Assemblymember Robert Castelli wrote a letter today to the MTA Metro-North railroad president urging for the removal of a billboard about Israel and Palestine, saying members of the Jewish community were offended by the anti-Israel message and that the advertisement was "more inflammatory than promoting peace."
The billboard is titled "Palestinian Loss of Land -- 1946 to 2010" and appears at stations in Westchester County. The billboard shows four maps of Israel in different years with Palestinian land marked out in color, and was sponsored by the organization COPIP, or the Committee For Peace In Israel and Palestine.
"I think the implication is kind of a subliminal one that is very anti-Israel," Castelli said. "If you look at the message, it's promoting peace and harmony in Israel and Palestine, but seems to disturb harmony in our community."
Castelli said he was contacted by "a multitude" of Jewish organizations in his district that were offended by the billboard. Castelli said he consulted those complaints, as well as a letter from The Anti-Defamation League, before deciding to draft the letter to Metro-North President Howard Permut. The Anti-Defamation League cited COPIP as an anti-Israel group. It said the billboards failed to reflect key facts and that the issue is "extremely complex and cannot be summarized in a series of four maps."
Henry Clifford, the chairman of COPIP, said there isn't room on the billboards for the entirety of the issue, but that everything on the advertisement is an "accurate, historical, geographical portrayal."
"Even to summarize the history of the Jewish settlement of Palestine and the loss of Palestinian land would require volumes," he said. "There are maps that show the facts and there is a statement on the side that states the number of refugees as defined by the UN. There is no editorial comment, there is no room for editorial comment and no need for it."
Clifford also said that he did not believe the billboards should be taken down, and that removal would be a violation of his freedom of speech.
"Obviously, that's an attempt at censorship. We're supposed to have freedom of speech, and freedom of speech certainly includes the inclusion of historical and geographical fact," he said. "So I'm completely opposed, even outraged, that we should not allow freedom of speech on the matter."
Castelli said he is a proponent of peace in the area and that while this map does indeed fall under the realm of the freedom of speech, it is still offensive and should be removed.
"There is a fine balance between what is offensive and non-offensive free speech," he said. "I understand and support the Constitutional right of free speech as guaranteed in the First Amendment, but you also need to recognize the sensitivity of individuals of our community. There may be things that are in the realms of free speech but are offensive or inflammatory."
Castelli added, "It's kind of like making fun of 9/11. It's one of those things you're allowed to do, but you know it would be in poor taste."
Clifford, however, does not believe that content should be removed simply because it offends a certain group of people.
"There is almost no subject on earth that could be examined and displayed in an advertisement that could not be found offensive by one person, or two or even ten..." he said. "Anything can be found offensive if the person who reads the ad has a different opinion."
Fourteen rabbis and six officials of Jewish organizations in the area were sent copies of the letter, several of whom were among those who complained about the billboards, according to Castelli. He said some who received the letter have called and thanked him for "putting the letter out there and supporting the initiative."
Castelli said he has not yet received a response from the MTA.
Photo Courtesy: Office of Assemblymember Castelli
Ltr.to.MTA.re-billboards-final.7.13.12
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