Thursday, June 29, 2006

Jewish News of Northern California: Upcoming pro-Palestinian Conference at San Francisco State

The focus of this story is a little odd: making what promises to be a very ugly Israel-bashing event safe for Israel supporters. I guess it makes sense, though. It certainly would be interesting to see what is going on there, and people ought to be safe while doing so.
Minds will not be changed. This is not an opportunity for dialogue. So when the S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council discovered that Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, will be holding its national convention at San Francisco State, those weren’t its top concerns.

Instead, Rabbi Doug Kahn wants to make sure that those who have paid the $45 entry fee to the July 14 to 16 event will be free to attend the conference — even if, by chance, they don’t buy into the ethos of the ardently pro-Palestinian organizers.

“If someone wants to attend and learn about the goings-on at the convention, he should be able to do so and participate, providing he comports with the rules of decorum,” said Kahn, the JCRC’s executive director.

In other words, the pro-Palestinian organizers shouldn’t be allowed to randomly toss out or harass pro-Israel supporters with tickets — and Kahn has made calls to SFSU to ensure this will be the case.


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