Saturday 6th May. There was a lively protest outside Sheffield Town Hall in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. We were joined by Paul Blomfield, MP (till a week ago and current candidate) for Sheffield Central constituency . The prisoners are on hunger strike over such things as jailed children, family visits restricted to one a year, and administrative detention (jail with no trial). For more information go here.
Claim that it is illegal to criticise Israeli illegal practices
A pro Israel Law lecturer, Lesley Klaff, has entered a legal opinion about Israel and the criticism of it.
It is not about the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, which I believe is a crime against humanity. Nor about Israel’s defiance of UN resolution 194 which allows for Palestinian refugees to return home. Nor about the illegal annexation by Israel of East Jerusalem after the six day war in 1967. It is not about the Apartheid wall, (separation wall) which in the opinion of the International Court of Justice is contrary to international law. Nor about Israel’s Settlements, which “have No Legal Validity, Constitute Flagrant Violation of International Law” according to the Security Council of the UN. No it is not Israel’s illegal practices she objects to it is opposition to those practices which are illegal according to her.
She writes “Israeli Apartheid Week in Britain – Why Student Unions are acting illegally“
Her core complaint is this.
Yes, a defender of Israel wants to set the limits as to what is legitimate criticism of Israel.
My understanding is that for a charge of defamation to stick it must be untrue.
Is Israel Racist? Palestinians who were ethnically cleansed in 1948 are not allowed to return to their homeland. Jews who have never been to Israel or Palestine have the right to settle there (The Law of Return 5710-1950). Is that racist discrimination? It looks like it to me. Adalah has listed 50 laws that it claims are discriminatory. Ehud Barak said in 2000 “Maintaining our sovereignty over Jerusalem and boosting its Jewish majority have been our chief aims, and toward this end Israel constructed large Jewish neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city, which house 180,000 residents, and large settlements on the periphery of Jerusalem, like the city of Ma’ale Adumim and Giv’at Ze’ev. The principle that guided me in the negotiations at Camp David was to preserve the unity of Jerusalem and to strengthen its Jewish majority for generations to come.”[
Ensuring that there is a big majority of Jews in Jerusalem is racist.
There are Palestinian villages that are destroyed to make way for Jewish settlements.
There are plans to move 30,000 Bedouin from their homes in the Negev/ Naqab. A UN report calls these policies racist. (Some U.N. officials have distanced themselves from the report)
‘According to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Law for the Regulation of the Bedouin Settlement in the Negev is discriminatory and would legalize racist practices’. I agree.
In the West Bank there are areas that are forbidden to Palestinians, there are roads that are forbidden, there are separate courts for Israelis and Palestinians. That looks as though it satisfies the definition of Apartheid.
Even an Israeli ex Ambassador Alon Liel said the
“Joint Israel-West Bank’ reality is an apartheid state”.
“I am especially urging the Assembly to adopt the overture naming Israel as an apartheid state through its domestic policies and maintenance of the occupation”
“This report concludes that Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole… available evidence establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Israel is guilty of policies and practices that constitute the crime of apartheid as legally defined in instruments of international law..” unescwa
So let us suppose that there is a meeting that decries the policies of Israel as racist and a form of Apartheid. Ms Klaff states
Attacks on the Government of Israel, its policies and actions are not attacks on Jews, as the many Jewish anti Zionist, pro Palestinian organisations show. I am not surprised that pro-Israel students have negative feelings during Anti Apartheid week. Their vision of Israel is being contradicted by well documented reality. We believe that the more people who look at what is being done to the Palestinians the more they will agree that it is racist and a form of Apartheid. Only respectful political debate and discussion can create a future for the peoples of the region. The starting point for the discussion has to be the systematic oppression of the Palestinians.
There was another attempt to use the law to stem political debate. In 2012 Mr R Fraser accused the Lecturers union U.C.U. of harassment and institutional Anti Semitism. It centred on a whole number of resolutions that the union had passed that criticised Israel and encouraged BDS.
One key sentence sums up the tribunals findings.
“Lessons should be learned from this sorry saga. We greatly regret that the case was ever brought. At heart, it represents an impermissible attempt to achieve a political end by litigious means. It would be very unfortunate if an exercise of this sort were ever repeated”
Ms Klaff is repeating the same tactic with this document. The central issue is whether Israel is imposing an Apartheid state or not. We believe there is ample evidence that it is. It is a shame that Ms Klaff put no effort at all into refuting this. Instead she hopes to silence criticism of Israel by resorting to the courts.
Malaka small but important victory.
‘Inspiring’ the Scholarship Fund 10th anniversary event
Inspiring and Uplifting. These two words were repeated by many of the people present at the Scholarship Fund’s 10th anniversary event in Sheffield Town Hall, marking International Women”s Day 2017.
The town hall reception room was packed to hear the stories of the students who have received scholarships since 2007. The stories are moving and full of hope despite the reality of life in Gaza,
Please pass my deep feelings of love and gratitude to all in Britain connected to the Sheffield Scholarship Fund. You have opened a new window in the dark sky of living in Jabalia under occupation. Sama Wadi, Jabalia refugee camp, 2008
I really appreciate the efforts made by the women’s group in Sheffield to help and support Palestinian women. The scholarships show there’s justice in the world and they tell us that we deserve to live a decent life as in the rest of the world. Thank you from the depth of my heart. Maisaa Salah Abu Khadra, Bureij refugee camp, 2016
Thanks to the Lord Mayor, Cllr Denise Fox and the
![Lord Mayor Cllr Fox and Kholoud Ajarma](http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/March-2016-IWD-etc-030-300x200.jpg)
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Anne Murphy for hosting the event and welcoming the Fund. The Lord Mayor’s words of support for the students and for the work of Fund was really appreciated.
![Speakers by SPWSF banner](http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20170308_202646-300x169.jpg)
Thanks to our speakers, Kholoud Ajarma and Musheir El Farra. Thanks to Sheffield Socialist Choir for opening the event with song.
The Scholarship Fund is aiming to raise £23k this year to bring the total sent out to Gaza of £100k in 10 years. Please support us to reach this target. Email for details: sheffieldpwsf@yahoo.co.uk
Support Malaka Shwaikh – sign our petition
Possibly the worst thing a newspaper can do to a Muslim woman is to publish a picture of her under the headline “I am proud to be called a terrorist”. This is exactly what the Mail on line has done to Malaka Shwaikh.
Malaka is currrently at Exter University, studying under Ilan Pappe , a Jewish Israeli Professor; she is in no way anti-semitic. Before she moved from Sheffield, Malaka was a member of Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign. She is an intelligent articulate active anti-racist.
What has stirred the ire of the Pro Israeli and Zionist campaigners is that she is Palestinian, articulate and effective.
The full sentence she used was: “If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist. What an honour for the Palestinians!” This was said in the context of Israel’s 2014 bloody onslaught on Gaza. The wilful ripping out of part of the sentence completely misrepresents her position.
The attack on Malaka is part of a coordinated attempt to discredit pro-Palestinian campaigners. Israel has become increasingly right wing and xenophobic. It is feted by white supremacists and Islamophobes. Its supporters desperately hope to drown out criticism of Israel’s illegal land theft by false allegations of terrorism and anti Semitism.
If the Daily Mail’s malevolent distortion is allowed to stand Malaka’s ability to travel, to return to Gaza, and live a normal life will be made near impossible. It will also embolden the Mail for further attacks.
What you can do
- Read the statement by Sheffield PSC.
- Raise the issue in your place of worship, trade union or community group, classmates etc.
- Complain to IPSO (You will need to refer to the article here)
- Complain to the Daily Mail
- Send a message of support to Malaka via Sheffield PSC
- Sign the online petition [emailpetition id=”3″]
- If you are doing a paper petition, please download from here and return the completed sheets to Sheffield PSC as detailed on the document
SPSC Statement on the hate campaign against former Sheffield student Malaka Shwaikh
The Mail Online, an offshoot of the Daily Mail, along with a some other on-line publications and abusive emails fanned by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, are currently alleging that Malaka, presently a Ph.D. student at Exeter University, under the supervision of the Israeli born Professor Ilan Pappe, is a supporter of terrorism and is antisemitic. Why, some might wonder, but clearly not the Mail or the Campaign Against Antisemtism, would an anti-Semite choose to study under a Jewish professor? There is clearly more to this story than what Malaka’s detractors would like people to believe.
![MALAKA](http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/n-MALAKA-628x314-300x150.jpg)
The Mail Online launched the campaign against Malaka, stating in bold letters: ‘Palestinian student, 25, tweets “I am so proud to be called a terrorist’ sparking an anti-Semitism investigation at the University of Exeter.” The tweet, which had been hacked, was doctored. The full sentence reads: “If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist. What an honour for the Palestinians!” Moreover, this was said in the context of Israel’s 2014 bloody onslaught on Gaza. A reference by her to the Holocaust was similarly distorted by not reporting her tweet stating that it was a horrific crime.
But the full malevolence of distorting her tweets in order to suggest that their author is not only a terrorist sympathiser but an anti-Semite only becomes evident in the light of Malaka’s political
activism. As well as being a proud Palestinian committed to justice for her people, she is also a principled opponent of all forms of racism. She recently helped to organise a march at Exeter University to protest against swastikas and ‘Rights for Whites’ slogans daubed on walls in halls of residence.
The attack on Malaka is part of a coordinated attempt to discredit pro-Palestinian campaigners. Malaka, herself, had been subjected to earlier smear campaigns when she was a student at Sheffield University. As Israel has become increasingly rightwing and xenophobic, feted by white supremacists and Islamophobes, its supporters desperately seek to regain public sympathy by accusing its critics of anti-Semitism and terrorist sympathies. It will not work. Israel’s record is there for all to see and Palestinian activists and the solidarity movement will continue to grow in numbers and in effectiveness as they have over the past three decades.
We, in Sheffield, know Malaka well from the period that she spent in the city as a student. We condemn her vilification and fully support her stand against it.
Read Malaka’s full statement, read Mondoweiss article here: https://goo.gl/1XrB4k
Mail on line – unfounded attack on ex Sheffield student.
An ex Student Education Officer at Sheffield University is under an incredible slur by the Daily Mail. In a democracy people are supposed to meet discuss clarify each other’s positions perhaps reach an agreement perhaps not. Suppose an opponent wilfully misstates someone’s position then attacks them for it. There are at least two possibilities. They do not wish for a coherent discussion that they may lose or they wish for a nasty cheap headline. This is from the Daily Mail.
The full sentence was
‘If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist. What an honour for the Palestinians!’
This statement is the same structure as this one.
“If Donald trump loves Muslims then pigs can fly.” Only a complete idiot or someone wishing to misrepresent would conclude that the speaker believes pigs can fly.
This is one definition of terrorist
“a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.”
The UN states that every nation and person has the legal right to defend their land.
So a Palestinian ‘protecting and defending my land’ is not of itself a terrorist.
The United Nations resolution 2334 tells us that the West Bank settlements are a “flagrant violation” of international law and have “no legal validity”.
So any Israeli soldier helping the illegal settlements in the West Bank is acting illegally. They clearly use violence. It is aimed at civilians. It is clearly a political aim. It really does look like they satisfy this definition of terrorist.
A debate on the issue of ‘spot the terrorist’ would be interesting.
On the one side we could have the young woman who believes “‘Together we are stronger, together we will win. Together our world will be brighter and more inclusive for all of us regardless of our differences and where we come from. Regardless of our religions and backgrounds or ethnicity. We can still disagree and still love each other through disagreement.’
On the other we could have an Israeli soldier using violence to help destroy a home in the West bank.
Apparently The Daily mail on line has 200million visits a month. For an organisation of this size to attack a young Moslem student, and use her photograph is beyond disgusting. Reading this Daily Mail article reminded me of another.
For what it is worth I have put in a complaint to the Independent Standards Organisation under harassment, discrimination, and accuracy.