We are disappointed that Dr. Porterfield did not promise explicitly to cancel the conference if PSM ties to terrorism were demonstrated but his condemnation of terrorist connections is noted. This is what was said on the O'Reilly Show:
O'Reilly: "If ties to terror were proven- if what [Lee] says is true..."
Porterfield: "...would be very significant, yes. We'd need to know what the exact facts were of course. We have no interest at Georgetown University in allowing people to come to campus who are supporters of terrorism."
Evidence has, in fact, been provided and this is now a matter of public record. The following E-mail was sent to Dr. Porterfield today, with copies being sent to Mr. O'Reilly and also the Georgetown
Hoya. Note, however, that the
information package in question* was delivered to the University Secretary's office on 23 January, more than two weeks ago,
for circulation to the Directors (Trustees) as well as President DeGioia.
(@ has been removed from the quoted E-mail addresses below to prevent harvesting by spam software that crawls Web sites for addresses). Note that Dr. Porterfield was copied on both E-mails so he is aware that Bill O'Reilly also has been provided with the information package in question.
To: bill.oreilly foxnews.com
CC: editor thehoya.com, news thehoya.com, porterfd georgetown.edu
Dear Mr. O'Reilly, cc: the Georgetown Hoya and Fox News
Last night, Dr. Porterfield promised on behalf of Georgetown University that, if a connection between the Palestine Solidarity Movement and terrorism was shown, it would "be very significant, yes," and that Georgetown University "does not have an interest" in allowing terror supporters on campus.
It is on record that President DeGioia and Georgetown's Directors received the attached information package on January 23 by certified mail. Dr. Porterfield is on copy to this letter to verify to Mr. O'Reilly that he has personally been provided with the information in question.
--Bill Levinson
[phone number given]
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Palestine Solidarity Movement and terrorism/ O'Reilly show
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 15:21:54 -0500
From: William A. Levinson
To: porterfd georgetown.edu
CC: president georgetown.edu, ems62 georgetown.edu, Lee Kaplan
Dear Dr. Porterfield (cc: President DeGioia, Eric Smulson, and Lee
Kaplan, and posted to IsraPundit),
I enjoyed your appearance on the O'Reilly Factor last night and I
appreciate your pledge on Georgetown's behalf to take a second look at
the Palestine Solidarity Movement conference if connections to terrorism were ever shown. The attached document was delivered to President DeGioia and Georgetown's Directors on January 23:
Per usps.com, Label/Receipt Number: 7003 3110 0004 5841 5831
Status: Delivered
Your item was delivered at 11:38 am on January 23, 2006 in WASHINGTON,
DC 20057.
Although President DeGioia and the Directors now know about ISM/PSM's
background, you were not named specifically on the distribution list and I am not sure you saw it. I have therefore attached a copy for your benefit. It contains a very explicit description of how a PSM activist, Susan Barclay, concealed a terrorist in Israel-- an act that would be a felony if committed in the United States. In addition, the document shows numerous examples of the organization's advocacy of terroristic violence.
In addition, you were on the distribution list for the document that
outlines how the Palestine Solidarity Movement may be planning to use
Georgetown facilities to conspire to violate Federal anti-boycott laws, as described by Boycott Watch and the Zionist Organization of America.
Please feel free to contact me at any time if you want more information.
Regards,
Bill Levinson
[phone number given]
*
"(4) PSM spokesman Nadeem Muaddi wrote a column that asks Christians to step forward as "martyrs" for the Palestinian cause. The Georgetown Hoya (January 27 2006) reports this: "But Muaddi declined to condemn suicide bombings, saying that it would not be right 'to criticize Palestinians for taking part in violence when the Israeli forces are taking part in violence.'"
was
not in the information package because this item was reported on 27 January; it was added to the package later. Everything else was available to President DeGioia and the Directors.
The most significant items are as follows:
Advocacy and Facilitation of Terroristic Violence
Advocacy of Terrorism
(1) "Fadi Kiblawi is far from being an outspoken critic of terrorism. While an undergrad at U. Mich., he sponsored the national convention of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, a group that is on record endorsing terror bombing as a legitimate tool of Palestinian "resistance." Furthermore, Mr. Kiblawi actually wrote an article in a U. Michigan student publication in which he expressed his desire "to strap a bomb to one's chest and kill. …The enemy is not just overseas, the enemy is also amongst us."
o A Google search for "strap a bomb to one's chest and kill" should allow independent verification of this information. See also http://www.dafka.org/NewsGen.asp?S=4&PageID=945
(2) New Jersey Solidarity leader Charlotte Kates refuses to condemn terrorist bombings and defines Israeli children as legitimate targets.
o http://www.thejewishpress.com/news_article.asp?article=2709
"Charlotte Kates, the organizer of the New Jersey Solidarity Movement— an offshoot of the International Solidarity Movement— has refused to condemn homicide bombings and other means of 'armed resistance.'"
o http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=944
Charlotte Kates has said that Israeli CHILDREN are "legitimate" targets for Palestinian suicide bombers.
o http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_info.htm "ISM organizers, however, occasionally forget to speak in code and actually say precisely what they mean. Charlotte Kates, leader of the New Jersey chapter of the ISM and organizer of the ISM's third National Convention, scheduled to take place on the Rutgers campus from October 10-12, explained that the ISM supports suicide bombing. "We support Palestinians' right to resist occupation and oppression, and do not feel that it is our place as a solidarity movement to dictate tactics of resistance to the Palestinian people. Why is there something particularly horrible about 'suicide bombing' - except for the extreme dedication conveyed in the resistance fighter's willingness to use his or her own body to fight?" (2003 by MidEastWeb and Ami Isseroff)
(3) Two of the ISM's leaders, Adam Shapiro and Huwaida Arraf, defended the use of violence against Israelis in a January 2002 article in the Palestine Chronicle:
o http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20020129050221695
"In actuality, nonviolence is not enough. Rather, what is needed is nonviolent direct action against the occupation." "The Palestinian resistance must take on a variety of characteristics— both nonviolent and violent. But most importantly it must develop a strategy involving both aspects. No other successful nonviolent movement was able to achieve what it did without a concurrent violent movement. In India militants attacked British outposts and interests while Gandhi conducted his campaign, while the Black Panther Movement and its earlier incarnations existed side-by-side with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States."
o http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_essay_ref12.htm
"Nevertheless, he [Shapiro] justifies the Palestinian armed resistance against Israel as long as it is targeting Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Otherwise, he is not in favor of suicide bombings." Settlers are civilians so he is advocating the suicide bombing of civilians. Furthermore, even soldiers are legitimate targets only for other soldiers and partisans who carry their weapons openly and wear uniforms or badges "distinguishable at a distance."
Safe House Assistance to Terrorists and Interference with Law Enforcement
(1) http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_info.htm "Susan Barclay, the ISM organizer deported by Israel after she hid Islamic Jihad terrorist Shadi Sukiya in the ISM office in Jenin, told the Seattle Post Intelligencer that, "she knowingly worked with representatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad— terrorist groups that sponsor suicide bombings and exist, according to their charters, to demolish the Jewish state entirely." (Seattle Post Intelligencer, Thursday March 20, 2003, "Activist's death focuses spotlight on Mideast struggle," By Sam Skolnik, Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter.)
(2) http://israelbehindthenews.com/Archives/Jul-04-03.htm#agitate
"Days before a British suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt in Mike's Place, a bar in suburban Tel Aviv, the bomber and an associate took tea with members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian group that promotes non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation."
(3) http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_info.htm "The immediate goal of the ISM is to hamper the ability of the IDF to prevent terrorist attacks on civilians." "The ISM sees itself as working in tandem with the terrorist organizations: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade. Those organizations use violent means, while the ISM undertakes such aggressive non-violent actions as blocking the progress of Israeli soldiers on their way to arrest terrorists. The intention of the ISM in these actions is to protect terrorists from interference by the IDF."
o Hamas is a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) as defined by the U.S. State Department.
Recruitment of American college students as human shields
In March 2003, Evergreen College student and peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed in an accident with an Israeli bulldozer. Disturbing statements by ISM director George Rishmawi and a Hamas terrorist suggest that ISM/PSM had a motive for wanting Ms. Corrie dead.
(1) http://www.standwithus.com/news_post.asp?NPI=85 "Recently, the Director of the Solidarity Movement, George Rishmawi, explained to the San Francisco Chronicle that the recruitment of American student volunteers is useful to the Palestinian Movement because "if some of these foreign volunteers get shot or even killed, then the international media will sit up and take notice.""
(2) Joseph Smith, who was present when Corrie died and whose highest priority was apparently to take pictures, said "The spirit that she died for is worth a life. This idea of resistance, this spirit of resisting this brutal occupying force, is worth anything. And many, many, many Palestinians give their lives for it all the time. So the life of one international, I feel, is more than worth the spirit of resisting oppression." (http://www.freepalestinecampaign.org/Stranger article.htm, a source friendly to the Palestine Solidarity Movement,)
(3) "'Her [Rachel Corrie's] death serves me more than it served her,' said one activist at a Hamas funeral yesterday. '...Her death will bring more attention than the other 2,000 martyrs.'" Making of a Martyr by Sandra Jordan, Guardian Newspapers (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-22-2003-37821.asp)
(4) ISM/PSM spokesman Nadeem Muaddi asks Christians to face "martyrdom" for the Palestinian cause. July. 30. 2005 "A Call for Christian Martyrdom" by Nadeem Muaddi (http://ramallahonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2257 and other sources, copy enclosed).
o "Indeed, to become a true martyr, one must contribute equally to “witnessing in word, witnessing in deed, and exposing oneself to danger, whatever the cost”. If this “cost” so happens to be death, then one will have become a martyr. However, to simply kill one's self in a desperate act of hopelessness does not constitute martyria, but murder – a sin against God in all three Abrahamic faiths."
o "Bishop Younan faithfully claims that “Martyria is the Via Dolorosa with resurrection”. If this interpretation of “a theology of martyria” is correct, then it’s about time more Christians step forward and offer themselves up as martyrs for a true and just resolution to the Palestinian Issue."
When challenged to explain what he meant by "martyrs," Mr. Muaddi provided the unlikely example of a firefighter who died while saving a baby from a fire. The word's context in "A Call for Christian Martyrdom" suggests that he means human shields, noting that if the cost of witnessing for the Palestinian cause in word and deed "so happens to be death, then one will have become a martyr." My personal opinion is that Rachel Corrie was one such martyr too many.
The package also includes clear and convincing evidence that shows that the Palestine Solidarity Movement and International Solidarity Movement are basically the same organization.
Georgetown University "not interested in" Palestine Solidarity Conference
if Ties to Terrorism are Shown
by Bill Levinson
Dr. Daniel Porterfield, VP for Communications at Georgetown University, stated clearly and openly on the Bill O'Reilly program (9 February 2006) that Georgetown University has no interest in allowing terror supporters on campus. If the Palestinian Solidarity Movement's alleged ties to terror were demonstrated to the University, "that would be very significant, yes," he said. We'd need to know what the exact facts were of course. We have no interest at Georgetown University in allowing people to come to campus who are supporters of terrorism."
We are disappointed that Dr. Porterfield did not promise explicitly to cancel the conference if PSM ties to terrorism were demonstrated but his condemnation of terrorist connections is noted. This is what was said on the O'Reilly Show:
Evidence has, in fact, been provided and this is now a matter of public record. The following E-mail was sent to Dr. Porterfield today, with copies being sent to Mr. O'Reilly and also the Georgetown Hoya. Note, however, that the information package in question* was delivered to the University Secretary's office on 23 January, more than two weeks ago, for circulation to the Directors (Trustees) as well as President DeGioia.
(@ has been removed from the quoted E-mail addresses below to prevent harvesting by spam software that crawls Web sites for addresses). Note that Dr. Porterfield was copied on both E-mails so he is aware that Bill O'Reilly also has been provided with the information package in question.
was not in the information package because this item was reported on 27 January; it was added to the package later. Everything else was available to President DeGioia and the Directors.*
The most significant items are as follows:
Advocacy and Facilitation of Terroristic Violence
Advocacy of Terrorism
(1) "Fadi Kiblawi is far from being an outspoken critic of terrorism. While an undergrad at U. Mich., he sponsored the national convention of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, a group that is on record endorsing terror bombing as a legitimate tool of Palestinian "resistance." Furthermore, Mr. Kiblawi actually wrote an article in a U. Michigan student publication in which he expressed his desire "to strap a bomb to one's chest and kill. …The enemy is not just overseas, the enemy is also amongst us."
o A Google search for "strap a bomb to one's chest and kill" should allow independent verification of this information. See also http://www.dafka.org/NewsGen.asp?S=4&PageID=945
(2) New Jersey Solidarity leader Charlotte Kates refuses to condemn terrorist bombings and defines Israeli children as legitimate targets.
o http://www.thejewishpress.com/news_article.asp?article=2709
"Charlotte Kates, the organizer of the New Jersey Solidarity Movement— an offshoot of the International Solidarity Movement— has refused to condemn homicide bombings and other means of 'armed resistance.'"
o http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=944
Charlotte Kates has said that Israeli CHILDREN are "legitimate" targets for Palestinian suicide bombers.
o http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_info.htm "ISM organizers, however, occasionally forget to speak in code and actually say precisely what they mean. Charlotte Kates, leader of the New Jersey chapter of the ISM and organizer of the ISM's third National Convention, scheduled to take place on the Rutgers campus from October 10-12, explained that the ISM supports suicide bombing. "We support Palestinians' right to resist occupation and oppression, and do not feel that it is our place as a solidarity movement to dictate tactics of resistance to the Palestinian people. Why is there something particularly horrible about 'suicide bombing' - except for the extreme dedication conveyed in the resistance fighter's willingness to use his or her own body to fight?" (2003 by MidEastWeb and Ami Isseroff)
(3) Two of the ISM's leaders, Adam Shapiro and Huwaida Arraf, defended the use of violence against Israelis in a January 2002 article in the Palestine Chronicle:
o http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20020129050221695
"In actuality, nonviolence is not enough. Rather, what is needed is nonviolent direct action against the occupation." "The Palestinian resistance must take on a variety of characteristics— both nonviolent and violent. But most importantly it must develop a strategy involving both aspects. No other successful nonviolent movement was able to achieve what it did without a concurrent violent movement. In India militants attacked British outposts and interests while Gandhi conducted his campaign, while the Black Panther Movement and its earlier incarnations existed side-by-side with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States."
o http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_essay_ref12.htm
"Nevertheless, he [Shapiro] justifies the Palestinian armed resistance against Israel as long as it is targeting Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Otherwise, he is not in favor of suicide bombings." Settlers are civilians so he is advocating the suicide bombing of civilians. Furthermore, even soldiers are legitimate targets only for other soldiers and partisans who carry their weapons openly and wear uniforms or badges "distinguishable at a distance."
Safe House Assistance to Terrorists and Interference with Law Enforcement
(1) http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_info.htm "Susan Barclay, the ISM organizer deported by Israel after she hid Islamic Jihad terrorist Shadi Sukiya in the ISM office in Jenin, told the Seattle Post Intelligencer that, "she knowingly worked with representatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad— terrorist groups that sponsor suicide bombings and exist, according to their charters, to demolish the Jewish state entirely." (Seattle Post Intelligencer, Thursday March 20, 2003, "Activist's death focuses spotlight on Mideast struggle," By Sam Skolnik, Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter.)
(2) http://israelbehindthenews.com/Archives/Jul-04-03.htm#agitate
"Days before a British suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt in Mike's Place, a bar in suburban Tel Aviv, the bomber and an associate took tea with members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian group that promotes non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation."
(3) http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/ISM_info.htm "The immediate goal of the ISM is to hamper the ability of the IDF to prevent terrorist attacks on civilians." "The ISM sees itself as working in tandem with the terrorist organizations: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade. Those organizations use violent means, while the ISM undertakes such aggressive non-violent actions as blocking the progress of Israeli soldiers on their way to arrest terrorists. The intention of the ISM in these actions is to protect terrorists from interference by the IDF."
o Hamas is a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) as defined by the U.S. State Department.
Recruitment of American college students as human shields
In March 2003, Evergreen College student and peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed in an accident with an Israeli bulldozer. Disturbing statements by ISM director George Rishmawi and a Hamas terrorist suggest that ISM/PSM had a motive for wanting Ms. Corrie dead.
(1) http://www.standwithus.com/news_post.asp?NPI=85 "Recently, the Director of the Solidarity Movement, George Rishmawi, explained to the San Francisco Chronicle that the recruitment of American student volunteers is useful to the Palestinian Movement because "if some of these foreign volunteers get shot or even killed, then the international media will sit up and take notice.""
(2) Joseph Smith, who was present when Corrie died and whose highest priority was apparently to take pictures, said "The spirit that she died for is worth a life. This idea of resistance, this spirit of resisting this brutal occupying force, is worth anything. And many, many, many Palestinians give their lives for it all the time. So the life of one international, I feel, is more than worth the spirit of resisting oppression." (http://www.freepalestinecampaign.org/Stranger article.htm, a source friendly to the Palestine Solidarity Movement,)
(3) "'Her [Rachel Corrie's] death serves me more than it served her,' said one activist at a Hamas funeral yesterday. '...Her death will bring more attention than the other 2,000 martyrs.'" Making of a Martyr by Sandra Jordan, Guardian Newspapers (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-22-2003-37821.asp)
(4) ISM/PSM spokesman Nadeem Muaddi asks Christians to face "martyrdom" for the Palestinian cause. July. 30. 2005 "A Call for Christian Martyrdom" by Nadeem Muaddi (http://ramallahonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2257 and other sources, copy enclosed).
o "Indeed, to become a true martyr, one must contribute equally to “witnessing in word, witnessing in deed, and exposing oneself to danger, whatever the cost”. If this “cost” so happens to be death, then one will have become a martyr. However, to simply kill one's self in a desperate act of hopelessness does not constitute martyria, but murder – a sin against God in all three Abrahamic faiths."
o "Bishop Younan faithfully claims that “Martyria is the Via Dolorosa with resurrection”. If this interpretation of “a theology of martyria” is correct, then it’s about time more Christians step forward and offer themselves up as martyrs for a true and just resolution to the Palestinian Issue."
When challenged to explain what he meant by "martyrs," Mr. Muaddi provided the unlikely example of a firefighter who died while saving a baby from a fire. The word's context in "A Call for Christian Martyrdom" suggests that he means human shields, noting that if the cost of witnessing for the Palestinian cause in word and deed "so happens to be death, then one will have become a martyr." My personal opinion is that Rachel Corrie was one such martyr too many.
The package also includes clear and convincing evidence that shows that the Palestine Solidarity Movement and International Solidarity Movement are basically the same organization.
Posted by Bill Levinson at February 10, 2006 05:25 PM