Arab Students at UC Berkeley Disrupt Israel Event, Attack Jews

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Arab students disrupted a pro-Israel event at the campus of the University of California at Berkeley Thursday night, unfurling a large Palestinian flag in front of a crowd of hundreds of supporters of Israel who were enjoying a pro-Israel hip-hop concert. The event was sponsored by the Zionist Freedom Alliance student group.

"In a statement, the Zionist Freedom Alliance said “we call on state officials, the President of the University of California, the Chancellor, the Dean of Students, faculty, and the student body to take a unified stand against the continued harassment of Jewish and pro-Israel students on this campus""

The Arab students unfurled the large flag on a balcony above the outdoor site where the concert was taking place, inciting a provocation right in front of the concert-goers, who were enjoying the event as part of the campus' Israel Liberation Week. Several Jewish concertgoers went into the building to ask the Arabs to remove the flag – but were viciously attacked, with one male concertgoer knocked down from a blow on the back of his head, witnesses said.

College alumnus Gabe Weiner, who was helping run the concert, was assaulted by the leader of the anti-Israel group, Husam Zakharia, who also attacked one of the performers, Yehuda De Sa. The fight was finally broken up by John Moghtader, a senator in the UC Berkelely student organization. Police were called in and arrested Zakharia along with others from his group, charging them with battery. Witnesses said that the Arab students shouted anti-Semitic curses and epithets throughout the incident, calling the Jews “Nazis” and “dogs,” and threatening to kill them. According to one witness, as many as 20 anti-Israel students participated in the attacks.

In a statement, the Zionist Freedom Alliance said “we call on state officials, the President of the University of California, the Chancellor, the Dean of Students, faculty, and the student body to take a unified stand against the continued harassment of Jewish and pro-Israel students on this campus, particularly by members of Students for Justice in Palestine,” the anti-Israel group whose leaders began the incitement and attacked the concertgoers.

Pro-Israel students at UC Berkeley have long complained of the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic harassment they have been subject to. Tikvah, a Jewish student group at the college, displayed on its web site numerous examples of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic graffiti, with anti-Israel elements defacing property with their screed. Jewish students complained that the only media coverage given to the event, in the Berkeley campus newspaper, was one sided. “Funny how the battery citation against Husam of SJP isn't

even mentioned [in the article], and the comment which purports to be from an objective bystander is actually from one of the top people in Students for Justice in Palestine,” commented Ariel, one of the concertgoers.

Meanwhile, the anti-Israel group is planning to file a petition to remove from office Moghtader, who tried to break up the fight.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128401

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The Daily Californian Online

Fight Erupts at Israel Liberation Week Concert

By Will Kane and Vincent Quan

Daily Cal Staff Writers

Friday, November 14, 2008

A previous version of this story was removed by editors after we became aware that some facts in the story were incorrect. That story has been replaced with this updated version.

The Daily Californian holds itself to high journalistic standards and always strives to produce objective and accurate content. The Daily Cal follows the ethics policy laid out by the Society of Professional Journalists, which is available at http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this article or our policies, please contact me at editor@dailycal.org.

-Bryan Thomas, Editor in Chief & President

Tensions between Palestinian and Jewish students on campus ran high Thursday night after a fight broke out on an Eshleman Hall balcony overlooking a concert promoting Israel Liberation Week.

At about 5:45 p.m., as rap artists performed on Lower Sproul Plaza, three Palestinian students hung up two Palestinian flags on the building's second floor balcony, witnesses said. The students said they were responding to the anti-Palestinian lyrics they heard.

Upon seeing the flags, ASUC Senator John Moghtader, former senator Gabe Weiner and Yeduda De sa, the concert's opening act, went up to the balcony in an attempt to remove the flags. All three men are Jewish.

At that point, a fight broke out, police said. Witnesses added that the fight prompted up to half a dozen members of the audience to run up to the second floor. Police said two students and one non-student were cited for battery. Weiner was one of those students.

"I went up to the second floor because the message they were sending was an abomination to our national rights," Weiner said.

Senior Husam Zakharia, who was hit in the face during the altercation, said the rap lyrics he heard spurred him to hang up the Palestinian flag.

"We're going to go up and we're going to put up our Palestinian flag in silent protest-exercising our freedom of speech to say we're here and we exist," he said, adding that he was surprised by the violent reaction.

A number of UCPD officers and Dean of Students Jonathan Poullard spent at least two hours interviewing students and witnesses, attempting to piece together the series of events.

According to police, the fight was related to incidents of vandalism earlier this semester. In September, a bus stop sign outside Eshleman Hall promoting Israel was vandalized. That vandalism was followed by pro-Israel graffiti in a classroom in Dwinelle Hall, increasing tension among Israeli and Palestinian advocacy groups on campus.

As the altercation on Thursday night took place, Eshleman Hall's second floor was full of ASUC officials including President Roxanne Winston.

Many senators who saw the fight expressed shock that such an incident could happen among students, most notably former and current ASUC senators.

"I'm very strong now in my sentiments in that there should be immediate disciplinary action," said ASUC Senator Kifah Shah. "If it culminates to violence where three members of SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) are hit ... then that's just ridiculous."

Article Link: http://www.dailycal.org/article/103566

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Thanks for the update.

[mawilson 2,133]

The Ayrabs feel empowered now that a brother is in the seat

[IAMX 3,055]

I read another previous UCB-related release with Husam Zakharia, since I could not find any Oakland, Contra Costa, SF Chronicle, SJ Mercury News, or any related newspaper site to cover this, and it was rather strange that he was promoting "dialogue" regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, then to possibly turn and do this. Also, being one of the biggest schools surrounding the Freedom of Speech movement, it would also surprise me if the school doesn't quickly condemn what happened.

[PlatyPius 5]

So.....they just happened to have a Palestinian flag in their back pocket? They should drop the bullsh!t "We heard offensive lyrics" ####### and admit that they brought a flag with them with the obvious intent of stirring sh!t. F##k them, f##k their flag, and f##k their whiny protest.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Don't these students know anything about fundamentalists, and extremists. They need to return to the Freshman 100 level courses.

[DeadPoolX 9]

It's ironic that they refer to Jewish and pro-Israel students as harassing them. I'd say this pro-Palestinian group harassed the Jewish/pro-Israel students. How and why did they ever imagine anyone would take them seriously when they do exactly what they're rallying against?

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

So.....they just happened to have a Palestinian flag in their back pocket? They should drop the bullsh!t "We heard offensive lyrics" ####### and admit that they brought a flag with them with the obvious intent of stirring sh!t. F##k them, f##k their flag, and f##k their whiny protest.

my thoughts exactly as i read that part of the story.