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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Who is Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign?


Nadene Goldfoot

Family Security Matters' authors have done a lot of investigation.

The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign is an offshoot of "Coalition to Stop $30 billion to Israel." This started in 2009 and tried to get support from J-Street. On April 8, 2009, they set up 10 billboards around Albuquerque, New Mexico in a 2 month contract. They were quite open in their intentions to slam Israel. The billboards mentioning "killing children" were removed after 3 weeks of the 8 week contract after many complaints. Then again in December 2009 more appeared in Albuquerque but the message was modified. A video was made

Ed Mast was the spokesman for SMAC in Seattle in relation to the Metro bus ad campaign attacking Israel. He is the one who said that their intention was not to inflame but to raise awareness.

This is the man who wrote an article for the Salem News on May 17, 2010 saying that Israel's birth in May 1948 was the Palestinian Catastrophe and went on to write a completely lopsided essay about it that is full of false information. No doubt it's as the Palestinians have been brainwashed by their leaders, and he has bought into this legend as fact.

Awareness in his mind is telling the citizens of Seattle that the US is giving 30 Billion dollars each year to Israel in foreign aid. Awareness is telling these citizens that Israel simply bombed buildings without reason in Gaza with the pictures involved in the ad. The ads are badly distorting the issues involved, and Mr. Mast's story is all one-sided.

Seven years ago,, Mast was an activist with the International Solidarity Movement or ISM and now has been involved with the Palestine Online Store, a place selling his side of the Palestinian-Israel history. He is a founding member of the Seattle-based Palestine Information Project or Palestine Solidarity committee which is involved in boycotting Israeli products and produces propaganda declaring "the racism and colonialism of the Zionist movement....remain the fundamental causes of the current conflict. With this group he has helped organize protests scheduled every Saturday.

He and Susan Barclay, both of ISM from Seattle were in Israel when Rachel Corrie stood in front of a bulldozer operated by an IDF soldier on orders trying to stop him. The problem was that she was standing on a level of ground that prevented the soldier from seeing her, and he accidently hit her. Around her were probably these ISM people and other Palestinians, goading her to stand her ground and prevent the soldier from doing his job. She died as a result and Israel has held a court hearing about this case. My friend, David Berdine, reporter, was there as a witness shortly afterwards and noticed that the observers had offered pictures that were questionable as to the time involved. The light and shading told a different story. Rachel's death was a terrible accident, but no one should stand in front of a soldier in a wartime trying to prevent him from his duty. That is suicide. Her parents are just as guilty for allowing her to go to Israel with the intent of involving herself and putting herself in danger and so were was Rachel's audience of so called friends. Why didn't they grab her away when they saw what was about to happen? Did they just cheer her on? Now Mast tells that Rachel was "murdered" by evil Israeli oppressors.

The main person behind the ad seems to be Mark Eichinger-Wiese. They are claiming non-profit status, a photographer and website designer. He is involved with St. Mark's Cathedral with Brenda Bentz, both church and Bentz being on Mast's Palestine Information Project.

Update: 1:19pm The group is also planning a walking vigil for Monday evening.

http://familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.8220/pub_detail.asp
http://www.palestineinformation.org/events.htm
http://www.ruthfullyyours.com/2010/12/21/adrian-morgan-the-whole-story-on-the-seattle-bus-campaign/
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may172010/nakba-holocaust-em.php
http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/films/palestineforbeginners.htm
Hadassah NW Regional Council
http://www.ikehillah.org/joemccainonthejewsisrael/ from Joe McCain on the Jews-very positive after battling ads against Israel

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This information is not correct.

I am not part of Ed Mast's Information Project and never have been.

Brenda Bentz

Nadene Goldfoot said...

Glad to hear that, Brenda.
Nadene