DENVER- Israeli PR envoy Uzi Landau addressed CU Denver students today, the majority of whom were antagonistic to his message. Denver policemen lined the walls, altar and choir loft, as Landau went on about the mortal threat which “extremist” Islam poses to Judeo-Christian civilization. Landau likened Iran to Nazi Germany and Ahmadinejad to Hitler, but had no comparison for the nefarious and subversive terror plots which Iran has been foisting on the free world. I’m thinking perhaps, like the CIA or Mossad?
Landau entered the room strangely like a Mafia don, flanked by an entourage of black coats and security. A well dressed man and a woman who an hour earlier had been loitering behind me as I protested outside, and whom I took to be Russian when I heard them speak to each other, now appeared as part of Landau’s party.
Due to the sudden snowfall, the campus closed for the afternoon. As a result, the turnout for Landau’s speech was sparse. The security detail of Denver and campus police officers which subjected attendees to metal detectors and bag searches, and kept vigil from the sidelines, would have been disproportionate even if all the seats had been filled. One got the impression that law enforcement were there to assure the audience stayed awake and respectful. Policemen could be seen conspicuously conferring about the seating area occupied by activist Glenn Spagnuolo and his colleagues. When Glenn rose and walked forward to queue for the microphone, a handful of the officers adjusted their positions accordingly.
Glenn was responsible for pulling together voices to oppose Uzi Landau’s appearance. Glenn had a personal connection to Landau, having worked in the occupied territories like Rachel Corrie, and knew the activist who was ultimately killed by a bulldozer working under orders of Uzi Landau. Subsequent to that event, Glenn was deported to Jordan.
When Glenn announced the protest against Landau’s visit, the CU organizers were faced with additional security costs, for which they had no budget. Attempts were made to negotiate calling off the protest. Ultimately the Israeli embassy fronted the funds for the added police.
You might ask, against whom were the officers protecting Uzi Landau? Considering audience members had already been search for weapons, were the police trying to prevent a citizen’s arrest?
The good news, Israeli PR envoy Uzi Landau is not a very good speaker. His heavy accent and habit of letting his voice trail off confident the audience is hanging on his words, makes Landau a fortuitous emissary for those cheering against a military attack upon Iran. The bad news is that landau is as far right as they come, and if he’s reaching sympathetic ears, there are too many racist Americans without any understanding of international law.
I was surprised to discover that this Israeli minister’s talking points were no more nuanced than the flack we receive at this website from IDF Internet Megaphone trolls. Landau reflected the same disrespect for the people from whom lands were taken, and are still being taken. He argued that soldiers must be permitted to target insurgents regardless the civilian casualties.
Landau spoke confidently without batting an eye about the plight of Palestinians. He justified increased Israeli settlements based on Israel’s better record of land stewardship, and of course, he argued that anti-Semitism nugget: why should there be any lands forbidden to Jews? Specifically, to paraphrase: “If Israel can be 20% Palestinian, why cannot the Occupied Territories be 20% Jewish?”
Because Israel then builds walls around settlements and claims more land.
To his credit, Uzi Landau was entertainingly pugilistic in his response to audience questions. Instead of ignoring comments being made out of turn, he took them on, so confident and self-righteous he was about Israel’s actions. Even in Gaza, even in the context of over 60 years of occupation. But to Landau, the Palestinian Problem is dismissed easily. Palestinians don’t exist. They didn’t exist, they didn’t accept the offers of statehood when given the chance, their opportunity past, they never were.
Landau accused his detractors of offering no facts. He, on the other hand, came equipped with facts. One fact of his, from history: Even before it was declared a Jewish nation by the UN, the land of Israel had been in continuous possession of the Jews. So called “Palestinians” only came to the area for the jobs the Israelis offered them.
One of the best questions posed had to do with borders. If G-d promised the holy land to the Jews, which land was that precisely, as defined by what borders? For example, the UN granted land to inaugurate the nation of Israel. It didn’t include Jerusalem, nor much of to what Israel is laying claim. Does the “promised land” encompass more than Israel has even now? What can be the expected boundaries of Israel’s assumed birthright?
Dr. Landau didn’t dwell long on this polemic, except to say with a smile: “that will depend on our neighbors.”
Just to be clear, I was not in Israel when Rachael was murdered. I was provided the tape of her death and information on what happened to my friend and asked to spread and communicate what had occurred. Just don’t want to confuse events. I know there are haters out there that will pick anything apart that they could.
This was an excellent and very educational event!
If you quote someone please have a responsibility to quote them right.
“If Israel can be 20% Palestinian, why cannot the Occupied Territories be 20% Jewish?” (WRONG)
In reality it was “If Israel can be 20% Palestinian, why cannot the Territories be 10% Jewish?” (RIGHT)
Just by judging by the way you cannot even accurately quote one sentence it is really hard to believe what you have written in your report.
Apart from that, the event was terrific, the turnout was around 70-90 people, considering that the campus was closed and there was snowing outside it is a pretty good turn-out.
Furthermore, security is necessary since Dr. Uzi Landau is a high ranking Israeli Official and the school deemed it was necessary to make sure everything was to the high standards.
Dr. Uzi Landau gave a great lecture and did an excellent job during the Q&A session. I look forward to more events on the campus that involve Israel.
Thank you for the organization who has hosted the event.
Thank You
Mike Schaffer
So the addition of the word “OCCUPIED” which reflects the reality of what’s done and being done, somehow makes the whole thing wrong?
Landau is a racist right wing pig. I use the term pig because a pig is not kosher.
He and his masters are equally as racist and use their racism in an equivalent manner to what the Nazis were, and the way they used their racism as justification for THEIR Murders.
It probably sickens you also that somebody could possibly mention the FACT that Palestinians are equally as Semitic and many of them from the ancient nation of Israel as Uzi Landau.
Does it offend you that somebody like for instance moi, would mention that there’s more Israelite-on-Israelite violence mentioned in the Old Testament than violence perpetrated by Goyim? That’s right, bubba, Anti-Semitism done by Semites, more importantly, by Israelis.
And it goes on today. Adding the word “occupied” means that Eric is more honest than Uzi, nothing more.
If the Racist Landau can’t handle the notion that people notice his racism, too bad. Same goes for his minions.
Brother Jonah,
You can say that they are occupied just DONT say that it is DIRECT QUOTE because Dr. Uzi Landau did NOT say it and for the sake of “ACCURATE Journalism. Also, if you read “carefully” my previous post it says that only 10% Jews not 20% as you have misquoted him again.
Indeed, you are right when you say that Arabs are Semites and that is a fact. But remember what Arafat said.
That he cannot not like Semites because he is a Semite he just does not like Jews.
Here is a word for you that you should remember (MisoJudaic) and that what Semites and non-Semites who hate Jews are.
Brother Jonah, would you please leave the Occupied Native American Territories because I think you do not have any rights on and in this land.
Since you have used word racism, please look at this chart and I encourage you to use your arithmetic skills and tell me who is racist.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/jewref.html
Good luck on your adventure in learning the real facts.
Regards,
Mike Schaffer
Mr. Schaffer, please forgive my sloppy paraphrasing. Whether Landau said 20% or 2%, it doesn’t matter. So long as Israel can plant one Jewish settler, it then can extend its Apartheid wall to protect him and thus effect another land grab.
Thank you for graciously allowing dissenters to voice their arguments against your guest. Of course, we’d rather Israel not be encouraged to lobby the US public to boost its War On Islam.
Eric, only if you have said that it was a paraphrase rather than quote in your article than I would not have said anything. With that in mind, can you please be accurate when you “quote,” next time, I would really appreciate it.
As far as the wall, there is a wall in Ireland, there is wall between North Korea and South Korea, there is a wall between Saudi Arabia and Yemen there is a wall being built between Pakistan and Afghanistan and wall between Mexico and United States and it only get bigger and here you are calling Israel Apartheid for trying to protect itself from terrorist attacks.
Furthermore, the so called wall is only 10% of the actual barrier the rest is just fences. As far as, lobbying I do not understand what do you mean when you say “we” can you please tell me who do you represent besides yourself?
Lobbying is part of the democracy we have lobbyist from tomato producers all the way to oil lobbyist and here you are “again” spewing hatred towards the Jewish State of Israel. Interesting trend wouldn’t you say so?
By the way, he was not my guest as I was just a spectator who was trying to ask a question but couldn’t because there were people who could not appropriately ask a question and let others have their chance.
Regards,
Mike Schaffer
I believe lobbyists for foreign entities are not what our democracy’s framers had in mind. I hope I’m not spewing hatred, but rather vigilance about a theocratic state, founded on racism, demanding US Jewish community support on the false pretense of being a democracy. Non-Jews in Israel do not have equal rights.
You forgot to mention the Great Wall — but regardless what it’s made of, the Israeli-imposed segregation barrier is being used to further separate Palestinians from their land.
What was your question for Dr. Landau? I was shocked actually, by the extremist positions I’d only thought were exaggerated by yahoos. No such thing as a Palestinian? No one lived in Judea prior to 1947 except Jews? Whose gardens, orchards and fields did Dr. Landau think they were appropriating? Why not grant Palestinian refugees the RIGHT OF RETURN, if there will be none?
Were your questions similar to these?
The Israel first crowd always seems to come back to their same basic idiotic argument that they supposedly have the right to do any injustice they feel like now, simply because others have committed injustices before!???
…ala ‘Get out of America, you European immigrant hypocrite!’
If I am not mistaken, isn’t that somewhat like the argumentation of the German Nazis pre WW2 in regards to attempts to criticize their own increasing brutality against Jews?
…or to get the exact quote down correct from this pedantic Zionist, the ‘Attendant’…
‘Brother Jonah, would you please leave the Occupied Native American Territories because I think you do not have any rights on and in this land.’
And Fuck You, you dumb piece of SHIT. For all you know, every single one of us writing for this blog has some Native American blood in us, or has it in our families perhaps, you Dumb Zionist Crap! We might not be as racially pure as Your Supreme Jewish leaders are? We do not advocate a state for only one identified group of supposedly ‘chosen people.
Hasn’t done his research. Hell, I have my picture there in the upper right corner or near enough.
Mr Attendant, things take on a little bit of extra meaning when one is of mixed “race”.
I do see a little dichotomy in the apples-to-pine cones comparison of my Cherokee ancestors being partially evicted from their land by people who included some of my Scots and Irish ancestors…. and Israelites evicting Israelites from Israel.
Especially as the Likud claims to absolute right to kill Palestinian (Samaritan) Israelites and ISRAELIS stem from passages in the books of the Bible. Ephraim vs Gilead, eh? Say Shibboleth? Ring a bell there? What foreign nation almost wiped the tribe of Benjamin from the earth? What Say? They were their fellow Israelites? my my my…
The books of Chronicles and Kings are really all the same book in the Hebrew scriptures, but the parts that start with Solomon’s death and the partitioning of Israel and Judah are remarkable for their Semite-on-Semite violence.
The genetic ties between Arab and Jew are pretty much established.
More so that between Palestine and the tribe of Judah. Incidentally, Mr Likud Spokesman, there are ten other tribes of Israel besides Judah and Levi.
Maybe you should look to some of your so-called Christian allies who would love to see Israel Nuked into the ground and beyond because they feel it will bring on the Apocalypse. That’s some pretty extreme anti-Semitism there.
Meanwhile, while we somehow got onto the subject of heritage vis-a-vis the forcible redistribution of tribes maybe you should put your money where your very large foot is… (you have to pull your head out… oopps I mean pull your foot out first) and see if you can convince AIPAC to spend some of their considerable political and financial capital to redistribute the Cherokee back to Tennessee and the Muskogee (Creek) back to Mississippi and the Seminole back to Florida and the Choctaw and Chikasha back to Georgia and the Carolinas? The Modern borders are kind of arbitrary and contrived but you get a vague picture of what I’m saying, I’m sure. Any amount of help would be appreciated.
We do have a large link to the AIM near the bottom right of the page. Perhaps Mr Means could educate you a little further in the matter of speaking condescendingly about and TO American Indians.
Another thing, the AIPAC shares a large amount of members with the NeoCon movement, who are, among other things, tearing out a mountain near Chattanooga Tennessee that belongs to the Cherokee Nation, whose capital happens to be Chattanooga and has been since about 800 C.E.
They’re planning to make a strip mining operation, then once they’ve raped our mountain for all the gold and coal they can get out of its massive corpse, they intend to “give” the poisoned corpse of OUR mountain back to us as a park. Isn’t that wonderful of them? They’ll give us our land back minus the money and plus the poison. So our kids can play in toxic waste.
Meanwhile, if you can’t bring your fellow Right Wingnuts to do something like that, kindly invite your Right Wingnut Likud lawyers to stop coming here to beg for American public money to support them building a Concentration Ghetto Reservation for your own people over THERE.
meaning, of course, exert some anti-Racist pressure on your NeoCon allies to not tear out our mountain. Maybe lend the American Indian Movement and the Cherokee Nation (eastern band) a little bit of Legal help. I mean, since your very obvious concern for Native Americans is so very …errr… Obvious. Either that or it was a completely bullshit non-sequitur.
Call me cynical, but I somehow believe that the concern shown was purely rhetorical.