Soccer Dad

Website Of The US Consulate Of Jerusalem--Jews And Israelis Need Not Visit

Go ahead and take a look at the website of the US Consulate of Jerusalem.

On Friday, Cliff May made the following observations of what you could find on the website that day--and what you couldn't:

U.S. Government Supports the Palestinian Authority

U.S. Provides $200 Million in Budget Support to Palestinian Authority

MEPI Local Grants

MEPI awards 8 new local grants in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

Secretary Clinton:

Arab states have a responsibility to support the Palestinian Authority

"A Day at the Movies" for Palestinian Youth

The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is supporting the new "Cinema City" movie theater in Nablus by purchasing tickets for over 300 Palestinian youth involved in the U.S. Government-sponsored English Access Microscholarship program and Camp Discovery summer program

Secretary Clinton Via Teleconference:

"...the Palestinian Authority now has systems in place to ensure that donor funds are handled transparently and in an accountable manner. We will continue to work with the Palestinian leadership to bolster these safeguards to make sure that the funding ends up exactly where - and for whom - it is intended

Summer Fun and Learning at "Camp Discovery"

For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is sponsoring Camp Discovery for youth in the West Bank and Gaza. More than 450 Palestinians ages 8-14 from refugee camps and disadvantaged communities are participating in Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Hebron and Gaza City.

Consulate General Announces Grant to Preserve Palestinian Cultural Heritage
Consulate General staff and Dr. Adel Yahya, Director of the Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE), met to commemorate the first grant given to Palestinians under the U.S. Department of State's Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Summer Camp Stimulates Critical Thinking in Palestinian Youth
The "Extracurricular Enrichment Day Camp" opened its doors to 110 gifted Palestinian youth from West Bank public middle schools, ages 12-16 on June 13, 2009. The U.S. government funded camp seeks to stimulate critical-thinking, build self-confidence, and prepare participants for a future in higher education.

Here's what you don't find -- at least not at this moment as I'm viewing the site: A word about Israel. Not a single one. No hint that Jerusalem is in Israel or that Israelis live there -- much less that it's Israel's capital.

The Consulate there is nothing if not consistent. Check out their list of programs for 2009--lots for Palestinians, but no mention of programs for Jews and Israelis. There is a mention of Mark Twain meeting Palestinian audiences through storytelling--it's a sure bet that Innocents Abroad is not on the list. Oh, and don't forget to check out the links for Ramadan 2006 and 2007. No, there's no mention of Tisha B'Av.

Actually, if you search their site, you'll find 6 hits for Yom Kippur and 61 for Ramadan and none for Tisha B'Av. Going further, there are 27 for the word Jewish and 118 for the word Arab.

Check out their Twitter page and you just get more of the same.

The State Department is not just doing this now during Obama's term--check out this copy of the site back in May 2007 when Bush was President.

There is a message here, and it is not subtle.