Arizona’s education superintendent warned all districts in the state to refrain from using information or working with any education arm of Amnesty International USA and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) after a high school club affiliated with the organization’s student wing that puts the presentation that he believes Palestinian violence is whitewashed.
Jewish students feel unsafe at Desert Mountain High School in the Scottsdale Unified School District after “biased propaganda in favor of Hamas terrorists” was shown to students, according to parents who spoke to FOX News Digital on the background.
Briefings on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict refer to the Second Intifada, a campaign of violence that killed hundreds of Americans and Israelis in suicide bombings in civilian areas, as “demonstrations.”
The presentation, the parents said, also referred to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack as “retaliation.”
Superintendent Tom Horne sent a letter to districts across the state reviewed by FOX News Digital after he was notified of the presentation.
He called the presentation “deeply antisemitic” as well as “anti-American,” because it blamed the US for the plight of the Palestinian people.
Jewish students feel unsafe at Desert Mountain High School after “biased propaganda in favor of Hamas terrorists” was shown to students, according to parents. UNICEF/Amnesty International
“If Jews – and Americans in general – can be targeted by UNICEF and Amnesty International, who will be next?” the superintendent said in a letter to districts around Arizona about the presentation. “The main thing I can do is I can warn schools to avoid these antisemitic organizations and tell them they should keep them off their campuses, just like you want to keep the Ku Klux Klan off your campus.”
During the Second Intifada, there were approximately 138 Palestinian suicide attacks that killed 1,038 Israelis from 2000-2005.
The presentation said, “Intifada 1-2… [was] largely a series of spontaneous Palestinian demonstrations, nonviolent actions such as mass boycotts and Palestinian refusal to work in Israel, and attacks (using rocks, Molotov bombs, and sometimes firearms) on Israel.”
Superintendent Tom Horne sent a letter to districts across the state after he was notified of the presentation, calling it “deeply antisemitic” as well as “anti-American.” Fox News Digital
“Retaliatory actions by Hamas have recently left hundreds of Israelis dead, in response Israel has subjected Gaza to a brutal and illegal bombing campaign.”
The presentation goes on to claim that it is “dangerous language” and that the term “terrorist” is “dehumanizing” and is often used in the media to describe violent Palestinian acts.
How celebrities, schools and businesses responded to Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel
UNICEF – an agency that receives $137 million in US taxpayer dollars in 2023 – did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The district told FOX News Digital that the incident was “an opportunity to reflect on our practices, make improvements and create a safe space” and that it is engaged in an “after-action review to identify… things that could have been handled differently.”
“On the surface, they make most of their criticisms about Israel,” Superintendent Horne said. “But the kids thought that these were Jews, and they talked about it to other Jewish students. So if we allow this to continue with impressionable young people, you’re going to have the same problems they had in the 1930s with Germany.”
The presentation went on to claim that the term “terrorist” is “blaming humanity” and is often used in the media to describe violent Palestinian acts. The IDF via CNN The District told the news channel that the incident was “an opportunity to reflect on our practices, make improvements and create a space that safe.” IDF via CNN
When asked about the presentation that framed the Oct. 7 in “retaliation,” Amnesty International USA said it “strongly condemns the heinous and brutal crimes of Hamas,” according to a statement to FOX News Digital from the organization’s US division. “There is no justification for this despicable attack. The massacre of civilians is a war crime, and we call on the International Criminal Court to include this crime in its ongoing investigation into crimes committed by all parties to the conflict.”
Amnesty International said its other clubs have faced similar backlash.
“We heard that Amnesty’s student sections are facing increasing pressure from their school administrations not to talk about human rights or topics seen as ‘controversial,'” the organization said. “Some school districts are considering disbanding the Amnesty International student club altogether. Silencing and misrepresenting students in this way must stop.”
Pro-Israel protesters gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
“We stand in solidarity with all those who want to fight for human rights around the world and strongly oppose any kind of threat or danger faced by students working on human rights issues. We reiterate our commitment to build a world where everyone can enjoy their various human rights, free from hatred and discrimination,” they added.
For Superintendent Horne, there are no gray areas in the framework of the Israel-Hamas war. It was personal to him.
The ruler said, “All my extended family were killed in the Holocaust. So I grew up with just my parents and sister. No grandparents, no nieces and nephews, no aunts or uncles. They were all killed. So when I see signs of antisemitism growing in the United States, you can imagine it’s something that affects me personally.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
