Palestinian Militants to Ehud Olmert: 'You Deserve to Be Executed!'

From the Chicago Maroon, "Jeers Stifle Olmert’s Speech":

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert struggled to make himself heard over a cacophony of protests in Mandel Hall Thursday, in what became more of a free-for-all than an international policy lecture.

Dozens of protesters inside the auditorium, and over 100 more outside, voiced their fury at alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza during Olmert’s tenure. Meanwhile, Olmert articulated a two-state plan for peace in the Middle East, which has Israel sacrificing nearly all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights land occupied since the Six Day War in 1967.

The scheduled running time for Olmert’s remarks was 20 minutes, but ran nearly an hour-and-a-half after a series of false starts. Shouting from the audience dominated the event from the beginning, and ranged from the extreme to the absurd.

“You deserve to be executed!” shouted one protester. “Your face is ugly!” yelled another.

“I understand these emotions. There is the same rage from voices on the right in Israel,” Olmert said, referring to those who criticized his moderate party for giving concessions to Palestinian negotiators.

The lecture was part of the King Abdullah II Leadership Lecture series organized by the Harris School of Public Policy. Some protesters raised concerns that using the King of Jordan’s grant money to fund the lecture was a slap in the face to the Arab world.

Olmert’s remarks, fragmented and often inaudible, centered around a four-point peace plan he supported towards the end of his tenure as prime minister.

Olmert’s plan called for Israel to give the Palestinians land in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that it occupied after the 1967 war, and for Jerusalem to be split into an eastern Palestinian portion and a western Israeli portion. Further, he advocated that the ancient religious sites in the Old City area of Jerusalem be administered by an international coalition, and Palestinian refugees be provided with resources to start new lives in Palestine.

“We have to make a choice of what we want. Do we want to fight these people forever, or do we want to make peace?” Olmert asked. “If people shouted less, we could have done great things” ....

Across the street on University Avenue, a group of six counter-protesters held up signs reading, among other things, “Let Israel Live in Peace.”

Inside the auditorium, Olmert faced more abrasive criticism.

“You’re a fucking snake! You goddamn pig!” shouted one heckler as police dragged him from Mandel Hall.

Well, these people don't want dialogue, obviously.

The protesters were from the Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago and the U.S. Palestine Conference Network.

The PSG is a student front group for the International Solidarity Movement. The latter organization is most notoriously identified with Rachel Corrie, the American activist who was accidently killed by an Israeli tractor as she worked to protect Gazan arms smuggling-tunnels in 2003.

See also, FrontPage Magazine, "Discover the Arab Lobby 'Network'."

Hat Tip: From U.S. News, "Olmert Heckled at University of Chicago."