CAMERA Distorts Jewish Voice for Peace Positions
Refuses to issue correction

Contacts:

Mitchell Plitnick (510) 465-1777(office)   (510) 484-6472 (cell)  Mitchell@jewishvoiceforpeace.org

Liat Weingart (510) 465-1777    (office)   (415) 846-3581 (cell)  liat@jewishvoiceforpeace.org

Wednesday December 14, 2005 (Oakland, CA) - American peace group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) rebuked the Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) for misrepresenting JVP’s stances. In executive director Andrea Levin’s December 13,2005 statement entitled Spielberg’s Munich, CAMERA inaccurately stated that JVP advocates divestment and boycotts against Israel. CAMERA attacked JVP, an organization with 12,000 supporters that promotes views shared by a sizable portion of the Jewish community, because Munich’s Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter Tony Kushner sits on our advisory board. He comes under intense criticism in the statement.

“When we contacted them to request a clarification or retraction be issued, CAMERA’s representative refused to even discuss the matter. This would seem to clarify for all whether they are indeed interested in accuracy,” said Mitchell Plitnick, JVP’s Director of Education and Policy.

JVP has gone to great lengths to articulate a unique stance on economic pressure as a tool to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. We have deliberately targeted our activism at the occupation, and not at Israel. Our main campaign in this arena, targeting the Caterpillar Corporation is a perfect example of this.

"At JVP, we do not advocate boycotting Caterpillar or Israel,” said Liat Weingart, Director of Campaigns and Programs for Jewish Voice for Peace. “We’re asking CAT to examine its sales of D-9 bulldozers to the Israeli military which are built to military specifications and used to destroy Palestinian homes. We want CAT to investigate whether those sales violate its own code of business conduct. Furthermore, we support selective divestment from companies that profit from human rights violations, most notably in the occupied territories."

 “While JVP reserves judgment of the film until we have a chance to see it, the advance criticism from intensely one-sided, partisan groups like CAMERA encourages us that the film may well accomplish its goal of putting a human face on all parties in the Israel-Palestine conflict,” added Plitnick.

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