I'm studying in London at the moment, and I've visited the school numerous times. Whenever you pass by the school store, there's often a vendor selling pro-Palestinian material. The school administration was also called in by the London police recently, due to rampant drug use and sale at SOAS.

Funny (and sadly) enough, SOAS is supposedly a primary supplier of foreign diplomats to the British government.

LEGACY

Now that Arafat is dead, perhaps the Palestinians can gain control of their own future, and put in place leaders who actually want to reach a fair settlement of the issues between them and the Israelis. Perhaps. But I think not. I think the Palestinians will continue to be represented by the faceless monsters who roam the through the Middle East bent on terror, mayhem and murder. So long as they continue to produce ‘freedom fighters’ capable of the most dastardly deeds, they will not realize their hope for their own place in the sun.

Let me illustrate the face that the Palestinians have shown to me, but in narrative form rather than as a wire service news clip.

This is the story most Americans heard last May. The mainstream media has sanitized it for your protection.

Dateline Jerusalem: May 2 – Five Israelis were killed on a road in the occupied territory of Gaza this morning. Both Fatah and Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the successful attack.

What happened that morning has a bit more to it than these two sentences.

Tali Hatuem was very careful to buckle the children securely in the car before leaving home. Very safety conscious, her car contained the proper restraints for each child.

Leaving the small settlement where they lived, she turned onto the main road, and drove into another beautiful May day. She did not expect the stinging pain from the gunshots that penetrated the car into the driver’s compartment. Both she and the car were crippled by the many shots that hit the small vehicle. The car rolled to a stop, with Tali’s wounds severe enough that she was unable to unbuckle herself, or make any attempt to flee. Of course, with their mother immobile, the children also stayed in the car.

The two bearded men arose from their place of concealment, their automatic rifles held at the ready. They approached the car carefully, knowing that some of the residents of the settlement carried weapons. However, as they came nearer, they noted with relief that there was no man in the car, and the driver appeared gravely wounded.

Relaxed now, and feeling more confident, the two young men reached the disabled auto. In the drivers seat was 34-year-old Tali Hatuem. She was too weak to make any defensive move at all. The first man slowly raised his rifle, and placed it against Tavi’s temple. The loud retort of the gunshot echoed through the car, bringing screams of terror from the back seat. Blood and brains splattered across the front passenger seat. The gunman then noticed the large bulge of Tavi’s belly. Although she was clearly dead, the man wanted to take no chance the baby might be saved. He aimed the Kalashnikov at Tavi’s abdomen, and squeezed off two more rounds.

The second man was now at the open window of the rear seat. He first noted 11-year-old Hila. She was starting to make a move to cover the other occupants. Seeing her as the most likely to cause a problem, the man shot her in the face, from a distance of perhaps 12 inches. Again, the car’s interior was sprayed with the gore of the now dead occupant. Both men now brought their weapons to bear on the remaining occupants. 9-year-old Hadar was screaming, while 7-year-old Roni and 2-year-old Merav were both crying. None were making any defensive moves, and they were too scared to take evasive action. Merav was especially vulnerable, as she was safely strapped into a child restraint seat.

The two men took their time, calmly putting the muzzle end of their automatic weapons against the temples of the girls. One at a time, they blew apart the children’s heads, silencing forever the annoying screams.

Smiling, the two shouldered their rifles, and calmly walked away from the acrid smell of cordite and the sickly sweet smell of massive amounts of blood and brains. As they left, they could be seen smiling. They had done a good days work. In the name of Allah, they had eliminated 5 enemies of Islam. In fact, they had not only killed these hated infidels, daughters of pigs and monkeys; but in killing the female children, they had eliminated a future generation of these most hated of people. They would have been more pleased had they known that the unborn child of Hila was also a daughter.

Do we grieve for these dead, or are they incidental in the greater scheme of things? Has their deaths generated the outpouring of condolences as that of Arafat? Is there a linkage here? What does this incident have to do with Arafat? Actually, they are directly connected.

The two men are members of the Islamic Jihad faction of the Fatah movement. Fatah, and Islamic Jihad were both founded by Arafat, under the auspices of the PLO. Financial support, weapons purchases, salaries and reward bonuses were all paid directly by Arafat from funds received by the Palestinian Authority, from both the European Union and the United States. Arafat’s Fatah movement runs training camps where the men learned the use of the weapons, and the skills of ambush.

And of the men themselves? Both are products of the schools run by the Palestinian Authority, where, from the age of 5, they have been taught that Jews are not human, but vermin to be exterminated. Both were raised watching television that pictured all non-Muslims as inferior, and all Israelis as enemies to be killed in any way possible. Both attended mosques where the Imam’s preached that killing any Jew, at any time, would be rewarded by special treatment in Paradise.

Arafat’s legacy of hated, murder, terror, and intolerance will live on long after him. The educational system, entertainment industry, local media and the religious leaders have all worked hard to insure that the fanaticism they have constructed will infect generation after generation. And we can expect that this will not be the last time we hear of this kind of attack by the ‘freedom fighters’ of Islam. But the next time you read the one or two sentence news blurb, think about the actual events, and the participants. And if you can’t grieve for the victims, I would suggest you grieve for yourself. This is what the Islamic fanatics have promised they will bring home to us.

Dedicated with a heavy heart to the memory of

Tali – Mother – Age 34
Hila – Daughter – Age 11
Hadar – Daughter - Age 9
Roni – Daughter – Age 7
Merav – Daughter – Age 2
Unnamed – Daughter – One month from birth

"Funny (and sadly) enough, SOAS is supposedly a primary supplier of foreign diplomats to the British government."

Strangely, that does not surprise me.

I am a student at SOAS and I resent your characterization of my school. While there has been an ongoing controversy about whether or not Zionist speech should be allowed at the school (and I believe it should, even though I think the ideology is racist and exclusivist), the situation is not as dire as the Times and others on your site are making it seem. Certainly, there are differences of opinion between students (Jewish and Gentile) who adhere to the Zionist position and others who oppose Zionism and Israel's treatment of Palestinians. However, the parties to this dispute are reasonable people. No-one is going to get beaten up or killed. I am Jewish myself but, because I am anti-Zionist, I have not experienced any hostility. Quite the opposite. Most, if not all, the hostility is directed at students because of their political opinions (i.e. espousing Zionism) and not because of their ethnicity.

Thanks for accepting my post.

I have several questions:

1) Isn't characterizing yourself as Jewish in itself "exclusionist?"

2) Do you have any concerns about Arab treatment of Israelis and Jews generally?

3) Why is Arab or specifically Palestinian nationalism OK, but you believe Jewish nationalism is racist?

3) Do you have any concerns about the appearance and implications of the quoted article - please see Prof. Norm Geras's remarks?

4) Does it bother you that, in fact, Jewish students have been beaten up by Arab students elsewhere, such as several incidents at U Michigan?

5) Does it disturb you that, in order to "avoid hostility," one must denigrate and repudiate what is, in fact, an utterly mainstream - and some would argue core - Jewish holding? That is, support for a majority Jewish state in Israel...Zionism?

On the other hand, maybe I should save you time and let you know that going around saying, "It's OK, I'm a "Jew" but I'm against Zionism so everything's really OK at SOAS" is probably not going to convince a lot of people that everything is, in fact, OK.

I am also a student at SOAS and know the man who uses the identity 'odoull' and who has submitted a post under that name. As far as I know he is NOT Jewish as it happens but more over is the best friend of the author of the original article defending suicide bombers and part of the clique at SOAS (or is it the majority?) who are brewing Islamic Fundamentalism. I should like to confirm the suspicions of other contributors - there is a vary nasty atmosphere developing in the college which is decidedly un-British and un-civillised and I feel like a stranger in my own country there. Thnak you.

Does anyone know how I could go about reporting Nasser Amin to the police or the race relations board for incitement to racial hatred. I am an Israeli student at SOAS and due to a number of verbal attacks recently worry for my own safety. Not sure how these things are done in the UK but I am resolved to act.

Solomon, you raise valid points. I am not saying one form of nationalism is better or worse than any other. But that's a matter of disagreement over ideology, which I wanted to avoid getting into here. I think all forms of anti-Semitism are intolerable and I am not defending it at SOAS or anywhere. I just wanted to make the point that rejection of Zionism should not be automatically construed as anti-Semitism. There are many people who are Zionists who are not Jews, and criticism of their views is certainly not an attack against them because of their ethnicity. Likewise, attacking a Jew simply because he/she is Jewish is despicable. I could and would never defend that.

Thanks.

Hey Mark, it's obvious you know me but I don't know you. However, if you doubt that I am Jewish, we can meet for coffee or something and talk about my identities. And I really don't appreciate your insinuation that I am "part of the clique at SOAS (or is it the majority?) who are brewing Islamic Fundamentalism." I find that really offensive. Nonetheless, I'm sorry you feel threatened at SOAS and unwelcome in your own country. But I can assure you that I have nothing to do with that. I'm a stranger here myself. My only regret is that you felt more comfortable posting things that are untrue about me on a website and insinuating that I am an Islamic Fundamentalist (I'm not even Muslim) than approaching me and having this conversation in person.

Thanks. I hope our next conversation is in person and that it is more civil.

Hey Solomon, I didn't have time to answer all your questions in my last posting. I'll try to do it now.
1) Isn't characterizing yourself as Jewish in itself "exclusionist?"

When I wrote that Zionism was exclusionist, I didn't mean in the sense of being a nationalist identity. In that sense, all nationalisms and identities are exclusive. What I was referring to was specifically the question of a Jewish-only state. I think it's exclusionary to have a state to which citizenship is automatically granted based on religion/ethnicity.

2) Do you have any concerns about Arab treatment of Israelis and Jews generally?

I do not defend the mistreatment of anyone based on their religion/ethnicity. In the context of Israel-Palestine, there is a war going on. Civilians are being killed on both sides. I oppose the killing of civilians by anyone. I have living relatives in Israel whose lives are at risk even as I write. But there is a war going on there.

3) Why is Arab or specifically Palestinian nationalism OK, but you believe Jewish nationalism is racist?

Palestinian nationalism, to my knowledge, does not advocate a state for Muslims or Arabs alone.

3) Do you have any concerns about the appearance and implications of the quoted article - please see Prof. Norm Geras's remarks?

I have read the entire article and, while I do not agree with everything written in it, I do not believe that the author is inciting violence. Incitement to me means urging people to do something they are not already doing. The Palestinians (and it was specifically within this context that the issue was addressed) are already fighting: they do not need to be incited.

4) Does it bother you that, in fact, Jewish students have been beaten up by Arab students elsewhere, such as several incidents at U Michigan?

That bothers the h*ll out of me. I do not condone racist or anti-semitic violence. I'm half Black (which is perhaps why Mark doubts I'm Jewish) so I've seen it from all sides. I'll repeat: violence against anyone because of their ethnic/religious identity or sexual orientation or any identity is unacceptable. If Jewish/Zionist students were being physically attacked at SOAS because of their religion/ethnicity or opinions, I would be the first to come to their defense. It would be idiotic to say there is no racism or anti-semitism at SOAS: it exists everywhere. But what is going on at SOAS, like I said, "is not as dire as the Times and others on your site are making it seem." Gentile Zionists get challenged as well. This is not specifically an anti-Jewish issue. But as long as challenges are made in a civil manner, there's no need to blow things out of proportion. Of course, there's always a possibility that the situation will deteriorate, which is why dialog is important. I do not condone hate crimes. Period.

5) Does it disturb you that, in order to "avoid hostility," one must denigrate and repudiate what is, in fact, an utterly mainstream - and some would argue core - Jewish holding? That is, support for a majority Jewish state in Israel...Zionism?

My opinions on Zionism have already been expressed. I expect that reasonable people can disagree on this point.

Hope that clarifies my position. I really appreciate being given the opportunity to post here and I found your questions polite, if a little dismissive. Unfortunately, I won't be posting here again: I've already been called an Islamic Fundamentalist and I'm afraid the language isn't going to get any less hostile. Anti-semitism is real and must be exposed and defended against. But anti-Zionism is not the same thing.

Thanks again. You're providing a valuable service.

odoull,

I appreciate your tone. I was going to mention after your second to last post that my questions were mostly rhetorical, but it's fine that you took the time to answer them, anyway. You see, the thing is, I'm not a college student still sort of questing along and exploring these issues - I've been at it for awhile now. I "get it," have my understanding of "it" and have now taken a position. I'm beyond the abstract sort of thought-games that tend to go on in college campuses and have a few extra years of seeing how the world really works under my belt. My mind is still open, but it's gonna take some doing for me to hear something new. I've heard most of it before. That's why my questions sound somewhat dismissive - I'm not really that curious, I'm just making a point.

The point is this: I appreciate that it is *possible* to be anti-Zionist and not anti-Semitic, but I have seen this at work for a long time now, I have heard the arguments that rest on rationalization upon rationalization upon bad history and I am telling you that even if you as an individual don't posses the slightest bit of self-abrogating feeling, you need do no more than look to your right and your left to see people who hate Jews - or who's rationalizations rest on that hate. You won't like to hear it, but you are being used by some very, very bad people, and I hope that you have the chance, without any great tragedy to trigger it, of looking back at this time in your life and thinking, "My God, what the hell was I thinking?"

The person who wrote that article is an anti-Semite. A Jew hater. He is, in fact, inciting violence, and his rationalization for the virus of Palestinian Arab violence ought not to be tolerated. To the extent that it is, the naive amongst us are responsible for its spread.

Israel is hardly unique in being a country with some sort of Nationalist, racial or religious identifier. It doesn't matter to the haters. It didn't matter when Israel was being created as nothing more than a majority-Jewish country with a mixed citizenship. It didn't matter. Your friends rejected binationalism a long time ago, and the only reason anyone's interested in it now is that it's the latest way to destroy Israel - a state that some believe should be destroyed because it is majority Jewish (and no other reason, I assure you), but ought not be able to affirm itself on the same grounds.

I could go on and on, and I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to pull some of those rationalizations (sorry, that's how I view them) out of your bag. Like I said, I've heard them all before. Internet exchanges can go on and on and on, but that's what's nice about having my own web site, I can get the last word. :)

Two last things: I am not a particularly religious Jew. I do not base any of my argument in favor of Israel on Biblical prophecy or any of that. Israel exists. It's a real place that deserves to be judged by the standard that all other states are judged by, and I base as much of my argument as possible on things that a good, secular American can understand and support. On that basis alone, Israel has a good case to make to the world.

I wish you luck in pursuing the dream of a world in which "we" are all one and there is no "other" - where race, ethnicity, religion, background, etc...don't matter a lick. Good luck. In the mean-time, we (take the "we" as you will) will do what we must to survive.

My last bit is just some more unsolicited advice (but this is my house, damnit!), which you will no doubt write-off as patronizing and it is (hell, I have no idea how old you are, anyway) - running around advocating for anti-Zionism as you are...you are doing great, great damage. I can only hope you have some sort of epiphany and realize that what you're doing is the wrong thing and change.

Thanks for the kind words about the site. Be forewarned, however, that the "editorial slant" of this site is fervently anti-anti-Zionist, and that here, the difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism is de minimus. Even the anti-Zionists who do not have a bit of anti-Semitism in their hearts are doing the anti-Semite's work for them. The people you're running with, odoull, are not your friends. You, odoull, are the anti-Semite's wet dream. Not one of the anti-Zionist groups or movements I have ever seen are free of this Judenhass taint. Not one.

Best of luck to you.

"3) Why is Arab or specifically Palestinian nationalism OK, but you believe Jewish nationalism is racist?
Palestinian nationalism, to my knowledge, does not advocate a state for Muslims or Arabs alone."

The PA wants to make Islam the official religion of Palestine. Palestinian Muslims have been making the lives of Palestinian Christians so miserable that most of them have left. Palestinians rpoutinely destroy ancient Jewish holy sites. There is no tradition of democracy or civil institutions in most Arab countries and certainly none in the PA - the place has been run by mafia-type thugs since day one.

Meanwhile in Israel: All religions and holy sites are respected. Anyone of any religion or ethnicity can become a citizen of Israel, and many do. Arabs who advocate the destruction of Israel serve in the Knesset, a degree of tolerance that no other country would accept. Both Arabic and Hebrew are the official languages. Arab Israelis have their own schools, if they want. Israel is a functioning democracy with civil law, by any measure that applies to any democracy in the world. Israel and Jordan are the only two countries in the Middle East that allow Palestinians to become citizens.

So who's the exclusivist racist? And what do you think would happen to Jews in yet one more Arab state where they are a minority? Get real.

Odoull,

so, you have a problem with "exclusionary" states that grant citizenship on the basis of religious/ethnic identity.

How many such states have your protested?

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Greece sent airplanes to Azerbaijan to pick up about ten thousand "Greeks" and bring them "home." These Greeks were descended form a community resident east of the Black Sea for 2,500 years. They were identified as Greek by religion and ethnicity.

Do you oppose the existence of Greece?

Hungary has laws giving preferred citizenship and immigration rights to ethnic Hungarians.

Do you oppose the existence of Hungary?

Japan takes an almost total stand against giving citizenship to immigrants, except those whose ancestors are Japanese who emigrated in the 19th Cen. They can come "home," and beocme citizens.

Do you oppose the existence of Japan?

Saudi Arabia does not let any immigrant workers become citizens. Not even the thrid generation born their to guest worker parents.

Do you oppose the existence of Saudi Arabia?

Jordan does permit immigration and allow immigrants to become citizens. Except Jews. They have a law against Jews living in Jordan.

Do you oppose the existence of Jordan.

I ask because I suspect that you pay attention to these matters only as they apply to Israel.