By Kathryn Bernheimer
The Boulder Nabulus Sister City Project, organized by a group that has spent two years complying with regulations governing sister city proposals, was defeated Monday night in a special hearing at the Boulder City Council.
The Boulder Jewish community gathered in force to oppose the proposed alliance between Boulder and the West Bank city that has been a hotbed of terrorism.
More than 200 people packed the chambers with overflow crowds in the lobby. Proponents wore white, opponents blue.
The meeting lasted five hours and included two 10-minute presentations by each side and more than 70 two-minute arguments from community members, who had also spent the last weeks barraging the City Council with hundreds of emails that showed a 60-40% edge for the opponents.
Bill Cohen and Jane Rubenstein helped organize the opposition, which focused on six points.
1. The project claims to be a people-to-people program, not political, rather than governmental. According the Esrea Cherin, who heads the effort, Our role in the community is not to make commentary on foreign policies or to promote political viewpoints. Our role is to share a new culture with our citizens.
Speakers against the proposal pointed out the evidence of a strong anti-Israel agenda, including its film series, and many speakers for the proposal revealed that agenda as they denounced Israel for its persecution of Palestinians.
Others noted that by taking only one side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the project is by definition political and designed to harm Israel.
2. The fact that the project is aimed not at creating dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians but between Palestinians and sympathetic Americans was cited as being counterproductive to promoting peace.
3. Guy Benintendi, who until recently co-chaired the effort, took a back seat presumably in response to his public and avid advocacy for the Palestinian cause. He was the source of confusion and concern at the meeting.
His views (he can be seen on Facebook carrying a sign that reads Zionism=Racism) and his aggressive personal style have alarmed the community, and apparently shocked some council members, who said they voted against the proposal after hearing Benintendis hostile comments.
4. Palestinians human rights abuses based on gender and religion, as well as torture and terrorism, were cited as grounds for incompatibility with Boulders values.
The opposition brushed these concerns aside and painted Israel as a greater abuser of human rights.
5. Safety concerns regarding travel to Nablus were raised. These concerns were dismissed by people who have spent time in Nablus and reported enjoying warm hospitality and complete freedom of movement there.
6. At the meeting, it became apparent that the Boulder group does not have a corresponding organization in Nablus, but rather works with a variety of partners, including three municipality staff i.e., government officials.
The decision not to approve the proposal, with a 7-2 vote, rested on these factors, along with the councils concern over the divisive nature of the project, which has inflamed passions and brought the Boulder Jewish community together with a rare show of solidarity.
I am uncomfortable that our community is so up in arms over this and so conflicted, said council member Suzy Ageton, according to the Daily Camera. I would encourage the Nablus group to reach out.
Boulder has seven sister cities: Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Jalapa, Nicaragua; Kisumu, Kenya; Lhasa, Tibet; Mante, Mexico; Yamagata, Japan; and Yateras, Cuba.
Copyright © 2013 by the Intermountain Jewish News
