Monument rally may beg just a little more thought

(re: “Group does not support BDS,” June 23)

North Bronx Racial Justice coordinator Jennifer Scarlott, in her letter over a Riverdale Press story about her group, goes to great lengths to deny the reporter’s claim that her group supports boycott, divestment and sanctions tactics against Israel.

Scarlott indicates, rather, that the purpose of their May 25 Riverdale Monument rally was to link the racially motivated murders in East Buffalo with the “targeted assassination of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh … by the Israel Defense Forces.”

That she purportedly opposes BDS is all well and good. But had Scarlott truly been interested in promoting the facts instead of egregious, pre-scripted anti-Israel narratives, she would have learned that the Palestinian Authority’s own leading expert, Dr. Rayyan al-Ali of the Forensic Medicine Institute at An-Najah National University, had clearly stated at the time that it was impossible to conclude who had killed Abu Akleh before a comprehensive probe could be completed.

Shortly afterward, the Israeli government offered to conduct a joint inquiry led by their leading forensic expert and Dr. al-Ali. The Palestinian Authority refused the offer, and further refused to release the bullet for ballistics testing.

On July 2 the Palestinian Authority finally agreed to hand over the bullet to U.S. experts. The Americans said its findings regarding the source of fire were “inconclusive,” but an Israeli solder “likely” fired the fateful bullet unintentionally.

In addition, at a July 5 press briefing, State Department spokesman Ned Price admitted that even these conclusions were “analytic, not scientific.”

Thus, as of this writing, there is no decisive proof that an Israeli is responsible for Abu Akleh’s tragic death. But if that is indeed the case, there is absolutely no evidence that Abu Akleh was targeted for assassination.

Regardless, the North Bronx Racial Justice group, with “justice” ironically embedded in its name, has taken upon itself the roles of judge and jury, and maybe lord high executioner as well.

Speaking personally, from my on-the-ground education as former director of the Zionist Organization of America’s Israel office, I proudly have learned much—whether from Israel’s top scholars, jurists, legal experts and ethicists, or in frequent conversation with common foot soldiers — about the extraordinary measures taken by Israel to limit civilian casualties and collateral damage, far above and beyond what the laws of armed conflict require.

Besides the aforementioned, I have attended General Benzi Gruber’s Ethics in the Field lecture so many times that I think I could give it in my sleep.

The overwhelming, incontrovertible video evidence presented, repeatedly demonstrating Israel’s highest regard for innocent life and adherence to international law under perilous conditions, is a must-see for all doubters.

So instead of looking for opportunities to advance what is obviously an anti-Israel agenda — pro- or anti-BDS notwithstanding — I would suggest the following more productive path to Scarlott:

Support those aiming to stop the ongoing drumbeat of antisemitic incitement, such as by Palestinian Authority leadership and their allies, which inevitably leads to the violence and terrorist activity we all oppose. Exhort the Palestinians to dismantle the terrorist hornets’ nests, especially in Jenin where Abu Akleh was killed, and where exactly 20 years before the IDF opted for ground troops as opposed to an air operation to surgically flush out Jenin’s terrorists.

In the process Israel lost 23 soldiers in Jenin’s boobytrapped buildings.

One-and-a-half YouTube minutes is all you need to watch Noa Tishby, Israel’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, as she elucidates the hypocrisy of focusing exclusively on the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, at the same time ignoring the killing of fellow journalists elsewhere around the globe. For example, from 1990 to 2020, the 2,658 cited in a report by the International Federation of Journalists.

Take a deep breath and count to 10 before you make unjust and premature pronouncements and baseless accusations. In my humble opinion, the only targeted assassination in this instance was the character assassination that took place at your rally.

As someone who advocates for racial justice, you might do well to consider the fact that a sizable majority of Israeli Jews — and, by extension, Israel’s soldiers — are people of color.