Investigative Project on Terrorism Releases "House of Lies - the Baseless Campaign to Smear Israeli Police Exchanges"

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2020 -- Anti-Israel groups have spent years trying to end programs which take American police leaders to Israel to interact with counterparts there. But that effort, with disturbing anti-Semitic elements, took new root this summer during protests following George Floyd's killing by a Minneapolis police officer. Speakers at protests throughout the country claimed that the programs directly lead to the deaths of Black people in America. The claims were blindly accepted by many, despite a lack of any evidence.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism's two-part video investigation, "House of Lies – the Baseless Campaign to Smear Israeli Police Exchanges," shows that these conspiratorial allegations are demonstrably false. Our series shows that one of the main groups promoting this false narrative, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), publicly acknowledged in June that blaming Israel for "American police violence or racism ... furthers an antisemitic ideology."

But JVP never admitted it did exactly that – blamed Israel for American police violence – for three years. Until the eve of its June statement, JVP's "Deadly Exchange" website claimed that American police return from Israel more violent, leading to "extrajudicial executions, shoot-to-kill policies, police murders ..."

"JVP tried to sweep its own words – that it now admits fuel anti-Semitism – under the rug," said IPT Executive Editor Steven Emerson. "But we'll show viewers exactly what was said. Unfortunately, the false, hateful rhetoric has been repeated often enough to be accepted as true."

The IPT interviewed four American police chiefs – two active and two now retired – who participated in such trips and say their experiences couldn't be more different from the anti-Israel narrative. There was no tactical training. Rather than discussing ways to oppress people, the chiefs all said they learned about the value of community policing and building relationships among diverse constituencies. They also learned how to best minimize the terrorist threat and to investigate in the aftermath of an attack.

No critic has ever produced a whistleblower who says otherwise. Organizers of two police exchange programs blame a deep seated anti-Israel bias, combined with an "intersectional" campaign to equate the Palestinian cause with the struggle for civil rights in America.  

Part 1 of the series can be seen here. Part 2 will be published Wednesday at the Investigative Project on Terrorism website.

SOURCE Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT)