Fighting BackAs it initially did with the blood libel article when it was exposed, Miftah has now silently removed that piece as well.
Palestinian women have also participated in the resistance. As the conflict grew more intense and young men were recruited to carry out military operations against Israeli targets, several young women also decided to join the ranks of the resistance movement. In January 2002, 28-year-old nurse Wafa Idrees, detonated a bomb in Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street, killing one Israeli and injuring 150 others. She was also killed in the blast.
This marked the beginning of a string of Palestinian women dedicated to sacrificing their lives for the cause. Over the next two years, seven other women carried out similar operations, the most deadly of which was carried out by Hanadi Jaradat, a 29-year-old attorney from Jenin. Hanadi detonated explosives strapped to her body in a busy Haifa restaurant, killing 19 Israelis and injuring 50 others.
No apology. No mention of why it published an essay that is purportedly against its own stated core values to begin with. Once again, Miftah is acting like a child caught next to a broken lamp, football on the floor, rather than an organization that takes responsibility for its actions.
In only one week, I am the one that prompted Miftah to remove the blood libel essay, I am the one that prompted Miftah to apologize for it, and I am the one that prompted Miftah to remove the essay praising terrorists (although NGO Monitor also called them on it.). If it wasn't for our shaming them, nothing would have happened. When is Miftah going to take responsibility for its own actions rather than waiting for "obscure websites" to "smear' them? I could find an encyclopedia of lies in the Miftah site - but why should I be the one doing this?
Miftah appears more concerned over Hanan Ashrawi's reputation than the truth. You can find the offensive essay archived at the UN's UNISPAL site (and, at the moment, in Google's cache.)
Miftah's problems are deeper than just one "junior level staffer" - they are systemic to the organization, and as long as its funding NGOs ignore the problem, things won't get any better.