<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/24/israel-fund-us-university-protest-gaza-antisemitism>
"Last November, just weeks into the war in Gaza, Amichai Chikli, a brash,
42-year-old Likud minister in the Israeli government, was called into the
Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to brief lawmakers on what could be done about
rising anti-war protests from young people across the United States, especially
at elite universities.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now, that I think we should,
especially in the United States, be on the offensive,” argued Chikli.
Chikli has since led a targeted push to counter critics of Israel.
The
Guardian has uncovered evidence showing how Israel has relaunched a
controversial entity as part of a broader public relations campaign to target
US college campuses and redefine antisemitism in US law.
Seconds after a smoke alarm subsided during the hearing, Chikli assured the
lawmakers that there was new money in the budget for a pushback campaign, which
was separate from more traditional public relations and paid advertising
content produced by the government. It included 80 programs already under way
for advocacy efforts “to be done in the ‘Concert’ way”, he said.
The “Concert” remark referred to a sprawling relaunch of a controversial
Israeli government program initially known as Kela Shlomo, designed to carry
out what Israel called “mass consciousness activities” targeted largely at the
US and Europe. Concert, now known as Voices of Israel, previously worked with
groups spearheading a campaign to pass so-called “anti-BDS” state laws that
penalize Americans for engaging in boycotts or other non-violent protests of
Israel.
Its latest incarnation is part of a hardline and sometimes covert operation by
the Israeli government to strike back at student protests, human rights
organizations and other voices of dissent."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
