Israeli Checkpoints: It's Complicated

BDS Week at Columbia University
18 November 2010: Students for Justice in Palestine set up a mock checkpoint outside the Columbia Low Library. They attempted to recreate the West Bank checkpoint experience. They conveniently forgot to mention that Israeli checkpoints, however complicated, have reduced terrorist attacks by 80%.
What are checkpoints really all about?
While checkpoints restrict economic growth, and add difficulty and restrictions to daily travel, they also monitor and reduce the daily attempts by terrorists to cross into Israel.
Since the implementation of security checkpoints, terrorist activities in both Arab and Jewish neighborhoods have decreased significantly.
Security checkpoints exist for a reason...
The situation is complicated. Let's talk.

Footage of checkpoints produced, shot and owned by Pierre Rehov.

***UPDATE***
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335217
Israeli forces stationed at the Jubarah checkpoint south of Tulkarem detonated Tuesday three bags allegedly carrying live grenades, belonging to three young men waiting to pass the military crossing.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Israel
• Palestine
• West Bank
• student
• activism
• Columbia university
• New York
• human rights
• Gaza
• jihad
• Hamas
• Shahid
• Fatah
• SJP
• Hillel

[ShirazNY]

In correspondence regarding this action, the Israeli groups asked their friends to disrupt and derail the Checkpoint action by engaging people for a period of time so that no one would join the line and participate in the action.

There are not two equal sides to this story.

[talichka514]

@ShirazNY I was there, clearly as part of the 'Israeli groups'.

Let's get our facts straight here: we were NOT asked to 'disrupt' or 'derail' the demonstration by any stretch of the imagination. All the pro-Israel & pro-peace students did was hand out information about the other side of the security checkpoints, one totally ignored by the Students for Justice in Palestine.

You're right-- there were no two equal sides displayed by the SJP.

That's why we stood up: for truth, for peace & dialogue.

[ShirazNY]

@talichka514

email sent out prior to event-

This thursday the Students for Justice in Palestine have organized a mock checkpoint on campus and WE NEED YOUTO BE THERE! Lionpac, the Israel group on campus, wants us to have a HUGE showing of people so students pay more attention to us rather than the checkpoint...

Again, we need people in order to overwhelm college walk with

pro-Israel advocates...

[talichka514]

@ShirazNY Having a huge showing of people is in no way 'disrupting' or 'derailing'.

[talichka514]

@ShirazNY If you were there that day, you yourself would admit that of the two groups, the pro-Israel group had a much more peaceful demonstration. If we wanted to, we could have dressed up as shahids or grenade smugglers. We could have tried to tug others' tears with displays of suicide bombings' destruction, or the kindergartens in Sderot that continue to be rained upon by Hamas rockets.

[talichka514]

@ShirazNY But we didn't. We had no agenda other than to support dialogue: something the Students for Justice in Palestine continue to ignore & refuse.

There is no hope for peace with only one side committed to it.

[Darkblade0317]

It was only after the Arabs took advantage of Israel's kindess and began planting bombs movie theaters and throwing grenades into people's houses that the checkpoints were set up and restrictions were implemented. The Arabs want to complain about how tough and miserable their life has become? They brought it on themselves. And frankly, I'd rather they be inconvenienced than our be murdered.

[Bigblue2ful]

@ShirazNY I don't know what email you were sent, but it wasn't the one that was sent out by the PIA. in fact, the email that was sent out specifically mentioned that they were handing out information just to display their side and NOT to disrupt the other demonstration. The main point of the PIA was to encourage dialogue and peace between both sides, not to distract from the SJP demonstration, even though it was clearly tainted in bias and political correctness rather than based on facts.

[projectpaki]

@Darkblade0317 if ur going to arrive to a statement like that, then explain why theyre "throwing grenades" etc

[racecar2323]

I'm sorry, but after 9+ years of perpetual manufactured fear from the war on terror, arguments that go like "we need to limit freedoms for security reasons" have no effect on me whatsoever. That's the same B.S. line we're getting on the TSA body-scanners and pat-downs these downs

[Darkblade0317]

What the intellectual midgets in BDS fail to mention (and this video also overlooks) is the fact that in the immediate aftermath of the Six Day War, when the Territories came under Israeli control and administration, travel for the Arab residents was unrestricted and even encouraged by the Israeli authorities, going all the way up to Moshe Dayan.