KERRY INSTIGATING ANTI ISRAEL BACKLASH : ADL raps Kerry, says talk ofboycott invites anti-Israel backlash if peace talks fail

In a letter to Kerry, ADL chief Abe Foxman says that secretary's warning of boycott has the opposite effect.

The Anti-Defamation League, one of the US's most powerful Jewish organizations known for its advocacy on behalf of Israel, criticized Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday for comments he made in Munich regarding the negative consequences that Israel can expect if efforts to achieve a two-state solution break down.

In a letter to Kerry, ADL chief Abe Foxman said that while he appreciated Kerry's efforts to move the peace process forward, the remarks about Israel's likely ostracism in the event that no deal is reached will only spur the pro-boycott elements and the Palestinians to become further entrenched in their positions while being less likely to compromise.

"Describing the potential for expanded boycotts of Israel makes it more, not less, likely that the talks will not succeed; makes it more, not less, likely that Israel will be blamed if the talks fail; and more, not less, likely that boycotts will ensue," Foxman wrote. "Your comments, irrespective of your intentions, will inevitably be seen by Palestinians and anti-Israel activists as an incentive not to reach an agreement; as an indicator that if things fall apart, Israel will be blamed; and as legitimizing boycott activity.""In speaking about the price Israel will pay if the peace talks break down and Israel is blamed, you may have thought you were merely describing reality," Foxman said. "But as the key player in the process, the impact of your comments was to create a reality of its own."

Kerry's comments, which also drew sharp reaction from Israeli politicians, including cabinet ministers in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government, were initially made during his appearance at last week's Munich Security Conference.

"You see, for Israel there’s an increasing delegitimization campaign that has been building up,” Kerry said. “People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things. Are we all going to be better with all of that?”

Israeli politicians’ sharp criticism of Kerry led to the State Department issuing an unusual statement Sunday imploring Kerry’s critics not to distort his words.

“Secretary Kerry has a proud record of over three decades of steadfast support for Israel’s security and well-being, including staunch opposition to boycotts,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki wrote.

US National Security Advisor Susan Rice came to Kerry's defense on Tuesday after he wasroundly criticized by a number of Israeli government officials over comments that he made on the weekend  about the Israeli Palestinian peace talks. 

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ADL Chairman: US Position on Pollard Reflects Anti-Semitic MythsAbraham Foxman says that Obama's refusal to release Pollard is aneffort 'to scare the American Jewish community.'

Jonathan Pollard

Yehuda Glick

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Chairman Abraham Foxman was quoted by Maariv Tuesday as having called the US's refusal to release Jonathan Pollard as a form of "revenge" against the American Jewish community. 

According to the daily, Foxman revealed in a Tablet interview that his personal views on the Pollard case have changed overthe years, after US officials in the last government publicly stated that the Israeli spy's punishment is "unjust." 

"When Pollard's case first became public 28 years ago, there were those who believed that his punishment - life imprisonment - was rife with anti-Semitism," Foxman explained. "We at the ADL took the accusation very seriously, launched our own investigation, and concluded that no anti-Semitism was involved in the sentence whatsoever." 

"Calls to release the prisoner escalated, but they fell on deaf ears," Foxman continued, noting that by this time, there was no reason to continue holding Pollard. "It became clear to everyone that the US had nothing to gain from Pollard, that he had no new information from him that could advance American interests." 

"The fact that Pollard has shared information with US's ally Israel justifies punishment," he qualified, "but not such a long imprisonment, and the fact that information was passed to such a close ally garners the need for a more positive response to calls for his early release." 

Foxman went on to say that he does not want to compare the actions of Pollard as someone who "betrayed his country" with the recent revelations about wiretapping and surveillance carried out by US intelligence against Israeli leaders. "However, these discoveries add more context to the absurd ongoing revenge against one man," he noted. 

"Yes, I use that word (revenge) because that is what it seems like at this stage," he continued. "If it was only a vendetta against one man it was bad enough. But it has now become a campaign against the entire American Jewish community," Foxman accused. 

'Imprisonment of one person for so long who should have been released on humanitarian grounds symbolizes the American [government's] effort to scare the American Jewish community," Foxman stated, "and are based on anti-Semitic myths about American Jewry." 

Foxman may be referring to reports surfaced earlier this week that the administration of US President Barack Obama, as well as US Secretary of State John Kerry, have been "disappointed" in Jewish criticism of the US's policies toward Israel. Statements made by the two - if the report is true - suggest that the two have adopted a stance very close to the shrill charges of a "Jewish lobby" controlling Congress,  

Foxman also cited a Zionist Organization of America poll released Monday which shows that the American public largely supports Israel, and shows a distinct contrast between the will of US leaders and the will of the American people. 

Pollard has been subject of a high-profile campaign for his release, after being held in the US for more than 28 years on spying allegations. He was arrested by FBI agents in 1985 and held in jail since. 

While numerous efforts have been made to secure his release over the intervening decades, calls for his freedom have resurfaced since it was revealed last month that the US and UK have been spying on top Israeliofficials, including the Prime Minister. Pollard was arrested on charges far less serious, critics noted, and slammed the Obama administration for "hypocrisy." 

The calls for Pollard's release have gained so much support across partylines that over 106 MKs attended a special Knesset session to protest Obama's refusal to release the prisoner, and signed a petition urging the President to reconsider. 

Arutz 7
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ADL raps Qatari organizers of swim competition over Israeli flag flap

The Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday criticized the Qatari organizers of an international swimming competition during which an Israeli flag was removed from display over the weekend.

The controversy erupted when officials at the FINA Swimming World Cup removed an Israeli flag from display at the Hamad Aquatic Center in Doha. One of the participants in the competition was Amit Ivry, Israel’s swimming champion who ended up capturing the silver medal in the 100-meter individual medley.

During the medal ceremony, the Israeli flag was raised in tribute to Ivry’s performance, but when Ivry’s image was flashed on television, the on-screen graphics showed a white box in the area where normally a flag would appear indicating the athlete’s representative country. 

“While it is notable that Israeli swimmers competed in the Swimming World Cup, the Qatari organizers surrendered to complaints and effectively whitewashed Israeli symbols from the competition,” ADL chief Abe Foxman said. “As more and more Arab countries host international sporting events in which Israeli athletes compete, this is an unacceptable gesture.”

“International sporting federations, who have guidelines mandating that all qualifying athletes be permitted to compete, must also now ensure that host countries guarantee that all participants and national teams – regardless of their nationalities – be treated equally, and that their national origin be fully recognized,” Foxman said. “Organizers of international sporting events cannot permit public opinion to politicize competitions, nor sully competitors.”

Jerusalem post
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Natorei Karta, Jewish Voice for US - Peace among ADL's Top 10anti-Israel groups

ADL releases top US groups "fixated with delegitimizing Israel."

"The Top 10 anti-Israel groups are the most significant players in the domestic anti-Israel movement today,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “The groups are fixated on delegitimizing Israel and convincing the American public that Israel is an international villain that deserves to be ostracized and isolated.”Each of the selected groups, according to the  ADL, is “fixated with delegitimizing Israel” and has demonstrated the ability to reach new segments of the American public with a hostile and misleading narrative about Israel.

The ADL listed ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), American Muslims for Palestine, CODEPINK, Friends of Sabeel-North America, If Americans Knew/Council for the National Interest, Jewish Voice for Peace, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Natorei Karta, Students for Justice in Palestine and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation as the top ten anti-Israel groups.

Foxman further added that the groups on the ADL's list " lob any and every accusation against Israel, including charges of Nazi-like crimes, ‘apartheid’ policies, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and genocide. Their accusations are rarely, if ever, balanced with an acknowledgement of Israel’s repeated efforts to make peace with the Palestinians, or the legitimate terrorism concerns faced by Israeli citizens.” 

Natorei Karta, the ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist group was new to this year's list.

A fringe ultra-Orthodox sect established in Jerusalem in 1938, Natorei Karta (Aramaic for “Guardians of the City”) believes Israel can be reestablished only after the coming of the Messiah. The group therefore rejects Zionism and opposes the existence of the state.

Members of the sect in Israel and the US are known to burn the Israeli flag and have sent representatives to attend conferences in Iran in the past. 

The Jewish Voice for Peace group was a repeat offender on the ADL anti-Israel list.

According to the ADL, the JVP group's leaders and members of its Rabbinical Council are regularly invited to major anti-Israel events and conferences, and the group claims that its Jewish nature gives it a “particular legitimacy in voicing an alternative view.” 

ADL further noted in its report that JVP “intentionally exploits Jewish culture and rituals” in an effort to convince other Jews that opposition to Israel does not contradict, but is consistent with, Jewish values.      

Jeruselam post