artists.

Furthermore, the lyrics of the song were taught in some Universities around the world because of their deep meaning, and were also used in pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world.

DAM are now gaining increased international popularity around the world through their unique message and ground-breaking live shows.

The growing international profile and interest in this unique band have led to participation in various films, events and collaborations including:

- "Local Angel", a 2002 documentary by Israeli director and political activist Udi Aloni. - Appearance in Forgiveness, Udi Alonis latest film selected at the Berlin Festival 2006. - Key appearance in the documentary Slingshot Hip Hop about todays Palestinian rap scene, by apalestnine amrican director Jackie Salloum. - Key appearance in the documentary film "Channel of rage", by Anat Halahmi, that showed the Israeli-Palestine struggle from the Israeli and Palestinian Rappers point of view - Appearance in the soundtrack of the film Ford Transit by Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad, who won a golden Globe for his film Paradise now. - Participation in the photoshoot by Magnum/National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey about rap artists around the world. - Many live shows in Europe (France, England, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland etc.) and in the USA.

The band perform at the important TRANSMUSICALES DE RENNES festival in France in December 2006.

Dedication is DAMs long-awaited first international album which will be released autumn 2006.

Jeremy Scalhill

Visit of Journalist Jeremy Scahill, October 30, 2008

This event will bring independent scholar and journalist Jeremy Scahill to speak to a
wide university audience on October 30, from 5-7. He is also scheduled to meet with two
grad/undergraduate seminars in Communications that day. Depending on how much money we
raise for this event, there will also be an opportunity to meet with one or two other
small groups of faculty and students.

Scahill is a nationally known and highly regarded journalist whose recent contributions
to understanding the political, social, international, legal, military, gender, and
business/economic implications of the war in Iraq have been receiving a great deal of
prominent attention both at home and around the world, Several of us have read his
prize-winning book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World?s Most Powerful Mercenary Army,
which is not narrowly about the meteoric rise of one particular private security firm,
but about the links of a vast number of conservative politicians in Congress and other
sectors of the Federal Government, including the Executive Branch, the CIA and the FBI,
to a variety of free-market mercenary corporate enterprises, of which Blackwater is
simply the best known exemplar. Those enterprises include the expansion of American
corporations?such as oil producers?abroad, as well as the concurrent expansion of the
business of providing private security to these corporations, not least because they
operate in areas of the globe where nation-state armies (including that of the US) cannot
easily be deployed, whether for practical or geopolitical reasons. This research has
been breathtakingly revelatory with respect to the hidden processes by which American
democracy can be undermined. There remains little public awareness of the threat such
privatized militaries pose to civil liberties at home and international law, since they
are removed from the kind of accountability and prosecution which the US military has to
observe. Furthermore, as Scahill demonstrates, when privatized firms make millions of
dollars from the capacity to fight wars, the incentives for taking peace seriously
diminish. Profits trump international law, while American taxpayers pick up the tab of
rising national deficits and shaky financial markets.

Professor Morantz-Sanchez recently had the pleasure of meeting Scahill and hearing him
give a talk: he is a dynamic and inspiring speaker and an entirely accessible and
engaging individual--generous, down to earth, but also charismatic. He has received
numerous awards for his reporting, including the prestigious George Polk Award, which he
won twice. In the past, he has written extensively from Yugoslavia (recently debating
Harvard Professor Samantha Powers on the issue of Serbia and Kosovo) and Nigeria. During
both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, his acute and perceptive reports from Iraq,
while a correspondent for Democracy Now! , have earned
him widespread praise. He is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World?s Most Powerful Mercenary Army (2007), his first book,
has been widely reviewed, creating somewhat of a sensation among politicians, critics,
and general readers alike.

Sample reviews of Blackwater:

?A crackling exposé of the secretive military contractor Blackwater.?
New York Times

?[Scahill] is a one-man truth squad.?
Bill Moyers
?Scahill provided me with information which I have not been able to get from the U.S.
military?.I?ve read more from Mr. Scahill than I got from our own government.?
Representative Marcy Kaptur, Defense Appropriations Committee

?Fascinating and magnificently documented?.Jeremy Scahill?s new book is a brilliant
exposé and belongs on the reading list of any conscientious citizen.?
Scott Horton, International and Military Law Expert, Columbia University Law School

?Blackwater being rarely out of the news lately, this is a very useful survey of modern
mercenaries, or, as they prefer to be called, ?private security contractors? in the
?peace and stability industry?.Scahill is a sharp investigative writer?.?
The Guardian

?Scahill?s page-turning collection of intrigue and insight into the underworld of
privatized warfare is well researched, thoroughly documented, and as a result extremely
frightening?.?
The Globe and Mail

?[T]his is no uninformed partisan screed?.Meticulously documented and encyclopedic in
scope?..it?s a comprehensive and authoritative guide?.this book serves as a provocative
primer for advancing the debate.?
Bill Sizemore, Pulitzer-prize nominated journalist, Virginian-Pilot 2007

UM 'Israel Lobby' event draws hundreds

By Will Youmans - The Arab American News
Friday, 03.21.2008


ANN ARBOR — Two years ago, two prominent American scholars broke the silence on a taboo often referred to as the "third-rail of politics," the disproportionate power of the Israel lobby. A fairly obscure intellectual journal, "The London Review of Books," published their essay, "The Israel Lobby."

In it, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt of Harvard, claimed that American policy in the Middle East is not guided by national interests. Instead "U.S. policy in the region derives almost entirely from domestic politics, and especially the activities of the "Israel Lobby.'"

This article sparked a thunderous debate, bringing about backlash from pro-Israel scholars, activists and politicians. Organizations like the Anti-Defamation League criticized the essay and its authors, claiming it resembled the "Jewish conspiracy" tales peddled by anti-Jewish racists.

Despite the anger directed towards these leading scholars of politics, hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the article and a longer version from a Harvard website. The authors released a book in which they refined their arguments and bolstered them with research. It became a New York Times bestseller.

It is no surprise then that four hundred and fifty people crammed into an auditorium at the University of Michigan on Friday, March 14, 2008 to hear them present their case.

The event was arranged by the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a student group at the university founded in 2001.

Campus officials were concerned the event would invite hostility from Israel's supporters on campus. The student newspaper reported that Sue Eklund, the outgoing associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, wanted to create a "notion of campus climate" by welcoming controversial speakers.

The event went smoothly, however. Pro-Israeli activists passed out literature before the event and were not disruptive.

Professor Ron Stockton, who teaches political science at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, introduced the professors by explaining the impact of their writings and suggesting that communication technologies enhance the flow of such ideas. He said such advances can transform societies, citing the rise of Barack Obama as an example.

Professor Walt opened with a detailed and thorough argument proving the lobby, a "loose network" exists. He clarified that such a lobby is "as American as apple pie." However, he said he was concerned because of its disproportionate weight in foreign policymaking. Professor Meirsheimer centered on the more difficult part of their work, that the lobby's policy positions and influence are bad for the United States and Israel.

Not everyone was pleased with everything they said. Sairah Husain, a junior at the university, said "although I disagreed with their support for the existence of the state of Israel, to even say what they did was big." Many questioned them on this point during the question and answer session.

They cited centuries of Jewish suffering as one reason Israel has a right to exist.

However, Mearsheimer and Walt argued that Jimmy Carter was correct. In the absence of a viable two-state solution, the situation there will resemble apartheid.

After the event, I asked Professor Mearsheimer what is the difference between that point and now. He said when the demographic balance swings in the Palestinians' favor, their largely rightsless existence will mirror apartheid. This, he pointed out earlier, is an analysis shared by Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.

The professors wrote about this topic in the hope of opening up the debate on America's relationship with Israel. They felt this discussion was muffled by those who are quick to silent critics and unwilling to engage in open debate. At the University of Michigan last Friday, they found a large group of people more than happy to listen and consider their views.

Daily covers Israel Lobby event

Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of the book Israel Lobby, talk before their lecture in the Natural Science Auditorium on Friday.

Controversial authors discuss book, U.S. relationship with Israel

Mearsheimer and Walt draw capacity crowd to Natural Science Building
By Andy Kroll, Daily News Editor on 3/17/08

Political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, co-authors of the hotly-contested book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," described to a capacity crowd Friday at the Natural Science Building who comprised the Israel lobby in the United States and why the influence was so detrimental to foreign policy decisions made by the U.S. government.

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a pro-Palestinian group, invited Mearsheimer and Walt, who said the U.S. shares a "special relationship" with Israel in which the American government provides Israel with "unconditional support" and an unending amount of aid - both of which result from influence of the immensely powerful Israel lobby interest group.

For the first half of the speech, Walt, a political science professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, described the Israel lobby as a "loose coalition" of individuals and organizations that "works openly to influence U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction and encourage that special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel.

This coalition, he said, includes pro-Israel organizations like The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Christians United for Israel and Zionist Organization of America; think-tanks like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and publications like The Weekly Standard and The New Republic.

Walt emphasized early on in his speech that he and Mearsheimer didn't believe the Israel lobby to be a conspiracy group or cabal, but rather an interest group like those that lobby on behalf of pharmaceutical companies or the National Rifle Association.

The actions of the Israel lobby, Walt said, "are as American as apple pie."

In working to ensure that the U.S. continues its special relationship with Israel, the Israel lobby functions in two main ways, Walt said.

First, he said, the lobby operates inside the Washington, D.C., beltway and within American politics by getting Israel sympathizers elected to key positions in government. He said the lobby then gives politicians clear incentives to act in the interest of the lobby and, in effect, Israel.

Walt added that pro-Israel political action committees have given $55 million over the past 15 years to congressional candidates and presidential candidates, which he compared with the $800,000 Arab-American political action committees gave to the political figures sympathetic to Arab-American interests over the same period.

In citing these statistics, Walt stressed to members of the audience the Israel lobby's political clout.

"The lobby doesn't win every election, doesn't win every time, but every congressman and presidential candidate knows you're playing with fire if you question the special relationship," he said.

The Israel lobby also works to shape public perceptions and public discourse in the U.S. so Americans view Israel favorably, Walt said.

He argued that editorial commentary, op-ed columnists and political pundits in the U.S. tend to favor Israel, and that voices critical of Israel were entirely absent from mainstream media in the U.S.

Walt also said that the lobby, in its defense of Israel, seeks to suppress and discredit anyone who does criticize the country and its actions.

He cited the criticisms of his and Mearsheimer's book by publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Sun and The Wall Street Journal, which called the claims anti-Semitic, as an examples of the media's attacks on anyone who might appear to criticize the U.S.' unconditional support for Israel.

The reason they use charges of anti-Semitism, he said, is because the case for unconditional support of Israel is so weak.

"Because that case is so weak, they have to smear, silence and discredit anyone who casts doubt on it," he said.

In the final half of the speech, Mearsheimer, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, said the lobby's influence has been largely negative and has pushed U.S. Middle East policy in ways that are neither in the American national interest nor in the interest of Israel.

Mearsheimer said no president in the last 40 years has put meaningful pressure on Israel to stop colonizing the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which directly stems from the influence of the lobby.

More importantly, Mearsheimer said the U.S.'s unconditional support of Israel and its efforts to colonize the West Bank and Gaza Strip has angered large numbers of people in the Arab and Islamic world and helped fuel terrorism against the U.S.

"American support isn't the only cause, but it is a major cause," Mearsheimer said. "Specifically, it motivates some individuals to attack the and U.S., it serves as a powerful recruitment for terrorist organizations and it generates sympathy and support for terrorists among huge numbers of people in the Arab world."

In his concluding remarks, Mearsheimer said the U.S. should end its special relationship with Israel, and instead treat Israel as it treats other democracies such as Britain, Italy and India.

"This means when Israel is acting in ways that are consistent with American interests, Washington should back the Jewish state," he said. "But when Israel is acting in ways that harm U.S. interests, Washington should distance itself from Israel and use its considerable leverage to get Israel to change its behavior, just as it would do with any other country that was acting in ways that might hurt the U.S."

Although critics of Mearsheimer and Walt have called "The Israel Lobby" an anti-Semitic work and an attack on Israel, both peppered their speeches with disclaimers expressing their support of Israel's right to exist.

Ross School of Business sophomore Sasha Gribov, chair of the American Movement for Israel, said the presence of a lobby working on behalf of Israel wasn't surprising at all to him, considering the vast amount of lobbying groups in Washington, D.C.

However, Gribov felt Mearsheimer and Walt's comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were one-sided, in that the pair placed a majority of the blame on the Israel lobby, the American Jewish community and Israel for the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

"We definitely respect the right of them to express their opinion and to talk about this conflict, but they dismiss the U.S.-Israel relationship as something that is negative to American foreign policy," he said. "And we strongly believe that the U.S.-Israel relationship is of such great importance to both America and Israel."

Andrew Dalack, co-chair of SAFE, said the group hosted Walt and Mearsheimer on campus in an effort to debunk the idea that the arguments presented in their book were radical.

Prior to the talk, students distributed pamphlets outside of the Natural Science Building published by Stand With Us, a pro-Israel group, saying the claims made in "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" were based on "shoddy scholarship," amounted to a "conspiracy theory" and contained "anti-semitic undertones."

Thank you for coming to "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy"

SAFE's event "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" was an amazing success, with an overcrowded auditorium of 480 people showing up to hear the professors talk. SAFE thanks Professors John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt for their enlightening talk and discussion, and thank you to all of those who attended, and for your support.

Mearsheimer and Walt Coming to UM

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

with Professor John J. Mearsheimer
Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago

and Professor Stephen Walt
former Academic Dean, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

When: Friday, March 14th @ 7:30pm

Where: Natural Science Auditorium, Rm. 2140
830 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI

Professors John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt will discuss the impact of The Israel Lobby on US Foreign Policy. Their presentation will focus on their widely-renowned book "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy", a New York Times bestseller. There will be a question and answer session and a book-signing immediately following the event.

This event is hosted by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE).

Article in London Review of Books

Attention - Vigil for Gaza, Thursday 1pm, Union

The destroyed Palestinian General Fedration of Trade Unions building in Gaza City, 29 February 2008

Please read and forward:
At least 66 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, at the hands of the Israeli military. These are atrocious crimes, and we as UM students, urge other students to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and to mourn for the victims. We request students to join us in the following actions:

On Thursday we will have 200 tshirts for people to wear, on the steps of the Union, at 12pm, for up to an hour. The tshirts will say 'Free Palestine' and each tshirt will have a different name of a Palestinian that was killed in Gaza over the last few days. The point is to have a
visible vigil that will raise awareness about the crisis in Gaza. We are also aiming to have informational flyers available to hand out.

Please join us in these efforts. If you have any questions, please email either Hena Ashraf (hashraf@umich.edu), Andrew Dalack (ajdalack@umich.edu), Ryah Aqel (aqelryah@umich.edu), Nicola Kaba (nicolaka@umich.edu), or Kamelya Youssef(kyoussef@umich.edu).

http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9283379855

Severe misrepresentation of Palestine Awareness Week

unpublished

On Tuesday night, visiting Professor Neve Gordon from Ben-Gurion University of the Political Science Department gave a lecture titled "From Colonization to Separation: Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation" on behalf of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. This event was the second event of Palestine Awareness Week, an attempt by SAFE to educate and engage the campus body regarding issues surrounding Palestine and the Zionist-Palestinian conflict.

Gordon's lecture proposed several different arguments regarding the nature of Israel's current occupation of the sovereign Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip. During his presentation, Professor Gordon explained Israel's fundamental responsibility to the Palestinians under direct Israeli control. Professor Gordon explained that because the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are under total Israeli domination, deemed illegal under international law by UN Resolution 242, Israel has a fundamental and inescapable obligation to the wellbeing of the Palestinians. In addition, Professor Gordon noted the difference and increase in Israeli state violence toward the Palestinians as part of a vicious cycle of bloodshed initiated by Israel's maltreatment of the occupied Palestinians since 1967 and the subsequent Palestinian response in 1987. Specifically, Professor Gordon juxtaposed the amount of Palestinians and Israelis killed between 1987 and 2000 to the number of Palestinians and Israelis killed between 2000 and 2006. Professor Gordon's numbers demonstrated that there was a substantial increase in the loss of Palestinian life; twice as many Palestinians were killed during the second Intifada than in the prior 34 years of occupation. Professor Gordon's statistics also showed that the number Israelis killed increased between these two respective periods.

Daniel Strauss, who covered the event, grossly misrepresented the content and message of Professor Gordon's lecture. First, Strauss both misquoted and misreported Gordon's discussion of the increase in violence by only citing Gordon's presentation of the increase in Israeli deaths in the period between 1987 and 2000 and that of 2000 and 2006. Professor Gordon's purpose in presenting these statistics was to demonstrate the dramatic increase in violence on both sides and that far more Palestinians had died than Israelis. Strauss's reporting made it appear that Gordon was trying to paint the Israelis as the ultimate victims of the increase in violence.

Second, Strauss implied that Palestinian laborers have benefited from Israeli occupation because they are in a better financial position than under traditional landowning. This is out of context, as Gordon explained that the occupier always has a responsibility to the occupied. The occupation has forced Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to be fully dependent on a colonizing power. Because of the occupation, the Palestinians are forced to endure ever-increasing Israeli attacks on every aspect of their lives, locking them into a subhuman and subjugated existence.

Events of Palestine Awareness Week

Palestine Awareness Week - this week

It's coming...

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) is sponsoring Palestine Awareness Week, a five-day presentation of different aspects of Palestinian issues, from February 11th through February 15th. Event topics include Introducing Palestine, Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation, The Cultural Resistance of Palestinian Film, Aspects of Apartheid: South Africa and Israel, and Visions of Peace. Speakers include Thomas Abowd (WSU professor), Neve Gordon (visiting associate professor), Rima Hassouneh (UM professor), Tirtza Even (UM School of Art), Hani Bawardi (UM-Dearborn professor), and Ali Abunimah (prominent Palestinian academic). The overall purpose of the events are to further educate the campus body about a variety of issues concerning Palestine and Palestinians.


Monday, Feb 11th, 7:30pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
Introducing Palestine
- Prof Thomas Abowd (Wayne State)

Tuesday, Feb 12th, 8pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
From Colonization to Separation, Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation
- Prof Neve Gordon (Ben-Gurion Univ)

Wednesday, Feb 13th, 7:30pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
The Cultural Resistance of Palestinian Film
- Rima Hassouneh and Tirtza Even (UM)

Thursday, Feb 14th, 7:30pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
Aspects of Apartheid: South Africa and Israel
- Prof Hani Bawardi (UM-Dearborn)

Friday, Feb 15th, 5pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
Visions of Peace
- Ali Abunimah (Univ. of Chicago)

Also on Friday, 8:30pm, Koessler Room, Michigan League -
Words of Struggle - a poetry slam promoting Palestine
awareness and civil rights, in honor of Black History Month.

Co-sponsored by:
Human Rights Through Education
Physicians for Human Rights
Anti-War Action
Amnesty International
Students for Multiculturalism
Student World Assembly
Migrant and Immigrant Rights Awareness
United Asian American Organizations
Black Student Union
Native American Students Association
Palestinian Students Association
Lebanese Students Association
Iraqi Students Association
Muslim Students Association
Arab Unity Movement
Program in American Culture
Arab-American Studies Program
Dept. of Screen Arts and Cultures

RSVP at:
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=7706808822
umich.edu/~umsafe

"Jenin, Jenin" today, Gaza Vigil tomorrow

The film, directed and co-produced by Palestinian actor and director
Mohammed Bakri, includes testimony from Jenin residents after the
Israeli army's Defensive Wall operation, during which the city and
camp were the scenes of fierce fighting. The operation ended with
Jenin flattened and scores of Palestinians killed. Palestinians as
well as numerous human rights groups accused Israel of committing war
crimes in the April 2002 attack on the refugee camp. "Jenin, Jenin"
shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has
affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jenin.

For more information on the film, please visit:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article927.shtml

RSVP at:
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9427036948

Co-sponsored by the Arab American Studies Department


For more information on the Jenin massacre:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1937048.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1937387.stm



Tomorrow:
Candlelight Vigil for Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

U of M Diag Thursday 8:30 PM
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9699416699

The entire Gaza Strip has been under a total blockade for more than a week and on Sunday at 8pm, the only power plant in Gaza ran out of fuel and shut down, furthering the humanitarian crisis. 40% of Gazans lack running water, and approximately 75 Palestinians have reportedly died from the closure. A number of patients in intensive care units have died as their emergency life support equipment cannot function from electricity. These patients include people on dialysis, oxygen tanks, and babies in incubators -- either premature babies, or babies whose parents took them to the hospital to escape from their houses because of the cold weather. These are human beings treated like sub-humans and there has been almost nonexistent mainstream media coverage of this terrible situation in the American press. Come out and help raise awareness.

This is collective punishment and it is a direct violation of the Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signing party.

For more on the siege in Gaza:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/947099.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01hqVzViFTw

"Jenin, Jenin"

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality presents the acclaimed documentary:

"Jenin, Jenin" (2002)

Wednesday, January 23rd
7:30pm
4448 East Hall

The film, directed and co-produced by Palestinian actor and director
Mohammed Bakri, includes testimony from Jenin residents after the
Israeli army's Defensive Wall operation, during which the city and
camp were the scenes of fierce fighting. The operation ended with
Jenin flattened and scores of Palestinians killed. Palestinians as
well as numerous human rights groups accused Israel of committing war
crimes in the April 2002 attack on the refugee camp. "Jenin, Jenin"
shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has
affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jenin.

For more information on the film, please visit:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article927.shtml

Palestine Awareness Week

Daily covers Kovel event

His book under fire, author speaks at 'U'
Kovel's book started controversy at University Press

By Andy Kroll, Daily Staff Reporter on 11/27/07

Bard College Prof. Joel Kovel spoke at Rackham Amphitheatre last night. Kovel is the author of an anti-Zionist book distributed by the University of Michigan Press that sparked controversy earlier this semester.

Before a capacity crowd at Rackham Amphitheatre last night, Joel Kovel, author of the controversial book published by the University Press "Overcoming Zionism," emphasized the importance of protecting critical voices in discussion involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"There is an absolute need for critical voices and not allowing us to succumb to pressures that are trying to stifle open discussion," said Kovel, whose lecture was sponsored by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a pro-Palestinian group.

Kovel discussed what he believes is the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is also the focus of "Overcoming Zionism", the creation of a single, secular, democratic state.

Although Kovel, who is a professor of social studies at Bard College, said he'd faced significant resistance and intimidation from pro-Israel organizations like Stand With Us regarding his book's message, he told those in attendance that he felt the momentum shifting away from the "oppressive" Zionist groups.

"I think that (Zionist groups) have overreached themselves and got caught up in promoting a hideous war in Iraq and they're paying for it," Kovel said. "The debacle of Iraq may yet prove to be the opening point for a profound reassessment of the Zionist lobby."

The University of Michigan Press currently distributes Kovel's book as part of its distribution contract with the London-based left-wing publisher Pluto Press.

Although the University halted distribution of the book in August, citing "serious questions" raised by "members of the University community," it resumed distribution of the book a month later.

The University Press is currently facing pressure from several pro-Israel groups - including Stand With Us and the Anti-Defamation League - and several members of the University Board of Regents to terminate its distribution contract with Pluto.

Andrew Dalack, co-chair of SAFE, said his organization brought Kovel to speak at the University in order to counter misinformation circulating on campus regarding Kovel's beliefs and the message in "Overcoming Zionism."

"As an organization dedicated to bringing intelligent information on all sides of this conflict to the campus community, we felt his voice was wanted and desired here on campus," Dalack said.

Jonathan Calt Harris, director of the Michigan chapter of Stand With Us, a pro-Israel organization, described Kovel's comments as typical of the anti-Zionist perspective.

Although Kovel received several standing ovations during his lecture, Harris attributed the author's support to an overly sympathetic and anti-Zionist audience.

"I think he got what we all expected, even though there was no real substance in his speech," Harris said. "It was pretty much a rambling narrative - like his book."

Nick Israel, the Midwest campus coordinator for the Zionist Organization of America, said in an e-mail interview that no matter how much support Kovel received at the lecture, the distribution of his book by the University Press directly contradicts the University's commitment to diversity.

"We cannot allow our campus to become a safe haven for what UM Press Director Phil Pachoda characterized as 'hate-speech' when describing Kovel's book," said Israel, who graduated from the University earlier this year.

Naomi Goldberg, a Public Policy School graduate student, said Kovel's lecture was "amazing" and "brave," but she said was disappointed by the actions of some student groups in the audience.

In particular, Goldberg said those University students in attendance wearing "Michigan Zionist" shirts in the University's colors blatantly misrepresents Jewish students at the University who might not be Zionist.

"By wearing these shirts, they're saying you're either on this side with us or you're not," Goldberg said. "They make it appear as if there's no room for discussion."

ACADEMIC FREEDOM on CAMPUS: Joel Kovel to Speak at UM

ACADEMIC FREEDOM and ISRAEL-PALESTINE

An evening with the scholar supporters of Israel sought to silence.

Joel Kovel
Author of "Overcoming Zionism"

8 PM
Monday
November 26, 2007

4th floor Auditorium
Rackham Auditorium
University of Michigan

JOEL KOVEL's most recent book was at the center of a controversy involving the University of Michigan. Distribution of his book 'Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic Sate in Israel/Palestine' was temporarily halted after pro-Israel supporters pressured the University of Michigan Press. UM Press than considered ending its deal with the book's publisher, Pluto Press, because of pro-Israel pressure. The UM Press made the right decision in the end, but wavered in its defense of academic debate.

Professor Kovel will discuss the challenges he faced in writing his book and the
political pressure to silence a debate we need more than ever.

HIS BOOK WILL BE ON SALE AT THE EVENT; HE WILL SIGN BOOKS!

For More Information:

The Michigan Daily Editorial supporting Academic Debate

Joel Kovel's website

SPONSORED by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE)