Liel Green
Overview
Liel Green has demonized Israel, condemned the Birthright Jewish heritage tour (Birthright), as part ofthe #returnthebirthright initiative launched by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and was a Social Chair for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Smith College (Smith), in 2019.Green has also expressed support for JVP’s Deadly Exchange campaign, as well as for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
In the summer of 2017, Green participated in a Yiddish program at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel. According to a 2018 article, Green is reportedly slated to graduate in 2020.
Demonizing Israel
On February 14, 2018, Green was featured in a Smith SJP Facebook photo, holding flyers, with the caption: “Happy Valentine's Day from SJP! Thanks to all who came by to talk with us about Pinkwashing!”“Pinkwashing” is a claim that Israel advocates manipulate the LGBTQ community in order to garner support for Israel.
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went’ to a February 14, 2017 JVP event about “pinkwashing,” called “Happy Valentine's Day from SJP!”
The event’s Facebook description claimed: “The State of Israel employs pinkwashing tactics by crafting policies that are hospitable and beneficial for Jewish LGBTQ+ citizens that do not extend to Palestinians.”
The Facebook description went on to say: “The ‘progressiveness’ of these policies is used to negate and distract from the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and by doing so, erases queer Palestinian identities and resistance.”
Condemning Jewish Heritage Tour
On March 28, 2018 Smith SJP was featured Green in a Facebook photo to promote JVP’s #returnthebirthright campaign. The photo caption said: “Jewish students of Smith SJP #returnthebirthright. Come visit our table today at lunch to learn more!” Green held a sign that said: “We #ReturnTheBirthright.”Green posed for a group picture of JVP activists posted to Facebook on February 14, 2018, by the Return the Birthright campaign. The caption on the photo said: “This weekend, we gathered from dozens of schools across the country to plan the next steps of our campaign!”
Return the Birthright Campaign
In September of 2017, JVP issued its #ReturntheBirthright campaign manifesto, calling on American Jews to boycott the Birthright Israel (Birthright) program. Birthright was founded by Jewish philanthropists “in 1999 to address the growing divide between young Diaspora Jewish adults and the land and people of Israel.”After decades of demographic decline in the American Jewish community, Birthright set out “to strengthen Jewish identity, build a lasting bond with the land and people of Israel, and reinforce the solidarity of Jewish people worldwide.” The program offers “the gift of a life-changing, 10-day trip to Israel to young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 26.”
JVP’s anti-Birthright campaign was launched precisely to coincide with “the very moment that college students across America are returning to campus and registration for Birthright winter visits are underway.”
The #returnthebirthright manifesto accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and alleged “the modern state of Israel is predicated on the ongoing erasure of Palestinians.”
The text claimed: “We reject the offer of a free trip to a state that does not represent us, a trip that is only ‘free’ because it has been paid for by the dispossession of Palestinians.”
The manifesto concluded: “And as we reject this, we commit to promoting the right to return of Palestinian refugees… Israel is not our Birthright… Return the Birthright.”
On June 22, 2017, just prior to the launch of JVP’s #returnthebirthright campaign, JVP received a $140,00 two-year grant for general support for its operations from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF).
Since 2015, JVP has received $280,000 from RBF, which has a history of supporting anti-Jewish causes, including BDS campaigns and various organizations that promote BDS campaigns throughout the United States.
Anti-Israel Activism
On April 21, 2017, Green was featured in a photo posted to Facebook by Smith SJP, showing activists tabling for SJP on campus. The photo caption read: “SJP tabling at the prospective students club fair!”On September 16, 2017, Green was featured in another photo posted by Smith SJP showing activists tabling for SJP on campus. The caption read: “We loved meeting so many new people at the Org Fair today!... Our first meeting is this Tuesday, 6-7pm in CC 102. We'll be talking about who we are, what we do, and brainstorming for this semester”
On December 14, 2017, Green was featured in a Facebook photo, tabling for SJP in front of a sign that opposed the U.S. government’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The sign read: “Trump’s Decision is an Act of Violence. Smith SJP.”
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an April 22, 2018 JVP titled: “Vigil For Gaza: solidarity with the Great Return March.”
On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The violent demonstrations were instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Rioters also made numerous attempts to breach Israel’s border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
On October 28, 2017, Green was tagged in a photo on Facebook participating in a Smith SJP retreat.
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a September 18, 2017 talk delivered by author Thomas Suarez on his book, titled: "State of Terror: How Terrorism Created Modern Israel." The anti-Semitic [00:09:05] address was co-sponsored by JVP, SJP and Professor Sut Jhally’s Media Education Foundation, as well as the book’s publisher.
The Facebook event’s description said the book detailed ”a shocking campaign of Zionist terrorism in 1940s and 1950s Palestine that targeted anyone who challenged its messianic settler goals.”
The event’s Facebook description also claimed the Arab-Israeli conflict is “that terror campaign’s unfinished business, an Israeli state driven by unrequited territorial designs and the dream of ethnic ‘purity’” and “messianic settler goals.”
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a March 31, 2017 event called: “JVP National Member Meeting 2017.” Speakers at the event included anti-Israel activists such as Linda Sarsour, Nyle Fort, as well as Diana Buttu and Robin D G Kelley.
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a September 19, 2017, hosted by the “North America Nakba Tour.” The event featured Amena Elashkar, who has spread [00:01:02] the message that Israel has no right to exist. Similar events featuring Elashkar have been cancelled because Elashkar was “deemed to be ‘anti-Semitic,’” to which Elashkar replied: “Of course, we expect such talk from our Zionist enemies, and we give it little importance.”
The wall was built as part of IAW and was described on the event’s Facebook page as “an interactive installation with information and stories of the occupation, effects of Israeli apartheid, and discrimination against Palestinians.”
Supporting the Deadly Exchange Campaign
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a November 4, 2017 event called: “SJP Art Party!”The event’s Facebook description stated: “We will be making art for Anti-colonial thanksgiving, as well as for the Jewish Voice for Peace Deadly Exchange action which is happening November 8th in Springfield!”
In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange” campaign that accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
Support for BDS
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a September 18, 2017 event called: “Free (Speech) Palestine: Writers Talk about BDS and Beyond,” organized by Adalah-NY: Campaign for the Boycott of Israel and Jewish Voice for Peace: Arts & Culture.The event’s Facebook description said the event’s speakers would “discuss the repression of Palestinian cultural production,” as well as “the Palestinian call for the cultural boycott of Israel.”
Green indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an April 8, 2019 event called: “Palestine & BDS 101 Workshop” hosted by SJP.
The event’s Facebook description stated: “This will be an interactive workshop to learn more about the occupation of Palestine...including a introduction to the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement.”
JVP
JVP was founded in Berkeley, California in 1996, as an activist group with an emphasis on the “Jewish tradition” of peace, social justice and human rights. The organization is currently led by Rebecca Vilkomerson and its board members include Israel critics Naomi Klein, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky and Tony Kushner.
JVP, which generally employs civil disobedience tactics to disrupt pro-Israel speakers and events, consists of American Jews and non-Jewish “allies” highly critical of Israeli policies. A staunch supporter of the BDS movement, JVP claims to aim its campaigns at companies that either support the Israeli military (Hewlett-Packard) or are active in the West Bank (SodaStream).
Although several Jewish groups critical of Israeli policies, like J Street and Partners for a Progressive Israel, make efforts to operate within the mainstream American Jewish community, JVP functions outside. The group is often criticized for serving as a tokenized Jewish voice for the pro-Palestinian camp and is widely regarded as the BDS movement’s “Jewish wing.”
JVP denies the notion of “Jewish peoplehood” and has even gone so far as to refer to its own Ashkenazi (Jews who spent the Diaspora in European countries) leadership as “white supremacy inside of JVP.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused JVP of being “the largest and most influential Jewish anti-Zionist group in the United States,” and said the group “exploits Jewish culture and rituals to reassure its own supporters that opposition to Israel not only does not contradict, but is actually consistent with, Jewish value.”
The ADL also claimed that “JVP consistently co-sponsors rallies to oppose Israeli military policy that are marked by signs and slogans comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, demonizing Jews and voicing support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.”
According to the ADL website, JVP “uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide it with a greater degree of legitimacy and credibility.”
SJP
SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.
The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.
SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.
SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.
SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.
Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/100004782304624Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kumqwhatt/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDdv5r_XbTefaExAhSq2A3Q
