(Opinion)
In the wake of Charlottesville, numerous Americans have come forward to oppose racism in a variety of ways. In some cases, this took the form of donations.
As a result, some allegedly anti-racist organizations have seen a financial bonanza. The main one seems to be the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which saw a 1,000% spike in donations – more than half by first-time donors. There’s one problem. The ADL is a major supporter of racism.
On its website, the ADL claims it works to “secure justice and fair treatment to all.”
Unfortunately, that is far from the truth. The fact is that the ADL works to maintain oppression and discrimination against Palestinian Muslims and Christians.
The ADL’s number two focus, listed right after its claim to speak out against “bigotry, discrimination, and injustice,” is to “stand up for the Jewish State of Israel.”
Israel was created – as documented by Israeli historians and numerous others – by a war of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim and Christian population that made up the large majority of the inhabitants.
It then instituted a system built on discrimination against Muslims, Christians, and other non-Jews.
For the past 69 years, Israel has oppressed Palestinians in diverse ways, confiscating their land, destroying their homes, killing numerous children, and imprisoning at least one member of 70 percent of all Palestinian families.
In addition, Israel has waged wars of aggression against Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. It has urged wars against Iraq, Iran, and others.
And the ADL has been in the forefront of supporting Israel. It has also used its $57 million budget to smear those who support fairness, justice, and equality for Palestinians.
The sad fact is that donations to the ADL, rather than fighting racism, will be used to enable it.
People may wish to ask for their money back and give it to someone who actually helps people – and whose executive director isn’t paid close to half a million dollars.
Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans Knew and the Council for the National Interest. Her bio is here.
Top photo: Palestinian boys raise up their hands with chains, during a protest to show their solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, who have been on an open-ended hunger strike for the past 18 days, in Beirut, Lebanon, May 4, 2017. (AP/Hussein Malla)
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect MintPress News editorial policy.
