Stand With the Eleven Answers Ambassador Oren’s Open Letter
Mengfei Chen | Mar 13, 2010 | Comments 15
Dear Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren,
In your open letter published in the New University, you propose a return to UC Irvine in order to “dialogue” with those whose views juxtapose yours. We willingly take you up on that offer. But to clarify, our willingness does not stem from any delusional notion that your words can right the decades of wrong and injustice. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Your military past with the Israeli “Defense” Force and your current position as the official representative of a state before the UN General Assembly on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity speak louder than any “remarks” you can make.
Mr. Oren, you allude to democracy and peace. Perhaps in your Orwellian doublespeak, “peace” equates apartheid. South African Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu compared “the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks” to that of Black South Africans “when young white police officers prevented us from moving about.” Like the White Afrikaners, you speak of civilization but represent the only modern-day colonialist state. Your state has built a wall – 403 miles long by 25 feet high – deemed illegal in 2004 by the International Court of Justice. This wall (not fence) annexes 80 percent of the most fertile Palestinian land to Israel and separates tens of thousands of indigenous Palestinians from their lands, workplaces and social services. The world celebrated the falling of the Berlin Wall as a symbolism of peace. How then, does Israel’s construction of a wall more than four times its length and twice its height create the underpinnings for peace?
Further, you write of “democratic principles,” undoubtedly as you represent the only “democracy” in the Middle East. That is if you are Jewish, of course. Otherwise, as a Christian or Muslim Palestinian, you live under military occupational rule in shantytowns and Bantustans and are subject to daily evictions, home demolitions and even massive military attacks. Only a few days ago, Israel announced the construction of more than 50,000 settlement units in East Jerusalem. Mr. Oren, during your teaching stints at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown, did you ever come across the term “international law”? As a representative of a nation that has perpetually acted above the law and has been condemned by more UN resolutions than any other nation in the world, you are surely an expert in the “undermin[ing] [of] democratic principles.”
Yet your Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is now drawing up proposals to rewrite international law following Chief Justice Richard Goldstone’s damning 574-page report, which methodically and meticulously outlines Israel’s crimes committed in Gaza last year. The report also concludes that Israel’s three-year-long hermetic closure of Gazan borders, airspace and territorial waters amounts to nothing less than collective punishment, another war crime. Currently, the UN General Assembly has recommended that Israel stand trial before the International Criminal Court. Have you ever considered taking the General Assembly up on that offer? The ICC would be a perfect forum Mr. Oren for you to “exchange ideas with those who disagree” with your Israeli perspective.
Speaking of Justice Goldstone, was your “diplomatic trip” to California merely another propagandizing effort to repaint Israel’s image from a brutal apartheid state to a victimized democracy? After Israel killed over 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza and injured an additional 5,300 others during its 22-day assault, the “New York Times” reported on Israel’s multi-million dollar marketing efforts and PR campaign to whitewash its crimes through cultural and academic channels. As a media spin-doctor during Israel’s war on Lebanon in 2006 and its assault on Gaza in 2008-09, you perfectly suit Israel’s rebranding efforts.
That said, Mr. Oren, you stand corrected; we have been introduced to “different perspectives” as you desire, but in the form of the horrendous brutality presented by the Israeli government. Two of the student protestors had multiple relatives murdered in Gaza. Other protestors witnessed first-hand the desolation of schools, UN buildings, factories, homes, farms and every other facet of Palestinian civil society while on a delegation to Gaza. As a champion of dialogue, you should perhaps attempt “to listen and learn” from Palestinian students who formally attended the American International School in Gaza until it was leveled by Israeli missiles and tanks.
In support of the Palestinians living under occupation and apartheid and those who are denied the right of return, we stand with the eleven students who asserted their constitutional rights to protest. We also stand with those across the U.S. and Europe who are boycotting, divesting and sanctioning your state until it complies with international law and affords the Palestinians their human rights and dignities. Mr. Oren, we accept your offer to return to UCI to expose the “Israeli perspective” for what it is. In consideration of your position as an academic and historian, it is only befitting that a scholar represent the perspective of the indigenous Palestinians which your state continues to humiliate, expunge and brutalize.
The event will be a free public event at UCI and students should be given priority to attend in what would then be a true “marketplace of ideas.” We hope that you will not shy away from such an opportunity to not propagandize, but rather foster an atmosphere of “true civility and respect for freedom of speech.”
We share your optimism that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. And it will be at our universities and on our campuses that the Israeli apartheid, occupation and oppression will be exposed and rejected as was the South African apartheid. Let freedom of speech truly reign.
Signed,
Stand with the Eleven
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Filed Under: Opinion • OpinionEater
@UCI Student.
Wow. I’m not sure where to begin. I proud of UCI for many things, teaching me a thirst for politics and the importance of open and respectful dialogue as well as the critical thinking skills that have served me well so far in my career.
Additionally, for some reason you seem to think I graduated years and years ago, which well isn’t the case. I graduated in 2007 and knew at least one of those arrested when he was a freshman.
And further, do not misunderstand me. I do not think UCI is without flaws and have repeatedly voiced my concerns to Administration on that point. But many of the problems I see are in the crushing of free speech. What the 11 students did to the Ambassador was not free speech, they clearly had no legal right to undertake their actions. Rather, they did have full rights to organize a protest outside the event to make their grievances known to the speaker and the university. Let me be clear, your freedom of speech rights do not give you the right to prevent others from speaking in non-public areas, which includes almost all of UCI (except for the flagpole area, which is why you see protests there, but hardly ever anywhere else on campus). Instead, the individuals decided to act like disgruntled kids and tried to silence the speech of an individual they disagree with which is exactly what it means to suppress free speech. Also, during the course of my time at UCI I witness the MSU invited several speakers that I found offensive and strongly disagreed with, but to the best of my knowledge they were never shouted down.
Today, I make a living in politics. Every day I have to deal with overheated rhetoric from both sides of the aisle. It seems as though on every issue the American people are increasingly polarized on one side or the other and it saddens, but does not surprise me that this is appearing to happen on college campuses such as UCI as well. I was saddened during my time at UCI to see sustained efforts to marginalize the speech of specific groups if they did not tow a specific party line. In fact, Representative Brad Sherman (a California Democrat) has twice written UCI administration in the last several years expressing his concern over what appear to be student group backed anti-semitic activity.
I don’t really expect my words to have any effect on you, but I think it’s still worth the effort. People can and should disagree about things in this world, but it is important that we remember what it means to be American. In part, it means we allow people we disagree with to speak because we expect the right to have the same opportunity. How would you feel if Israeli supporters came to a private event those arrested held and repeated called Palestinians terrorists and murderers until the even had to be shut down?
Well, it’s two in the morning and while I’m not sure my post is entirely coherent, but I’ve had to write too much this week as it is, so I’m just going to leave it at that. It appeared as though you wanted a reply so there you have one.
FYI, people….
Mengfei Chen is just the Opinion editor for the New U who posted this letter, which is from a body of students and not any one individual; Chen has no affiliation with the 11 MSU disruptors.
The irony here is that the Jewish students on campus give the MSU a form of respect that is in no way mutual or deserved; they don’t try to shut down their events like the MSU did with the Oren speech.
In the Orwellian world of UC/Irvine freedom of speech equals shouting down invited guests and apartheid equals this:
Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Somalia, Yemen and Mauritania are all 100% Muslim without any non-Muslim citizens. But none of these countries practice apartheid because all minorities have been “eliminated”.
Meanwhile, Israel –”the apartheid state” — has close to a 20% Muslim demographic profile with this demogrpahic group increasing faster than any other demographic group.
Why is it that at the Orwellian college known as UC/Irvine freedom of speech equals Muslims shouting down speakers they do not agree with and countries like the apartheid state of Saudi Arabia are beyond reproach while Israel is the focus of never-ending criticism?
Talk about hypocrisy.
And why is it if UC/Irvine values freedom of speech so darn much my comments are so often refused by those who monitor this site while young, angry, belligerent students are free to shout down anyone they disagree with?
Yeah, let’s all just keep quiet so we don’t shame UCI and its complicity in genocide and apartheid. I don’t want my degree to be shamed and discredited. Justice? Equality? Liberation? What are these stupid ideals? I’d rather just get my little degree, whine, and then get out of here!
DEAR MSU DISRUPTORS-
Grow the fuck up.
Love,
Me
I don’t understand why the 11 couldn’t have said everything that was just written, after the lecture in the Q&A session. Wouldn’t that be a more sensible and meaningful approach to discourse than shouting childish interruptions?
Free speech or not, more is said by the chickenshit actions of the 11 than by what they actually said. And, instead of possibly having that meaningful Q&A, the NewU is now bombarded by endless, one-sided rants where nothing is accomplished but the spreading of hate. Like in a good marriage, nothing is accomplished when each of the participants is shouting at each other all the time. It takes active listening. So, just stop. Please. Listen, then respond.
Lastly, realize that threats and demands mean nothing to rank. We should feel privileged to have had an Ambassador on campus, and you BLEW it. With rank, even those you disagree with, understand that respect (showing of respect for position and title, not the person) and civility go a long way. I learned the golden rule many years ago: treat others as you would have them treat you. Had the 11 simply presented challenging questions instead of vitriolic statements, this blemish to the credibility of the campus might not have happened.
Israel isn’t perfect. There are actions that the Likud party carries out that I do not agree with. However, this is such a distorted piece it isn’t even worth my time to even comment much. It leaves so much out that it would be laughable if not for the fact that whoever wrote sincerely believes this is a sensible perspective.
The New University is rewarding students for acting like two years old and throwing a tantrum and disrupting a speaker giving a lecture in an auditorium. Has the New University ever printed an article on what Oren said during his lecture?
Meanwhile, the New University has provided a platform for these disruptive students to spew their venom and share their warped and distorted version of reality.
@UCI Alum: Could you please clarify what it is exactly about UCI that you are so proud of? The fact that it’s undergoing the process of becoming a privatized business that seeks to exploit its human resources? Or the fact that minority student groups can’t even exercise their freedom of speech (and they did so because they felt that the system – one that is inherently biased in its stance on the Middle East Conflict – was unwilling to engage with them in “civilized discourse” and sought to marginalized them through oppressive means) without being threatened with expulsion?
Do all of us current students a favor and stop pretending that UCI is the great ol’ institution that it must have once been in your memories from when you were still a student here and actually take the time to educate yourself on the current situation. The only thing that is embarrassing or shameful here is the fact that despite having once walked in our shoes, you still find it appropriate to use the rhetoric of the civilized/uncivilized binary to criticize your peers who have made great personal sacrifices to defend this university.
I’m sorry, will you please stop defacing the New U website with drivel like that?
You took many points completely out of context. The article never proposed to make “Israel go away”; you merely spun the words around. The article criticizes the hypocrisy of Israel’s foreign policy; it in no way encroaches on Israel’s right to self determination. Furthermore, you reduce international indignation regarding transgressions of universal human rights to being “passionate about Palestine”. This isn’t a squabble in the sandbox, this is a conflict that has stretched on for generations. In order for the debate that Mr. Oren offered to be functional, critical issues such as the wall that isolates people from their lifelines must be adressed. Moreover, the fact that Mr. Oren is regarded internationally as a war criminal raises questions about his adequacy as a representative of the state of Israel.
In your words, I don’t suppose Mr. Oren is “shedding any positive light with actions like those that were taken against” the Palestinians.
Sit with the Eleven,
You speak of an “Orwellian” world. Well let me just say you “Eleven” would make Orwell’s head spin.
You also speak of an “Apartheid” country. Your definition of “apartheid” would make Orwell’s head spin.
You speak of a “dialogue” with Ambassador Oren. He has already experienced your idea of a “dialogue” and your idea of a “dialogue” would make Orwell’s head spin.
In short, Ms. Mengfei, your letter, your logic, your reality, would make Orwell’s head spin.
Let’s take “apartheid” to illustrate just how “Orwellian” your logic truly is.
http://www.hudsonny.org/2010/03/what-about-the-arab-apartheid.php
I’m sorry… will you please stop embarrassing UCI with drivel like this? I am proud of UCI and my time there, but frankly articles like this that are less than intellectually honest only serve to harm your own cause in the media and make UCI a laughingstock amongst Universities around the nation.
There is plenty of room for legitimate debate on both sides of this issue, neither the Palestinians or the Israelis are free of blame, but articles such as this one only serve to harden the lines between the sides creating only more conflict. Only when both sides agree to talk to each other can resolution be achieved. Mr. Oren has signaled that willingness to debate and if you truly cared about bringing about a long term improve in the quality of life for the Palestinian people you would take him up on that, because after 50 years it is clear that Israel is not going away whether you want it to or not.
I apologize if I offend anyone with these remarks that is not my intent, I am simply tired that every time I hear about my school on the news it is because of some unproductive and anti-free speech protest which is incredibly disheartening and damaging to the degree I worked hard to earn. For the people who are passionate about Palestine, its time to reevaluate some of your tactics, you are not shedding any positive light with actions like those that were taken against Mr. Oren.
Open letter sent to the OC Register:
Editor,
Let me dispel a few fictions:
1) Israel is not God.
2) It’s ambassador is not God’s representative.
3) And while we’re at it, opposing Zionism is not anti-Semitic.
And as Erwin Chemerinsky would have said if the eleven students had momentarily disrupted any other ambassador but that of his precious Israel, their short action did not violate freedom of expression; their threatened expulsion does.
At least one of the students lost family members in Israel’s massacre of Gaza; what is he – or the others – supposed to do? Be polite to their murderer’s apologists?
Remember what JFK said: “Those who make non-violent revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.” The eleven – like hundreds of Palestinians in Palestine – are trying to stop the destruction of their lives non-violently; support them!
Carolfrances Likins
Students for Eleven wrote, “We share your optimism that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. And it will be at our universities and on our campuses that the Israeli apartheid, occupation and oppression will be exposed and rejected as was the South African apartheid. Let freedom of speech truly reign.”
Remind me one more time. In which Muslim country is freedom of speech practiced? Did you say Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia? I didn’t think so.
Yet –and as has been discussed before – in Israel Muslims ARE member so Israel’s parliament and are FREE to speak, FREELY. If they are not happy being in the minority, which of course they are in Israel they are free to move to Saudi Arabia. The only problem with that, though, is in Saudi Arabia they would not be allowed to become citizens, because Saudi Arabia –along with every other Arab country (sans Jordan), will not afford Palestinians the right to citizenship.
Why is it that Israel affords Palestinians these rights while Arabs do not? Why?
Concerning apartheid and Israel let me remind you that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where over 20% of its citizens are not of ONE religious faith. Here are the demographic religious profiles of Israel versus a hand-full of Muslim countries. But before pasting this demographic religious profile let me just say that the Orwellian nature of your position is laughable other than the fact that so many people latch onto it. In any case it is quite obvious it is you, and not Ambassador Oren, who needs a lecture on freedom of speech and the true meaning of apartheid.
I have listed the percentage of Muslim citizens in a handful of countries. In each of the countries listed the trends are toward the percentage of Muslims increasing, except, of course, where it is already 100% Muslim.
Saudi Arabia: 100% Muslim/Not one non-Muslim citizen.
Iran: 98% Muslim.
Turkey: 98% Muslim.
Afghanistan: 100% Muslim.
Pakistan: 95% Muslim.
Somalia: 100% Muslim.
Sudan: Estimated 70% Muslim. I wonder how long the genocide will continue before it is 100% Muslim?
Libya: 97% Muslim.
Yemen: 100% Muslim.
Mauritania: 100% Muslim
Algeria: 100% Muslim.
Israel: 75% Jewish. 16% Muslim with the Muslim population the fastest growing.
Irvine Eleven,
Your letter is filled with many inaccuracies. You really, really need to consult some history books.
Your own people use Israel as a cause to whitewash your own human rights violations, your own human abuse violations. You use millions of Palestinian pawns so that people don’t speak about women get stoned and raped, women forced to cover their faces, children being brutalized by their own families.
Terry
Hello Ms Chen: good for you.
We have a discussion list, USQuagmire@yahoogroups.com, where you would be welcome! 350+ members
Please advise if you are interested.
Mark Richie