Me, my neighbour, Israel, and the Palestinians

I have a dog. I have been walking this dog for more than ten years now in a neighbourhood park every morning. Over these years,I have got to know so many wonderful people with dogs. We developped friendships, shared our domestic stories, discussed film, culture, politics, and everything else.

Many of the people I know in this park are Jewish and most of them are very careful when discussing with me ME politics, as I am with them. But one of them, whom I see sporadically, sent me the following chain email yesterday (I am not reproducing the entire email):

this is very upsetting, please read.
----- Original Message -----
From: --------
To: ----------
Sent: November-25-08 2:16 PM
----- Subject: Fw: UN to Mourn 60 Years of Israel's Existence

UN to Mourn 60 Years of Israel 's Existence Anne Bayefsky - Nov 21,
2008 Eye on the U.N.


NEW YORK - This Monday, November 24th, the UN will commemorate its annual
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with a film
depicting Jews as Nazi-equivalents and a public exhibit mourning the sixty
years of Israel 's existence.

"The event is an annual reminder that the UN's real agenda is to
delegitimize the birth - and the perseverance - of the state of Israel ,"
said Anne Bayefsky, Editor of EYEontheUN.org.
...
As in years past, there will be a formal meeting Monday morning of the
Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a film, an
afternoon meeting of the General Assembly on the "Question of Palestine,"
and the opening of a public exhibit in the entrance to the UN's New York
headquarters.
...
The General Assembly is scheduled to adopt another six resolutions
condemning only Israel for violations of human rights. The total number of
resolutions criticizing Israel expected to be adopted at this fall's General
Assembly is 20, as compared to only four resolutions critical of human
rights records in any of the remaining 191 UN member nations.

The 2008 installment of what is in essence a repeat of the "Zionism = Racism
allegation, will be the public showing of the film "La Terre Parle Arabe"
or "The Land Speaks Arabic." The film draws parallels between the Nazis'
final solution and the alleged Zionist design for Palestinians. It is commonly billed with these words: "...the late-19th century Zionists...drew up plans, put them into practice, then...used... force, often brutal."
...
The exhibit to be opened at 6 p.m. on Monday in the UN lobby - the public
entrance through which school children from across the United States and
tourists from around the world pass every day - is entitled "The Palestinians: 60 years of struggle and enduring hope." Bayefsky comments: "The "sixty years" of struggle is telling. It puts a lie to the alleged root cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict as an "occupation" that began with the 1967 war. The real complaint is the alleged wrong of the creation of the State of Israel itself." She adds: "The carefully selected word "struggle" also speaks volumes. What the UN glorifies as a struggle is a series of wars launched by Arabs to annihilate the state of Israel beginning in 1948, and the ongoing "struggle" of Palestinian and other Arab terrorists dedicated to the same end."
...
"Anyone hoping to see an Israeli flag flown in addition to a Palestinian
one in celebration of the UN partition plan that approved a two-state
solution, should not hold their breath," said Anne Bayefsky, Editor of
EYEontheUN.org. She continued, "the UN tradition of mourning the creation of
the state of Israel continues."

----- End -----

For many Jews who will not be able or willing to check the truth, this is the kind of propaganda they receive in their mailbox.

I waited 24 hours before I decided that I was not going to tell this acquaintance the truth. If I do so, she won't believe me. But I did not want her to keep sending me this kind of propaganda. This morning I sent her the following mail:

Thank you for the message and the article. As you know I am from a Lebanese origin. Although I am 100% for the existence of Israel, I am not insensitive to the plight of the Palestinians. Because I value, above politics, our mutual understanding, I am asking you not to send me again this kind of message.

No hard feelings.

Love,