Quote: Originally Posted by
earth_as_one
Not a single person in those photos was a member of the ISM at the time those pictures were taken. They weren't even recruits yet. They were alternative tourists posing with the locals.
ES: Sure they were.
ISM got busted and simply said they
weren't ISM Members...yet.
eao: I don't claim either side is 100% truthful. But of the two versions, ISM's sounds more likely and closer to the truth. Kaplan's reference to a completely unrelated terrorist event in his first sentence is the second clue the article is suspect:
Kaplan: If the interdiction of the planned destruction of 20 airliners simultaneously by terrorists was not enough of a wakeup call for the free world and its security services, the contents of this article should be.
eao: Kaplan goes on further to claim that the people in the photographs are ISM leaders and organizers... I find it unlikely that at the time of the photos, the people posing with firearms were ISM organizers and leaders:
Kaplan:...
The ISM sends young people from all over the world to the training fields of the West Bank and Gaza to learn from terrorists and to logistically aid them.Now, Stop the ISM has obtained photographs of ISM leaders and organizers holding AK- 47 assault rifles, some of the women among them disguised as Jews living in the West Bank, and in the company of an Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade terrorist. These photos of ISM activists show conclusively the truth behind this subversive organization that tries to tell people it is a "peace group" while it constantly promotes revolution and war. One of our volunteers in the United Kingdom for Stop the ISM managed to infiltrate the ISM late last June, only this time not in his home country as we usually do, but in the Holy Land where the ISM operates in direct support of terrorists. Our volunteer (who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid retaliatory attacks) is more sophisticated than the usual volunteers in Stop the ISM, since he has had prior experience going undercover for the police in the UK. The photos and intelligence he brought back are proving invaluable to intelligence agencies watching this pernicious and subversive group and have been in official hands for over a month prior to this publication. An even more disturbing note is the fact that neither US Homeland Security nor even the Israeli security agencies have been responsible enough to date to regard the ISM as a serious threat.
ISM version: In September 2006, photos were posted on the internet showing five foreigners posing with members of the Palestinian police in Jericho while holding their weapons, along with the claim that four of the foreigners were volunteers with the ISM. The article accompanying the photos also claimed that the fifth, unnamed foreigner (whose name we have since learned is XXXX XXXXXX) with the obscured face in the photos went undercover in order to try and sabotage those, such as the ISM, who support Palestinian non-violent resistance.
At the time the photographs were taken, these individuals had not yet become ISM volunteers. They went to Jericho of their own volition without coordinating or discussing their plans with the International Solidarity Movement. They had not attended ISM’s mandatory intensive non-violence training and were new to the country. The fifth foreigner encouraged them to join him in the photographs and have their pictures taken holding guns. These individuals regrettably followed his lead.
Upon learning of this incident, ISM activists informed these individuals that touching weapons violates ISM?s policies and that they would not be permitted to volunteer unless they agreed never to handle weapons. All except XXXXX apologized and deleted the photographs of future ISM volunteers. XXXXX did not attend ISM training and subsequently disappeared. Following their training, the others worked diligently and without incident with the ISM and Palestinian communities in support of non-violent direct action.
eao: I deleted the name as Kaplan claims the person faces threats.
Kaplan's claim that these people are leaders in the photograph implies that they were leaders at the time the photos were taken is deliberately deceptive. Even ES picked up on that. (see your quote above) I think ES believes like me that its more likely these people were new arrivals who didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground. Read Kaplan carefully. Kaplan never actually claims otherwise, but instead, weaves a deceptive implication that they were leaders and organizers at the time of the photo without actually saying so. Certainly his references are designed to create an impression that the ISM is armed and dangerous. He refers to them as leaders and organizers, which is likely what some of them became after this incident rather than what they were at the time of the photos. That deception combined with ominous first line, are hints about Kaplan's intent. I didn't have to read too much further to know for certain that Kaplan is a Zionist propagandist. A real big clue is that if the ISM did the things Kaplan claims, they'd be locked up. Instead both US and Israeli security services don't consider the ISM a serious threat. (that's according to Kaplan).
One last point. Kaplan claims ISM members disguises themselves as West Bank Jews. Yet Kaplan fails to point out that about 15-20% of ISM members are Jews and some are from Israel.
Quote:By the way would you also judge the Marine Corps based on what recruits did before they signed up? Is a Marine a Marine before they sign up, or after they passed basic training? Would it be fair to judge the entire Marine Corps based on the actions a three or four individuals before they signed up?
I wouldn't make that judgement, because I'm not trying to deliberately smear the Marine Corps.
The Marine Corps wouldn't deploy USMC Recruits until they were Marines!
Suck on that!
Quote: Originally Posted by
earth_as_one
Anyone reading this thread can clearly see that ES's references to the ISM are smear propaganda and do not accurately portray what the ISM is or how the ISM behaves.
Doing the "Dance of the Pwned" I see. :icon_smile:
eao: I have no interest in a flame war or a debate regarding Kaplan's creative writing abilities. If you aren't bright enough to figure out Kaplan is unreliable and deceptive by now, then I doubt I can help you see it.