Some Israeli bloggers have discovered that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Spanish government may be involved with a Palestinian tourism website that seems to be disseminating some troubling anti-Israel propaganda. Here’s some of the background on the story from Challah Hu Akbar:
The other day we heard how Spain was sponsoring a PA TV ad that called for the boycott of all Israeli products.
Spain denied the accusations and began an investigation, saying they were the victims.
Now it seems as though Spain is funding the website Travel to Palestine. (h/t ElderofZiyon) This website is known for its ad in the UK which said that Palestine was the area from the Mediterranean to Jordan, thus eliminating Israel. Read this for more on what they view Palestine as. …
A map on the site does not show Israel.
The Travel to Palestine website, which appears to be the official site of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, can be found here. The ministry’s website claims that Palestine “lies between the Mediterranean Coast and the Jordan River, at the crossroads between Africa and the Middle East” (which, while technically true, is still a bit misleading).
Challah Hu Akbar also notes that a map on the site does not show Israel, just a blank space where Israel should be. In addition, the information section says that the capital of Palestine — which is obviously not yet a country — is Jerusalem.
But perhaps more troubling was some of the other tourism information put out by the ministry, which includes references to Israel’s alleged “apartheid” policies and “illegal occupation.” One pamphlet for tourists on the website claims that “Jerusalem — the heart of tourism in the region — has been illegally annexed to Israel, filled with illegal settlements, besieged, surrounded by checkpoints, and encircled by the Apartheid Wall, all of which has resulted in the city’s isolation from its social and geographical surroundings.”
Another part of the pamphlet alleges that Israel “wiped Palestine off the map”:
Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. These events have created catastrophic political, economic and social facts which have deeply affected the life of the Palestinian people, most of whom became refugees. In many ways Palestine itself was simply wiped off the map, historic Palestine coming to be known as Israel. In this context tourism became a political tool in the supremacy and domination of the Israeli establishment over land and people, and an instrument for preventing the Palestinians from enjoying the benefits and the fruits of the cultural and human interaction on which tourism thrives.
A separate pamphlet on the site blames the poor tourism industry on the Israeli “Occupation” and Israel’s alleged refusal to allow Palestinians to renovate key sites:
The Occupation, with all its facets, is the biggest obstacle. The restrictions on movement and access (on both tourists and Palestinian service providers) make managing tourist flow and developing themed routes very difficult. Israel’s refusal to allow Palestinians to renovate, restore and manage key sites located in Areas C, such as Sebastiya, the Jordan Valley, and the coast of the Dead Sea, hinder our abilities to develop a comprehensive tourism offer, and the overall lack of control over borders and points of entry makes managing and developing a tourism sector extremely challenging.
So obviously, it would be problematic for official Spanish or U.S. agencies to be involved with this group. But it looks like that may, in fact, be happening — the ministry’s homepage says at the bottom that “This project was made possible thanks to the support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation” and includes a logo of the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem.
The involvement of USAID with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism is more tenuous, though. Another pamphlet on the website includes the USAID logo and the ministry’s logo, implying that the project was a collaboration between the two organizations.
The ministry also claims that USAID facilitated its involvement in an international tourism conference last October. “This activity came as part of the Palestine Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ membership at the Adventure Travel Trade Association and part of the support provided by the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion (EDIP) project funded by the USAID,” says the website.
USAID’s own website says that it “supported Palestinian representation at the World Religious Tourism Expo,” though it doesn’t clarify who the representation was.
I’ve called USAID for comment, but as of now, they have been unable to get in touch with officials at their West Bank office, which is closed until after the holiday weekend. We’ll update this story as soon as more information arises.
i am so tired of them giving money away with No strings attached.
The card check provision is not the worst part of the Orwellian-named Employee Free Choice Act. EFCA also provides that once a union gets in a company must agree to the union’s demands or an “arbitrator” will simply award the union a contract, setting wages and working conditions as the arbitrator sees fit. Unions will gladly give up the card check if they can get this so-called interest arbitration provision, since it eliminates any need for them to strike in order to force companies to pay more than the companies are willing to pay. The card check provision may fail, but it is a trojan horse for the interest arbitration scam.
Union dues “bolster the campaign kitties of some democrats,” Jennifer? Admittedly not all democrats receive campaign contributions like Obama did. But no republicans di.
Oops, that’s “do.”
I don’t like Obama
I don’t agree with Obama’s liberal ideals.
But he’s not stupid.
I cannot believe, that in the midst of the current economic crisis that he would risk any political capital on card check.
He will be totally focused on using the crisis to get passed a humongous stimulus package that would pay for as many of his campaign spending promises as possible.
I think Republicans/conservatives should not just pay lip service to how card check will embolden unions who could intimidate employees with an open ballot. They should also voice the fact that with card check, management could *also* intimidate workers to vote *against* the union. Which is true enough.
By making the argument that they are looking out for the best interests of the workers (and not business at the *expense* of workers), then the R’s position is much strengthened if you ask me. And if that helps scuttle this dreadful legislation, I’m all for it.
Ritchie – many employers will not even know the cards are being signed until it is too late. The employer will always be held to a higher standard and he can only talk to them in the workplace, without threats, etc. The Union can go to their home and threaten all they want without any real penalty. Do some history research and you will realize why the secret ballot is important. And yes the arbitrator award is hilarious. Here is the scenerio:
Secret card check gets 50% + 1
Union recognized
Union stalls on agreeing to anything
Arbitrator has hearings to set agreement
Before Arbitrator’s decision, employer moves work out of factory
Employees get laid off
Of course the only place where this might not work well is in real heavy industry – Cat and the transplant autos. They will move what work they can and then in 2 years decide whether to keep the facility open. We will lose all the auto industry then.
If you think “card check” is bad, imagine it combined with the financial bailout.
For example, public-sector unions: since public employee pension funds underperformed obligations before the stock market crash, the financial bailout allows Washington to send money to local and state governments. This removes all incentive and leverage for negotiating union contracts — Washington will pay!
The unions know this, will raise demands accordingly, and will become more militant. Union expansion will only intensify the problem. And taxes will go up.
I can’t imagine the Dems would be so tone-deaf and foolish as to take up issues like “card check” and a renewal of the Fairness Doctrine in this political/economic climate. Oh, what am I saying–of course I can image it. Bring it on.