Southern California Chronicle

Sharon Supporters Harass Counter-Demonstrators At “Solidarity Rally” for Israel

By Pat and Samir Twair

A one-third page ad in the Los Angeles Times announced a Sunday, July 22, solidarity rally in front of the Jewish Federation headquarters on the 6500 block of wealthy Wilshire Boulevard. While the ad ballyhooed the prospect of more than 60 Jewish organizations (fewer than 40 were named—and these included Meretz USA and Americans for Peace Now) joining “in support of the people of Israel,” it was clear the purpose was to demonstrate a Jewish-American consensus in favor of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

If this was the plan, however, it backfired. Less than half the anticipated minimum crowd of 10,000 was estimated to have attended the glam block party.

A counter-demonstration was organized by progressive Jewish and Arab-American and Muslim organizations to congregate at San Vicente on the east end of the blocked-off section of Wilshire Boulevard.

It was the first time in our memory that legendary Wilshire Boulevard had been closed for a celebration. Helicopters hovered overhead as California Gov. Grey Davis, congressmen and newly elected Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn were on hand to name the 6500 block of Wilshire the Los Angeles-Israel Friendship Plaza.

“California has always stood with Israel,” stated Davis, who had sought Arab-American votes in his campaign. “We can no longer have cease-fires where one side ceases and the other side fires.”

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) also pandered to the pro-Israel crowd. “We turn on our TV sets and we see a horrendous campaign of vilification,” he claimed, “as one side sends its own children charging into barbed wire, hoping for a tragic death of their own children, so long as it appears in front of CNN cameras.”

L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, whose sister lived in Israel (and may still), continued the diatribe that evidenced clear concern that Israel’s image isn’t as untarnished as it once was. “The difference between us and our adversaries is that we protect our children. Our adversaries use our [sic] children as cannon fodder.”

Women in Black-Los Angeles numbered some 60 counter-demonstrators carrying banners stating, “We Refuse to Be Enemies” and “We Are Jews, We Want a Just Peace.” Others supported large banners stating “Occupation = War.”

Across San Vicente, closer to the pro-Israel demonstrators, were a few hundred black-clad Muslims and Arab Americans. Angela Odeh, whose brother Alex Odeh was killed in 1985 by a JDL booby-trap bomb in his Santa Ana office, held a sign stating: “Israel Is the Only Country With Legalized Torture.”

An elderly Jewish couple approached Odeh and asked her how she knew Israel practices torture. “Because they tortured me,” replied the former Catholic sister. While the old folks badgered Odeh, a more ominous conflict was in the making as a beefy man carrying a sign that said ARABS OUT walked up to traditionally dressed Muslim girls and shook his sign in their faces.

Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, the founder of Stop Moskowitz (Irving Moskowitz funnels bingo riches from the impoverished Hawaiian Gardens into settlements), and human rights attorney Ralph Fertig jumped protectively in among the group of young women. One Jewish activist wearing a “Mitzvah” T-shirt held up a photo of a slain settler infant. Rabbi Beliak reminded the Jewish hecklers that five times as many Palestinian children have been killed, most of them shot by Israeli army personnel. While the Zionists shouted that Palestinian parents send their children to be cut down by bullets, Rabbi Beliak retorted this certainly is true of settler parents who move into places that are not safe for their children.

A new wave of Zionists wearing “Israeli Police” T-shirts repeatedly dashed at a row of young Muslim men who held their ground and stared stoically past the rabble. Police in riot gear stood in front of and in back of the Muslims while Jewish extremists began a circular dance, brandishing Israeli flags.

Other Israeli supporters shouted “Go back to Mecca.” A TV reporter attempted to interview Israeli-born Professor Hagit Borer, a member of Women in Black. As Borer tried to explain the necessity to disband settlements, Zionist hooligans shouted into the microphone so she could not be heard.

As the crowd began to disperse, the police escorted Muslim demonstrators safely back to their cars. As we walked eastward toward our car, we chatted with Rabbi Beliak. Then a man wearing a Mitzvah T-shirt yelled at the rabbi: “You fat piece of s… Why don’t you take off your yarmulke? You are a disgrace.”

Shocked to witness anyone cursing a man of religion, we remained silent as the rabbi asked why his harasser hadn’t voiced his insults one block back, in the presence of police.

The antagonist bellowed at Beliak: “You want to protect Arabs. Do you think they would let you live in Gaza City?”

The rabbi, now angry, retorted: “You won’t let Arabs BORN in Jerusalem live in Jerusalem. Stop killing Palestinians.”

Once more, the red-faced extremist held up the photo of the dead settler child. Rabbi Beliak shouted: “All you speak is violence, you know nothing about the true meaning of Judaism.”

Inexplicably, the thug replied: “Violent? You call me violent? I am a vegetarian and you need to lose 40 pounds.”

The rabbi reminded the violent vegetarian that everyone in the U.S. had a right to exercise the First Amendment.

Then we all dispersed.

That evening, we mused over the large number of prominent American Jews who did not show up at the pro-Sharon demonstration.

Walid Fahoum Speaks Out

“The year 2001 is not 1948. We Palestinians will die in our homeland before we will leave.” So said Nazareth attorney Walid Fahoum, who for 6 years was deputy mayor of the Galilee city.

During the thousands of trials in which Fahoum represented Palestinians before Israeli military courts, he was only able to prove that one client had been tortured. One of the worst forms of torture was for a drop of water to fall continuously on the head of a trussed-up prisoner.

“It might feel good at first,” Fahoum said, “but after 20 minutes, prisoners recalled that it felt as if a small stone was incessantly dropping on their heads. It was pure mental torture.

“Men who spent years in Israeli jails suffer from ulcers, eye problems and maladies brought on from malnutrition,” the attorney added. “Nearly all require some form of rehabilitation.”

After receiving his law degree from Hebrew University in 1974, Fahoum practiced in the office of Israeli human rights barrister Felicia Langer. He continued to defend Palestinian political prisoners for 20 years, he said, but “after Oslo, I couldn’t defend political prisoners in Palestinian Authority prisons.

“We had been fighting the Israeli occupation and now there was a quasi-liberation,” he explained. “My expectations had been for a Palestinian government on an equal basis with the Israeli regime.”

Speaking in the Southern California home of his niece, Abla al-Saadi, Fahoum said he waited patiently to see positive results of Oslo, but was disappointed.

“If I hadn’t written books, I would have lost my sanity,” Fahoum continued. In 1980, The Chains Must Be Broken was published, followed in 1985 by The Birds of Neve Tertza, which deals with Palestinian women political prisoners. In 1989, he published The Infant of Racism: Intifada Trials and Suffering.

“I hate Zionist policies, but I don’t hate the Jewish people,” Fahoum stated. “As a citizen of Israel, I must fight for equality, while the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza must fight for liberty.”

When the Israeli tactic of uprooting Palestinian olive trees was raised, Fahoum noted: “When the Turks began to cut olive trees in 1910 to build the Hejaz Railway, it was the beginning of the end of the Turks in the Arab world. We treat olive trees as humans, something with a soul. The Turks cut down olive trees for a railroad, the Israelis uproot them to kill the Palestinian spirit. They will never succeed.”

CAIR Excels at KOCE Pledge Event

August 2 marked the first time the Southern California Council on American-Islamic Relations offered to volunteer for a fund-raising event for Orange County’s PBS outlet, KOCE-TV. The result, enthused assistant station manager Ed Miskevich, was a rousing success.

The ethnic heritage series event was publicized as a showing of the documentary “Islam: Empire of Faith,” at which CAIR members were scheduled to man telephones and record pledge donations during breaks from the acclaimed documentary.

From the outset, KOCE received phone calls stating the documentary should not be aired. To its credit, KOCE stayed firm to its commitment to the Muslim community.

“When callers complain and give no reason for their displeasure,” commented Miskevich, “I have no reason but to consider their comments a worthless opinion.”

The day after the showing of “Islam,” Miskevich praised CAIR’s Hussam Ayloush as a “great on-camera spokesman,” who articulately answered incoming questions about Islam. The evening’s success was attributed as well to premium gifts from Muslim donors, hard-working enthusiastic phone volunteers, and a Middle Eastern buffet dinner provided the 35 KOCE staffers and volunteers by Hatam Restaurant.

The amount pledged for the evening was described as “terrific” by Miskevich, who said the pledge benefit with CAIR could represent “the beginning of a trend,” as he planned to inform PBS stations throughout the U.S. of KOCE’s favorable experience. Miskevich since has sent an Internet message to PBS pledge organizers recommending that they use CAIR volunteers for an airing of the “Islam” documentary

Most of the viewer calls were friendly and expressed interest in Islam, although a few crude and insulting calls were made to volunteers, and the CAIR office received a hate message on its answering service that evening.

Miskevich was so pleased with the community response that he said his only regret was having only 22 phones to receive calls.

AAPG Stages Victory Party

Egyptian cinematographer Ramses Marzouk was presented with an award for his contributions to Arab filmmaking at a July 27 dinner program of the Arab American Press Guild. The event also was designated as a victory party to celebrate the court rulings in its favor against three individuals who took the organization’s treasury and documents in August 2000.

AAPG President Samir Twair stated that even though the AAPG has won four court hearings and two appeals, the expelled AAPG members have not complied with court orders to return the group’s treasury. A bench warrant will be issued Sept. 13, Twair said, if the funds have not been returned to the court by that date.

The AAPG president emphasized that, at a time when the organization should be writing about and protesting Israel’s targeting of journalists covering the intifada, the actions of the men who stole AAPG’s documents and treasury funds only benefit Zionist interests.

In accepting his award, Marzouk discussed his latest film, “The Sea Digger.” The Egyptian camerman, who holds a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne University, received a medal this year at the Bratislava Film Festival in Slovakia. His film credits include “The Immigrant,” “Alexandria More and More,” “Why Violet?” and “First Year of Love.”

Dr. Adli Tadwadrous discussed the connections among Arab composers, singers and poets. Whereas Abdel Wahhab was a composer, lyricist and singer, he noted, other artists, such as the Iraqi singer Kazim al-Saher, sang many refrains written by Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani, and Egypt’s Um Kalthoum sang the poems of Ahmed Shawki.

Kalioundji Family Celebrates Graduations

More than 200 friends and relatives gathered in the Northridge home of Tony and Ilham (Amsih) Kalioundji to celebrate the graduation of sons Sam and Ziad. Sam received his bachelor of science degree in neuroscience from UCLA and will be entering medical school in the fall. Ziad has been conferred the degree of doctor of chiropractic from Cleveland Chiropractic College. He will be opening his practice in the Kalioundji Center in Canoga Park.

Also on hand was son Ghassan, who is in his fourth year of medical studies as an intern at the Harvard University School of Medicine.

All three of the Kalioundji sons are Eagle Scouts. Father Tony was a longtime board member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Arab Americans.

LA8 Win Major Court Victory

In a June 21 ruling, Immigration Judge Bruce J. Einhorn held that if the Justice Department proceeds with deportations of two of the LA8, Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, it must do so under the McCarran-Walter Act charges under which they were first arrested. Since these laws no longer are in effect, attempts to deport any of the LA8 would raise suspicions of persecution.

In litigation since 1987, the LA8 case has been reviewed and rejected on the merits by nine judges. The eight, who were students in 1987, were arrested under the McCarthy-era McCarran-Walter Act on charges of advocating world communism, which at that time was a crime. When these charges were dropped, the eight were accused of advocating the killing of government officials and the unlawful destruction of property. When none of these charges could be sustained, the FBI turned the eight over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for deportation.

The LA8 won an injunction preventing their deportation on the grounds that they were being singled out for their pro-Palestinian political views. The government admitted that if the eight had been citizens, they would have been protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is asking Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Justice Department to drop all further attempts to deport any of the eight.

Said Shehedeh, who now is ADC West Coast coordinator, “I never imagined I would go through 14 years of litigation in American courts for loving Palestine and for trying to defend the Palestinian people’s human rights. These things were supposed to happen in Israel and not in the U.S. But it happened here. We have done nothing wrong. All our activities were guaranteed by the Constitution. This was and still is a political prosecution and it is time that justice is served.”

Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles.