Nigel Parry of the Electronic Intifada (part of the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society) recently wrote the following about Lee Kaplan of Stop the ISM. It is very poor judgment to make accusations like this while leaving proof all over the Internet that one’s own statements are blatantly false. Nigel Parry is not merely a liar, but an incompetent one in the bargain.

[Nigel Parry of the 501(c)(3) tax exempt Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society] We simply cannot be bothered to deal with the other distortions and fantasy in Lee Kaplan’s “SFSU to host Al Awda’s tax deductible war on the Jews” — found at http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/kaplan061706.htm — because it would take all weekend and the sun is out. But the one distortion that needs to be addressed is the following:

“Al-Awda operates another website known as the Electronic Intifada.”
From the Canada Free Press website. “Free” apparently, to make up anything it pleases. (Screenshot by EI)
The fact of the matter is that Al-Awda has absolutely no role in The Electronic Intifada, nor has it ever.

Mr. Parry will not enjoy the following, but he and the Electronic Intifada are going to take it from us nonetheless.

Unlike a good practitioner of taqqiya, Nigel Parry is too stupid even to tell believable lies. “The fact of the matter is that Al-Awda has absolutely no role in The Electronic Intifada, nor has it ever.” We shall see.

Electronicintifada.org is actually registered to Nigel Parry himself. Electronicintifada.com is, however, registered as follows.

MECCS/EI [Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society/ Electronic Intifada]
1507 E. 53rd St.
500
Chicago IL 60615
United States of America
Registrar: DomainPeople Inc.
Domain Name: electronicintifada.com
Created on ………….Wed Aug 04 23: 59: 59 2004
Expires on ………….Sat Aug 09 23: 59: 59 2008
Record last updated on .Sat Aug 04 09: 41: 57 2007
Administrative Contact:
MECCS/EI
Ali Abunimah

…Chicago IL
60615 US

Pay close attention to “Ali Abunimah.” Here is an interesting excerpt from an Al-Awda FAQ page We have replaced @ in E-mail addresses with “at” to prevent harvesting by spam software.

Al-Awda and its structure

What is Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition?

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is a broad-based, non-partisan, global democratic association of grassroots activists and organizational representatives regardless of their religious, ethnic, political affiliation. Our objective is to educate the international community to fulfill its legal and moral obligations vis-a-vis Palestinian refugees based on The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International law and implementation of United Nations Resolutions upholding the inalienable right of Palestinians to return to their homeland and to restitution of all their confiscated and destroyed property.

…Questions, comments or suggestions to the steering committee may be directed at any time to prrc “at” mail.com. Members of Al-Awda’s email list may send their inquiries to al-awda-sc “at” egroups.com at any time. Questions, comments or suggestions to the steering committee may be directed at any time to prrc “at” mail.com. Members of Al-Awda’s email list may send their inquiries to al-awda-sc “at” egroups.com at any time. The current founding steering committee members and their direct contact information is indicated below:

Sawsan Abdulrahim, Chair, RORdocuments sawsan “at” al-awda.org
Nader Abuljebain nader “at” al-awda.org
Ali Abunimah, Co-Chair media committee ali “at” al-awda.org
Maha Ayoub Co-Chair Mass Rally (DC) maha “at” al-awda.org
Zahi Damuni Co-Chair Mass Rally (DC) zahi “at” al-awda.org (Tel: 717-832-1155)
Eyas Hmouz, Chair RORNetwork eyas “at” al-awda.org (Tel: 901-935-7986)
Merrie Najimy merrie “at” al-awda.org
Mazin Qumsiyeh, Co-Chair Media mazin “at” al-awda.org
Rabee’ Sahyoun, Chair London Rally rabee “at” al-awda.org

But Nigel Parry wants us to believe, “The fact of the matter is that Al-Awda has absolutely no role in The Electronic Intifada, nor has it ever.” Now, Mr. Parry, do you want to tell us that again? And don’t bother deleting these Web pages, because we have downloaded all of them for future reference. Furthermore, Al-Awda is, like the Electronic Intifada, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization whose own activities require considerable scrutiny.

SPAT UPON, THREATENED, WE STOOD FOR PALESTINE

by Ali Abunimah

May 6, 2001

CHICAGO — \”Arafat is filthy swine, there is no Palestine,\” and \”Thank you for killing my cousins in Israel,\” were some of the more polite slogans shouted at Al-Awda activist Benjamin Doherty and me as we protested silently at the annual \”Walk With Israel\” on Chicago\’s lakefront today, Sunday. The Jewish United Fund (JUF)-sponsored event, a fundraiser for Israel attended by over a thousand local Zionists, was billed as a \”Family Walk.\” Despite this, a man with his two young daughters was not the only one to give us the finger and shout \”F**k You\” as we stood, just the two of us, surrounded by a half dozen police officers, on a pleasant late spring day by Lake Michigan.

But Mr. Parry said ” Al-Awda has absolutely no role in The Electronic Intifada, nor has it ever.” How does this statement reconcile with the Electronic Intifada’s leadership team as listed here–not at Lee Kaplan’s Web site, but at your own?

EI Team

Executive Director Ali Abunimah
Managing Editor Maureen Clare Murphy
Assistant Editor Matthew Cassel
Technologist Benjamin Doherty
DesignKen Harper
Contributing Editor Arjan El Fassed
Contributing Editor Laurie King

In fact, Mr. Parry, we see another name here, Arjan El Fassed. Let’s take a good look at him.

4 January 2001
AL-AWDA: “NO RETURN, NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE”
EXPOSING THE INHERENT RACISM OF ZIONIST ISRAELI PEACE GROUPS

PRRC strongly believes that the struggle for peace and justice must be democratic and reflect the Palestinians’ desire and right to return. PRRC appeals to people of conscience and peace advocates to seize the opportunity now to help raise Palestinian voices that have been silenced for 52 years for a just and sustainable peace rooted in granting the
Palestinian people their legitimate right to freedom and return.

For further information or to arrange interviews contact:

In the United States: Elias A. Rashmawi Tel: (530) 304-4573, Amira Solh Tel: (212) 529-6934
In Europe: Arjan El Fassed Tel: +31 (6) 16854541

Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition
P.O.Box 401
Hummelstown, Pa 17036

Ali Abunimah, whom Nigel Parry would have us believe has nothing to do with Al-Awda, also wrote the following.

DEMAND U.S. INVESTIGATE SHARON FOR WAR CRIMES

By Ali Abunimah

CALL, EMAIL, FAX-IN TODAY

DEMAND U.S. INVESTIGATE SHARON FOR WAR CRIMES

Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) calls on all people of conscience to call, email, and/or fax the White House and State Department to express their concern about the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the United States, and to demand that the United States cooperate in bringing Sharon to justice on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity before, during and after Israel’s 1982 invasion and occupation of Lebanon.

Please cc your correspondence to Al-Awda-Alerts “at” mail.com

Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition
P.O.Box 401
Hummelstown, Pa 17036
Fax: (717) 832-1123
E-mail: prrc “at” mail.com
WWW: al-awda.org

Ali Abunimah
ali “at” abunimah.org
http://www.abunimah.org

Again, Nigel Parry of the 501(c)(3) tax exempt Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society would have us believe, “The fact of the matter is that Al-Awda has absolutely no role in The Electronic Intifada, nor has it ever.” We hope he exucses us for being at least slightly incredulous of this claim in light of the following. Again, this is from Al-Awda.org, not Lee Kaplan, Omdurman.org, or other pro-Civilization sources.

DON’T LET ETHNIC CLEANSING WIN - Prevent the Erosion of International Law
3 January 2001

Washington, DC (January 3, 2001) - In a letter sent to the Palestinian Authority, the United States and the European Union, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition (known in Arabic as Al-Awda) wrote that “no agreement, negotiations or parties which purport to trade away the right of return or any other inalienable rights can have any legal basis and cannot bind or compel the Palestinian people to end the struggle for the fulfillment of their internationally recognized rights.”

…For further information or to arrange interviews contact:

In the United States: Ali Abunimah Tel: (312) 806-7153
In Europe: Arjan El Fassed Tel: +31 (6) 16854541

Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition
P.O.Box 401
Hummelstown, Pa 17036
…WWW: http://al-awda.org

Didn’t we just see those two names somewhere else? Of course we did:

Electronic Intifada’s leadership team

EI Team

Executive Director Ali Abunimah
Managing Editor Maureen Clare Murphy
Assistant Editor Matthew Cassel
Technologist Benjamin Doherty
Design Ken Harper
Contributing Editor Arjan El Fassed
Contributing Editor Laurie King

Uh-huh. “”The fact of the matter is that Al-Awda has absolutely no role in The Electronic Intifada, nor has it ever.” Now let’s take a look at yet another unsavory Electronic Intifada and Al-Awda connection: boycottisraeligoods.org

And who links to Boycott Israeli Goods? Courtesy of archive.org, we have the National Socialist Movement (America’s Nazi Party), nsm88.org. 88 = white supremacist code for “Heil Hitler,” noting that H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

So what we have is a Web page that, while touting both Al-Awda and Electronic Intifada, is touted in turn by genuine Nazis.

Finally, let’s take a look at the page that Nigel Parry cites in his attack on Lee Kaplan. Perhaps he would have done better to not attract our attention to it, or Al-Awda in general.

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, and the General Union of Palestine Students at SFSU are proud to announce the Fourth International Al-Awda Convention on July 14-16, 2006 in San Francisco, CA. It will be a strategic planning conference focused on adapting to shifting realities and rising to meet the challenges of our era. In working for return, we will highlight two main themes:

1. Political and material isolation of the State of Israel,
2. Political and material support of the Palestinian refugee population.

…About the Convention

Fifty-eight years have passed since the great catastrophe (al-Nakba) that resulted in the imposition in Palestine of ‘Israel’, one of the most exclusionary-racist states in modern history, and the displacement of the largest and longest suffering refugee population in modern times.

Some questions might arise as to the suitability of “Political and material isolation of the State of Israel” as an appropriate goal for a 501(c)(3) tax exempt entity. (Note also Al-Awda’s denial of Israel’s right to exist.) Instead of delving into those questions, however, we will look at Al-Awda’s responsibility to provide accurate information to the Internal Revenue Service–a responsibility that is not open to question. Here is what the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition told the Internal Revenue Service in 2004

Here is what the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition actually did in 2004
From http://www.al-awda.org/actionalerts/

Attempts to influence legislation are on record
The following are the relevant excerpts from the indicated pages but you can read the entire pages at the indicated links to Al-Awda’s own site. The entire pages have, incidentally, been downloaded and saved in case they suddenly “vanish” now that they are being displayed side by side with Al-Awda’s Form 990.

http://www.al-awda.org/thankcongressmemberswhorefused/
15 July 2004 [Time period covered by the Form 990 in question]
For Immediate Release

Thank Congress Members Who Refused!

The House of Representatives voted for Resolution 713, which deplores the International Court of Justice advisory opinion finding that the Apartheid Wall Israel is building in the West Bank is illegal. There were 361 yeas, 45 nays, 13 presents, and 14 not voting.

Although the resolution passed, a significant number of Members of Congress REFUSED to condemn the International Court of Justice for upholding the standards of human rights and international law in regards to the Wall.

ACTION REQUESTED

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition calls on its members and all supporters of human rights to phone and thank the members of Congress who voted NAY or present against House Resolution 713.

House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard toll free at: 1-877-331-2000

http://www.al-awda.org/urgentcallnow/
URGENT - CALL NOW!
For Immediate Release
14 July 2004 [Time period covered by the Form 990 in question]

AL-AWDA ALERT - URGENT - CALL NOW!

A resolution criticizing the International Court of Justice advisory opinion, which determined Israel’s Apartheid Wall violates International Law and should be dismantled, is expected to be brought to the House floor today, Wednesday July 14, 2004. The resolution also expresses support for Israel’s ‘right’ to continue building the Wall. In addition, the house will be voting, possibly tomorrow, on FY05 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.

URGENT ACTION

Please contact your Representative’s office as soon as possible. The Capitol switch board is toll free at 877-331-2000.

…Urge your representative to OPPOSE any resolution supporting Israel’s Apartheid Wall. The Apartheid Wall violates International Law and should be dismantled as has been determined by the International Court of Justice advisory opinion at the Hague.
Urge your representative to VOTE AGAINST the FY05 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill and specifically to cut all aid to Israel. Involving the American people in funding Israeli abuses of international law and human rights is unacceptable. It is also contrary to the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act.
Please call House members NOW and urge them to OPPOSE any resolution supporting Israel’s Apartheid Wall and to VOTE AGAINST the FY05 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.

House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard toll free at 877-331-2000.

http://www.al-awda.org/urgentactioncallsenatenow/
URGENT ACTION - CALL SENATE NOW!
Update 7 September 2004 [time period covered by the Form 990 in question]

According to some reports, it seems the Senate may soon be voting (possibly this week) on Resolution 408 which condemns the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its advisory opinion that Israel’s Apartheid Wall is illegal.

Below is Al-Awda’s national alert which was issued 21 July 2004 before Senate went on summer recess. The alert provides relevant talking points and contact info etc.

Please call and write your Senators even if you did so before!

URGENT ACTION - CALL SENATE NOW!

For Immediate Release
21 July 2004

Following the passage of House of Representatives’ Resolution 713, the Senate is now considering its own Resolution 408 which condemns the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its advisory opinion ruling that Israel’s Apartheid Wall is illegal. Passage of such a resolution by the Senate would add to the US’s complicity in Israel’s defiance of International Law and world opinion. Just yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly by 150 to 6 with 10 abstentions to demand that Israel comply with the ICJ opinion to dismantle the illegal wall it is building in the West Bank.

Res ipsa loquitur, the thing speaks for itself. Al-Awda’s Form 990 tax return for 2000, in conjunction with these Action Alerts from its own Web pages, pretty much speak for themselves. Nigel Parry’s statement about no connection between Electronic Intifada and Al Awda, in conjunction with the well-documented Al-Awda ties of two Electronic Intifada leaders, also make our point far more clearly than we, or Lee Kaplan, could possibly do.