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MECA: Profile
The Middle East Children’s Alliance [MECA] claims to be both a charitable organization and political advocacy group working for “peace and justice in the Middle East.”[1] It works to improve the quality of life for Iraqi and Palestinian children, tries to build friendship between Israeli and Palestinian children by introducing them to one another. MECA’s focus on the well-being of children gives their position powerful emotional appeal. Officially, MECA supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but their advocacy delegitimizes Israel and their spokespeople have joined rallies against a two-state solution. Although MECA does some laudable social work, such as building playgrounds in the Territories for Palestinian children, their real political position is typical of other anti-Israel left wing “peace and justice” groups as evidenced by two of their speakers-Robert Fisk, the vehemently anti-Israel British journalist and the notorious Noam Chomsky-and by their support of the Palestinian and Iraqi resistance movements. MECA’s focus on the well-being of children allows them to appeal on a gut emotional level, and they blame all the suffering they describe on one source-Israel and the “Occupation.” Consider some of their positions:
[1] “About the Middle East Children’s Alliance,” MECA website at www.mecaforpeace.org/meca.html [2] “Justice in Palestine Coalition,” at http://www.justiceinpalestine.net/, a conference MECA participated in and lists on its website, scheduled for October 2 2004 at the Horace Mann School in San Francisco, accessed October 18 2004 at http://www.mecaforpeace.org/ [3] Penny Rosenwasser, Lecture at Sonoma State College, October 6 2004 [4] “Urgent Appeal September 30 2004 at MECA website accessed October 18 2004 at http://www.mecaforpeace.org/ [5] Penny Rosenwasser, Lecture at Sonoma State College, October 6 2004 [6] Barbara Lubin, KPFA radio, February 20 2002, archived at https://1dnn.com/03http-qqq.sZFWSfcQMhW.M5h--/index-2002-02-12to20.html [7] Radio transcript archived at https://1dnn.com/03http-qqq.sZFWSfcQMhW.M5h--/index-2002-02-07to11.html Organization Background MECA was formed in 1988 in Berkeley, California where its offices are still located. Its stated goal is “to work for peace and try to stop the suffering of children.”[1] Since 1988, it has delivered more than $8 million worth of “food, medicine, toys and books to the children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in Lebanon and in Iraq (after the 1st Gulf War).”[2] But MECA is far more a Palestinian advocacy group than a humanitarian aid organization. It attempts to “educate” Americans about the conflict through “slideshows, speakouts, speakers, cultural events, newspaper ads, billboards, house parties and other events.”[3] The goal of these efforts is not to raise money, but to convince Americans that the cause of children’s suffering in the Middle East is American and Israeli policies, and particularly the “Occupation.” MECA, like ISM, sponsors two week visits to the Territories and sends these tourists, now armed with an “education,” to tell American audiences about the plight of Palestinians and the evils of the “Occupation.”[4] Though MECA claims to support a two-state solution, its director, Barbara Lubin, castigated the Israeli group Peace Now, which also calls for and end to settlements in the Territories. “Peace Now is not a peace group,” she declared on KPFA radio in Febrary 2002.[5] MECA works closely with the radical ISM (International Solidarity Movement), co-sponsored “Justice on Wheels” in 2004, and works with other groups such as the Justice in Palestine Coalition all of which deny Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish state and blame the continuing violence solely on Israel. The organization’s website is www.meca@mecaforpeace.org Main Speakers Barbara Lubin (founder) Robert Fisk Penny Rosenwasser Noam Chomsky Key Board Members Eugene “Gus” Newport, President Barbara Lubin, Executive Director Fuad Mogannam Father William O’Donell Advisory Board (selected) Maya Angelou Dr. Fathi Arafat Rabbi Leonard Beerman Noam Chomsky Ramsey Clark Angela Davis Ron Dellums Jackie Goldberg Edward Said Pete Seeger [1] www.mecaforpeace.org/meca.html [2] www.mecaforpeace.org/meca.html [3] www.mecaforpeace.org/meca.html [4] http://www.mecaforpeace.org/aid.html [5] Radio transcript archived at https://1dnn.com/03http-qqq.sZFWSfcQMhW.M5h--/index-2002-02-07to11.html Strategy MECA’s main strategy is to elicit sympathy by focusing on the plight of children, and by personalizing the suffering of Palestinians. They tell heartbreaking or heroic anecdotes about Palestinians that they either saw or were told by Palestinian interviewees. The only Israelis they talk about are either brutal or part of the extreme left wing and they leave the Israeli terror victims unmentioned or nameless-or say that Israel’s evil policies are hurting Israelis as well. MECA speakers also use an “I was there” technique, replete with photographs that they presumably took, to establish their own credibility and to give graphic examples of their claims of Palestinian suffering. Many of MECA’s speakers are Jewish and they capitalize on this fact to appear more credible as critics of Israel. MECA speakers start speeches mentioning their Jewish heritage and their condemnation of terrorist activities outside of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. They then go on to speak exclusively about Israeli abuses and Palestinian suffering. They leave the impression that the only extremists in the Arab Israeli crisis sit in the Israeli parliament. Finally, many MECA speakers, such as Penny Rosenwasser, are gentle and grandmotherly which makes them more believable. Many in fact are not well informed about the conflict and its history, but they deflect questions about specific facts by saying, “That’s not true. I never heard of it.” |
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