De Israelische Terreur 853

Dear all, 

As widely expected, TAU has issued an official statement confirming that they "cannot and will not" expel me based on my political views and activism. 

The anti-boycott lobby will now jump to use this as a weapon in their increasingly desperate attempts to fend off the growing threat of academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions, arguing that these institutions respect the academic freedom "even" of boycott advocates. 

Other than the evident trivialization of academic freedom implied in such a claim (ignoring all the arguments about suppression of real academic freedom in doing academic work on "problematic" topics, as Oren Ben-Dor, Ilan Pappe, Tanya Reinhart and many others have argued), it misses the point completely on why PACBI, BRICUP, USACBI, among many other small academic boycott groups in France, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Australia, South Africa, etc., have called for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. The well documented complicity of Israel's academic institutions in the state's colonial and racist policies remains THE main factor standing behind the boycott call. Whether TAU expels me or not, this compelling factor remains true. Expelling me would have added just a bit more fuel to an already blazing fire!

For one of the earliest refutation of the "academic freedom" argument against the boycott, see:

http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=63

Omar Barghouti

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Tel Aviv University

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

May 3, 2009

 

Dear Governors and Friends,

 

I am writing to you to clarify the University’s standing on the recent debate regarding Omar Barghouti, a Tel Aviv University master’s student of philosophy.

 

Mr. Barghouti is leading an international campaign to boycott Israeli universities, despite being a student at one of those universities.

 

A university campus should be a place that encourages and tolerates free speech, no matter how offensive the expressed opinions may be to the majority of students and faculty at that institution, or indeed to the public at large.

 

Our university has adopted a similar policy also in previous occasions. Moreover, if legal issues are involved, a university does not have the authority to prosecute individuals. Rather, such a matter should be pursued by the State through legal channels.

 

In response, therefore, to the petition calling for the expulsion of Mr. Barghouti that will be submitted to us in the near future, the University cannot and will not expel this student based on his political views or actions. He will be assessed only on the basis of his academic achievements and excellence.

 

I thank you for your time, and look forward to seeing many of you in May at the annual Board of Governors meeting.

 

Yours faithfully,

Prof. Zvi Galil

 

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY, RAMT AVIV, TEL AVIV 69978, ISRAEL; TEL. 972-3-6408348, FAX. 972-3-6422379