A new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) states the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group and the Iranian state-run Press TV are among those that are backing the controversial “Mapping Project.”
The July 7 ADL report describes The Mapping Project as “an antisemitic website that calls for the ‘dismantling’ of organizations key to the infrastructure of the Massachusetts Jewish community.” The report notes that on June 24, the PFLP issued a statement endorsing the project as being necessary to “expose supporters of the Zionist entity.” The PFLP, which the State Department has designated as a terror organization, “is responsible for several airplane hijackings as well as numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians in Israel and the West Bank, including a bombing in 2019 that killed 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb, and a 2014 attack in a Jerusalem synagogue that killed four.”
Press TV, which the ADL report described as “the Iranian regime’s primary propaganda tool” that “has long featured antisemitic voices and content,” published a June 26 column “that was deeply sympathetic to the Mapping Project.” The column lauded the project as “a path-breaking initiative” fomenting “tremors in the power corridors of the US as well as the pro-Israel lobbies in the country.” The column also quotes various pro-Palestinian activists praising the project and criticizes the BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] National Committee for distancing themselves from the project.
“Expressions of support for PFLP and willingness to work with Press TV on the part of some U.S.-based anti-Israel activists represents, at best, their utter disregard for the PFLP’s history of violence and for Press TV’s history of state-sponsored dissemination of antisemitic propaganda,” the ADL report stated. “But in some cases, anti-Zionist activists support, or at least excuse, the violence perpetrated by PFLP.” The report proceeds to list various instances of pro-Palestinian activists promoting the PFLP and appearing on Press TV.
The ADL report was published the same day as a Jerusalem Post story highlighting a social media post by the Jisr Collective media group––which the Post describes as an anti-Israel organization––lambasting the BNC National Committee over their letter to BDS Boston. The letter, which was first obtained by the Journal, told them to disassociate from The Mapping Project or remove the BDS name from their chapter. Jisr accused the BNC of capitulating to “liberal Zionist” groups like J Street and alleged that the BNC was being hypocritical for including The Council of National and Islamic Forces in its organization. The council includes Hamas, the PFLP and Islamic Jihad, so Jisr argued that the BNC’s unwillingness “to allow affiliates abroad to collaborate with groups that support the use of violence” was evidence of hypocrisy. “BNC is a danger to Palestinians and the liberation movement,” Jisr declared. Jisr’s post “has become popular with a faction of organizations and activists that have publicly supported The Mapping Project,” according to the Post.
BDS Boston continues to support the project; on June 22, the affiliate issued a statement calling the project “an important source of information and a useful organizing tool.” BDS Boston has also retweeted several organizations expressing support for The Mapping Project, including Samidoun and the Palestinian Youth Movement, both of which were cited in the ADL report as organizations that have been supportive of the PFLP.
We’ve received a lot of messages about the Mapping Project, so we want to issue a point of clarification for our followers: pic.twitter.com/4b5Qmua1Jo
— BDS Boston (@BDSBoston) June 22, 2022
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network fully supports the work of the Mapping Project and other researchers exposing the connections between Zionism and imperialism, including repression in the imperial core. Check them out at https://t.co/NzroLQdXoC! pic.twitter.com/NqhL7ZAdqh
— Samidoun Network (@SamidounPP) June 22, 2022
The Palestinian Youth Movement affirms our support for the Mapping Project out of Boston, and condemn attempts to censor this useful educational tool.
— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) June 23, 2022
