-------Original Message -----
From: omran pcm
To: hconnell@uwo.ca
Cc: humanite@videotron.ca ; nicolas.sayegh@sympatico.ca
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 3:03 AM
Subject: Dr Davenport's Dubious Honour
Ms. Helen Connell
Associate Vice-President
Communications and Public Affairs
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario
Dear Ms Connell
I saw your letter to Ron Saba in which he protested JNF "honouring" of Dr. Paul Davenport as "The 2008 Negev Dinner Honouree".
As a former Associate Professor at UWO and as a resident of London for many years where my children were born and graduated from UWO, I find Dr Davenport's acceptance of this "honour" misguided and harmful to the university. The university is a place where justice, human rights and knowledge are given the highest consideration.
Knowledge – now accessible more than ever – would have revealed that JNF was a prime operator of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948. Yosef Weitz, Director of JNF Lands Dpt was the head of the "Transfer" Committee which led the ethnic cleansing operation of Palestinian villages – an act which is, of course, a war crime.
JNF also participated directly in the destruction and demolition of most villages out of a total of 665 villages which have been depopulated in 1948. The inhabitants of these villages, who now number 7,000,000, are still refugees today.
JNF has directed the Israeli army to occupy villages whose lands and property it coveted.
JNF has participated in the loot and plunder of Palestinian property.
Theses facts are now a matter of historical record, verified even by Israeli historians such as Benny Morris in his book "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem 1947-1949 -Revisited", Cambridge University Press, 2004. (Further proof is available.)
After Israel was established on the ruins of Palestine, Ben Gurion arranged a fictitious 'sale' transfer of 2,380,142 donums (about 600,000 acres) of Palestinian land to JNF for fear of the sanctions of the UN which called on Israel, in its resolution 194, to allow for the return of the refugees to their homes. By labelling this land under JNF, a multi-national corporation, Israel would claim that land to be outside its control.
The land thus appropriated by JNF is the land of 372 Palestinian villages who make up 55% of all refugees. A casual visitor to JNF "parks" would immediately notice the remains of the destroyed villages, such as mosques, churches, shrines and cemeteries.
The UN has frequently condemned JNF racist policies in its Treaty-based Committees. The UN committees resolved that JNF discriminates in favour of Jews who are not citizens of Israel against Palestinians who are citizens of Israel. According to JNF Charter, non-Jews are not allowed to buy, sell, rent, use or live on lands under JNF control.
Indeed the name "Negev" recalls the ethnic cleansing which is happening TODAY in Beer Sheba district. Israel and JNF expelled the population of the District, its own citizens, demolished their houses, killed their cattle and destroyed their crops. You can watch this on BBC TV for example.
One does not have to be a university professor to dig into these facts. It is readily available on TV Screens and world newspapers, not so much in Canada and USA unfortunately. Pursuit of justice comes before any other principle of learning. Without justice, words like tolerance and diversity ring hollow. There is no equivalence between the evil of war crimes and the virtue of tolerance. Only when justice is made, rights are restored and war crimes are dealt with, tolerance and diversity in a just society which upholds principles of equality can and should be admirable objectives.
Waiting for justice from the Israeli High Court is to expect condemnation of Apartheid from the previous South African government. Justice cannot be expected from a law system which expelled the inhabitants of the country, confiscated their property and labelled it as "state land."
Dr Davenport does himself, and indeed the University, no service by participating in a racist endeavour. He should be condemning it.
I hope, for the sake of UWO's name, of which I am proud, that Dr Davenport will reconsider his position.
Sincerely
Dr S.H. Abu-Sitta
------ Original Message ------
From: Randa Mouammar Nimry [mailto:mouammar@rogers.com]
Sent: February 27, 2008 6:38 PM
To: 'pdavenpo@uwo.ca'
Cc: 'newseditor@uwo.ca'; 'gazette.editor@uwo.ca'; 'dscott24@uwo.ca'; 'alumni@uwo.ca'
Subject: JNF Award to president of UWO
Dear Dr. Davenport;
I graduated from UWO in 1998, and again in 2000, and again in 2004 from the Department of Political Science and finally once again in 2005 from the Faculty of Law. I am also an Israeli citizen and Canadian-born Palestinian.
I came up against many challenges and even racism sanctioned by the UWO admin itself during my time as an exec with both the Arab Students' Association and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR).
With the JSU and Hillel strong-arming themselves around campus, armed with a full-time paid Zionist to assist them, the atmosphere at UWO was during my time, and I understand now continues to be, overwhelmingly biased with respect to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The Arabs, and specifically Palestinians, have had very little official support in their community activities at UWO, and instead have been under surveillance and attack for breaches to USC policy that were at times either wholly fictitious or suspiciously unenforced against other ethnic, national or human rights' organizations.
The most awesome USC sanction occurred after my departure when the USC condemned SPHR for erecting a paper version of a portion of the wall that Israel has constructed to surround and imprison Palestine. Imagine that you would call such a recreation threatening whilst not agreeing that the wall itself constructed by Israel in breach of international law is racist, criminal and threatening to say the least.
I know that you are aware that the JNF is a racist organization complicit in international crimes. It just may be no coincidence that the JNF and its members believe you to act in a manner that promotes diversity and tolerance. Were you to poll the Palestinian contingent on campus I am sure you have difficulty finding such a belief with respect to UWO's actions under your leadership.
You can accept a hollow award from a racist and criminal organization that is complicit in the perpetuation of crimes in historic Palestine and in the Palestinian territories (of which you have been apprised by a number of legal individuals and scholars, including Al-Haq and Henry Lowi), or you can refuse to attend this event in the name of maintaining and improving your commitment to diversity and tolerance if this commitment you have truly exists. It behooves you to walk away from this dinner in the name of equality and impartiality, for your conscience as well as your campus constituents.
Regards,
Randa Mouammar-Nimry, M.A., LL.B.
CGI Law Office
URL: www.cgilaw.ca
Email: cgilaw@rogers.com
UAE: +971.050.143.3961
Canada: +1.416.904.0562
Facsimile: +1.905.508.0562
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron
To: Helen Connell
Cc: pdavenpo@uwo.ca ; Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:31 PM
Subject: Re: E-Mail to U. of W. Ont Pres re JNF
Helen Connell
Associate Vice-President
Communications and Public Affairs
University of Western Ontario
Dear Helen,
Thank you for your response (copied below). However I must point out that the Israeli High Court has already ruled that the racist bylaws and operations of the Jewish National Fund ("JNF") are illegal, as clearly stated in the following excerpt from the March 18, 2005 article from The Jewish Daily Forward titled "Zionist Groups Facing Legal Problems":
http://www.forward.com/articles/zionist-groups-facing-legal-problems/
"Even more devastating was the decision two months ago by Israel's attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, requiring the Israel Lands Authority to open its land sales to all Israeli citizens regardless of ethnicity or religion. The decision effectively forced the lands authority to stop marketing properties owned by JNF, whose bylaws require it to lease its properties to Jews only. The attorney general's ruling followed appeals to the Supreme Court by two Israeli civil-rights organizations, claiming that the exclusion of Arab Israelis from JNF properties — some 13% of Israel's territory — was racist and violated the principle of equality before the law. In its reply, the lands authority noted that JNF properties are “intended for the development of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel,” and that “all the funds of the JNF are from Jewish donors.” Mazuz declined to defend the case, concluding that the authority's claim would not hold up in court. The justices had ruled in an earlier case that “Jews-only” clauses were illegal." (emphasis added)
Suffice it to say that even if the justices had not so ruled, racial discrimination is prohibited by the Canadian Human Rights Act, Provincial Human Rights Acts and the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination.
As Israeli political scientist and former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Meron Benvenisti points out in a May 29, 2006 article in Israel's most respected newspaper Ha'aretz, the racist nature of the JNF is well known:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=732551
"It's very surprising since it's well known that the "national institutions" - the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund - primarily exist to enable institutional discrimination based on ethnicity while clearing the state from accusations that it deviates from universal norms common to liberal democracies." (emphasis added)
Accepting to be "honoured" by the JNF, an organization deemed to be racist by a competent world body (the United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights in 1998) and by the legal authority in the nation in which it operates (the Attorney General of Israel in 2005) would clearly not be in accordance with your University's commitment "to celebrating diversity as well as promoting tolerance".
The right thing for Dr. Paul Davenport to do would be to decline the JNF "honour". In addition, in keeping with your University's commitment "to celebrating diversity as well as promoting tolerance", Dr. Paul Davenport and your University should denounce the "institutional discrimination based on ethnicity" practised by the JNF.
The reputation of your University is at stake. Not only in Canada but around the world.
Sincerely,
Ron Saba
Montreal, Quebec
----- Original Message -----
THIS IS THE STANDARD RESPONSE RECEIVED BY ALL THOSE WHO WROTE TO Dr. Davenport.
From: Helen Connell
To: Ron
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 6:19 PM
Subject: RE: E-Mail to U. of W. Ont Pres re JNF
Dear Ron,
I am writing on behalf of Dr. Paul Davenport and Western to thank you for your email, February 22, regarding Dr. Davenport's being chosen to stand as the 2008 Negev Dinner Honouree.
The Negev dinner recognizes a person or an institution that has demonstrated leadership and commitment to diversity and to promoting tolerance. These are long-standing values at Western and Dr. Davenport is being honoured for his steadfast stewardship of them.
The issues in the Middle East are complex in terms of accommodating the right of Palestinians and Israelis to live together in peace and safety. The issue of the land policies of the Jewish National Fund are currently before the Israeli High Court where, hopefully, it will be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.
Again, thank you for sharing your views. Please know that Western and Dr. Davenport remain strongly committed to celebrating diversity as well as promoting tolerance and free speech. It is with these principles in mind that Dr. Davenport is accepting the Negev award.
Sincerely,
Helen Connell
----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Belanger
To: pdavenpo@uwo.ca
Cc: hconnell@uwo.ca
Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 10:25 PM
Subject: Negev Dinner
Dear Dr. Davenport:
I have learned that you have been selected to be the 2008 Honouree at the Jewish National Fund Negev dinner.
It seems amazing to me that the president of an Ontario University should be so ignorant of the realities of the Middle East that he would accept to be honoured by an organization that has been engaged in the ethnic cleansing of the native people of Palestine since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
After the Holocaust, people said "I did not know". In the days before television and the internet, this is entirely possible. Such is not the case today and especially not for the president of a university.
This "honour" being bestowed upon you by the Jewish National Fund of Canada is simply part of an ongoing campaign to legitimize the daily land theft and ethnic cleansing being perpetrated by the state of Israel. In 2008, not knowing is not an excuse and silence is complicity.
Yours truly
Linda Belanger
*************************************************************
More letters:
Joint letter from:
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG-UWO)
London Project for a Participatory Society
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights
Anti-War Organization of London
Letter from Palestinian and Israeli Peace Groups Zochrot and Al Haq:
23 February 2008
Dr. Paul Davenport
University President
Room 113, Stevenson-Lawson Building
The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, N6A 5B8
Canada.
Re: 2008 Jewish National Fund Negev Dinner and Award
Dear Dr. Davenport,
Al-Haq is a Palestinian organisation committed to the protection and promotion of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Zochrot is an Israeli organisation dedicated to raising awareness amongst Israeli Jews of the historical injustices committed in their name against Palestinians. We write to you together, to express our common concern over your decision to stand as the JNF of Canada's 2008 Negev Dinner Honouree.
We understand that this award recognises someone that has demonstrated a commitment to equality, diversity, tolerance and human rights. As a supporter of such ideals, you must be inherently opposed to any organisation which openly implements discriminatory policies and is actively complicit in serious violations of international law.
Aside from its manifestly discriminatory practices in the distribution of land that the JNF owns or administers in Israel, the JNF of Canada, in particular, is further in breach of its obligations under domestic Canadian law, as well as basic principles of international human rights and humanitarian law, in its activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. As you may know, war crimes amounting to grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention have been committed by Israel in the Latroun area of the West Bank during and since 1967, with the residents of three Palestinian villages forcibly displaced and still barred from returning, their villages having been completely demolished by the bulldozers and explosives of Israel's occupying forces. The JNF of Canada is complicit in the perpetuation of these crimes by its establishment of “Canada Park” as a recreation area for Israelis on the occupied land of these destroyed villages. Indeed, until a recent petition brought to the Israeli Supreme Court by Zochrot, the JNF refused to even allow signs in the park to acknowledge the Palestinian history of the area. Al-Haq, with the assistance and cooperation of Zochrot, has recently completed a 100-page report on the human rights violations committed by Israel, Canada and the JNF in Latroun, which we will be happy to forward to you upon its impending publication.
In light of such violations of the rights of Palestinians in which the JNF consistently implicates itself, we call on you, as a joint Palestinian and Israeli voice, to show your true commitment to equality, diversity, tolerance and human rights by reconsidering your decision to accept an award from an organisation which disregards such precious values so irresponsibly. We look forward to your response, and should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours sincerely,
Shawan Jabarin Eitan Bronstein
General Director General Director
Al-Haq Zochrot
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