Israel Matzav: 'Palestinian' drafted by Jets: 'Some of my best friends are Jewish'

Sunday, July 14, 2013

'Palestinian' drafted by Jets: 'Some of my best friends are Jewish'

A 'Palestinian' who is in the New York Jets' training camp has responded to accusations by Front Page Magazine that he is a radical Islamist by saying 'some of my best friends are Jewish.'

“My family’s been just as shocked by the lies and smears as I’ve been,” Aboushi said in a telephone interview. “I don’t think I’m radical at all. I have never done any radical behavior. For the writer to come out and claim that just builds lies on top of the lies.”

Aboushi, an offensive lineman from Virginia, has been besieged by angry tweets and messages since an article published Tuesday by the website Frontpagemag.com labeled him “a fundamentalist Muslim with radical associations and a heritage that pushes him towards a destructive world of violence and hate.”

The report also called for the Jets — whose fanbase includes such a large Jewish contingent that the team asked the NFL to reschedule its 2009 home opener to avoid conflict with Rosh Hashana — to immediately release Aboushi because of his views.”¨

Aboushi told The Post his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are anything but radical.
“My feelings are very fair — I wish both sides would come to a peaceful agreement and both live in peace,” Aboushi said. “I want to see them live together in harmony and enjoy the land instead of focusing on conflict with each other.”

Asked if he considers himself anti-Semitic, Aboushi scoffed.

“I have plenty of friends who are Jewish,” he told The Post. “Some of my best friends are Jewish. I have teammates who are Jewish, and I was brought up with Jewish kids. I never had any problem with them, and I respect them just as much as they respect me.

Asked if he considers himself anti-Semitic, Aboushi scoffed.

“I have plenty of friends who are Jewish,” he told The Post. “Some of my best friends are Jewish. I have teammates who are Jewish, and I was brought up with Jewish kids. I never had any problem with them, and I respect them just as much as they respect me.

“Everybody has a right to believe what they want to believe, and everybody has a right to say what they want to say. At the end of the day, I don’t have any disrespect or hateful things to say against the Jewish community, and I’m definitely not anti-Semitic.”

The Anti-Defamation League has rushed to Aboushi's defense, while Major League Baseball's new media coordinator (whose Twitter account is now protected) posted this:

Hmmm.

But note that Aboushi doesn't discuss anywhere whether he attended and spoke at El Bireh 'Palestine' Society conference, which is the only relevant issue.... And that's because he did.