Barnard College hosts anti-Israel panel “BREAKING BARS: Fighting Incarceration from the U.S. to Palestine”

Thursday August 2, 2018 (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM) Barnard College, New York City, the latest bastion of higher-ed to become a shameful conduit for anti-Israel animus.

They offered an intimate discussion between two groups on the front-lines —  fighting incarceration and supporting prisoners — one in Palestine, the other in the U.S. — and how we can understand these shared systems of domination and resist them.” [Algemeiner]

Addameer (Arabic for conscience), is a Ramallah-based outfit accused of ties with the “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Barnard chose to “Stand with ADDAMEER”, a “Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association” working for “political prisoners” held in Israeli and Palestinian prisons. “Addameer vs Israel“.

How much more “effed up” can our centers of education become?

The New JDL- NY was there, outside Barnard, in protest and to Stand With Israel.

“…. after a “difficult past semester” — during which Barnard students voted to endorse a divestment campaign against Israel in a referendum — “it is dismaying to see the College further used to discomfort members of its community.” [Algemeiner]

Barnard College, shame on you.

Addameer has called attempts to link it to the PFLP part of a “smear” campaign. According to Jewish Virtual Library, the PFLP has been involved in various suicide bombings, airplane hijackings and an assassination.” [Jewish Journal]


For more of the New  JDL protest, see Flickr slide show

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Addameer, according to NGO Monitor, has several members who are either currently in Addameer, or were formerly in the organization, that have extensive ties with the PFLP.

For instance, Addameer’s chairperson, Abdul-latif Ghaith, is currently in the midst of an Israeli travel ban due to his PFLP membership. Addameer vice-chairperson Khalida Jarrar was convicted of belonging to the PFLP and calling for violence against Israeli soldiers, serving prison time as a result.

Yacoub Odeh,an Addameer board member, was sentenced to life in prison for his PFLP membership and was only released as part of a prisoner exchange.

Barnard College to Host Prisoners’ Group Accused of Ties With Palestinian Terrorists

The speakers this evening were:

  • Lana Ramadan, Addameer’s International Advocacy Officer, was born in Dheisheh refugee camp, near Bethlehem in the West Bank. She’s worked with Badil Refugee Resource Centre and been active in community activities, such as Dabke. She studied Human Rights and International Law in the joint Al Quds University and Bard College program and has a Master in Human Rights from London School of Economics.
  • David Joseph Deutch, or DJ, Addameer’s Advocacy Coordinator, is a native of Australia who has worked with indigenous Australian youth, asylum seeker children, Amnesty International Australia and the UN in New York and Palestine. He is now Addameer’s Advocacy Coordinator. He studied Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Sydney and has a Master in Public Administration at Columbia University in New York.
  • Laura Whitehorn served 14+ years(of a 20 year sentence) in US federal prison as an “anti-imperialist political prisoner“. She was convicted for the “Resistance Conspiracy” case, which involved attacks on US and Israeli military installations and companies. [FYI- she BOMBED the headquarters of the Israeli Aircraft Industry right here in NYC]  In 2016, she was part of a delegation with other former “political prisoners”, labor organizers, and academics to Palestine.

Laura Whitehorn is a proud anti-Zionist Jew.  She was charged with conspiracy to influence, change, and protest policies and practices of the United States government by violent and illegal means

In the 60s, Whitehorn was active in the “civil rights” movement, supported the Black Panther Party, the Black Liberation Movement, the New Afrikan Independence Movement and Puerto Rican IndependenceWhitehorn also lists fighting the KKK and organized white supremacy.

She advocates the creation of ANOTHER Islamic State – in the Middle East, those “BASTIONS of Equality!

The Adameer members at Barnard were joined by Release Aging People in Prison – RAPP ; Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City.

Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP works to end mass incarceration and promote racial justice by getting elderly and infirm people out of prison.

Links: Release Aging People in Prison – RAPP; Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City; Jewish Voice for Peace; Addameer Website; Face book; twitter

The Barnard fools and tools welcomed these terrorist organizations, presenting them as voices of reason and proclaiming “Incarceration to be a system of domination”.

The new Barnard school motto, perhaps: “Breaking Bars. RESIST! Resist! Resist!”

[Pictures property of Pamela Hall]

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