About Us

IMRA
IMRA
IMRA

 

Subscribe

Search


...................................................................................................................................................


Monday, November 25, 2002
5 ISRAELIS WHO WERE DETAINED AFTER 9/11 TO SUE NEW JERSEY POET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 25, ?2002

Contact: (US) 212-591-0073, (Israel) 011-972-8-973-3336

FIVE ISRAELIS DETAINED AFTER 9/11 TO SUE NEW JERSEY POET AND STATE OVER
"BLOOD LIBEL" POEM

Israeli attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner has written to New Jersey Governor
James E. McGreevey demanding that he fire the State's poet laureate, Amiri
Bakara, or she will initiate legal proceedings against his office. The
Tel-Aviv lawyer, who heads Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center, represents
five young Israelis who were detained by Federal authorities for visa
violations after the 9/11 attack. The five allege that the New Jersey poet's
controversial poem, "Somebody Blew Up America" implies that they knew in
advance that the World Trade Center would be attacked and has grievously
defamed their reputation.

Attorney Darshan-Leitner has written that she is preparing to bring a civil
action in the amount of $25 million against both Baraka and the State of New
Jersey over the poem. She contends that the State is liable, as Baraka was
a New Jersey official who was acting within the scope of his employment when
he libeled her clients.

Baraka's poem recently sparked off condemnations and drew allegations of
anti-Semitism from Jewish groups who believe the piece blames the 9/11
attack on Jews. The poem implies that Israel carried out the Twin Tower
tragedy to cast blame on the Arabs. This conspiracy theory has become
prevalent in the media of many Middle Eastern nations and has been widely
circulated by opponents of Israel on the internet.

Baraka's poem includes a stanza which specifically refers to the five
Israelis and, when read in the context of the earlier verses, implies that
they played a role in the terror attack: "Who know why Five Israelis was
filming the explosion, And cracking they sides at the notion." Courts will
look to the innuendo created by a written work in determining whether
plaintiffs have been defamed.

"Baraka's poem is nothing less than a vicious blood libel against my clients
and every other Israeli," stated attorney Darshan-Leitner, "It implies that
Israel perpetrated the 9/11 terror attack in order to frame the Muslims and
that my clients were in the know. I am demanding that Baraka and his
employer, the State of New Jersey, pay my clients $25 million for the
serious harm he has caused to their reputations."

She is calling upon the Governor McGreevey and the State legislature to
immediately terminate Baraka's employment "before his racist utterances make
New Jersey taxpayers liable for additional financial damages."

Search For An Article

....................................................................................................

Contact Us

POB 982 Kfar Sava
Tel 972-9-7604719
Fax 972-3-7255730
email:imra@netvision.net.il IMRA is now also on Twitter
http://twitter.com/IMRA_UPDATES

image004.jpg (8687 bytes)