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Boycott Désinvestissement Sanctions (B D S )
Plus de 350 professeurs d’universités du monde entier boycottent une conférence internationale prévue en juin 2014 à l’Université hébraïque de Jérusalem
Mardi, 22 octobre 2013 - 12h10
mardi 22 octobre 2013
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The following open letter was issued on August 12 to oral historians and scholars planning to participate in the June 2014 International Conference on Oral History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The letter is signed by over 200 scholars and community oral historians and counting ; and is endorsed by Academic and Cultural Boycott Campaigns, AURDIP (France), BAB (Germany), BOYCOTT ! (Israel), BRICUP (UK), InCACBI (India), PACBI (Palestine), PBAI (Spain), USACBI (USA) and by the Alternative Information Centre (Israel)- and is endorsed by Independent Jewish Voices Canada ; University of Toronto SJP (Canada) ; SJP of UCLA – and by Ronnie Kasrils, former South African government minister, anti-apartheid activist and writer.
To add your name to this list of signatories please email :
hebrewuconferenceboycott@gmail.com. Download a PDF of the letter.
CAMPAIGN TO BOYCOTT THE ORAL HISTORY CONFERENCE AT HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
hebrewuconferenceboycott@gmail.com
August 12, 2013 (updated October 21, 2013)
Dear Colleagues :
We are a group of Palestinian, Israeli, and other oral historians and academics from Europe, South Africa, and North America calling on you to boycott the June 2014 ‘International Conference on Oral History’ organised by the Oral History Division of the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. While all Israeli universities are deeply complicit in the occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is particularly noteworthy, as we explain below.
Your actions have a direct impact on our joint struggle for a just peace in Palestine-Israel and on our solidarity with fellow Palestinian academics whose universities have been closed down, blockaded and even bombed by Israeli aircraft in the last three decades ; universities which have been subjected to a lengthy and brutal Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Specifically, the land on which some of its MountScopus campus buildings and facilities were expanded was acquired as a result of Israel’s 1968 illegal confiscation of 3345 dunums of Palestinian land. [1] This confiscated land in East Jerusalem is occupied territory according to international law. Israel’s unilateral annexation of occupied East Jerusalem into the State of Israel, and the application of Israeli domestic law to it, are violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and have been repeatedly denounced as null and void by the international community, including by the UN Security Council (Resolution 252, 21 May 1968). Moving Israeli staff and students to work and live on occupied Palestinian land places the Hebrew University in grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Conventions.
Further, the university is complicit in the unequal treatment of Palestinians, including those who are citizens of Israel. [2] For instance, it does not provide teaching services to the residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas in contrast to those provided to Jewish groups ; no courses are offered in Arabic. [3] Additionally, the Hebrew University has chosen to remain silent when the entire population of Gaza has been excluded from the possibility to enrol and study in the university by the Israeli government. Palestinian students from Gaza have a better chance of getting into a university in the U.S than into Hebrew University.
The Hebrew University administration restricts the freedom of speech and protest of its few Palestinian students. For example, it had forbidden a commemoration event for the invasion of the Gaza Strip in 2008-2009 in which about 1,400 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces. [4] On the other hand, the Hebrew University offered special considerations and benefits to students who participated in that invasion as soldiers.
In December 2012 Israel’s Minister of Defence approved recognition of Ariel University in the illegal colony of Ariel as an Israeli university in the Israeli academic system. As a result, staff from the Hebrew University take part in the supervision and promotion committees of students and staff from the colonial university of Ariel ; and the (Jewish only) staff takes part in the supervision and in promotion committees for Hebrew University students and staff. The Hebrew University recognizes academic degrees awarded by the Ariel University, which is built on confiscated Palestinian land and surrounded by Palestinian communities, but does not recognize degrees awarded by the nearby Al-Quds University. [5]
Ironically, the oral history conference is organised by an institute named after Avraham Harman, President of the Hebrew University from 1968 to 1983. As President of the Hebrew University he was directly responsible for the rebuilding and expansion of the original campus on Mount Scopus built on land illegally confiscated from Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
At a time when the international movement to boycott Israeli academic and cultural institutions is gaining ground in response to Israel’s flagrant and persistent infringement of Palestinian human and political rights, we urge scholars and professionals to reflect upon the implications of taking part in a conference at a complicit institution, and to refrain from such participation. The conference is an attempt to improve the image and reputation of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the West and to cover up for the fact that the university is closely associated with Israeli annexation and ‘Separation/Apartheid Wall’ policies—policies that were strongly condemned on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.[6]
Since the hegemonic world powers are actively complicit in enabling and perpetuating Israel’s colonial and oppressive policies, we believe that the only avenue open to achieving justice and upholding international law is sustained work on the part of Palestinian and international civil society to put pressure on Israel and its complicit institutions to end this oppression.
Inspired by the successful cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa, and supported by key Palestinian unions and cultural groups, in 2004, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) issued a call for the academic and cultural boycott of institutions involved in Israel’s system of occupation, colonialism and apartheid. The Palestinian call appealed to the international academic community, among other things, to “refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration or joint projects with Israeli institutions” [7].
Following this, in 2005, an overwhelming majority in Palestinian civil society called for an all-encompassing BDS campaign based on the principles of human rights, justice, freedom and equality [8]. The BDS movement adopts a nonviolent, morally consistent strategy to hold Israel accountable to the same human rights and international law standards as other nations. It is asking the international academic community to heed the boycott call, as it did in the struggle against South African apartheid, until “Israel withdraws from all the lands occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem ; removes all its colonies in those lands ; agrees to United Nations resolutions relevant to the restitution of Palestinian refugees rights ; and dismantles its system of apartheid” [9].
Paralleling the Apartheid era boycott of complicit South African universities, we believe that participation in academic conferences or similar events in Israel – regardless of intentions- can only contribute to the prolongation of this injustice by normalizing and thereby legitimizing it. It inadvertently contributes to Israel’s efforts to appear as a normal participant in the world of scholarship while at the same time it practices the most pernicious form of colonial control and legalized racial discrimination against Palestinians.
Until Israel fully complies with international laws and conventions, we sincerely hope that international academics will not participate in endorsing their violations and the basic human rights of Palestinians – even if inadvertently. We call on our colleagues to treat Israel exactly the same way that most of the world treated racist South Africa – or indeed any other state that legislates and practices apartheid : as a pariah state. Only then can Palestinians hope for a just peace based on international law, respect for human rights, and, more crucially, on the fundamental principle of equality for all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or other identity considerations.
We, therefore, urge you to boycott the Hebrew University of Jerusalem oral history conference and to call on your colleagues to refuse to participate in it ; to refuse to cross the Palestinian picket line.
[Note : All footnotes are at the end of the document following a note on academic freedom.]
Sincerely,
Professor Ahmed Abbes, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS, Bures-sur-Yvette, France
Professor Saleh Abdel Jawad (Hamayel), BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Dr. Stéphanie Latte Abdallah, ; Researcher, French Institute for the Near East ( IFPO) Jerusalem, Palestine
Dr. Adnan Abdelrazek – The Arab Studies Society – Jerusalem, Palestine
Dr. Faiha Abdulhadi, Independent researcher, writer, poet, Palestine
Professor Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative – College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University, USA
Hala Caroline Abou-Zaki, Phd Student, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France
Line Abou Zaki, Clinical psychologist, Lebanon
Professor Nadia Abu el Haj, Barnard/Columbia University, USA
Professor Saed Abu-Hijleh, An-NajahNationalUniversityNablus, Palestine
Professor Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University, New York, USA
Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Researcher, UK
Professor Nadia Abu- Zahra, University of Ottawa, Canada
Professor Ghada Ageel, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Professor Mumtaz Ahmad, Vice President (Academic Affairs), International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Mazen Mustafa AlAbadlah, Al-AqsaUniversity, Palestine
Akkas Al-Ali, PhD candidate, University of Exeter, UK
Dr. Anaheed Al-Hardan, ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry, Germany
Professor Bayan Nuwayhed al-Hout, LebaneseUniversity, Beirut, Lebanon
Majeda Al-Saqqa, Culture and Free Thought Association, Khan Younis, Gaza, Palestine
Professor (emeritus) Mateo Alaluf, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Professor Ammiel Alcalay, QueensCollege, City of New York, USA
Dr. Diana Allan, Society for the Humanities, CornellUniversity, Ithaca, USA
Professor Lori Allen, University of Cambridge, England
Professor Nina Allen, SuffolkUniversity, Boston, USA
Dr. Valentina Anastasi, Independent researcher, Catania, Italy
Professor Marcos Ancelovici, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM)
Dr. Miriyam Aouragh, CAMRI, University of Westminster, UK
Professor (retired) William Ayers, University of Illinois-Chicago ; Cyprus Oral History Project, USA
Professor Alice Bach (retired) Archbishop Hallinan Professor of ReligiousStudies
CaseWestern ReserveUniversity, ClevelandOH, USA
Professor Angelo Baracca, University of Florence, Italy
Gustavo Barbosa, PhD candidate, London School of Economics, UK
Professor Amjad Barham, HebronUniversity, President of the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees, Palestine
Ryvka Barnard, Doctoral student, New York University, USA
Professor Javier Barreda, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
Professor Isaías Barreñada, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Spain
Professor Munir Bashour, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Professor Oren Ben-Dor, Southampton University, England
Julie Benedetto, student, Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Lyon, France
Specialist Israel Morales Benito, University of Alicante, Spain
Bonita Bennett, Director, DistrictSixMuseum, Capetown, South Africa
David Beorlegui, PhD candidate, Basque Country University, Spain
Professor Dan Berger, University of WashingtonBothell, USA
Dr. Rima Berns-McGown, Independent Researcher/Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
Professor Doris Bittar, CaliforniaStateUniversitySan Marcos, USA
ProfessorDusanI. Bjelic, Department of Criminology, University of Southern Maine, USA
Professor Maylei Blackwell, Departments of Chicana/o Studies, and Gender Studies, UCLA, USA
Dr. Susan Blackwell, Independant language consultant, BirminghamUK
Professor Hagit Borer, Queen Mary, University of London, England
Professor (emerita) Joanna Bornat , Open University, UK
Dr. Samia Botmeh, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Professor Glenn Bowman, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Dr. Robert Boyce, LondonSchool of Economics and Political Science, London University, UK
Professor Haim Bresheeth, SOAS, University of London, England
Dr. Khaldun Bshara, scholar, Riwaq Centre, Ramallah, Palestine
Professor (emeritus) Jacques Bude, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Professor Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Professor Angeles Castaño Madroñal, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
Ines Castellano Picón, Phd Student, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
Professor Jesús M. Castillo, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
Professor John Chalcraft, London School of Economics, UK
Professor Iain Chambers, Università degli Studi di Napoli, “L’Orientale,” Italy
Professor Michael Chanan, University of Roehampton, England
Professor Elise Chenier, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
Professor Elliott Colla, Georgetown University, USA
Dr Indira Chowdhury, IOHA Council member ; Centre for Public History – Bangalore, India
Nikoletta Christodoulou, FrederickUniversity, Nicosia ; Cyprus Oral History Project, Cyprus
Professor (retired) Raymonde Cloutier, University of Quebec (UQAM), Montreal, Canada
Dr. Jane Collings, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Dr Peter Collins, St Mary’s UniversityCollege, Belfast, Ireland
Professor Miriam Cooke, Braxton Craven Professor of Arab Cultures, Duke University, USA
Susan Currie, PhD student, Central Queensland University, Australia
Mike Cushman, Independent researcher, London, England
Professor Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, New York, USA
Professor Nabil Dajani, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Professor Edwin Daniel (emeritus) University of AlbertaCanada
Professor (emeritus) Eric David, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Professor Lawrence Davidson, West Chester University, USA
Dr. Rochelle Davis, Georgetown University, USA
Dr. Uri Davis, AL-QUDSUniversity, Jerusalem, Palestine
Professor (emerita) Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun, Université Paris, France
Professor Herman De Ley, Ghent University, Belgium
Prof Philippe Denis, Sinomlando Centre for Oral History and Memory Work in Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Rafel Gustavo de Oliveira, MSc student, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
Professor Angeles Diez Rodriguez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Professor Anne-Marie Dillens, University Saint-Louis, Brussels, Belgium
Professor John Docker, University of Sydney, Australia
Professor Chris Dole, Amherst College, USA
Professor Ann Douglas, Columbia University, New York, USA
Professor Laurence Dreyfus, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Louise Edwards-Simpson, Project Director, Voices of Homelessness, St. Catherine University St Paul, Minnesota, USA
Professor Haidar Eid, Al-AqsaUniversity, Gaza, Palestine
Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh, PhD-candidate, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria.
Oroub El-Abed, Senior Teaching Fellow SOAS, London University, UK
Professor Nada Elia, Antioch University-Seattle, Washington, USA
Professor Mary Fakher-Eldin, UniversityCollege, Dublin, Ireland
Professor Hoda Elsadda, Cairo University, Egypt
Professor Samera Esmeir, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Professor Ghazi-Walid Falah, University of Akron, Ohio, USA
Professor Laila Farah, DePaul University, USA
Professor Randa Farah, University of WesternOntario, Canada
Professor (emeritus), Emmanuel Farjoun, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Adel Farrag, (retired) Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland
Professor (emeritus) Sasan Fayazmanesh, California State University, Fresno, US
Dr. Sean Field, Director, Centre for Popular Memory and Senior Lecturer, Historical Studies Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Arie Finkelstein, student, Université Paris Est, France
Professor Ellen Fleischmann, University of Dayton, Ohio, USA
Senior Scholar Bill Fletcher, Jr., Institute for Policy Studies ; former President, TransAfrica Forum, Washington, DC, USA
Professor Manzar Foroohar, CaliforniaPolytechnicUniversity, San Luis Obispo, USA
Professor (emeritus) Giorgio Forti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Dr. Naomi Foyle, Coordinator of British Writers In Support of Palestine, UK
Professor Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawaiʻi, USA
Daniela Fuentealba Rubio, Investigator/archivist, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, Chile
Professor Candace Fujikane, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, USA
Professor Nell Gabiam Iowa State University, USA
Professor (retired) Rosemary Galli, Observatorio das Nacionalidades, Brazil
Professor Jose Maria Gago Gonzalez, Member, Seminario de Fuentes Orales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Professeur des Ecoles (en retraite) Marie Gérôme, Ecole de Viuz, Faverges, France
Professor Julie Gervais, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Khalil Mohammad Gharra – student, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine
Ana Ghoreishian, PhD student, University of Arizona, USA
Professor Rita Giacaman, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Dr. Terri Ginsberg, ICMES, New York, USA
Professor (emerita) Sherna Berger Gluck, CaliforniaStateUniversity, Long Beach, USA
Professor Heather Goodall, University of TechnologySydney, Australia
Professor (emeritus) Yerach Gover, City University of New York, USA
Professor Michel Gros, CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research, Rennes, France
Professor Regina Beatriz Guimarães Neto. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco ; 2006-2008 President Brazilian Oral History Association, 2008-2010/Brazil
Professor Yvonne Haddad, Georgetown University, USA
Professor Ghassan Joseph Hage, University of Melbourne, Australia
Professor (emerita) Elaine Hagopian, SimmonsCollege, Boston, USA
Dr. Andrea Hajek, University of Glasgow, UK
Professor (emerita) Sondra Hale, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Emad Hamdeh, PhD student, Exeter University, UK
Lecturer Rola Hamed, UniversityCollege, Cork, Ireland
Professor Carrie Hamilton, University of Roehampton, UK
Dr. Rema Hammami, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Professor Sari Hanafi, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Karen S. Harper, community oral historian, Historical Society of Long Beach, California, USA
Professor Michael Harris, Université Paris-Diderot, France
Dr. Jason Hart, Senior lecturer, University of BathUK
Professor Salah D. Hassan, MichiganStateUniversity, Lansing, USA
Professor Frances Hasso, DukeUniversity, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Milton Hatoum, writer, translator and professor, Brazil
Professor Laia Haurie, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,Barcelona, Spain
Karim Hauser Askalani, Journalist, Casa Árabe Consortium, Madrid, Spain
Dr Mahmoud Hawari, Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Desiree E. Hellegers, WashingtonStateUniversityVancouver, Washington, USA
Professor Sami Hermez, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Professor Elena Hernández Sandoica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Shir Hever, Independent Economist/Researcher, Palestine-Israel
Professor (emeritus) Nicholas Hopkins, American University-Cairo, Egypt
Professor Nubar Hovsepian, ChapmanUniversity, Orange, California, USA
Professor (emeritus ) Heinz Hurwitz, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Professor Takeji Ino, Wayo Women’s University, Japan
Perla Issa, PhD candidate, Exeter University, UK
Kumiko Isumisawa, Chief Librarian, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan
Professor Ferran Izquierdo Brichs, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Dr Hana Jaber, Histoire du Monde arabe contemporain, Collège de France, Paris, France
Professor Richard Jackson, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, NZ
Hazem Jamjoum, PhD student, New York University, USA/Palestine
Dr. Colleen Jankovic, US Film Scholar, Al-qaws organization, AlQuds/Jerusalem, Palestine
Tineke E. Jansen, Independent researcher, former IOHA Council member, England
Professor Maher Jarrar, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Dr.Lena Jayyusi, Researcher, author, Palestine
Chrischene Julius, Collections, Research and Documentation Dept District Six Museum, South Africa
Professor Ray Jureidini, LebaneseAmericanUniversity, Beirut, Lebanon
Professor Sharif Kanaana (retired), BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Professor Rhoda Kanaaneh, Columbia University, New York, USA
Samar Kanafani, PhD Candidate, University of Manchester, UK
Professor, J. Kehaulani Kauanui, WesleyanUniversity, Middletown, Connecticut, USA
Dr. Fatma Kassem, Independent researcher, Israel
Professor Robin D. Kelley, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Emma Jean Kelly, PhD Candidate, AucklandUniversity of Technology, Aotearoa New Zealand
Dr. Bryan Kelly, QueensUniversity, Belfast, N. Ireland
Professor Emeritus Douglas Kerr, Case Western Reserve University, USA
Professor Amy Kesselman (emerita), State University of New York at New Paltz, USA
Dr. Abdulhadi Khalaf (retired) Center of Middle East Studies, Lund University, Sweden
Professor Muhammad Ali Khalidi, York University, Canada
Professor Tarif Khalidi, Center for Arab & ME Studies, AmericanUniversity, BeirutLebanon
Professor Asem Khalil, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Dr. Laleh Khalili, Reader in Politics, SOAS, University of London, England
Dr. Agnes Khoo, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Leeds, UK
Dr. Miyuki Kinjo, Post-doctoral researcher (Palestine/Israel), Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Professor Gary Kinsman, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
Professor David Klein, CaliforniaStateUniversity, Northridge, USA
Dr. Dennis Kortheuer, CaliforniaStateUniversity, Long Beach, USA
Felipe Gustavo Koch Buttelli, PhD student, Faculdades EST, Brazil ; Lecturer, Religions Science Faculty, University of São José, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Professor Eileen Kuttab, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Professor Hidemitsu Kuroki, TokyoUniversity of Foreign Studies, Japan
Dr. C S Lakshmi, SPARROW Sound & Picture Archives for Research on Women, Mumbai India
Dr David Landy, TrinityCollegeDublin, Ireland
Professor Nadia Latif, GeorgiaStateUniversity, Atlanta, USA
Professor Bonita Lawrence (Mi’kmaw), Indigenous Studies, York University, Canada
Zoe Lawlor, University of Limerick Language Centre, Ireland
Dr. Clint LeBruyns, Theology and Development Program, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Professor Ronit Lentin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Dr. Les Levidow, Open University, UK
Professor Miren Llona, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea ; former Council member, IOHA, Spain
Professor David Colles Lloyd, University of California, Riverside
Dr. Elisabeth Longuenesse, National Centre for Scientific Research(CNRS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, France
Professor Maria Losé Lera, Seville University, Spain
Arab Lotfi, film maker, university lecturer, journalist, writer, Lebanon
Professor (emeritus) Moshé Machover, KingsCollege, University of London, England
Dr. Alex Lubin, Director, Center for American Studies and Research, AmericanUniversity of Beirut ; University of New Mexico (on leave) – USA/Lebanon
Dr. Kenneth Macnab (retired), University of Sydney, Australia
John Marquez, PhD Student, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
Hala Marshood, Student, Humanities Faculty, HebrewUniversity of Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine
Dr. Michael Marten, Lecturer in Postcolonial Studies and Religion, University of Stirling, Scotland
Professor Rocio Medina Martin, Universidad Pablo de Olavide Sevilla, España
Professor Nur Masalha, SOAS, University of London, England
Dr. Norma Masriyyeh, BethlehemUniversity, Palestine
Professor Joseph Massad, Columbia University, New York, USA
Professor Dina Mattar, SOAS, University of London, England
Dr. Rachel Mattson, public historian, archivist, educator, New York, USA
Des McGuinness, School of Communications, Dublin City University, Ireland
Dr. Bill McSweeney, TrinityCollege, Dublin, Ireland
Dr. Daniel Meier, University of Oxford, UK
Dr. Willem Meijs, independent language consultant, Birmingham, UK
Professor Anne Meneley, TrentUniversity, Canada
Meena R. Menon, author and oral historian, Delhi, India
Professor Laurie K. Mercier, WashingtonStateUniversityVancouver, USA
Professor William Messing, University of Minnesota, USA
Jennifer Mogannam, Ph. D. candidate, University of California, San Diego
Professor Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University, New York, USA
Professor Shahrzad Mojab, University of Toronto, Canada
Professor Antonio Montenegro, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil
Professor Annalies Moors, Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Professor Amir Mufti, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, CaliforniaStateUniversity, San Bernardino, USA
Professor Suroopa Mukherjee, University of Delhi, India-
Dr. Corinna Mullin, University of Tunis, Tunisia
Professor (emerita) Martha Mundy, London School of Economics, UK
Dr. M.J. Muskens, University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Professor Cynthia Myntti, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Dr. Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Premilla Nadasen, QueensCollege, City of New York, USA
Professor Eiji Nagasawa, Vice Director, Institute for Advanced Study on Asia, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Dr. Khalil Nakhleh, researcher and writer, Palestine
Dr. Dorothy Naor, Independent researcher, Israel
Dr. Marcy Newman, Independent Scholar, India
Dr. Sonia Nimr, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Professor Isis Nusair, Denison University, Ohio, USA
Dr Barra O’Donnabhain, UniversityCollegeCork, Ireland
Dr. Féilim Ó’Hadhmaill, UniversityCollegeCork, Ireland
Professor Mari Oka, Kyoto University, Japan
Professor Gary Y. Okihiro, Columbia University, New York, USA
Hussein Omar, PhD student, University of Oxford, UK
Imranali Panjwani, PhD student, KingsCollege, University of London, UK
Professor Ilan Pappe, Exeter University, England
Professor Paul Parker, Baltzer Distinguished Professor of Religion, Elmhurst College, USA
Dr Nigel Parsons, School of People, Environment & Planning, MasseyUniversity, NZ
Professor Willie Van Peer, LudwigMaximilianUniversity, Munich, Germany
Dr. Ana Pego, Business and Economic Studies Department, Open University, Lisbon, Portugal
Professor Sylvain Perdigon, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Professor Julie Peteet, University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Dr. Elizabeth Picard, Directeur de Recherche (emerita), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
Professor Gabriel Piterberg, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Dr. Nicola Pratt, University of Warwick, UK
260. Dr. Nicolas Puig, Researcher, L’Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) France
Dr. Neshat Quaiser, Jamia Millia Islamia, CentralUniversity, New Delhi, India
262. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities, Palestine
Dua’a Qurie, Executive Director, The Palestinian NGO Network, Ramallah, Palestine
Jorge Ramos Tolosa, researcher and professor, Universitat de València, Spain
Professor >Marwan Rashed, Université de Paris-IV Sorbonne, Paris
Professor Stuart Rees, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
Dr. Sophie Richter-Devroe, Exeter University, UK
Professor (emerita) Rosalie Riegle, Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan, USA
Professor Martina Rieker, American University of Cairo, Egypt
Dr. Rebecca Roberts, Independent scholar, UK
Professor Lisa Rofel, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
Professor Ben Rogaly, University of Sussex, UK
Professor Vincent Romani, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada
Professor (emerita) Hilary Rose, University of Bradford & Gresham College, London, UK
Professor (emeritus) Steven Rose, Open University & Gresham College, London, UK
Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, London School of Economics, University of London, UK
Dr. Alice Rothchild, MD, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, USA
Dr. Bashir Saade, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Professor Hanan Sabea, American University-Cairo, Egypt
Professor Fatima Sadiqi, Senior Professor of Linguistics and Gender Studies ; Co-founder, International Institute for Languages and Cultures (INLAC), Fez, Morocco
Ann Sado, Independent lecturer, former Board member, Japan Oral History Association, Tokyo
Professor (emeritus) Sadao Sakai, RyukokuUniversity, Kyoto, Japan-
Professor Masaki Sakiyama, RitsumeikanUniversity,Kyoto, Japan
Professor Ruba Salih, SOAS, University of London, UK
Professor Nisreen Salti, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Dr. Adel Samara, author, editor Kanaan Review, Occupied Palestine
Mandy Sanger, Education Manager, DistrictSixMuseum, Cape Town, South Africa
Dr. Leena Saraste, AaltoUniversity, Helsinki, Finland
Professor Cecilia Sardenberg, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil
Professor Surajit Sarkar – AmbedkarUniversity, Delhi. India
Dr. Rosemary Sayigh, Center for Arab and ME Studies,AmericanUniversity of Beirut, Lebanon
Professor (emeritus) Robert M. Schaible, University of Southern Maine, USA
Professor (emeritus) Pierre Schapira, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Dr. Leonardo Schiocchet, Guest Researcher, Institute for Social Anthropology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Post-doctoral grantee CAPES, Brazil
Professor Sarah Schulman, ACT UP Oral History Project, New York, USA
Professor Richard Seaford, University of Exeter, UK
Professor (Emerita) Evalyn F. Segal, PhD, San Diego State University, USA
Professor May Seikaly, WayneStateUniversity, Detroit, USA
Professor Sherene Seikaly, AmericanUniversity in Cairo, Egypt
Professor Jihane Sfeir, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Dr. Anthony F. Visiting Scholar McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Professor Anton Shammas, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
Dorothy Sheridan, Honorary Professor of History (retired), University of Sussex , UK.
Dr. Magid Shihade, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Professor (emeritus) Kazuko Shiojiri, University of Tsukuba ; Tokyo International University ; Director, Institute of International Exchange (IIET), Japan
Professor Andor Skotnes, Chair, Dept. of History and Society, The SageColleges, Troy, NY, USA
Professor Souad Slim, University of Balamand,Lebanon
Richard Saumarez Smith, Professor, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Dr. Graham Smith, Oral History Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London
Dr. Kobi Snitz, Weizmann Institute, Israel
Professor Dean Spade, Seattle University School of Law, Washington, USA
Dr. Jane Starfield, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Professor Ted Steinberg, Case Western Reserve University, USA
Suzy Subways, SLAM ! Herstory Project,New York,NY
Professor Akiko Sugase, NationalMuseum of Ethnology, Japan
Dr. Ziad Suidan, Independent scholar, USA
Dr Mayssun Sukarieh , Fellow, CogutCenter for the Humanities, BrownUniversity. USA.
Sady Sullivan, Independent Oral HistorianBrooklyn,New York,USA
Dr. Hitoshi Suzuki, AreaStudyCenter, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan
Professor Paul Tabar, Director, Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American Univ., Lebanon
Professor Neferti Tadiar, Barnard College, New York, USA
Rabah Tahraoui ,Professeur ,Université de Rouen, France
Professor Carlo Taibo, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
Professor Ghada Talhami, Lake Forest College, Illinois, USA
Professor Lisa Taraki, BirzeitUniversity, Palestine
Sibel Taylor, PhD candidate, OxfordBrookesUniversity, Oxford, England
Professor Sunera Thobani, University of British Columbia, Canada
Professor (retired) Chizuko Tominaga of Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University, Japan
Professor Barry Trachtenberg, University of Albany, New York, USA
Professor Judith Tucker, Georgetown University, USA
Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Pro Vice Chancellor Māori, Dean of Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao The School of Māori and Pacific Development, The University of Waikato, New Zealand
Professor Masaki Uno, Hiroshima City University, Japan
Professor Sharon Utakis, BronxCommunity College, City University of New York, USA
Professor C. Utathya, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
Professor Salim Vally, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr. Toine Van Teeffelen, Arab Educational Institute, Bethlehem, Palestine
Professor Agustin Velloso, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) Madrid, Spain
Professor Kamala Visweswaran, University of Texas, USA
Naomi Wallace, Independent scholar, award-winning playwright, UK/USA
Professor Devra Weber, University of California, Riverside, USA
Professor Mark R. Westmoreland, AmericanUniversityCairo, Egypt
Professor Johnny Eric Williams, Trinity College,Ireland
Professor Ulrike Woehr, HiroshimaCityUniversity, Hiroshima, Japan
Dr. Patrick Wolfe, Trobe University, Australia
Adel Yahya, Director, Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE), Ramallah, Palestine
Yoshihiro Yakushige, PhD student, Kyoto University, Japan
Dr. Hala Yameni, BethlehemUniversity, Bethlehem, Palestine
Professor Nadia Yaqub,University ofNorth Carolina,Chapel Hill,USA
Professor Masae Yuasa, HIroshimaCityUniversity, Hiroshima, Japan
Professor (emeritus)Takehi Yukawa, Keio University, Japan
Omar Zahzah, PhD student, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Professor (emeritus) Elia Zureik, Queen’s University, Canada
Endorsed by the following Academic and Cultural Boycott Campaigns : Academics for Palestine (Ireland) ; AURDIP (France) ; BAB (Germany) ; BOYCOTT ! (Israel) ; BRICUP (UK) ; InCACBI (India) ; PACBI (Palestine) ; PBAI (Spain) ; USACBI (USA) – and by the Alternative Information Centre (Israel) ; Groundwell : Oral Historians for Social Change, core working group ; Independent Jewish Voices Canada ; University of Toronto SJP (Canada) ; SJP of UCLA – and by Ronnie Kasrils, former South African government minister, anti-apartheid activist and writer.
To add your name to this list of signatories please email:hebrewuconferenceboycott@gmail.com
THE NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM
The UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights defines academic freedom to include :
the liberty of individuals to express freely opinions about the institution or system in which they work, to fulfill their functions without discrimination or fear of repression by the state or any other actor, to participate in professional or representative academic bodies, and to enjoy all the internationally recognized human rights applicable to other individuals in the same jurisdiction. The enjoyment of academic freedom carries with it obligations, such as the duty to respect the academic freedom of others, to ensure the fair discussion of contrary views, and to treat all without discrimination on any of the prohibited grounds. [10], emphasis added]
Keeping this definition in mind, we are keenly aware of the importance of the academic freedom of the individual, but also believe that such freedoms should not extend automatically to institutions. Judith Butler reminds us that : “our struggles for academic freedom must work in concert with the opposition to state violence, ideological surveillance, and the systematic devastation of everyday life.” [11]
It is incumbent on academics to develop such a nuanced understanding of academic freedom if we are to call for social justice and work alongside the oppressed in advancing their freedom, equality and self-determination.
The Israeli academy is not the bastion of dissent and liberalism it is purported to be by those who defend Israel and attempt to delegitimize the call for academic boycott. The vast majority of the Israeli academic community is oblivious to the oppression of the Palestinian people–both inside Israel and in the occupied territory–and has never opposed the practices and policies of their state. In fact, they duly serve in the reserve forces of the occupation army and, accordingly are likely to be either perpetrators of or silent witnesses to the daily brutality of the occupation. They also do not hesitate to partner in their academic research with the security-military establishment that is the chief architect and executor of the occupation. A petition drafted by four Israeli academics merely calling on the Israeli government “to allow [Palestinian] students and lecturers free access to all the campuses in the [occupied] Territories, and to allow lecturers and students who hold foreign passports to teach and study without being threatened with withdrawal of residence visas,” was endorsed by only 407 out of 9,000 Israeli academics – less than 5% of those who were invited to sign it. [12]
Notes :
[1] The decision was published in the official Israeli Gazette (the Hebrew edition), number 1425. It was therefore “legalized” by Israel. This land, for the most part, was (still is) privately owned by Palestinians living in that area. A large part of the confiscated land was then given to the HebrewUniversity to expand its campus (mainly its dormitories). The Palestinian landowners refused to leave their lands and homes arguing that the confiscation order of 1968 was illegal. When the case was taken to the Jerusalem District Court in 1972 (file no. 1531/72), the court ruled in favor of the University and the state, deciding that the Palestinian families must evacuate their homes and be offered alternative housing. See alsohttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/12/un-report-accuses-israel-of-pushing-palestinians-from-jerusalem-west-bank/
[2] Keller, U. (2009) the Academic Boycott of Israel and the Complicity of Israeli Academic Institutions in Occupation of
PalestinianTerritories. The Economy of the Occupation : A Socioeconomic Bulletin : Alternative Information Centre.
http://www.alternativenews.org/images/stories/downloads/Economy_of_the_occupation_23-24.pdf
[3] http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/In-Jerusalem/Hebrew-University-in-Arabic
[4] http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3827102,00.html
[6] http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?pr=71&code=mwp&p1=3&p2=4&p3=6&ca
[7] http://pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=869
[8] http://bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52
[9] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=2102
[10] UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, “The Right to Education (Art.13),” December 8, 1999
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/ae1a0b126d068e868025683c003c8b3b ?Opendocument
[11] Judith Butler. “Israel/Palestine and the Paradoxes of Academic Freedom.” in : Radical Philosophy, Vol. 135. pp. 8-17, January/February 2006. http://www.egs.edu/faculty/judith-butler/articles/israel-palestine-paradoxes-of-academic-freedom/ (Accessed on December 10, 2011)
