Israel Matzav

StandWithUs to counter inflammatory Metro North ads

The billboard above appears at ten Metro North stations in New York City's northern suburbs. It's factually incorrect (of course). The first place it appeared was in Chappaqua, New York last week. There's an online poll (and more) here, which is fairly new. I made the score 2-3. You should all go and vote yes.

Assembly member Robert Castelli (R, C - Goldens Bridge) was quick to call the billboard "anti-Israeli" and asked Metro-North President Howard Permut to remove it immediately.

"I am a strong supporter of the First Amendment right of free speech in the Constitution, and certainly a proponent that the people of Israel and Palestine should live in harmony together," Castelli said. "However, the subliminal message that this particular billboard carries is an anti-Israeli message that I believe has just the opposite effect of creating peace and harmony between the Israeli and Palestinian people."

...

The billboard is sponsored by Henry Clifford, who co-chairs the Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine (COPIP). The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the billboard is "deliberately misleading and biased."

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Clifford, who paid $25,000 for the billboards, told Fox News that “there’s always room for discussion of different sides of every story, but there’s no room for discussion on fact. Anyone who challenges these maps and the content of these ads, it’s their obligation to show that they’re historically wrong. The ball is in their court.”

Commuters at the station have seemingly offered some "feedback" for the billboards. On Monday morning, foul language was hand-written and stamped onto the ad.

Resident Deb Raider Notis believes the advertisement should be removed: "It is insightful and could encourage hate crimes," she said.

Now, StandWithUs is planning to counter the billboards with billboards of their own.

StandWithUs, however, is set to combat this lie by placing at least 50 pro-Israel ads in similar locations. They organization is in the process of refining their messaging with CBS Outdoors and will soon release a photo of the billboards, according to a Scarsdale website.

The organization countered 25 anti-Israel ads in New York's subway system with 25 ads in September of last year that informed the public that “Israel Needs a Partner for Peace.”

In 2007 and 2009, SWU ads appeared in Washington, DC, Albuquerque and Houston, with the message, "Teach Peace, Not Hate."

In 2010 SWU, together with other groups, successfully persuaded Seattle's Metro to reject proposed ads with inflammatory, anti-Israel accusations.

I wish them much success.

Labels: bus advertisements, StandWithUs

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:39 PM