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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