Painting terrorist supporters as human rights angels: the International Solidarity Movement

I have written many times before about the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) - an  organisation dedicated to the total destruction of the Jewish state. Lee Kaplan's under-cover report tells you everything you need to know about ISM, including how they get recruits from students brainwashed by anti-Israel professors and how Israeli left-wing organisations such as B'tselem (funded heavily by EU and US taxpayers) provide material and logistical support to ISM, as well as lie on their behalf. If anybody wants to know why single non-Jewish people entering Israel are often given such a hard-time by security staff, they should read Kaplan's article. These people - and there are an ever increasing number of them - are determined to enter Israel and help destroy the country.

Although the ISM website claims it wishes to achieve its aim to destroy Israel by 'non-violent, direct action' it also says it supports 'every type of Palestinian resistance against the Zionists'. There is overwhelming evidence that the organisation provides direct support for terrorism against Israel (see here, here, here, here for example). Moreover, the organisation played a significant role in the suicide bombing of Mike's Place in Tel Aviv in 2003 by the British terrorists Asif Muhammad Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif. Israel's General Security Service (GSS) reported "The two terrorists were careful to base their presence in Judea and Samaria by forging links with members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) ".

The question I want to know is why brainwashed, terrorist-supporting antisemites who join the ISM and go to Israel are feted in the Western Media as 'peace activists'. The latest example of such a person to be eulogised in the most glowing terms is none other than Kayla Mueller - the latest American hostage to be killed by ISIS. The main stream media - without exception - parroted the family line that ''Kayla has touched the heart of the world... the world grieves with us", while President Obama said "she represents what is best about America". None asked why Kayla was hanging out in Syria (putting the US servicemen who tried to rescue her in mortal danger), and none told us the truth about either her stay in Israel with the ISM or her obsessive antisemitic, anti-Israel  social media activity. Lee Kaplan gives the facts not covered elsewhere and it is hard to disagree with the typically brutal Debbie Schlussel report headlined "Kayla Mueller: Dead ISIS Hostage Was Jew-Hating, Anti-Israel Bitch." As Kaplan concludes:

Instead of continuing to help those who needed it in America, she chose to take the ISM’s revolutionary path and to embrace part of the worldwide jihad and she died for it, tragically. But she was no true altruist. She sought “freedom” working to support fascist groups that provide just the opposite for their people and she paid the ultimate price for that choice.

See also:

• The forgotten Rachels
• Ahava protest and the ISM link

Update: Aussie Dave at the excellent Israellycool website has an article criticising pro-Israel bloggers who have posted about Kayla Mueller's anti-Israel background. While I assume the target of his anger was more the likes of Debbie Schlussel (because of her particularly aggressive stance) rather than me, I did feel the need to post the following comments:

The International Solidarity Movement, of which Kayla was an active member, is an increasingly key player in the movement to deligitimze Israel. It has increased antisemitism around the world and not only made life uncomfortable for Israelis but has played a role in the murder of Israeli civilians. It was because of her involvement with ISM and her trip to Israel (to help ISM's stated goal of destroying the Jewish state) that she went on to Syria. The fact that all of the main stream news media failed to mention any of this is a scandal. There are extremely important questions to be asked and lessons to be learned because it gets right to the heart of the hypocrisy about the world's understanding of Israel and the Middle East. Indeed, if only more people had actually exposed the activities of organisations like ISM then Kayla - instead of being brainwashed by them - woulld still be alive today doing genuine good for humanity. I therefore totally diagree with the suggestion of self-censorship in this case and, personally, am very happy with the story I posted about this

one of the respondents said:

Time and place. I believe that's all he's asking for in his article.

to which I responded:

The time and place is now. Fact 1: Kayla's death is the story. Fact 2: the organisation that placed her in danger is known for its brainwashing of young naive people like Kayla and for its support for anti-Israel terrorism. Putting the two facts together can finally expose ISM in the main stream media and the damage it is doing to impressionable youngsters. Result: 1) people better understand the fanaticism and lies of Israel's opponents and 2) future Kayla's are spared her ordeal. In 4 weeks time nobody will be interested in any of this and ISM will be sending its new set of recruits to stone Israelis and stop their kids going to school. Netanyahu - after offering his condolenses - which he did - should have followed up by making the above points. The Israel haters would have hated him no more than they do already, while others would have learnt something important even if it was not the (false) message they wanted to hear.

Update August 2015:Confessions of an ISM member