"How can we take calls for maintaining “open dialogue” seriously, when your partners are actively taking part in a deliberate campaign to blow up universities and schools?"
Exactly! You say it so well, Robert. These Western universities and institutions aren't trying to keep an "open dialogue" with Israeli universities. If that were so, they'd want to keep an open dialogue with ALL universities, and I suspect that isn't the case when it comes to Russian or Palestinian universities. Western higher institutes of learning are obviously benefiting from their Israeli connections, probably through donations and favorable loans. You see it here in the US by their refusal to divest from corporations making money by creating and selling armaments to fuel the Israeli genocide of Gaza. Until we can expose and out all these hypocrites running universities worldwide, we'll be seeing more lies and manipulations to hide their ugly sense of "academic freedom."
Robert, this is a difficult comment for me to make, as I admire your work. However, the Middle East conflict (and in one way or another, it includes most of the countries in the Middle East) is complicated. I do not support the policies of Netanyahu's government nor his devil's pact with the right, nor the appalling war they are waging on Gaza in retribution for the appalling acts of Oct 7th last year. But I do not think boycotting Israeli universities is the answer. First, because it will have no impact on Netanyahu's policy of pulverising Gaza. Just like Hitler, Putin or Trump, megalomaniacs will happily bring their own and other countries to their knees to forward their beliefs. South Africa was not run by megalomaniacs but by bigots and racists, and the academic boycott was initiated by the ANC, ie South Africa's own anti-apartheid fighters. If there is an anti-government movement within Israel that asks for an academic boycott, go with it, but I don't know of one (if there is one, I apologise, but BDS is not that movement). Second, because boycotting is a blunt tool. Cut off collaboration (and I use the word knowingly) and there will be no opportunities for dialogue with academic colleagues in ANY subject. Boycotting of this type targets the wrong people. Third, because it is selective and possibly hypocritical. If we wish to boycott academic institutions, then we should boycott ALL those whose government policy is to oppress and destroy ostracised ethnic groups, not just Israel's. This means cutting ties with Turkish, Sri Lankan, Chinese. Saudi and Indian universities, to name but a few, and not permit their students to come to the EU or the UK. Sadly, I don't see widespread support for that. I don't know if you've read David Baddiel's book 'Jews Don't Count'. If you haven't, you should.
Thank you for the addition, appreciate it. I honestly do not disagree with the points you raise. The main issue I have with the open letter is the hypocrisy of the stance, which makes me do not trust in the sincerity of the people making those kinds of counterpoints. That is what I wanted to highlight most of all. When it comes to the actual boycotts themselves, I agree that those policies should be applied equally. Where the line is when you start harming academic cooperation too much, I do not know (I did not agree with the Russian boycotts at the time). I have a whole page about boycotts that I did not publish precisely because of the points you raise.
My current thoughts are that I think we can differentiate between what researchers do and what the university as an institution does (i.e. where it spends its money). So I think the main thing I want to see is consistency and no direct funding of other institutions committing acts that go against the principles that the university is based on, but research ties between different researchers could remain open for discussion based on the situation.
Gee I hope those that are calling for boycott also retain their ability to access the educstional institution and face no retribution or prejudice, under academic freedom.
I appreciate your response. It's so important to have reasoned discussions rather than name calling
"How can we take calls for maintaining “open dialogue” seriously, when your partners are actively taking part in a deliberate campaign to blow up universities and schools?"
Exactly! You say it so well, Robert. These Western universities and institutions aren't trying to keep an "open dialogue" with Israeli universities. If that were so, they'd want to keep an open dialogue with ALL universities, and I suspect that isn't the case when it comes to Russian or Palestinian universities. Western higher institutes of learning are obviously benefiting from their Israeli connections, probably through donations and favorable loans. You see it here in the US by their refusal to divest from corporations making money by creating and selling armaments to fuel the Israeli genocide of Gaza. Until we can expose and out all these hypocrites running universities worldwide, we'll be seeing more lies and manipulations to hide their ugly sense of "academic freedom."
Robert, this is a difficult comment for me to make, as I admire your work. However, the Middle East conflict (and in one way or another, it includes most of the countries in the Middle East) is complicated. I do not support the policies of Netanyahu's government nor his devil's pact with the right, nor the appalling war they are waging on Gaza in retribution for the appalling acts of Oct 7th last year. But I do not think boycotting Israeli universities is the answer. First, because it will have no impact on Netanyahu's policy of pulverising Gaza. Just like Hitler, Putin or Trump, megalomaniacs will happily bring their own and other countries to their knees to forward their beliefs. South Africa was not run by megalomaniacs but by bigots and racists, and the academic boycott was initiated by the ANC, ie South Africa's own anti-apartheid fighters. If there is an anti-government movement within Israel that asks for an academic boycott, go with it, but I don't know of one (if there is one, I apologise, but BDS is not that movement). Second, because boycotting is a blunt tool. Cut off collaboration (and I use the word knowingly) and there will be no opportunities for dialogue with academic colleagues in ANY subject. Boycotting of this type targets the wrong people. Third, because it is selective and possibly hypocritical. If we wish to boycott academic institutions, then we should boycott ALL those whose government policy is to oppress and destroy ostracised ethnic groups, not just Israel's. This means cutting ties with Turkish, Sri Lankan, Chinese. Saudi and Indian universities, to name but a few, and not permit their students to come to the EU or the UK. Sadly, I don't see widespread support for that. I don't know if you've read David Baddiel's book 'Jews Don't Count'. If you haven't, you should.
Thank you for the addition, appreciate it. I honestly do not disagree with the points you raise. The main issue I have with the open letter is the hypocrisy of the stance, which makes me do not trust in the sincerity of the people making those kinds of counterpoints. That is what I wanted to highlight most of all. When it comes to the actual boycotts themselves, I agree that those policies should be applied equally. Where the line is when you start harming academic cooperation too much, I do not know (I did not agree with the Russian boycotts at the time). I have a whole page about boycotts that I did not publish precisely because of the points you raise.
My current thoughts are that I think we can differentiate between what researchers do and what the university as an institution does (i.e. where it spends its money). So I think the main thing I want to see is consistency and no direct funding of other institutions committing acts that go against the principles that the university is based on, but research ties between different researchers could remain open for discussion based on the situation.
Gee I hope those that are calling for boycott also retain their ability to access the educstional institution and face no retribution or prejudice, under academic freedom.