#you can condemn hamas and be pro Palestine it's not hard

[secular-jew]

I’m a Palestinian American. Here’s Why I Can’t Support the Anti-Israel Protesters. By Elizabeth Gillanders. August 16, 2024

Walking past Union Station in the nation’s capital, I recently was met with a heartbreaking sight. Vandals had defaced the Columbus Memorial Fountain with spray paint, writing the words “Hamas is coming” in big red letters.

Trash and signs discarded by anti-Israel protesters littered the ground. A burnt shopping cart stood off to one side with piles of ash beneath it.

Most depressing, however, were the three bare flag poles that had been robbed of their American flags. Protesters had burned the flags, the only remnant a charred piece of fabric atop another pile of ash.

This was the aftermath of the July 24 “pro-Palestinian” protests in Washington, D.C., organized in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address that day to a joint meeting of Congress.

As an American of Palestinian heritage, some expect me to cheer on these people. They expect me to condemn the U.S., hate Israel, and support Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to wiping out the Jewish state.

But these expectations don’t represent me, nor my family.

I inherit my Palestinian background from my mother’s side of the family; her parents emigrated to America from the Middle East. My grandma was born in Israel and later moved to Ramallah in the West Bank and eventually to Jordan.

After arriving in America in her 20s, my grandma worked hard to become a U.S. citizen. She learned the English language while raising my mother and uncle. She opened a restaurant with my grandpa, lovingly named the Chicken Pantry, in Hamtramck, Michigan. When that business closed, my grandma worked as a real estate agent before eventually retiring in the land of prosperity.

America brought my family prosperity. My grandparents taught my mother to “kiss the ground you walk on” because they knew what a blessing America is.

They passed this lesson on to me.

Although many seem to think that my Palestinian heritage should cause me to align with protests that supposedly are “pro-Palestinian,” it’s precisely because of my heritage that I cannot do that.

Israel went to war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip only after Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 and kidnapped about 250 in a rampage of rape, torture, and murder Oct. 7 in southern Israel.

About 10 months later, as pro-Hamas protesters march in this country to “free Palestine,” they call for the death of America. As they burn the American flag, they burn all that my family has worked to achieve.

As the protesters pledge their allegiance to Hamas, they encourage a group that my grandmother wouldn’t hesitate to call a terrorist organization that operates with a strategy of human sacrifice.

Think about it. Why are there no Hamas military bases in the Gaza Strip adjoining Israel? Because the terrorists hide behind their own people.

They dress like noncombatants in Gaza. They establish bunkers in hospitals. They commandeer ambulances for transportation.

These actions are all in direct violation of Article 18 of the Geneva Conventions, the international pacts that set minimum standards during armed conflict for the treatment of civilians, soldiers, and prisoners of war.

One example is Hamas’ use of Gaza’s most important hospital, Al-Shifa. According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hamas uses a bunker under the hospital as a base for military operations. This not only makes the hospital a target, but takes medical resources needed for the sick.

In contrast, the Israel Defense Forces have given civilians in Gaza opportunities to evacuate and warned of impending attacks. No other nation goes this far to protect enemy civilians.

How can I support pro-Hamas demonstrators who wish to end the nation that brought my family so much? How can I back a terrorist group that uses its own people as human shields? How can I hate Israel, when the IDF has worked to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm’s way?

I believe it’s important to point out that, contrary to popular belief, not all Arabs think the same. Some of us do see this conflict differently. And our thoughts and beliefs should not be snuffed out because they go against the “narrative.”

To some, perhaps our stance makes us walking oxymorons. But we are proud ones, nonetheless.

[nerdylilpeebee]

it gives me hope to see someone who doesn't let themselves be swayed by the romanticism of rooting for an underdog (or more accurately, a very carefully crafted image of an underdog) and actually bothers to check facts

i see so much support for gaza among my peers and you blog makes me feel a little less alone... a little less insane

someone else sees it

Yeah, I honestly see the support for Gaza (really, Hamas, cuz really supporting Gaza would require being against what Hamas is doing and wanting Hamas to be removed from power, which is the opposite of what pro Palestine people are doing) EVERYWHERE. Making it confusing that some of them seem to think they're being censored, which I'm honestly convinced is a manipulation tactic, but anyway...

I have even seen people, some of them mutuals, who I know are good people reblog and spread the constant lies and propaganda every day. That's part of why I'm pushing so hard into it. Because the propaganda is working. It is making good people decide the terrorists are the right people to support because innocent people are dying in direct response to the terrorists' actions. It makes them ignore that Hamas openly admits that this is on purpose, that they intend for the innocent people of Gaza to suffer and die. It makes it so that Hamas, who is willing to lie about how many have suffered and even attach faces of even their own victims to propaganda pieces saying "Oh look at what Israel did," and even FORCE THEIR OWN HOSTAGES to wave and smile at them as they're released in order to paint the picture that Israel is the villain, can make people believe they are the good guys despite killing innocent people and admitting to using Gaza as a human shield.

They have MASTERED the art of propaganda. And I refuse to let it go un-called-out. I refuse to let people on the internet literally helping spread these lies by making their own up, or manipulating information (by leaving out a detail, changing a detail, straight up just lying that something like tunnels near the ocean is impossible despite it being 100% possible, etc) go un-called-out.

Tho, I will have to be honest, I may force myself to slow down a bit now. I had a bit of a stress response at work today. I doubt it was just about this stuff, but it no doubt added to it as I am very passionate about this subject. And I really don't wanna repeat this stress response. Health issues is not something I want to come about simply because I am stressed.

So I may have to back off a bit. But I am still 100% on the side of "both sides have shitty things they've done, but Hamas is literally the one who started this, killed countless innocents, and kidnapped a LOT of innocent people, including literal infants (something there is no precedent for, I might add. No one's ever really taken literal babies hostage like this before), and I will not condemn Israel for retaliating. I will, however, push for peace as regardless it is a fucking tragedy that people are dying and it NEEDS to stop. And it really can't until Hamas is removed. They keep breaking the ceasefires, all throughout the history of this region. Long-standing peace is not possible with them in power."

That got very long-winded. XD sorry.

[eretzyisrael]

by Dion J. Pierre

Amid a burst of antisemitism on college campuses across the US, the Students Supporting Israel (SSI) chapter at Vanderbilt University has been denied membership in the Multicultural Leadership Council (MLC) branch of student government.

According to The Vanderbilt Hustler, the group is the only one to be rejected from this year’s applicant pool, an outcome that SSI president Ryan Bauman said is evidence of febrile opposition to dialogue and coexistence among some segments of the student body. The only Jewish group to be admitted, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), is a fringe anti-Israel organization that did not condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel and has long celebrated terrorism against Israelis.

Among the nine groups to be admitted to the MLC this year were the Taiwanese American Student Association, Vanderbilt Pride Serve, the Vanderbilt Association for South Asian Cuisine, and the Vanderbilt Iranian Student Association. One of the 11 total organizations that applied, Vanderbilt United Mission for Relief and Development, is still awaiting an upcoming vote.

As a requirement of its application, SSI was told to deliver a presentation to the MLC but given only a few minutes to do so. Afterward, the group was cross-examined by the MLC — of which Students for Justice in Palestine is a member organization — about their opinions regarding “genocide” and “apartheid,” an apparent attempt to use the proceeding as a soapbox for anti-Zionist propaganda.

“We told them that we didn’t show up to discuss politics,” Bauman told The Algemeiner during an interview on Tuesday. “We told them we were there to celebrate Israeli culture and further the pro-Israel movement and invited them to have other dialogues at another time. We were then told to leave, and they held a closed session. And as you can see, it resulted in us being rejected by a wide margin.”

Vanderbilt University is not a terrible place to be a Jewish student, Bauman explained, but the persistence of anti-Zionists shaming them about their identities has caused them to feel marooned and misunderstood at a time when they want commiseration between all students affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“I really wish that they [the MLC] would reconsider. If they wanted to have hard conversations about their criticisms of Israel, let us join and have those conversations, but they can’t even look me in the eye and say that we have a right to our opinions,” he continued. “It’s awful and immensely sad to see that much obstinance exuding from college students who will become the future leaders of the world.”

Overall, Bauman added, the percentage of Vanderbilt University students who support movements like the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel is small. He credited the school for being “the best campus” for Jewish students.

[phoenixwrites]

There's nothing that I'd like more than both Chrissy and Eddie coming back and getting their fairytale ending in ST, or at least meeting again. But Grace supports Palestine - which is the right thing to do -, Ross Duffer signed that pro-Israel letter to Biden and actors who speak against the genocide are losing opportunities. I don't have so much hope.

The hard cold truth of Hollywood is that they’ll hire whoever they think will bring them the most money—regardless of whether they support Palestine or not. If there is a large enough public wave of outcry and demands to support Palestine, Hollywood will backtrack all Israel shows of support or at least keep it very, very quiet. If public opinion sways towards supporting Israel, Hollywood will pretend to follow in suit. Hollywood doesn’t care. They care just about money. (For the record, I am anti-war in all cases. I want Hamas to disappear, I want Palestinians to live peacefully without violence from Israel, I want the Israeli military to face justice and accountability for their crimes of genocide and rape, I want Israeli civilians caught in the crosshairs to be safe, their kidnapped families returned, their 10/7 victims of rape and murder to be believed and fully condemn the Israeli government for committing the most heinous of war crimes, much like the US did after 9/11 and I refuse to participate in any antisemitism used to try and liberate Palestine—liberation for Palestine is inextricably tied to the safety and protection of the Jewish people.)

The fact of the matter is, I have zero faith in the Duffer brothers as writers. I know what I would do for season 5 (I wouldn’t bring back the tired dead love triangle of Steve/Jonathan/Nancy, I’ll tell you that much). Despite the wave of support for Barb, her character never returned (though I’m still gunning for a flayed version of Barb to fuck with Nancy a little bit).

What I’m trying to say here is I don’t actually care what happens in season 5, because whatever dumb or good writing they do, I’m going to get a flobbityjillion fic ideas from it. I win either way. Would I love more Hellcheer content? Totally. Do I expect it? Nah. Does that matter to me? Not at all. Cuz I’m just going to do whatever I want and hopefully I can come up with some even crazier rare pairs…

[khaleesiofalicante]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyry-3buwe0/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Hi Dani,

I'm sorry if this post is a bit harsh, but it's very hard for me to see that everyone is screaming “genocide” without understanding the true meaning of the word and without mentioning a word about what happened on October 7th in Israel (maybe you really haven't heard enough about it, so please go read about it, from reliable sources pls!) and not mentioning the more than 200 Israelis kidnapped to Gaza, including babies, children, elderly and holocaust survivors, who are there for over than 2 weeks and their families know nothing about their well-being!

so please read why everything started and what happened in Israel on 7/10 (Israel has the right to defend itself, Israel has warned the residents in Gaza many times to evacuate (and many did so!), and yes you should call freePalestine from Hamas!! A terror organization with whom Israel is currently fighting)

Hello love,

I want to make my position clear.

I stand in solidarity with Palestine.

It is important to emphasize that supporting Palestine does not equate to being anti-Semitic. While it is true that some pro-Palestine discussions can include anti-Semitic rhetoric, it is crucial to understand that this arises from years of oppression.

Supporting Palestine does not make someone pro-Hamas. I reiterate: advocating for Palestine does not imply hatred towards Jews or support for terrorism. It signifies our opposition to the policies of the Israeli government and our stance against what we see as a humanitarian crisis involving genocide and ethnic cleansing.

I acknowledge that we may hold differing views on this matter. But it is essential to recognize that the conflict did not start recently; it has deep historical roots spanning 75 years. This is not just a recent 'war' or 'conflict' initiated by Hamas; it is about a decades-old pattern of oppression against the Palestinian people. If we fail to admit this reality, we cannot work towards a solution.

It is entirely possible to condemn Hamas and their actions while acknowledging a simple truth: no one has the right to colonize other people, occupy their land, and dictate their way of life. Every time someone brings up the actions of 'both sides are suffering' in this conflict, it reminds me of the "men get raped too" argument used when discussing gender-based violence. While we don't disregard the suffering on the other side, it's crucial not to overlook the institutional and systematic oppression faced by the minority.

I keep coming back to this quote. I hope we can take a moment to think about this. It speaks volumes to me. Especially now. 

“If you insist on disavowing that which is ugly about what you do,” said Magnus, still looking at Alec, “you will never learn from your mistakes.”

I must emphasize that I am not an expert on this topic, and I am aware of my privilege in being far removed from the violence and catastrophe. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a citizen of either country right now.

I hope you and your family are safe. You deserve to be. 

As does everyone else. 

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! Once in awhile I like to switch things up and, given the current global unrest, it's time to replace what used to be viewed as stable. Posts usually began with an exercise photo; similarly, we viewed daily nutritious meals as the most fundamental human right. As global tensions rise to bubbling levels, this is something I don't take for granted any longer. So for the rest of 2023, I'm celebrating food because chi de bao, shui de hao (to have a good meal and good sleep) is a luxury to many nowadays; exercise pics will be back in a coupla months, or by 2024.

How aesthetic is yong tau foo even without fancy plating. There's no need for artsy fartsy dividing of a cherry tomato into 3 when vibrant colours take centre stage. Flavour is the name of the game, whether it's due to the freshness of the vegetables or the expert way tofu, vegetables, meat, seafood and fish are turned into culinary works of art. Paired with rice or noodles, yong tau foo gets my mouth juices working overtime every single time! This is a dish locals rely on whenever we wanna eat something nutritious and tasty.

This week, I tried braised seafood noodles. The QQ strands were perfectly complemented by crunchy shrimp, clams, taupok (bean puff) and roasted peanuts; veggies wise, there were choy sum, cabbage and flower mushroom. It was so delicious that I returned the next day to try their white bee hoon (rice vermicelli). Essentially, it was the same dish, except stirfried bee hoon replaced braised noodles as the carbohydrate. Between the 2, I prefer the braised noodles, but both were excellent!

These days the most frequent laments I hear are 'Standard has dropped' at popular food establishments. Overall inflation is falling but dining out is much more expensive than it used to be; skimpflation/shrinkflation and possible price gouging remain rampant. This week, I'm praying for a ceasefire in Gaza. If the unrest widens in the Middle East, not only could more civilians die needlessly, oil prices may spike as a result of supply chain disruptions and inflation may soar. As if life isn't hard enough already!

I disagree with the narrative that anyone who doesn't support the massacre of Palestinian civilians is pro-terrorist. My country already condemned the attack against Israel but 2 wrongs do not make a right. I'm also extremely supportive of a ceasefire and 2 state solution so that conflict ends, hopefully once and for all. This is what I pray for, out of love for mankind, because wars only worsen suffering. In many countries, food insecurity has worsened.

How can I be evil when all I'm doing is love? I don't buy that narrative at all. 下次见!

[ruminativerabbi]

Vulnerability

Vulnerability has a bad rep in our world. In fact, what we all long for is precisely the opposite: to feel invulnerable, impervious to incoming danger, safe and secure not only when we hide under our beds in the dark of night but when we are out and about in the world. But we—speaking of society as a whole but also of us ourselves as individuals—we may have moved a bit quickly in that regard and not sufficiently thoughtfully. Being paralyzed with fear about dangers that are highly unlikely to come our way—that kind of vulnerability is definitely something negative that all who can should avoid. But owning up to the vulnerability that inheres in the human condition itself is in a different category entirely. As this last pandemic year has taught us all too well, it is only a sign of maturity and self-awareness to own up to the degree to which we can fall prey to a virus so tiny that you’d need an electron microscope to see it at all and to behave accordingly. And waving away that danger as fake news because you don’t choose to acknowledge your own vulnerability is not a sign of courage or valor, but of lunacy born of a witch’s brew of foolishness, naiveté, and arrogance.

As I prepared myself for surgery last week, I was feeling exceedingly vulnerable. I lay in bed at night talking to my heart, asking why it wasn’t just doing its thing properly on its own, why it was intent on betraying me after all these years of me not burdening it by smoking cigarettes or consuming huge quantities of trans fat. Didn’t I deserve better? I certainly thought I did! But now that the whole procedure is behind me and I’m feeling healthy and fortunate to live in an age of miracles (and if having a non-functioning valve in your heart replaced without them having to open your chest and then being sent home the next day to recuperate doesn’t qualify as a miracle, then what would?)—now that all that is behind me, I see that intense vulnerability that I was feeling in the days leading up to last Thursday in a much less negative light. Yes, there are people who live in terror of an asteroid colliding with the Earth. (For NASA’s own statement about the likelihood of that happening, click here. We’re apparently good for at least the next couple of centuries.) But that’s not the kind of slightly obsessive vulnerability I want to promote as healthy and sane, but rather the kind that speaks not to fantasy but to reality. To the fact that our hearts are not made of steel and that our bones really do crack quite easily. To the fact that, despite all we do to suggest that the opposite is true, we are mortal beings lucky to be gifted with a few score years to wander the earth, to do whatever good we can, to leave behind some sort of legacy for our descendants to contemplate positively once we ourselves are no longer around to be contemplated in person. Feeling vulnerable because the human condition is vulnerability itself—that isn’t craziness or obsessivity, just an honest appraisal of how things are in this world we all share for as long as we do.

These were the thoughts I had in mind as I read the report in the paper the other day about people coming to shul last Shabbat on 16th Avenue in Boro Park last week only to be greeted by men gathered in front of the synagogue screaming “Kill the Jews” and “Free Palestine.” Which kind of vulnerable did those people feel, I wonder—the silly kind (because there weren’t that many hooligans in front of the synagogue, because the cops showed up almost instantly, because the bad guys didn’t actually have guns with them or bombs, and because they fled the scene once they realized how completely outnumbered they were about to become) or the wise kind rooted in a fully rational appraisal of how things are in this world we share with so many who seem to feel entirely justified in their bigotry and prejudice and who appear mostly to have no problem putting both on full display for all to admire? (For an account of the Boro Park incident, click here.) I’m hardly an alarmist who sees a pogrom around every corner. But, of course, it’s hardly an example of alarmism to be alarmed when truly alarming things happen. Maybe I’ve read too many books about Germany in the 1930s. Or maybe not.

We have entered into a new stage, a dangerous and upsetting one. At first, the stories appeared random. A twenty-nine-year-old man wearing a kippah was beat up in Times Square as he tried to make his way to a pro-Israel rally. Then, a day or two later, a group of thugs wearing keffiyehs invaded a restaurant on 40th Street and started spitting on patrons they suspected of being Jewish. Next we heard about people being attacked in the Diamond District on 47th Street, where it isn’t ever hard to come across some Jewish businesspeople or shoppers.  Two days later we were back in Times Square, this time watching footage of a Jewish man being knocked to the ground and beaten in front of the TKTS buttke where they used to sell last-minute tickets to unsold-out Broadway shows when the theaters were open.  Nor is this just a New York thing: the police in L.A. are currently investigating an attack on outside diners at a Japanese restaurant as an anti-Semitic hate crime that occurred the same day that a family of four was terrorized in Bal Harbour, Florida, by a group of men threatening to rape the wife and daughter and yelling “Die Jews” and “Free Palestine” at them. I could go on. There have been similar incidents in New Jersey, Illinois, Utah, Arizona, and several other states. And although I’m focused here mostly on American incidents, the rise in this kind of hate crime is not specifically an American phenomenon: we’ve read of similar, even worse, incidents just lately in London, in Germany, and in Italy.

The question is how to respond, not whether we should. The fantasy that complaining only makes things worse needs to be laid to rest permanently and irrevocably. (The Jewish community could learn a good lesson in that regard from Black America, where it was once also imagined that responding publicly to racism would only make things worse. It’s hard to imagine any Black citizens putting that argument forth today, yet I hear it from Jewish Americans regularly.) Nor can we allow ourselves the luxury of imagining that this dramatic uptick in anti-Jewish violence is “about” Israel. Israel’s recent war with Hamas was, in my opinion, entirely justified. I can see how people might feel otherwise, and even strongly so. But I know too much history—and specifically too much Jewish history—to indulge in the fantasy that anti-Semitism is “about” anything other than the hatred of Jewish people, Judaism, and Jewishness itself. No matter how many shows an actor appears in, he’s the same person under all of the costumes he gets paid to wear on stage.

I myself have lived a blessed life. Born just eight and a half years after the Nazis were murdering up to twelve thousand people a day at Auschwitz, I have hardly ever encountered real anti-Semitism directed directly at me personally. (And I speak as someone who spent several years living in Germany in the 1980s.) Nonetheless, sensitivity to anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence is the hallmark of my Jewishness, the foundation upon which my eager willingness to live my life as a public, fully-identified, and unambiguously-identifiable Jewish person rests. And that is why I am disinclined to wave away the latest series of anti-Semitic incidents in New York and elsewhere as a random set of creepy one-time events—nor would anyone describe that way who has ever read a book about the history of anti-Judaism or anti-Semitism. For people eager to dine at my table, I recommend Walter Laqueurs’s The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day  as your appetizer, Léon Poliakov’s four-volume History of Anti-Semitism as your main course with a side serving of David Nirenberg’s Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition. For dessert, I  recommend Deborah Lipstadt’s Antisemitism: Here and Now. I can promise you that you won’t be hungry when you’re done.

There have been encouraging signs too, of course. President Biden has spoken out sharply and strongly against the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, calling them despicable and condemning them unequivocally as “hateful behavior.” We have heard similarly supportive rhetoric from Governor Cuomo, Mayor Di Blasio, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand. So that’s good. But will any of the actual sonim out to harm Jews hold back because of a presidential tweet or a senatorial press release?  On the other hand, there were seventeen thousand tweets disseminated by Twitter last week that contained some version of the words “Hitler was right.” Just wait until they find out that the President considers them despicable!

I don’t mean to sound unhappy that supportive, unambiguous language denouncing anti-Semitism has emanated from the highest offices in the land. Just to the contrary, I am thrilled that our leadership has spoken out so boldly and clearly. But I also don’t imagine it will matter until it is deemed just as unacceptable to speak disparagingly about Jews in public as it is—at least in all places that decent people gather and live—to espouse hate-fueled violence against Black people or Asian-Americans, or any other American minority. And that will take—at least in some quarters—a sea change of attitude that can only be accomplished through the kind of ongoing educative process capable of moving society forward. How to do that, I’m not sure. But I am sure that that is the challenge the new normal has laid at our feet. And I am as sure about that as I am that these recent incidents, for all they come dressed up as part of the Israeli-Palestinian controversy, have nothing at all to do with Middle Eastern politics and everything to do with the unique place anti-Jewishness continues to occupy in Western culture as the one remaining version of bigotry to which otherwise normal and nice people can still openly subscribe without suffering much for their views. Or at all.

[creepingsharia]

Florida: Terror-Inciting Muslim Leader Finally Removed From Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade Board

A second anti-crime group breaks ties with the pro-Hamas social media terrorist.

By Joe Kaufman

Effective on the date of November 28, 2019, South Florida Muslim leader Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout was removed from the Board of Directors of Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade County. This was just one day after this author's video aired on Facebook calling for Zakkout's removal and just months after another anti-crime group, Citizens' Crime Watch, cut ties with him, a measure which was also initiated by this author. Zakkout's numerous extremist and bigoted activities warranted such actions.

Zakkout has promoted Holocaust denial. In February 2016, Zakkout circulated a report claiming that "the Holocaust was faked." It begins: "The alleged ‘Holocaust' of ‘6 million Jews' at the hands of Adolf Hitler and National Socialist Germany during WWII is the biggest lie ever foisted upon humanity." It was produced by The Realist Report, an anti-Jew, anti-black, anti-gay independent media outlet, which describes Hitler as "the greatest leader in modern Western history." Zakkout posted the following about the report: "100% pure, unadulterated truth… Hard to argue with this. After all, you can't deny something if it never happened, can you?"

Zakkout has memorialized dead/assassinated terrorist icons from al-Qaeda and Hamas. In March 2016, Zakkout posted onto his Facebook page a graphic containing the images of several deceased terrorist leaders. They included Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarzawi, Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin, and Hamas bomb maker Yahya Ayyash.

Zakkout has threatened his fellow Muslims with death. In February 2015, over a graphic of deceased Hamas founders Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, he wrote, "It is an obligation to kill those who left our religion. It is an obligation to kill those who fight our religion and to intimidate our enemies and the enemies of the religion."

Zakkout has organized pro-Hamas rallies. In July 2014, Zakkout led a pro-Hamas rally outside the Israeli Consulate in downtown Miami, where his rally goers repeatedly shouted, "We are Hamas" and "Let's go Hamas." Zakkout is shown on video from the rally smiling, as the crowd makes these chants. Above photos from the event, Zakkout wrote, "Thank God, every day we conquer the American Jews like our conquests over the Jews of Israel!"

Zakkout has frequently referred to Jews as "monkeys and pigs." In November 2017, he posted a video onto social media with a message in Arabic saying, "Spread the video to beat the fucking Jews."

Zakkout has been a leader in a Hamas-related charity. In August 2000, Zakkout became the Vice President of the now-defunct Health Resource Center for Palestine (HRCP). At the time, the Secretary and Treasurer of HRCP was Syed Khawer Ahmad, a then-web developer for Hamas, who had designed and maintained the first website for the Islamic Association, al-Jamia al-Islamiya, the Gaza-based parent organization of Hamas.

Zakkout, who is originally from Gaza, has fully embraced Hamas. In August 2014, Zakkout declared, "Hamas is in my heart and on my head." Last April, he tweeted that "Israel doesn't exist."

Zakkout has praised white supremacist leader and former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. In February 2016, Zakkout wrote of Duke, "I respect him for his honesty!" In October 2015, Zakkout referred to Duke as "David Duke, a man to believe in." In July 2010, Zakkout's organization, the American Muslim Association of North America (AMANA), was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for posting what the ADL called a "venomous" anti-Semitic video, featuring Duke, on AMANA's official website. AMANA's site, as well, has labeled Jews and Christians "enemies of Allah."

Zakkout has not stopped, even after his removal from Crime Stoppers. This month, Zakkout posted a video promoting numerous Palestinian terrorists, including dead Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Commander Baha Abu al-Ata, dead Hamas bomb maker Mohiyedine Sharif, and imprisoned Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Secretary General Ahmad Sa'adat. In December, Zakkout posted: a picture once again memorializing Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin; a graphic calling for the unity of all the Palestinian terrorist factions; and a photo quoting notorious self-hating anti-Semite Jew, Hajo Meyer, with the caption, "Jew don't say?"

The removal document (Articles of Amendment), regarding Zakkout's board status, was signed by Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade County's Executive Director Suzette Rice, someone who previously told this author of her reluctance to take such action. It was posted onto Crime Stoppers' Florida corporation page, on December 3rd.

Besides Zakkout, the status of two other Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers board members, Vice President Dahwood Akhtar and Director Lorena Zapustas, changed, as well, as the two swapped positions, with Zapustas now serving as VP and Akhtar becoming a Director. It is unknown by this author whether or not this further change had anything to do with Zakkout's removal.

While this author has been unrelentingly critical of Crime Stoppers, because of the group's (now past) association with Zakkout, today, Crime Stoppers has taken a big step in regaining its credibility and restoring its once-sullied reputation. Hopefully, the nation's top community-based anti-crime operation will maintain its integrity and place its mission above the type of political correctness that leads to the embrace of and hesitation to part with someone like a Zakkout.

Crime Stoppers should be commended for finally doing the right thing.