Most campus observers would agree that tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups on this campus have reduced since their relative peak in 2001 and 2002. Part of this decline is arguably attributed to the disappearance of DAFKA from the UC Berkeley campus in 2003. However, DAFKA has recently made overtures towards becoming active on the UC Berkeley campus again, and in quite a disturbing way. A recent post on their website asks readers to locate a students’ family members in Israel.

We are asking Stop the ISM volunteers in Israel to try and locate Ehud Moshe Appel’s family over there so we can interview them and find out what they think of Ehud’s undying and unremitting love for Palestinian Arab terrorists. He even promotes divestment and boycotting of Israel to starve the Jewish state out of existence in his aberrational behavior and hatred of his own homeland and its people. We are sure he is an embarassment to his family in Israel for his actions in Berkeley, California.

Appel is a contributor to Lee Kaplan Watch, a watchdog group to DAFKA. Appel writes the website with another student who has also been attacked on the website.

The politics of Israel and Palestine are an important and emotional topic, to be sure. But this kind of behavior can not be accepted on this campus. To essentially threaten family members of an ideological opponent through a website is ridiculous, intolerable, and above all dangerous. If DAFKA attempts to regain active status at UC Berkeley, ASUC sponsorship, or through the Jewish Student Union, they should be immediately rebuked. Groups that threaten the safety of students and their families should not have their behavior condoned or tolerated.