SWU: Metro Transit rejects anti-Israel ad campaign in Seattle

Breaking News.  Stand With Us reports tonight that the anti-Israel "Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign" group's bus billboard ad campaign  that was supposed to begin next Monday, December 27, was rejected today.

Citing the potential for disruption to transit service, King County Executive Dow Constantine today approved an interim policy from Metro Transit that calls for a halt to the acceptance of any new non-commercial advertising on King County buses.

Also, and most importantly, under provisions of the previous policy, Metro officials today rejected the proposed ad from the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign.

This decision came following yesterday's meeting of Jewish community leaders with senior members of the King County Executive's office and Metro Transit management about the potential threat to the Seattle-area Jewish community, after over 2,000 emails, and after numerous organizations, including StandWithUs, announced plans to run ads either countering this ad and/or promoting the positives of Israel.

Stand With Us offered thanks to....

AJC, Federation, ADL and various other organizations and individuals for their work on the Anti-BDS Task Force.

The metropolitan Seattle community's rabbis, synagogues and organizations for sending out to their members and supporters our alert this week.

And the thousands of community members who have written, called, and created the political pressure that has led to the County and Metro's reject the anti-Israel ad.

Stand With Us, a pro-Israel organization is online at http://www.standwithus.org

(hat tip: Jill Marks)

CUFI: Stop anti-Israel incitement!

From:   Christians United for Israel

 Stop Anti-Israel Incitement:

Incitement?  In Gaza? No.  In Seattle.

Anti-Israel ads are scheduled to run on Seattle buses next week. Join us in speaking out against anti-Israel Incitement by emailing King County officials to stop these ads.

The following is the text of the message that Christians United For Israel encourages you to endorse.

Stop Anti-Israel Incitement.

Dear [Decision Maker],

I understand that on Monday, December 27th, an advertisement accusing Israel of war crimes is scheduled to run on Seattle buses.

I believe that this advertisement is more than a mere political statement. It is an ugly slander of Israel. And it's dangerous. While I support the First Amendment right to free speech, I believe that this ad clearly violates your own policy against running ads that "insult specific groups to the point that a riot could be incited, vandalism could occur or public safety could be threatened."

Please remember that it was only four years ago that Naveed Afzal Haq walked into the Jewish Federation building in Seattle and shot six women, one fatally. Witnesses reported that Haq began shouting "I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel" before he began his shooting spree.

I believe that peace and reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis will not be furthered by screaming advertisements. Peace will come only by sitting together, building bridges, and reaching mutual understanding.

I therefore ask that you do everything in your power to block an advertisement that clearly violates your own policy, and which presents a danger to safety here at home and peace in the Middle East.
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For more information and to send an electronic message in opposition to the content of the incendiary and anti-Israel ads, click here:  http://www.cufi.org/site/R?i=vDLl5vwWceJ-7GHSxWGUYg

Christians United For Israel is online at http://www.cufi.org

ADL: Reconsider allowing anti-Israel bus ads

ADL Urges King County Metro to Reconsider Allowing Anti-Israel Ads on Seattle Area Buses

Seattle, WA, December 23, 2010 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today urged King County Metro Transit to reconsider its decision to allow anti-Israel advertisements to be affixed to the outside of the city’s public buses.

 

The advertisements, due to run for one month on the sides of 12 King County Metro Transit buses starting December 27, allege that U.S. tax dollars support Israeli “war crimes.” Purchased by the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, the ads are intended to coincide with the 2-year anniversary of Israel’s operation in Gaza.

 

Hilary Bernstein, ADL Pacific Northwest Community Director, issued the following statement:

Using city run buses to propagate dangerous anti-Israel propaganda is an abuse of the free speech rights we all hold so dear.  Calling the state of Israel war criminals is not mere criticism of Israel but, as demonstrated around the world in recent years, it is incitement against the Jewish community.

 

While the community is not of one mind on the subject of Israel, and serious debate takes place over Israeli policy, the messages of the bus ads are not within the parameters of that debate.  In fact, they are a lot closer to racist ads which we believe should be rejected as inappropriate for public buses.

 

Extreme anti-Israel activity and rhetoric have become the new anti-Semitism, sometimes with intent, but if not, at least in terms of the consequences.  Only a few years ago an individual forced his way into the Seattle Jewish Federation building and murdered an employee on the grounds that he was “angry at Israel” and blamed Jewish people for all these problems.

 

In Europe, virulent propaganda flourished against Israel during the war in Gaza in 2008 and led to 220 anti-Semitic incidents in a three week period in the United Kingdom and 113 anti-Semitic incidents in France.

 

King County Metro Transit already has a policy banning ads “so insulting, degrading or offensive” that they can lead to a “breach of public safety, peace and order.”

 

We believe that is reason enough for the county to reconsider its placement of these ads on metro buses.