ZGram - 11/10/2004 - "B'nai Brith taken down a notch!"
zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org
zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org
Wed Nov 10 11:16:44 EST 2004
ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny: Now more than ever!
November 10, 2004
Good Morning from the Zundelsite:
The ZGram reader who sent me this wrote: "It isn't too often that a
Zionist gets nailed for making an 'insensitive' remark."
[START]
Publication: National Post; Date: Nov 3, 2004; Section: Canada; Page: 16
B'nai Brith spokesman quits over TV remarks
B Y B O B H A RV E Y CanWest News Service (Ottawa Citizen)
OT TAWA
* B'nai Brith, the Jewish human rights organization, has accepted the
resignation of one of its spokesmen after he told a television
audience that it was acceptable for Israel to use terror against
Palestinian civilians.
On Oct. 19, Adam Aptowitzer and Mohamed Elmasry, president of the
Canadian Islamic Congress, had both appeared on the Ontario talk show
Michael Coren Show as part of a public affairs panel.
Mr. Elmasry said all Israelis over 18 must serve in the military, and
therefore were legitimate targets for Palestinian suicide bombers,
and his remarks quickly showed up in the media.
Mr. Aptowitzer, the Ontario chairman for B'nai Brith's Institute of
International Affairs, told journalists, "This Elmasry guy considers
any Jew to be a valid target. I was appalled."
Two weeks later Mr. Aptowitzer's own remarks came to light when
Muslim organizations made public a transcript of the televison
program.
The program was titled "What is a terrorist?" and a partial
transcript was given to CAIR-CAN, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations Canada.
In the program, Mr. Aptowitzer justified the use of terrorist tactics
by the Israeli military as necessary to save Israeli lives.
He said, "When Israel uses terror to go, and, I say, uses terror to
destroy a home and convince people to be terrified of what the
possible consequences are, I'd say that's acceptable use to terrify
someone." Later in the program, he added, "Acts that take place in
Gaza and West Bank, you might want to classify them as terrorists
sponsored by the state. But when that is being done to prevent
deaths, are we going to say that that is wrong?"
His remarks were made public on Monday by CAIR-CAN, the Canadian Arab
Federation and the National Council on Canada Arab Relations.
B'nai Brith said Mr. Aptowitzer's remarks do not reflect its position
and accepted his offer to resign.
Mr. Elmasry, a professor at the University of Waterloo, had earlier
apologized for his remarks and offered his resignation as president
of the Canadian Islamic Congress, but it was not accepted. "It has
always been a core belief of mine that killing civilians - any
civilians, for any cause - is an immoral act of the worst kind," he
later said.
The Muslim and Arab organizations repudiated Mr. Elmasry's televised
comments, and called on B'nai Brith to clarify its stand on Israel's
use of terror against Palestinian civilians.
The executive director of CAIRCAN proposed that Muslim and B'- nai
Brith leaders start discussions. Audrey Jamal, executive director of
the Canadian Arab Federation, said, "What has to happen is a dialogue
between these communities. We as Canadians have a rare opportunity to
model that behaviour, and work together accordingly. But it can only
be done if we acknowledge that Palestinians must have security."
B'nai Brith responded, saying, "As much as we value genuine dialogue,
discussions on the terms that they demand would appear to be a
non-starter."
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