Doc's Talk: Institutional Jew Hatred at University of Toronto

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Institutional Jew Hatred at University of Toronto

Atlas Shrugs

I just got back from the above event which had been advertised as a presentation on “The impact of war, siege and occupation on the health of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. This evening proved to be quite unnerving and certainly left me with the feeling that, at least in regards to the group present there tonight, there is nothing to talk about and no-one to talk to. Let me elaborate. It's Academic
“Medicine, War and Occupation: The Case of Gaza."

Steve Samuel: "Last night, at the University College building of U of T, a pseudo-medical presentation was made under the title of “Medicine, War and Occupation: The Case of Gaza." It turned out to be a clear demonstration of hatred, intolerance and total opposition to any constructive dialogue. It was not only devoid of any scientific medical data but when the misrepresentations were challenged with documented facts the environment turned very ugly. I attended and, in the attachment to this e-mail [below], I have described in detail to my colleagues in DARA (Doctors Against Racism and Anti-Semitism) what transpired. I believe you will find it quite an "eye-opener" about what is taking place on the U of T campus under the guise of "academic freedom" and" exchange of ideas".
I just got back from the above event which had been advertised as a presentation on “The impact of war, siege and occupation on the health of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. This evening proved to be quite unnerving and certainly left me with the feeling that, at least in regards to the group present there tonight, there is nothing to talk about and no-one to talk to. Let me elaborate.

I arrived before 7PM and there were a few people, some of whom I recognized from previous events including the one at the Leslie Dan Building. Later I saw 2 member of DARA in the hall.

The opening remarks were made by Dr. Paul Hamil, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, U of T in the “Health Studies program”. He announced that the evening had been sponsored by the Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Friends of Sabil (an organization that promotes Boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel), and NECF (Near Eastern Cultural Foundation of Canada). Dr. Hamil introduced Dr. Elodi who thanked the U of T for permitting the presenters to exercise their “right”, not a “privilege” to present their position and immediately launched into an anecdote about how Israel refused to allow an academic conference in Gaza from taking place. He finished with a joke about an Israeli who, upon visiting London is asked by immigration about his occupation. He replies, “No, I am just visiting”. That brought laughter from the room.

Dr. Elodi introduced Dr. Karmi who described the difference between this conflict and other conflicts:

1) It is “Not a war” because Israel carries out military assaults on the Palestinians with disproportionate force and it besieges Gaza.

2) Israel acts with impunity and visits “a great deal of violence” on the Palestinians.

3) The conflict is longstanding and “does not end”.

Dr. Karmi went on to talk about how Israel’s occupation for the last 61 years has “damaged” Palestinian society, the previously vibrant Palestinian agriculture and industry (“De-development”) as well as having a terrible consequence on the health of Palestinians under occupation. She sited statistics such as the infant mortality rate among Palestinians in the W. Bank and Gaza is 27/1000 live births vs. 3.6/1000 in Israel.

Dr. Karmi then went on to discuss the situation in Gaza. This was done in a very subjective manner with terms such as “horrifying”, “criminal”, “incredible”. She stated that Israel had planned to destroy as much of Gaza as possible in order to set back the society socially and economically. To the gasps of the audience, she described the horrible consequences of white phosphorous with wounds smouldering for 10 days, legs amputated at the hips by various mysterious weapons and especially children suffering. She accused Israel of using Gaza as a laboratory for untested American weapons and utilizing weapons that emit radioactivity with untold future consequences on Palestinian children. She accused Israel of causing an environmental disaster as a result of the pollutants released from destroyed factories. She went on to list the casualties in Gaza as follows: - total of approx. 1450

- 930 civilian

- 250 children

- - 233 "policemen"

No-one cared to question this math. Were the 250 children among the 930 “civilians” or were they among the “policemen”? Where there no combatants at all? Just "policemen"?

Dr. Karmi went on to urge the audience to “do something”. Not just sit and watch Israel’s “sadism”. She urged the audience to try to influence civil society by promoting the BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) on every front, including economic and academic. She recounted how she was involved in the organizing the attempt at the British academic boycott of Israel.

When it came time for questions, a member of our executive recounted his credentials in the peace movement together with Dr. Elodi and expressed distress at the situation in the Middle East resulting in suffering on both sides. He said that Dr. Karmi did not advance a solution to the problem by looking at the problem from only one side. His request to her was to promote dialogue and to work for the benefit of the peoples on both sides of the conflict.

I was somewhat taken aback by her response, coming from a so-called “academic”. "There is no issue of bias here. What we have is a settler colonialist State of Israel. It is impossible to find a common pathway here”. The audience clapped and our member left.

When my turn came I said the following:

“Dr. Karmi. From what you have replied to the previous questioner I conclude that you see the only solution being the end of the State of Israel. (The audience cheered). I shall address my question to the medical side of your presentation. You sited statistics to demonstrate that the Israeli occupation has adversely affected the health of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Specifically you stated that the infant mortality is 27/1000 vs. 3.6 in Israel. The latest UNICEF statistics show that although the infant mortality among Palestinians is greater than in Israel it is lower than in Egypt (28/1000), Lebanon (27/1000), Jordan (22/1000). The IM among Palestinians according to UNICEF data is 21/1000. Also the latest World Health Organization statistics show that Palestinians in the territories have an ASMR (Age & Sex Standardized Mortality Rate per 100,000) that is the lowest among Arab countries in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has an ASMR of 1075, Egypt 898, Algeria 794, Lebanon 73 and the Palestinian territories 698.5. It appears that occupation has resulted in an improvement in the health care of Palestinians as measured by the WHO and UNICEF. Why do you claim to the contrary”?

The audience started to boo me half way through my question at which point Dr. Hamil reminded them that this is a place where all opinions are allowed.

Dr. Karmi’s response was as follows: “Why compare infant mortality with other countries such as Egypt or Indian? Israel is the occupying power and it has a responsibility for health care in the territories it occupies and the infant mortality among Palestinians should not be higher than for Israelis.”

At this point things turned ugly. A woman whom I had encountered at the CJPME event stood up and addressed me rather than the speaker. She stated that she is Jewish. She said, “You are Dr. Samuel. I can’t understand how you can speak on the side of the Israelis who are committing horrible crimes. I am a Jew and I am ashamed of what Israel is doing”. She went on and on as the audience cheered.

Then another man stood up and stated that every year in Israel the Jews hold Holocaust remembrance ceremonies. “And they have a right to do that”. But how can they commit these same crimes. He then turned to me and said, “I have seen you before. You must be the most stupid man I have ever met. You are a racist”. At which point some in the audience echoed, “Racist”.

I stood up and said, “Look at yourselves. You are calling me a racist because I presented statistics from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. What was racist about that”? Several people called out, “You are a racist”. I said, “You people are interested in only talking to yourself” and as I walked out a man sitting along the aisle said to me, “You are a racist. I am a Jew and I can smell a racist”. Another woman beside him said, “You are a racist”.

I left.

Steve Samuel

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk