Yet Another ISM Lier Exposed by Bruce S. Ticker 10:21am Mon Aug 18 '03 Frank was probably coached by ISM to dream up a story to tell officials who might ask her why she was traveling to Israel. ISM has all kinds of suggestions for deception on its Web site. But if they lie when they arrive in Israel, how can they be trusted to tell the truth about their activities in the territories? print article In the film Bugsy, Warren Beatty’s Bugsy Siegel murders or humiliates anyone who steals from him. Imagine that! A famous gangster who feels betrayed whenever he is a victim of theft. Danielle Sara Frank claimed to be a victim of journalistic deception when she complained that Daniel Brook, a reporter for the Philadelphia City Paper, misrepresented himself in contacting her by e-mail about her ventures with Palestinians in Israel’s West Bank. Frank has experience with deception. She neglected to tell the people at Birthright Israel, who flew her to Tel Aviv for a free 10-day trip to Israel, that she planned to volunteer with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement. Nothing wrong with being pro-Palestinian. I’m pro-Palestinian. I’m pro-anyone who seeks to lead a normal life without bothering other people. Those “peace activists” from the ISM do bother people. They bother Israeli troops when they attempt to carry out their orders. They have disrupted numerous military activities by blocking roads, sneaking food to besieged terrorists and attempting to tear down the security fence going up between Israel proper and the West Bank. The question is not whether some of Israel’s military actions might be inappropriate, but how to respond to such situations. By injecting themselves into the middle of military activities, ISM members - many of whom are recruited from the United States and Europe - are inflaming an already volatile situation, which could lead to deaths and injuries. Would they cross a police line back at home? There are political means to deal with their concerns about Israeli policies, but those associated with ISM have not bothered trying said political means. When Danielle Frank arrived in Israel, Brook reported in the Aug. 7 issue, a tour leader asked the 22-year-old Jewish woman from a Philadelphia suburb why she was participating in the Birthright trip, one-third of which was paid for by the Israeli government. Frank told Brook in an e-mail from the West Bank, “I said that I came because I didn’t like what I saw on TV about Israel and wanted to see things for myself.” She wrote to the reporter that this “was a calculated answer that was somewhat cryptic because if you ask anyone who is… pro-Israeli, they’ll tell you that all of the news is biased against Israel, but any activist working for Palestine in the U.S. will tell you that the American media is decidedly pro-Israel.” Frank was probably coached by ISM to dream up a story to tell officials who might ask her why she was traveling to Israel. ISM has all kinds of suggestions for deception on its Web site. If these ISM members are involved in a just cause, why must they lie about their intentions? If they lie when they arrive in Israel, how can they be trusted to tell the truth about their activities in the territories? Israel should deport anyone it finds who lies to authorized government representatives about their intentions. They can’t be trusted. Likewise, I hope that Birthright attempts to retrieve from Frank the estimated $2,000 it spent on her. In a letter published in the Aug. 14 City Paper, a Philadelphia weekly, Frank has the audacity to accuse Brook of misrepresenting himself. She admits in the letter that she tried to condition the terms of her interview, which is a sure way of telegraphing that she has something to hide. “I told him that I was willing to do an interview about my activities in Palestine and participation with the International Solidarity Movement on the condition that Birthright is not to be discussed,” she wrote. “This was for multiple reasons but most importantly because the premise under which I was willing to be interviewed was to bring light to the Palestinian struggle and to provide a firsthand account of the illegal occupation of Palestine to the international media. “Brook responded by writing, ‘I agree not to ask you about Birthright but Birthright will have to be mentioned in the story’ solely because ‘it’s part of the chronology of your story.’” Reading between the lines, Brook probably felt like writing, “Screw you.” Her letter continues, “It is clear through Brook’s angle that he intentionally misrepresented his agenda. There is an obvious difference between mentioning Birthright as part of a larger, more holistic story and running a feature on Birthright. “Besides being ethically questionable journalism, it is also lazy, irresponsible and irrelevant. Who cares if I went to Palestine via Birthright?” Since she asks, probably every person who contributes money to Birthright or supports it in some way would care “if I went to Palestine via Birthright.” Birthright didn’t spend money on her so she could help a group that is considered to be anti-Israel. Her gripe about the reporter’s sense of ethics says this about her: She has chutzpah. www.israelnationalnews.com/article.html3?... add your comments Source file

Where the blame lies, where the deceit lies by Eyal 11:40am Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment We knoledgable Israelis like to play games. We don't want ISM messing with our occupation so we don't want internationals coming here to do activities with ISM. We know that if they say at the airport that they have come to enter the Occupied Territories and do non-violent demonstrations against the occupation that they will be immediately sent on a plane back to where they come from (after interrogation and incarceration perhaps). We Israelis who understand the system at Ben Gurion know that there is no way they would be able to enter and do their actions if they told the authorities what they plan to do. This has nothing to do with whether the actions are justified, this has to do with the ideology and desire for complete control on the side of the Israeli authorities, acting as nodes of power in the apparatus of the occupation. We know that the ISM activists cannot both tell the truth at the airport and be activists. They have to either withhold information (decieve) from the authorities who ideologically and structurally are part of the system of occupation, and then free themselves to become non-violent activists against the occupation; or tell the truth and not be able to do the activities which they think are ethically imperitive. A bit of a Sophie's Choice here. The structure and ideology of occupation keeps itself alive through the constant stifling of any threat to its existence. Non-violent demonstration which disrupts the smooth running of the occupation and creates a media spectacle focusing international attention upon its mechanisms, is anathema to the system and will not be tolerated. And we Israelis who don't want these troublemaking do-gooders to come here (WE say evil-doers because the occupation is purity incarnate) know that this is the case. But we play a game, saying that their lies belie a deeper evil. And in fact it does belie a deeper evil, but it is the evil of occupation which makes this deceit by the internationals unavoidable. We, however, don't want them here, so we demand truth at the border, and when they don't give it (for they can't), we accuse them. And we laugh to ourselves, because we win either way. We dirty them with the accusation of deceit and if they tell the truth, we rid ourselves of their presence. add your comments

Not True by Daniela 12:47pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment If what you say were true all those that were arrested in mas'ha - all 47 of them - would be deported. They were not deported even though once they were arrested during an ISM activity the "authorities" knew very well who they are. All of them (except 1 ?) were released. Even the Palestinian that took part in this non-violent action was released. ISM is built on lies. From the entry into the country all the way to "truth tours" across the US once they are done. The ISMers are inflaming an already volatile situation, which could lead to deaths and injuries. Most of them, even though they go through a short training do not know enough about the area and it's customs. On the one hand they insult Palestinians by distributing toys and candies on the street on the other hand they raise the level of violence by (some of them) becoming "Tank Chasers" and playing cat and mice game with the army. Before Rachel Corie was killed there were many ISMers who complain about those among them who were "Tank Chasers" If ISMer who truly is non-violent - would tell the truth at the airport they would be let in - those among them who are inciters, provocateurs, liars and tank chasers should better be denied entry. By making them lie the ISM head honchos turning all of them to criminals from the moment they set foot in Ben Gurion or Alenby bridge. If you are a Marxist, I can understand why you may think something good can come out of lying. But if you are truly progressive, pacifist and believe in Karma – lying and incitement is not the proper way to bring peace add your comments

True Progressives believe in Rakii by Ohmmm-Taka-waka 1:05pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment True Progressives believe in Karma and Rakii and trancendental meditation. They believe in goddess love and Celtic Warlock wizardry. That is what a true progressive thinks about. add your comments

All 47 of um by Eyal 1:17pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment First, not all fourty-seven of them were intenationals. They weren't going to deport the Israelis and Palestinians. Actually one of the main reasons that they weren't deported was because this was a large number of arrestees, mixed with Israelis who advocated for them and made the whole arrest incident into an international media event. If one looks at the pattern of deportation, they do it with very small numbers at a time, usually individuals, which make less of a media wave (if the media picks it up at all). Mas'ha was the exception, not the rule, but you know that to be the truth. Second, there is a qualitative difference between disbarring entry and actively deporting an individual that is already here. Daniela, please tell me truthfully (you say that truth is above all), can you really say to me with a straight (virtual) face that if those international protestors who were detained at Mas'ha, and were eventually released, would have been allowed into the country if at the airport or at the brigde, they would have said: "I am coming to Israel to enter the occupied West Bank and do non-violent protests against the path of the security fence and against Israeli military house demolitions." For your previous comment to be valid (equating release of the internationals without deportation with allowing them in the country if they said what they were going to do) the authorities at the border and airports would have to allow them in under these conditions. You and I both know that they would not have been let in, so stop with the nonsense, b'emet... add your comments

Innuendo, Innuendo, Innuendo by Jordan From Canada 1:22pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Not a lot of real substance in this leibellous piece, is there? ISM represents meaningful, peaceful Resistance, something which cannot be "spun" for political gain the way suicide bombings have been. This, coupled with their demomstrated ability to expose Israeli actions and brutality, threatening Israeli "aid" payments and "loans" (billions of which find their way into Israel's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs, as opposed to any sort of social structure benefitting the average Israeli) is the reason Israel and its Zionist Extremist supporters worldwide have engaged in this campaign of Slander, Libel, and direct Repression (As in the case of the murder of Rachel Corrie - a War Crime) against the group. This demonstrates Israel's fear of allowing honest, peaceful, reasonable, non-Extremist voices into the conflict, as well as the knowledge that what they are doing is morally wrong. Here in Canada, we live in an open and integrated society. Your racial discrimination, paranoia, and ignorance is shocking to us, and feels like something that used to exist, not something that actually still occurs. You do realize that your "leaders" laugh at you every time you disseminate this garbage. You are playing their "divide and conquer" game, and more than that, you honestly believe there is some merit in it. We all have to share this floating rock. Your brother is not your enemy. While you're busy hating your brother, your true enemy is committing real crimes right under your nose. add your comments

Some problems in your logic by Daniella 1:50pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment 1. 41 out of the 47 were internationals. 2. If they would say they come to see the west bank, help in humanitarian work and protest - they would be let in. 3.There are known cases - such as the silent march - were people told the truth and were admitted. Many people file visa application for the 2nd march in September and received Visas. 4. Those come to incite, those who based their stay on lies - should not be admited. 5. Once a person is in the country deporation is deporation - everyone is entitled to a hearing before a judge so I don't think many of your argument hold water. The bottom line: ISM encourge activists to lie - it sais so right on its web site. How can an orgnaization that is based on lies be trusted... ? add your comments

What is silent protest? by ? 2:18pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment What is silent protest? Are you involved? add your comments

Silent March mentioned by Danniella by LSM 2:38pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Look at this and understand what it really means to be a "peace actvist". ------------------------------------- Global Women's March for Peace and Justice, for peace in Palestine and Israel, will be held September 4-September 25, 2003, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This International Human Rights March originated with a group of Norwegian women, and is supported by Norwegian Peace Alliance and Norwegian Women's International League for Peace and Freedom [WILPF]. In Israel, the march is supported by the coalition of women for Peace and WILPF-Israel. In Palestine, supporters include the General Union of Palestinian Women. It is endorsed by hundreds of women's and peace groups around the world. There are a whole range of ways to potentially support it individually, organizationally, locally, and internationally. websites are www.humanrightsmarch.org. the US website is http://www.uscom-humanrightsmarch.org. Check it out!! add your comments

Daniela is LSM? by Could be? 2:43pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Is Daniela LSM? add your comments

Lying, like pretending you are a woman? by LiarSM 2:51pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Hey I think could be is right. LSM, lying, like pretending you are a woman? add your comments

LSM is not the issue. ISM is. by LSM 3:06pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment I am not sure where you got the idea that I am not a woman. Maybe I am genderless. Maybe my name is Daniella and I am part of the Local Solidarity Movement with the suffering of both the Palestinians and the Israeli people. I was never the issue. It is flattering that all of you guys (men?) are so interested in me but the issues are: - Peace and how to get to it, - Occupation and how to end it - Cessation of violence from both sides - Incitement and how international forces, (just like in the days of the British and French empires) are making the Locals suffer more. Let the locals, without leaders, without internationals solve our problems - we just want to live in peace. add your comments

Yes! by ISMer 3:25pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment I realy think it's a real good idea to have Israeli organisations who support the appartheid idea of the israeli goverment to pay your trip! In moralic ways I will never have a problem to lie towards people who are paid by this kind of goverment to impose this kind of Ideas. The main problem with many people who are writing about ISM is that actualy they can not imagine what it means to see the people in rafah, to eat their food, to sleep in a house not knowing when the bulldozer will arive. to see kids aged under 10 years but extremly good in trowing stones. and to see israeli soldiers who use the machine gun on the merkawa to shout on this kids. once you have spent so many months in the occupied teritories, you have seen the soldiers cry, because they just fullfill orders, you will understand. it's not about in which god somebody believes, it's not about which terrorists are more bloodthursty. it's about leaders who know nothing else than military actions and building fences and to think about how to destroy cost efective. most of the people in israel and palestine want peace and to be able to just live without fear. but with this goverments ? and yes, we do cros police lines in our countries... add your comments

This is indeed the problem by LSM 3:32pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Ride on Israeli buses once in a while. Eventually you will Israeli suffering add your comments

Why do you want the Silent March then? by Eyal 3:33pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Hey wait, if you are against international involvement in ending the Israeli occupation, then why do you suggest that the silent march, bringing international women to Israel to march is a good thing. By the way, you did decieve. You wrote as Daniella and then wrote as LSM suggesting that what Daniella said was a good thing (pretending that you were agreeing with each other when you were only agreeing with yourself). That is deceitfull in my opinion. add your comments

Silent march by LSM 4:08pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Silent march is not incitment. ISM is inciting against Israel - this leads to more vioelnce. Read Ghandy and you will see how far ISM is from true non-violence. add your comments

israeli buses ? by ISMer 4:08pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment I took many rides in Israeli buses, or do you think I had a palestinian driver from the well known organizations (we learned from official gov pages, that we are all terrorists) who brought me to erez ? Once I felt realy well protected. I was the only civilian in the bus - all others were soldiers and the bus was full. It was interesting to see the diferent technics the soldiers used to carry their M-16 in the bus. The same in the Mc Donalds in Ashkallon. add your comments

Hey Daniella, check this out by International women Human Rights March 4:46pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Check out what the International women Human Rights March has to say in their "Information for March Participants" link (http://www.uscom-humanrightsmarch.org./InfoForMarchParticipants.html) ` add your comments

ISMer justify murder ? by LSM 5:00pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment What is your point ? That only soldier ride on buses ? This is the Hammas nonsense. This is how they justify killing Israeli school children. No one asked you to ride a bus and be impressed by those (Long, Rigid I wish they were pink) M-16 rifles. [Clearly sista, you are a woman.] When I said ride Israeli buses, I did not mean to the border at Erez. Ride a bus for two weeks in Jerusalm with a sign in Arabic (like those sign in Hebrew you ISM put on homes in raffah). The sign should read: "International and children on this bus. Do not detonate here" If by the end of your 3-4 weeks of riding buses in Jerusalm you will still be in one piece you will have the comfort of knowing that you helped peace. If you died in an terrorists explosion: I hope you get better seplling in Arabic in future life. add your comments

no. by ISMer 10:17pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment i didn't say that I believe that only soldiers ride in buses. hamas gives a damm about who is in the bus, they are just happy if they catch as many jews as possible. but it's bullshit to believe that hamas guys are like the palestinian people in general - I also don't claim that mr mofaz is like all the israeli people. in total I was more than three weeks in jerusalem and I took every vehicle that was available, the same in Tel Aviv. only the israeli drivers were sometimes not ready to drive to damascus gate. however I agree with your ideas about the guns. make love, not war ;-), I also believe that in the israeli army one needs no helping tool, since the people are young and atractive. add your comments

LSM, and daniela by > 11:23pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment I somehow doubt that you ever took the time to read Gandhis writinigs as you don't even know how to spell the leaders'name... add your comments

does the silent peace protest apply anywhere by else> 11:28pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment Instead of the pre-emptive strike against the Iraqis, the coalition should have organized a silent peace protest... thus not meddling in their business. add your comments

to the genderless leftist by >? 11:44pm Mon Aug 18 '03 print comment The soldiers hide behind women and children... thus risking the lives of all aboard. BTW, no one in their right minds wishes for any civilian to die, except of course for the Zionist regime which exploits the brutal and often death of their own citizens to seize additional land while creating more havoc for all involved. add your comments

...And the ISM, by Petr 10:34am Tue Aug 19 '03 print comment The greatest thing that ever happened to the ISM was the death (suicide?) of Rachel Corrie. But the ISM would never exploit the death of Saint Pancake now, would it? Of course it would, every chance it gets. I'll bet the ISM is feverishly working to get a few more of their idiots shot or maimed. That way the parents of the losers could go on speaking tours, etc...And then it justifies all the stuff they make up about Israel. add your comments

How the mas'ha internationals were treated by Laura 12:28pm Tue Aug 19 '03 print comment During the detention in Ariel rights were denied to Lorenza Erlicher , italian citizen.Though she couldn't speak nor hebrew and english they tried to make her sign papers in Hebrew.They never provided her a translator and denied her to see her lawyer.She was charged with violent resistance on the basis of footage done by the police and never shown to anybody including lawyers and representatives of the italian embassy.She was deported on the 7th of august after spending two nights in Hadera prison. If this is the routine with international citizens, i am afraid to think what happens with palestinians. The following petition was presented by italian citizes to the italian counsolate in jerusalem on august the 8th 2003: 8th August 2003 We, group of italian citizens represented by the signatories respectfully ask the Italian Rapresentations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to intervene with the Israeli competent authorities in order to clarify the following issues concerning the detention of Ms Lorenza Erlicher between the dates 5th August and 7th August, viz: 1) not having adequate legal assistence as in her rights. 2) not having received adequate translation for legal documentation she was asked to sign. 3) Her lawyers not having access to footage filmed by the police before her detention ( which is subsequently being used as evidence by the State of Israel against her ). The Facts Lorenza Erlicher was with a group of peace activists trying to save a family’s property from demolition ad effective entrapment between two parts of the “ security fence”. She arrived in Mas’ha in the morning of Sunday 3rd august 2003. During her stay, she witnessed soldiers and other security personnel entering and leaving the compound. Tuesday, 5th August, at approximatly 6.30 am police and military approched the group .A short discussion ensued and soldiers and policemen adviced the group to vacate the area. About five minutes later, the group set down in a circle and linked arms. At about 7.00 am, soldiers returned and ordered the group to move out. Five minutes after this members of the group carrying recording equipment were arrested. Immediately after, the peaceful demonstrators were forcibly and violently removed-dragged over aproximatly 250 meters over concrete, rubble,glass and barricades. At about 7.35 am , Lorenza, two Palestinians, one Israeli,and one Uk national were put into a small van away from the rest of the group. At approximately 9.00am, the jeep carrying Lorenza arrived at Ariel police station. Lorenza was held in the van for two hours.Then she was taken inside the police station where she waited for at least an hour. She was brought beforea senior police officer . He tried to make her sign a statement but she refused , saying she didn’t understand what she would be signing .The officer got one of the other deteined peace activists ( a female Italian national with some knowledge of English) to come and translate from English into Italian on his behalf. He had acting translator read Lorenza her rights and informed her she was being charged with kicking a police officer in the stomach .He once again asked her to sign the paper but she refused, as the didn’t understand what she was signing. She asked to see her lawyers. Since one of the lawyers was able to speak Spanish, they were able to communicate to her that as the police station was not a suitable place to detain her, if a suitable detention center could not be found, she would be released with the rest of the group. At about 5.00 pm , Lorenza was allowed to rejoin the other members of the group in another part of the police station. At about 9.00 pm , Lorenza was escorted with the same female Italian national who had previously acted as her translator. She was interrogated again, on this occasion with officials from the Ministry of the Interior. One of the officials , a woman, told Lorenza she was being held because she had been in “a closed military zone”, and that when a military official had shown the group a notice ( written in Hebrew) proclaiming this , she had ignored the notice and violently resisted removal by attacking an officer . Lorenza stated that she had never been made aware of the declaration.The officials requested that she sign the statement admitting that she: 1) Had been in a closed military zone 2) Had failed to vacate the premises 3) Had attacked a police officer or a soldier (it was not clear to the acting translator) Lorenza stated that she was not going to sign anything in a language she did not understand. They showed her a statement in English, and because she could not speak any English she refused to sign this . She asked to see legal counsel .They said the lawyers had said they were not going to come because it was night time and they didn’t want to enter the Occupied Territories at this time of day. The acting translator suggested that it would be better to wait for day-time, when the lawyers would be able to come. The officials rejected this, saying this interrogation was legal, as the lawyers 'had refused' to come. The senior police officer explained to Lorenza that since she had committed 'a crime,' it was as if she had entered the Occupied Territories illegally, and she was in custody of the police from 7.00am, 5th August, until 7.00am, 6th August. The police would be holding Lorenza in custody until the Ministry of the Interior had decided what to do with her. The acting translator and Lorenza therefore understood that she would be staying at Ariel police station until 7.00am, 6th August. At around 10.30pm, the acting translator was escorted back to the main group of activists who were being held. Lorenza was still held in separate quarters, where she waited for approximately another hour. They tried to make her understand that she would be going to Hadera detention centre. At that point, she asked for her lawyer once again. The officers told her they would be available to her tomorrow. Sometime after 11.00pm, she arrived at Hadera detention centre. Upon arrival, she understood that the police were registering her personal details, and she asked to see her lawyer once again. Again they answered, "tomorrow." They made her give up her mobile phone, and when she asked if she could make a phone call, they told her she could make it the following day with a telephone card. She was led into a detention cell, which was already inhabited by seven other women. 6th August, in the morning an official brought Lorenza a statement written in Hebrew, and attempted to make her to sign it. When she refused, the official got angry with her and she left shortly afterwards. Lorenza once again asked for permission to make a phone call, to which the answer was that she must wait until 10.00am. When she asked again, they told her to wait till 11.00am. At 11.00am, they told her to wait until 1.00pm. Only at 2.30 pm was she allowed to queue up with several other detainees to make her phone call. However, while she was waiting, she was called away, because representatives from the Italian Embassy were waiting to talk to her. The representatives advised her to sign papers which said she was expelled from the country. The aim of the representatives was to get her out of the detention centre as soon as possible. She was not informed of the possibility of appealing against this. When Lorenza complained about her lack of access to legal counsel, the representatives told her that she had not been arrested, but only detained. It seemed to Lorenza that they were suggesting that for this reason, she did not have the right to see a lawyer. 7th August Lorenza was taken to the airport in the morning and put on a flight to Italy. Laura Zanardi ________________________ Simone Brocchi _______________________ add your comments