Protest! No War on Iran: Occupy AIPAC

Details: Written by AUPHR AUPHR; Published: 19 April 2012 19 April 2012; Hits: 8125 8125

Say "No to war on Iran, No to funding Israeli apartheid, and No to AIPAC and the lobbies of the 1%."

* * * Please Distribute Widely * * *

Time:               4 p.m. to 8 p.m,
Date:                 Sunday, April 29, 2012
Location:            Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, Oregon

See our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/207196606050041/

For more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Talking points: 10 Reasons Why the Israel Lobby AIPAC is So Dangerous http://mondoweiss.net/2012/02/ten-reasons-why-the-israel-lobby-aipac-is-so-dangerous.html

Event Flyer: http://www.pjw.info/occupyaipac.pdf

#44 buses stop right in front of Mittleman: 44-Capital Hwy/Mocks Crest. Contact Trimet: http://trimet.org 503-244-0111

Signs will be available at the protest!

Call your politicians! Before the event, we ask that people call their state and federal representatives and ask them to "Say no to AIPAC" and not attend this event. The AIPAC event regularly attracts State Legislators, our members of congress, Oregon mayors, members of Portland's city council, and even the student body presidents of Oregon's universities! See our sample letter and contact information below! Please let us know of any responses by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Join a coalition of peace, human rights, and Palestine solidarity organizations for a demonstration outside the annual Oregon fund-raising dinner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Sunday, April 29. The demonstration will protest AIPAC’s role in promoting a military attack on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities. The protest is also calling for an end to U.S. military aid to the Israeli apartheid government which refuses to halt the construction of illegal settlements and routinely violates the human rights of Palestinians living under Occupation. Israel controls the lives of more than 4 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but denies them the right to vote or to exercise their right to self-determination. We will be demonstrating at the start of the event and at the end when the politicians leave stuffed full of food and AIPAC talking points.

Some Oregon political leaders have regularly attended AIPAC’s annual fundraiser in past years. This year the protesters are asking Oregon's leaders to represent their constituencies' opposition to another unjust war in the Middle East by boycotting AIPAC's gala. Among the groups protesting are Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights (AUPHR), Friends of Sabeel - North America (FOSNA), Jewish Voice for Peace - Portland (JVP), Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land (LJHL), Occupy Portland, Palestine Action Group--Corvallis Oregon, Peace and Justice Works - Iraq Affinity Group, and Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER).

At AIPAC’s recent national convention , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to justify a military assault on Iran. Such an attack would violate the United Nations Charter, which forbids the use of force except in self-defense. The Iranian government has said that its nuclear energy program is for peaceful purposes. Iran is a signatory to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and is under an inspection regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both the IAEA and U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. Israel, on the other hand, has refused to sign the NPT and is believed to have between 200-400 nuclear weapons.

“AIPAC represents a minority, radically right-wing position in its lobbying for the Netanyahu government,” explained William Seaman, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace. “They do not represent Jewish opinion in the United States or in Israel, which is one reason groups like JVP and other Jewish organizations are challenging their disproportionate influence on our political process.” Polls show that AIPAC does not speak for most American Jews.

The protest will take place outside the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Highway in Hillsdale, beginning at 4 p.m. on April 29. Demonstrators are committed to nonviolence and oppose all forms of racism, including racism against Jews. They are asking Oregon residents and political leaders to say No to war on Iran, No to funding Israeli apartheid, and No to AIPAC and the lobbies of the 1%.

AIPAC Hell-bent on dragging the US and Israel into a war with Iran

Details: Written by Rabbi Michael Lerner Rabbi Michael Lerner; Published: 18 April 2012 18 April 2012; Hits: 6181 6181

MJ Rosenberg details how AIPAC is pushing for the US to go to war with Iran, presumably because Iran is Israel’s last militarily viable MidEast enemy. Could the US be that stupid? Or is this just a buildup that Obama needs to convince the military that his Administration would not, if re-elected, abandon them and their desires for endless war or at least endless war-preparation and war-expenditures. Meanwhile Uri Avnery argues that the huffing and puffing about Israel’s “secret plans” for a war with Iran are most likely attempts to achieve other ends without war. Time will tell. But one thing is for sure: either country getting involved in a war with Iran would be totally self-destructive. But then again, when has that stopped the US or Israel before?

Israel lobby group committed to ‘new media’ calls for nuking Iran

Details: Written by Philip Weiss Philip Weiss; Published: 14 April 2012 14 April 2012; Hits: 4662 4662

[See Mondowiess article for graphics and links]

Act for Israel says, "Stop nuclear Iran!"

A group called Act for Israel tweeted this picture today with the line "Stop Nuclear Iran!"

Act for Israel says it's states that it's "committed to representing Israel’s interests through the use of new media."

A lot of Israeli security types are on Act for Israel's "leadership" board, including Gabi Ashkenazi, the army chief of staff during Cast Lead onslaught. Also many Americans. From Sharone Levinson's bio:

Sharone is a proud American citizen... For the past few years, Sharone has been dismayed by the efficient and organized use of the Internet to spread misinformation and lies about Israel.

From Act for Israel's website:

Act For Israel is the leading digital platform for pro-Israel activism. We rely on the latest Internet-based technology to win the war on ideas. We believe that Israel has the right to live in peace and security, and that all people deserve the right to live in dignity. Our goal is to share this centrist position with a wide audience to correct misinformation, end demonization, stop delegitimization, and to give Israel a well-needed voice.Our goal is to share our centrist position with a wide audience to correct misinformation, end demonization, stop delegitimization, and to give Israel a well-needed voice.

Also there's this guy on the leadership of Act for Israel, Dan Goldman. Dan looks halfway reasonable. Does he want to nuke Iran?

Dan Goldman has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry building compelling consumer sites, services and products. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of WorldLive Mobile, a startup building cutting-edge mobile applications for fans and brands. Dan has served as CTO at Zedge – the leading mobile social network – that has grown to over 18 million registered users – and earlier for several major Internet brands including iVillage and drspock.com, where he built and launched multiple online properties.

"No War on Iran: Occupy AIPAC"

Details: Written by Peter Miller Peter Miller; Published: 14 April 2012 14 April 2012; Hits: 5601 5601

"No War on Iran: Occupy AIPAC"
Portland organizations to protest for peace
Sunday, April 29, 2012, 4 PM, Outside the Mittleman Jewish Community Center

A group of peace, human rights, and Palestine solidarity organizations will hold a demonstration outside the annual fund-raising dinner of the Oregon branch of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Sunday, April 29. The demonstration, titled "No War on Iran: Occupy AIPAC", will protest AIPAC's role in promoting a military attack on Iran's nuclear energy facilities. The protest will take place outside the Mittelman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Highway in Hillsdale, beginning at 4 p.m. on April 29.

The protest is also calling for an end to U.S. military aid to the Israeli apartheid government, which refuses to halt the construction of illegal settlements and routinely violates the human rights of Palestinians living under Occupation. Israel controls the lives of more than 4 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but denies them the right to vote or to exercise their right to self- determination.

‘I’ve been duped’ — America’s travel guide Rick Steves says our media black out the brutal occupation

Details: Written by Rick Steves Rick Steves; Published: 10 April 2012 10 April 2012; Hits: 4709 4709

Reflections on Israel and Palestine

Posted: 04/ 5/2012 1:50 pm

I've been duped.

Do you know the frustration you feel when you believed in something strongly and then you realize that the information that made you believe was from a source with an agenda to deceive?

I just watched a powerful and courageous documentary called Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land. It certainly has its own agenda and doesn't present balanced coverage. Still, it showed me how my understanding of the struggles in the Middle East has been skewed by most of our mainstream media. I saw how coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian problem is brilliantly controlled and shaped. I pride myself in understanding how the media works... and I find I've been bamboozled.

Invest 75 minutes in watching this, because most of the time we only hear one viewpoint when it comes to the interminable struggle in the Holy Land. While this documentary would never be shown on commercial TV in the USA, it can be viewed online (Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land). In my view, many Palestinians live under inhumane conditions, and U.S. taxpayers help to make it happen. Please, watch this and then share your impressions.

Criticism of Israel's policies is not automatically anti-Semitic (see J-Street for an example of a pro-Israel, pro-peace group). In fact, the irony is that for Israel's hard-liners, their clever PR strategy could be their own worst enemy. While Israel certainly deserves security on its land, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory (in Gaza and the West Bank) degrades Israel and drives Palestinians to desperation. The question of whether Israel is conducting a brutal military occupation or a reasonable defense against terrorism gets no real airtime. If we care about the long-term security of Israel, we have a responsibility to understand what our government is funding and supporting.

I believe that watching this documentary is a painful first step to finding a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. If you are a friend of Israel, you must watch Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land.

Follow Rick Steves on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@RickSteves