NFL players pull out of Israel propaganda tour

[Tennis]

https://thinkprogress.org/nfl-player...407#.yjo81vt6d

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs...ropaganda-tour

https://twitter.com/mosesbread72/sta...26873858695168

Immediately after contributing to his team’s Super Bowl victory last Sunday, Martellus Bennett of the New England Patriots was asked what he thought about an upcoming visit to Mexico to represent the National Football League (NFL).

“Tear down the wall! Tear down the wall! That’s what I think about going to Mexico,” he cried.

Bennett then became the first of a number of Patriots players who confirmed they would skip a visit with President Donald Trump at the White House.


But The Forward reported that Bennett would be taking a different trip. Along with 11 other NFL players he would be “heading to Israel after the team’s historic win on a hasbara, or Israeli public relations tour for American football players.”

The headline even quoted Bennett purportedly declaring, “I’m going to Israel.”

Palestinians living under a system Human Rights Watch has labeled “separate and unequal,” would surely wonder how Bennett could oppose Trump’s plans to extend the wall on the US-Mexico border, but be unconcerned about the impact of Israel’s wall on occupied Palestinian land. Trump has explicitly praised Israel’s wall-building as his model.

But in a week of sudden reversals, Dave Zirin reported for The Nation that despite media reports that Bennett would go to Israel, he had “confirmed that this is not the case.”

Zirin noted that other players named in a Times of Israel report on the planned junket “are reevaluating whether they will attend.”

By Friday night three of the players named as potential participants – Martellus Bennett, his brother Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks and Kenny Stills of the Miami Dolphins – had repudiated the trip.

In a fuller statement released on Twitter and Instagram Friday night, Michael Bennett said he would “not be used” by Israel’s government. He recalled that the late Muhammad Ali, one of his heroes, “always stood strongly with the Palestinian people.”

“I want to be a ‘voice for the voiceless,’” Bennett added, “and I cannot do that by going on this kind of trip to Israel.”

The Dolphins’ Kenny Stills retweeted Bennett’s statement, adding, “Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m in!” – indicating he was also bowing out of the trip.

Martellus Bennett also retweeted his brother’s statement.


Several days ago the Israeli parliament passed legislation retroactively legalizing the theft of large tracts of private Palestinian land for Israeli colonization.

This generated a storm of international protests, even from Israel’s closest allies such as the European Union, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Israel’s propaganda officials hope the American football players’ visit will be a welcome distraction and a chance to burnish Israel’s badly damaged brand.

Really neat. The rise of social media is helping to uncover injustices and lets hope that athletes and other role models are able to make themselves more aware of serious issues.

[Guy4123]

Since some dude advocated for Israel to be completely erased in the last thread about the shit show surrounding this tiny patch of land and received zero warning I feel confident in not being reprimanded in saying that I can't wait for the day Israel finally takes over all the Palestinian lands and they're pushed into Jordan and Syria. Finally their would be peace in the Middle East.


lol who am I kidding. Even if Israel didn't exist Middle Eastern countries would still be blowing each other up because they don't practice the RIGHT kind of Islam.

[Tennis]

I'm not responsible for whatever "one dude" says.

What I am saying is that Israel is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world and nobody with a conscience should be taking part in a propaganda trip.

Kudos to he NFL player for taking such a principled stance.

[Elba]

lol who am I kidding. Even if Israel didn't exist Middle Eastern countries would still be blowing each other up because they don't practice the RIGHT kind of Islam.

They are blowing each other up because the West has been deliberately destabilizing the entire region and armed all the extremists they could find.

[Guy4123]

I'm not responsible for whatever "one dude" says.

What I am saying is that Israel is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world and nobody with a conscience should be taking part in a propaganda trip.

Kudos to he NFL player for taking such a principled stance.

I just wanna see what the mod team does.

They are blowing each other up because the West has been deliberately destabilizing the entire region and armed all the extremists they could find.

The west didn't create the Shia-Sunni divide.

[Skroe]

I'm not responsible for whatever "one dude" says.

What I am saying is that Israel is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world and nobody with a conscience should be taking part in a propaganda trip.

Kudos to he NFL player for taking such a principled stance.

I'm a huge critic of America's relationship with Israel, but calling Israel one of the worst human rights abusers in the world is an absurd hyperbole.

Off the top of my head.

North Korea
Iran
Syria
Iraq
Russia
China
Myanmar
Equatorial Guinea
Sudan
Nigeria
Pakistan
Yemen
Saudi Arabia

Yeah. It's further down the list than you think.

[Deleted]

They are blowing each other up because the West has been deliberately destabilizing the entire region and armed all the extremists they could find.

Shia vs sunni isn't a new conflict. It's spanning centuries.

[AeneasBK]

Is Fernando Poo it's own country?

[Tennis]

I'm a huge critic of America's relationship with Israel, but calling Israel one of the worst human rights abusers in the world is an absurd hyperbole.

Off the top of my head.

North Korea
Iran
Syria
Iraq
Russia
China
Myanmar
Equatorial Guinea
Sudan
Nigeria
Pakistan
Yemen
Saudi Arabia

Yeah. It's further down the list than you think.

How many of these countries are occupying another country and practicing apartheid? How many are blindly supported by the West.
None.

[ShadowofVashj]

How many of these countries are occupying another country and practicing apartheid? How many are blindly supported by the West.
None.

Lol Saudis Arabia isn't blindly supported by the West? How else could I get on the human Rights council?

Keep sipping that Sharia Kool aid.

[ItachiZaku]

The wall around Jeruselaum couldn't hold out the zombies. Dumb singing shit.

[Majestic12]

I just wanna see what the mod team does.



The west didn't create the Shia-Sunni divide.

Who cares? They were keeping each other in check. By taking one out of the equation, the other takes over. There is no counterbalance.
Also, by destabilizing the entire region, you now have people targeting western citizens in retaliation. That's the sole reason the West is a target. War turns people into monsters. You basically reap what you sow.

Also regarding Israhell: Good. They deserve no less.

[Deleted]

Who cares? They were keeping each other in check. By taking one out of the equation, the other takes over. There is no counterbalance.
Also, by destabilizing the entire region, you now have people targeting western citizens in retaliation. That's the sole reason the West is a target. War turns people into monsters. You basically reap what you sow.

So the muslim insurgency in southern thailand is receiving support from them because...?

[Skroe]

How many of these countries are occupying another country and practicing apartheid? How many are blindly supported by the West.
None.

None. But you know what?

There's a lot worse things in the world than that.

And you know what else?

8 million Israelis
6 million Palestinians.
--------------------
0 countries that matter.

The Middle East was the world's most significant strategic region... fifteen years ago. Today, it's a distant fifth after Asia-Pacific, Europe, Cyberspace and Space, in that order. Our level of engagement, investment of resources and care about what goes on should be commensurate with our resources. ISIS is a skin rash, radical Islam is America' eczema and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is irrelevant to America's most meaningful global priorities.

While the Israelis have been illegally occupying the West Bank and illegally building settlements, frankly... they lucked out. The fate of 6 million Palestinians is basically a rounding error at this point. How does it stabilize the security situation in Asia-Pacific? It doesn't. How does it stabilize the security situation in Eastern Europe? It doesn't. How does it harden America's cyberspace and space infrastructure? it doesn't. Therefore it is at the level of "hobby".

That is how superpowers must prioritize. Because this superpower acting like the stupid crisis matters enough to demand Presidential-level involvement for the past 3 decades has amounted to zilch. If someone else wants a go, go for it. The US should be busy with affairs in Asia-Pacific and Europe.

[Elba]

The west didn't create the Shia-Sunni divide.

Shia vs sunni isn't a new conflict. It's spanning centuries.

Sure, there were conflicts and wars, just like in Europe. But Western meddling escalated the whole thing. There were stable countries. The tire fire that the region is today is thanks to the UK's and USA's need for Arab oil.

[ShadowofVashj]

Sure, there were conflicts and wars, just like in Europe. But Western meddling escalated the whole thing. There were stable countries. The tire fire that the region is today is thanks to the UK's and USA's need for Arab oil.

Emphasis added. See, this is one of the problems I have with capitalism. Because there's still "money to be made" with oil, we still have to bother ourselves with camel fuckers. The technology clearly exists where we can get past this but, you know how stockholders/shareholders are. We can wax poetic time eternal about "human rights" all we want, but as long as there is profit to be made all considerations will start from there.

[Allybeboba]

LMAO!!
Multi-millionaires going on tour in another country to talk about the plight of the "underprivileged".

[Allybeboba]

Sure, there were conflicts and wars, just like in Europe. But Western meddling escalated the whole thing. There were stable countries. The tire fire that the region is today is thanks to the UK's and USA's need for Arab oil.

You do realize that only 8% of the oil the US uses comes from the Saudis? The overwhelming majority of it comes from the Americas. We really don't need their oil, EU does.

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This is an utter embarrassment not only for the league but to the players foolish enough to think they are taking some kind of stand.

What would expect from them?

[Elba]

You do realize that only 8% of the oil the US uses comes from the Saudis? The overwhelming majority of it comes from the Americas. We really don't need their oil, EU does.

Read up on the history. The US and UK literally divided the place up between themselves. Arab oil for you, Persian oil for me.

[Mad_Murdock]

LMAO!!
Multi-millionaires going on tour in another country to talk about the plight of the "underprivileged".

You LMAO is a bit misplaced there my good man. If you want to LMAO, LMAO at the people who care about what a celebrity or sports star says. LMAO at the fact that they do virtually nothing for humanity and yet are paid many many times more than actual scientist who do enrich our lives.

Even then, If your good name could bring attention to a great injustice in the world, would it be LMAO for you to go out and use that fame to bring attention to something in hope of making it better?(not talking about Israel, but any cause)