Rashid Khalidi Columbia University adds Palestine Studies Center

Rashid Khalidi is the co-director of the new Columbia University Palestine Studies Center where he is the Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies. Columbia has had a Middle East Institute for over 50 years, but the new "center" for Palestine Studies is considered "the first of its kind."

Rashid Khalidi

You'll remember Khalidi:

1) recently raising funds for a Free Palestine/Support Hamas terror flotilla, named The Audacity of Hope, (named after Obama's book) in waters where Israel has the right to blockade any movement of weapons into Gaza,

2) has a friendship with White House gatecrasher Tareq Salahi (see the pic of Obama with with Salahi's long before the gatecrashing, and most infamously,

3) celebrated Palestine and the audacity of Israel at a farewell party with Barack Obama and Bill Ayers for Khalidi. There were unconfirmed talks of a "toast" to something considered inappropriate regarding Israel with Obama present. Speculation was that the toast was perhaps to the "toasting"(as in "destruction") of Israel. The Los Angeles Times has the video, and refuses to release it.

 Khalidi is a former advisor to, and spokesman for, Yassar Arafat and a former professor at the University of Chicago. Khalidi's wife Mona was the English language editor for the PLO press agency.

In 1985, Mr. Khalidi published an adulatory book on the PLO in which he personally thanked Yasser Arafat: "Permission to utilize the P.L.O. archives ... was generously given by the Chairman of the P.L.O. Executive Committee, Yasir Arafat. To him and to the dedicated individuals working in the office of the Chairman, the P.L.O. archive and the Palestine News Agency (WAFA), who extended every possible assistance to me on three trips to Tunis, I owe deep thanks."

Today, however, Mr. Khalidi distances himself from his past.

In truth, Mr. Khalidi is still spinning for the Palestinian leadership. For example, although the Palestinian Authority (PA) is ruled at the whim of a despotic Yasser Arafat, Mr. Khalidi argues the PA has an "elected leader." He asserts that Israel's government "refused to negotiate" with the PA when, in reality, Israel has formally negotiated with the PA since 1993.

Moreover, Mr. Khalidi would like us to believe that Israel has "violated every one of the seven agreements it signed with the PLO since that time." This is, of course, a transparent inversion of the truth. Source: Campus Watch

 As Khalidi departed UC to takeover Columbia's Middle East studies, Obama's attendance at a 2003 farewell party, along with Bill Ayers and wife, Bernardine Dorn, and a crowd of mostly Palestinian-Americans is well-documented. According to Los Angeles Times writer Peter Wallsten claimed that the LA Times had a copy of the video. From the National Review:

At Khalidi’s 2003 farewell party, for example, a young Palestinian American recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, “then you will never see a day of peace.”

One speaker likened “Zionist settlers on the West Bank” to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been “blinded by ideology.”

The same article says that state Senator Obama took a more measured response, suggesting that we just all get along.

As Columbia University begins the new study center, there is little said about the connection to Barack Obama or Bill Ayers or Obama's emotional commitment to the Islamic Palestine. Nevertheless, the L.A. Times article referenced above speaking of the farewell party for Khalidi, makes this argument:

But his presence at such events, as he worked to build a political base in Chicago, has led some Palestinian leaders to believe that he might deal differently with the Middle East than either of his opponents for the White House.

"I am confident that Barack Obama is more sympathetic to the position of ending the occupation than either of the other candidates," said Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow for the American Task Force on Palestine, referring to the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that began after the 1967 war. More than his rivals for the White House, Ibish said, Obama sees a "moral imperative" in resolving the conflict and is most likely to apply pressure to both sides to make concessions.

Rashid Khalidi often speaks of the revisionist history that lends support to Israel. Speaking of revisionist history - we haven't seen anything yet, as our college students traverse through the one-way street of Khalidi's Palestinian studies.

Thanks to Weasel Zippers

Posted by Maggie@Maggie's Notebook

Barack Obama Salahi Photo Surfaces: Obama Salahis New Photo Before White House Meet-up? New Gate Crasher Pic with Prez?

This photo came to me in an email. It shows Barack Obama with Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the White House State Dinner crashers. At this moment, FOX is showing the couple making their way to Capitol Hill for their subpoenaed testimony - and they say they wil take the Fifth. See 12-11-09 update in red text below. 

Just my opinion here, but I don't think there's any photoshopping involved. We all knew something wasn't right about these people in the White House with no credentials. The Salahis and the President look noticeably younger - no doubt about that.

The emailer believes the photo was taken when Barack Obama was a U.S. Senator or before. Does anyone else think the guy on the left looks a bit like Randy Jackson, the American idol judge (who we know is an Obama friend?).

 Compare Tareq and Micahele Salahi "then" and "now."

Tareq Salahi, Joe Biden and Michaele Salahi

We now know who is who in the above group photo: American Idol judge Randy Jackson is at the left, then members of Black Eyed Peas including Fergie, the only other female in the photo, and Will I Am, the primary Pea standing to Obama's right. The event date is a 2005 America's Polo Cup event, of which Tareq Salahi was the President. Thanks to TheBigFeed reading at Stop the ACLU which led me to this info.

Because the Salahi's were allowed into the White House with no credentials, several Secret Service agents are in danger of losing their jobs. The person responsible, Desiree Rogers, the White House Social Secretary - who decided no one from her office needed to meet and greet guests as has been the custom for years, will not be subpoenaed. The White House has forbidden her testimony and Congress did Obama's bidding and did not invite her to testimony party. Instead, taxpayer money will be wasted on the gate crashers, who will plead the Fifth Amendment, and we will hear of no White House involvement in a very serious crime.

Officials say the Salahis went through metal detectors and passed all the rigorous tests to be allowed into the White House sanctuary...except, they did not have an invitation to the event. American Power, however, reported Tareq Salahi's ties to the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP):

In addition, and ominously, it turns out that Tareq Salahi, the polo-playing intruder, is a Palestinian nationalist with ties to the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) , a pro-Palestine lobby demanding the "right of return" for all Palestinian refugees and their descendants. The "right of return" has long been considered the backdoor to Israel's destruction. But not only that: ATFP President Ziad Asali is an America-basher who blamed 9/11 on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Asali was a lead U.S. official to PLO terrorist Yassir Arafat's funeral in 2004. And in a position paper in 2007, the ATFP called for a power-sharing agreement at the Palestinian Authority, which would have included the State Department's designated-terrorist group, Hamas.

ADDED: ATFP has removed Tareq Salahi from its website's board of directors page.

As Glenn Beck would indelicately say, this stinks on ice. The "stink" is Obama's friendship with Tareq Salahi serving on the board of the American Palestinian Task Force, and his relationship with people of the ilk of radical pro-Palestinian Rashid Khalidi. When I googled Khaladi and Tareq Salahi an article at The Real Barack Obama came up - confirming that Salahi runs in the company of Rashid Khalidi. You probably remember the torrent around the Los Angeles Times article, claiming they had a tape of Barack Obama praising Chicago Professor Rashid Khalidi, a former advisor to the PLO's Yasser Arafat, and a current officer of the APTF at a Chicago party. From Andy C. McCarthy at the Los Angeles Times:

It was a celebration of Palestinian culture — a night of music, dancing and a dash of politics. Local Arab Americans were bidding farewell to Rashid Khalidi, an internationally known scholar, critic of Israel and advocate for Palestinian rights, who was leaving town for a job in New York.

A special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.

His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases. . . . It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation — a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table," but around "this entire world."...

[T]he warm embrace Obama gave to Khalidi, and words like those at the professor's going-away party, have left some Palestinian American leaders believing that Obama is more receptive to their viewpoint than he is willing to say....

At Khalidi's 2003 farewell party, for example, a young Palestinian American recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, "then you will never see a day of peace."

One speaker likened "Zionist settlers on the West Bank" to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been "blinded by ideology."

Obama adopted a different tone in his comments and called for finding common ground. But his presence at such events, as he worked to build a political base in Chicago, has led some Palestinian leaders to believe that he might deal differently with the Middle East than … his opponents for the White House....

At Khalidi's going-away party in 2003, the scholar lavished praise on Obama, telling the mostly Palestinian American crowd that the state senator deserved their help in winning a U.S. Senate seat. "You will not have a better senator under any circumstances," Khalidi said.

The event was videotaped, and a copy of the tape was obtained by The Times.

A thank you for the pic of Obama and the Salahis to reader, Lynne, who finds amazing news as she works to combat this evil administration everyday. The photo was sent to her husband and she passed it along. Visit her at TravelLight to see a wonderful game for children to adults. She is a true conservative, a devoted Christian, and she is the game's designer. The tagline for the game:  "A game plan for life! TravelLight - A Self-Help Phenomenon. Here is how the game is described?

TraveLight is a futuristic-fun card game designed with the idea to rescue man from dysfunctional relationships and hardships in life. Simply playing the game will not provide a life change. As one learns to apply the principles of the game it brings about cognitive logic of how to get rid of Excess Baggage by replacing it with Light Baggage. Then he or she is sure to learn how to TraveLight.

Now, let's see if the MSM prints this photo of Obama with the pro-Palestinian Salahis - probably taken long before the White House State Dinner, or at least investigates it.

Related and Background:
A Primer and a Reminder for Obama's Socialist, Marxist and Muslim Connection