July 1, 2015
Shurat HaDin, the Israeli legal organization that has used the
tactics of “lawfare” to wage battles against Gaza flotillas and others
whom Zionists want to put a stop to, is this week holding a training
seminar focusing on the BDS movement.
According to the article below, the seminar is being attended by 70 attorneys from around the world, including the US, and will feature workshops on such topics as how to “combat BDS and other anti-Semitic movements.”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin, is quoted as saying that the fight against BDS must be expanded “dramatically.”
So does that mean if I ask a corporation to stop doing business with Israel, or even if I only publicly say, “I support the BDS movement,” that I could be facing a lawsuit?
The first amendment to our constitution is the only reason we haven’t seen holocaust denial laws adopted here in the US–that seems pretty clear. But you know, it occurs to me that it really becomes unnecessary to dismantle the constitution or pass laws banning speech if you can cow enough people into silence.
And one way you can do this is by instilling widespread fears of the prospect of facing a potentially bankrupting lawsuit for expressing your views–for even if you win your case, your legal fees are likely to be astronomical. The sad fact is only the rich can afford civil litigation. When you get sued, you aren’t offered the option of having a court-appointed attorney represent you. That’s one of the major flaws of the American legal system, and back in the nineties they used to call the kind of lawsuits Shurat HaDin seems to be contemplating “SLAPP suits.” (Stratetic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.)
If I publicly declare, “I support the BDS movement,” that is a form of public participation. The BDS movement is a nonviolent movement. And your right to support it should be guaranteed by the first amendment. You absolutely should not have to worry about having to spend your life savings or mortgaging your house or borrowing money from relatives just to defend yourself against a lawsuit because of it.
People tend to get sorely vexed when they see their free speech rights being trampled upon. This is true pretty much everywhere, but particularly here in the US, where we have a long tradition of speech being protected under the first amendment. How do you suppose the legal antics of Shurat HaDin will factor into this equation? If we start seeing a series of penalizing lawsuits and other legal actions against BDS activists, will it cause the level of “anti-Semitism” to rise even further, possibly even in here America as well?
“Use your legal skills to defend Israel!”
This is how the seminar is promoted on a page at the Shurat HaDin website. The promo additionally describes it as “an intense one week program filled with cutting-edge lectures and workshops taught by accomplished jurists and legal scholars…” In addition to the workshop on BDS, there is also one on how to defend Israeli soldiers against war crimes complaints.
Why such a concern about war crimes charges? Isn’t Israel “the most moral Army in the world”?
The fact, of course, that one of the discussions is on how to “combat BDS and other anti-Semitic movements” would suggest that Shurat HaDin has some concerns about anti-Semitism. If so, are they oblivious to the possibility that intimidating people into silence about Israel is more likely to result in an increase in anti-Semitism than a reduction in it?
If anti-Semitism continues to rise, how will that impact the daily lives of Jews outside Israel, say those living in America, or particularly in Europe? Will it necessitate additional increases in security? Security at Jewish institutions is already pretty high, even in America, and much of it is being paid for out of public funds. How much higher will it need to go?
Perhaps a crucial question US Jews should start asking themselves is whether their continued support for Israel is worth it. Maybe the way to effect substantial change is not by waging a campaign of legal intimidation against the BDS movement; maybe the way to change things is by calling for Israel to dismantle its settlements, lift its blockade of Gaza, and agree to the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state, with international peacekeepers to patrol the border.
This would seem to be a smarter way to bring the anti-Semitism level down. A continuation of Israel’s expansionist policies is almost guaranteed to increase it.
But maybe even better yet would be a complete dismantling of the Jewish state.
And if you happen to be a religious Jew, here is something you might want to consider in that regard.
Think how much more carefree, and less complicated, your life would be had the state of Israel never been founded.
Mossad-Linked Group Holds Anti-BDS Legal Seminar
MEMO
Shurat HaDin, an organisation with links to Israel’s government and security services, is holding a seminar this week in Jerusalem “to train lawyers from abroad to litigate BDS.” The gathering follows a period of intensified attacks by Israeli officials on the Palestinian-led boycott movement, including reports of imminent Justice Ministry-initiated lawsuits.
According to media reports, some 70 lawyers from around the world, including the US, Singapore, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, Canada and Belgium, will attend. The goal – to “equip” them with “the tactical tools and broader courtroom strategies they need” to fight BDS.
Continued here
Recent posts
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian 
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin, says the fight against BDS must be expanded “dramatically.”
According to the article below, the seminar is being attended by 70 attorneys from around the world, including the US, and will feature workshops on such topics as how to “combat BDS and other anti-Semitic movements.”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin, is quoted as saying that the fight against BDS must be expanded “dramatically.”
So does that mean if I ask a corporation to stop doing business with Israel, or even if I only publicly say, “I support the BDS movement,” that I could be facing a lawsuit?
The first amendment to our constitution is the only reason we haven’t seen holocaust denial laws adopted here in the US–that seems pretty clear. But you know, it occurs to me that it really becomes unnecessary to dismantle the constitution or pass laws banning speech if you can cow enough people into silence.
And one way you can do this is by instilling widespread fears of the prospect of facing a potentially bankrupting lawsuit for expressing your views–for even if you win your case, your legal fees are likely to be astronomical. The sad fact is only the rich can afford civil litigation. When you get sued, you aren’t offered the option of having a court-appointed attorney represent you. That’s one of the major flaws of the American legal system, and back in the nineties they used to call the kind of lawsuits Shurat HaDin seems to be contemplating “SLAPP suits.” (Stratetic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.)
If I publicly declare, “I support the BDS movement,” that is a form of public participation. The BDS movement is a nonviolent movement. And your right to support it should be guaranteed by the first amendment. You absolutely should not have to worry about having to spend your life savings or mortgaging your house or borrowing money from relatives just to defend yourself against a lawsuit because of it.
People tend to get sorely vexed when they see their free speech rights being trampled upon. This is true pretty much everywhere, but particularly here in the US, where we have a long tradition of speech being protected under the first amendment. How do you suppose the legal antics of Shurat HaDin will factor into this equation? If we start seeing a series of penalizing lawsuits and other legal actions against BDS activists, will it cause the level of “anti-Semitism” to rise even further, possibly even in here America as well?
“Use your legal skills to defend Israel!”
This is how the seminar is promoted on a page at the Shurat HaDin website. The promo additionally describes it as “an intense one week program filled with cutting-edge lectures and workshops taught by accomplished jurists and legal scholars…” In addition to the workshop on BDS, there is also one on how to defend Israeli soldiers against war crimes complaints.
Why such a concern about war crimes charges? Isn’t Israel “the most moral Army in the world”?
The fact, of course, that one of the discussions is on how to “combat BDS and other anti-Semitic movements” would suggest that Shurat HaDin has some concerns about anti-Semitism. If so, are they oblivious to the possibility that intimidating people into silence about Israel is more likely to result in an increase in anti-Semitism than a reduction in it?
If anti-Semitism continues to rise, how will that impact the daily lives of Jews outside Israel, say those living in America, or particularly in Europe? Will it necessitate additional increases in security? Security at Jewish institutions is already pretty high, even in America, and much of it is being paid for out of public funds. How much higher will it need to go?
Perhaps a crucial question US Jews should start asking themselves is whether their continued support for Israel is worth it. Maybe the way to effect substantial change is not by waging a campaign of legal intimidation against the BDS movement; maybe the way to change things is by calling for Israel to dismantle its settlements, lift its blockade of Gaza, and agree to the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state, with international peacekeepers to patrol the border.
This would seem to be a smarter way to bring the anti-Semitism level down. A continuation of Israel’s expansionist policies is almost guaranteed to increase it.
But maybe even better yet would be a complete dismantling of the Jewish state.
And if you happen to be a religious Jew, here is something you might want to consider in that regard.
Think how much more carefree, and less complicated, your life would be had the state of Israel never been founded.
Mossad-Linked Group Holds Anti-BDS Legal Seminar
MEMO
Shurat HaDin, an organisation with links to Israel’s government and security services, is holding a seminar this week in Jerusalem “to train lawyers from abroad to litigate BDS.” The gathering follows a period of intensified attacks by Israeli officials on the Palestinian-led boycott movement, including reports of imminent Justice Ministry-initiated lawsuits.
According to media reports, some 70 lawyers from around the world, including the US, Singapore, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, Canada and Belgium, will attend. The goal – to “equip” them with “the tactical tools and broader courtroom strategies they need” to fight BDS.
Continued here
Recent posts
- Obama Joins Israeli Bandwagon Against BDS Movement
- Buy Zara!
- Pro-Palestinian Christian Group Gets Lecture from ‘Anti-Zionist’ Rabbi
- Zionism’s Ongoing Campaign Against Free Speech
- US, Israel Now Admit to Supporting Terrorists in Syria (2 articles)
- Boycotts and Divestments are not ‘Anti-Semitic’
- Who Does Jerusalem Belong To?
- Israel Seizes Gaza Aid Ship
- Greece to Close Banks, Impose Capital Controls
- Gaza Flotilla Crew ‘Chased and Hounded’ in Greece (Where’s Syriza?)
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian 
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