Call to Boycott the Oral History Conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Open Letter

Hebrew University as seen from the East Jerusalem village of Issawiya

The following open letter was originally 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 375  scholars and community oral historians and counting; and is endorsed by 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.

Articles on the Campaign:

http://www.aurdip.org/The-Hebrew-University-and-Hasbara.html (by Rosemary Sayigh)
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/09/20/on-the-fallacy-of-engaging-with-the-israeli-academy/ (by Haim Bresheeth and Sherna Berger Gluck)

To add your name to this list of signatories please email: hebrewuconferenceboycott@gmail.com.

UPDATED CALL

CAMPAIGN TO BOYCOTT THE ORAL HISTORY CONFERENCE AT HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

hebrewUconferenceboycott@gmail.com

December 1, 2013

Note: In light of the recent withdrawal of the two international keynote speakers, as noted below, the text of the original letter/boycott call of 8/12/2013 has been revised and re- formatted. The signatures are current. 

Dear Colleagues:

We are Palestinian, Israeli and other oral historians and academics from Europe, South Africa, Oceana, Asia, and the Americas calling on you to boycott the June 2014 “International” Oral History Conference being organized by The Oral History Division of the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Those of you who have signed the appeal already will be pleased to know that the two main international scholars who had agreed to deliver keynote addresses at conference, Alessandro Portelli and Mary Clark, have withdrawn.

However, the reasons for the boycott remain unchanged. And while all Israeli universities are deeply complicit in the occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is particularly noteworthy.

  • The land on which some of its Mount Scopus campus buildings and facilities were expanded was acquired as a result of Israel”s 1968 illegal confiscation of 3345 dunums of Palestinian land, land which is deemed occupied territory under international law. Israel’s unilateral annexation of occupied East Jerusalem and the application of Israeli domestic law to it, are violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and have been repeatedly denounced by the UN Security Council (Resolution 252, 21 May 1968).[1]
  • It maintains close ties to the Israeli military industry, which is accused of war crimes against Palestinian civilians; provides special privileges to Israeli soldiers and security personnel; and collaborates with the Israeli army in training officers and recruits. [1A]
  • It discriminates against Palestinians, including those who are citizens of Israel by, among other things, not providing  teaching services to the residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas in contrast to those provided to Jewish groups; and not offering any courses in Arabic.[2][3]
  • It denies freedom of speech and protest to its few Palestinian students as evidenced by the prohibition of a commemoration event during the 2008-2009 invasion of the Gaza Strip during which approximately 1,400 Palestinians were killed; at the same time, offering special consideration and benefits to students who participated in that invasion. [4]
  • The staff from the Hebrew University takes part in the supervision and promotion committees of students and staff at Ariel University, which was established on confiscated Palestinian land in West Bank. [5]
  • It does not recognize degrees awarded by the Palestinian Al-Quds University in Jerusalem while those awarded by the Ariel University in an illegal colony are recognized.

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]

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.  Accordingly, we call on the international community to honor the 2004 Call of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) to boycott academic and cultural institutions involved in Israel”s system of occupation, colonialism and apartheid and its appeal to “refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration or joint projects with Israeli institutions“ [7].

Until Israel fully complies with international laws and conventions, we urge international academics not to participate in endorsing Israel”s 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 – 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, call on 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 what is, in effect, a Palestinian picket line.

[Note: All footnotes are at the end of the document following a note on academic freedom.]

Sincerely,

  1. Professor Ahmed Abbes, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS, Bures-sur-Yvette, France
  2. Professor  Saleh Abdel Jawad (Hamayel), Birzeit University, Palestine
  3. Dr. Stéphanie Latte Abdallah, ; Researcher, French Institute for the Near East ( IFPO) Jerusalem, Palestine
  4. Dr. Adnan Abdelrazek – The Arab Studies Society – Jerusalem, Palestine
  5. Professor Nahla Abdo Carleton University, Ottawa Canada
  6. Dr. Faiha Abdulhadi, Independent researcher, writer, poet, Palestine
  7. Professor Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative – College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University, USA
  8. Hala Caroline Abou-Zaki, Phd Student, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France
  9. Line Abou Zaki, Clinical psychologist, Lebanon
  10. Professor Nadia Abu el Haj, Barnard/Columbia University, USA
  11. Professor Saed Abu-Hijleh, An-Najah National University Nablus, Palestine
  12. Professor Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University, New York, USA
  13. Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Researcher, UK
  14. Professor Nadia Abu- Zahra, University of Ottawa, Canada
  15. Professor Cristina Accornero, Universití  di Torino, Italy
  16. Professor Ghada Ageel, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
  17. Professor Mumtaz Ahmad, Vice President (Academic Affairs), International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  18. Mazen Mustafa AlAbadlah, Al-Aqsa University, Palestine
  19. Akkas Al-Ali, PhD candidate, University of Exeter, UK
  20. Dr. Anaheed Al-Hardan, ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry, Germany
  21. Professor Bayan Nuwayhed al-Hout, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
  22. Majeda Al-Saqqa, Culture and Free Thought Association, Khan Younis, Gaza, Palestine
  23. Professor (emeritus) Mateo Alaluf, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  24. Professor Ammiel Alcalay, Queens College, City of New York, USA
  25. Dr. Diana Allan, Society for the Humanities, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
  26. Professor Lori Allen, University of Cambridge, England
  27. Professor Nina Allen, Suffolk University, Boston, USA
  28. Dr. Valentina Anastasi, Independent researcher, Catania, Italy
  29. Professor Marcos Ancelovici, Université du Québec í  Montréal (UQí€M), Canada
  30. Professor Rachad Antonius, University of Quebec Montreal (UQAM), Canada
  31. Dr.  Miriyam Aouragh, CAMRI, University of Westminster, UK
  32. Professor (emeritus) Nasser Aruri, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA
  33. Professor (retired) William Ayers, University of Illinois-Chicago; Cyprus Oral History Project, USA
  34. Professor Alice Bach (retired), Archbishop Hallinan Professor of Religious Studies,
    Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH, USA
  35. Professor Angelo Baracca, University of Florence, Italy
  36. Gustavo Barbosa, PhD candidate, London School of Economics, UK
  37. Professor Amjad Barham, Hebron University, President of the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees, Palestine
  38. Ryvka Barnard, Doctoral student, New York University, USA
  39. Professor Javier Barreda, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
  40. Professor Isaí­as Barreñada, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Spain
  41. Professor Enrico Bartolomei, University of Macerata, Italy
  42. Professor Munir Bashour, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  43. Professor Oren Ben-Dor, Southampton University, England
  44. Julie Benedetto, student, Institut d”Etudes Politiques, Lyon, France
  45. Specialist Israel Morales Benito, University of Alicante, Spain
  46. Bonita Bennett, Director, District Six Museum, Capetown, South Africa
  47. David Beorlegui, PhD candidate,  Basque Country University, Spain
  48. Professor Dan Berger, University of Washington Bothell, USA
  49. Dr. Rima Berns-McGown, Independent Researcher/Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
  50. Professor Doris Bittar,  California State University San Marcos, USA
  51. Professor Dusan I. Bjelic, Department of Criminology, University of Southern Maine, USA
  52. Professor Maylei Blackwell, Departments of Chicana/o Studies, and Gender Studies, UCLA, USA
  53. Dr. Susan Blackwell, Independant language consultant, Birmingham UK
  54. Professor Hagit Borer, Queen Mary, University of London, England
  55. Professor (emerita) Joanna Bornat , Open University, UK
  56. Dr. Samia Botmeh, Birzeit University, Palestine
  57. Professor Glenn Bowman, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
  58. Dr. Robert Boyce, London School of Economics and Political Science, London University, UK
  59. Professor Haim Bresheeth, SOAS, University of London, England
  60. Dr. Khaldun Bshara, scholar, Riwaq Centre, Ramallah, Palestine
  61. Professor (emeritus) Jacques Bude, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  62. Professor Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley, USA
  63. Professor Angeles Castaño Madroñal, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
  64. Ines Castellano Picón, Phd Student, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
  65. Professor Jesús M. Castillo, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
  66. Professor John Chalcraft, London School of Economics, UK 
  67. Professor Iain Chambers, Universití  degli Studi di Napoli, “L’Orientale,” Italy
  68. Professor  Michael Chanan, University of Roehampton, England
  69. Professor Elise Chenier, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
  70. Dr Indira Chowdhury, IOHA Council member; Centre for Public History – Bangalore, India
  71. Nikoletta Christodoulou, Frederick University, Nicosia; Cyprus Oral History Project, Cyprus
  72. Professor (retired) Raymonde Cloutier, University of Quebec (UQAM), Montreal,  Canada
  73. Professor Elliott Colla, Georgetown University, USA
  74. Dr. Jane Collings, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  75. Dr Peter Collins, St Mary”s University College, Belfast, Ireland
  76. Prof. Dr. David Mario Comedi, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina
  77. Professor Miriam Cooke, Braxton Craven Professor of Arab Cultures, Duke University, USA
  78. Susan Currie, PhD student, Central Queensland University, Australia
  79. Mike Cushman, Independent researcher, London, England
  80. Professor Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, New York, USA
  81. Professor Nabil Dajani,  American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  82. Professor Edwin Daniel (emeritus) University of Alberta Canada
  83. Professor (emeritus) Eric David, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  84. Professor Lawrence Davidson, West Chester University, USA
  85. Mary Ellen Davis, Instructor, School of Cinema, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
  86. Dr. Rochelle Davis, Georgetown University, USA
  87. Dr. Uri Davis, AL-QUDS University, Jerusalem, Palestine
  88. Professor (emerita) Sonia  Dayan-Herzbrun,  Université Paris, France
  89. Professor Lara Deeb, Scripps College, USA
  90. Professor Herman De Ley, Ghent University, Belgium
  91. Prof Philippe Denis, Sinomlando Centre for Oral History and Memory Work in Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  92. Rafel Gustavo de Oliveira,  MSc student, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
  93. Professor Angeles Diez Rodriguez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
  94. Professor Anne-Marie Dillens, University Saint-Louis, Brussels, Belgium
  95. Professor John Docker, University of Sydney, Australia
  96. Professor Chris Dole, Amherst College, USA
  97. Professor Angelo d”Orsi, University of Turin, Italy
  98. Professor Ann Douglas, Columbia University, New York, USA
  99. Professor Laurence Dreyfus, University of Oxford, UK
  100. Professor (emeritus) John Dugard, University of Leiden; Honorary Professor of Law, Uof Pretoria, South Africa
  101. Professor Louise Edwards-Simpson, Project Director, Voices of Homelessness, St. Catherine University St Paul, Minnesota, USA
  102. Professor Haidar Eid, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza, Palestine
  103. Professor Paul Eid, Université du Québec í  Montréal, Canada (UQAM)
  104. Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh, PhD-candidate, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria.
  105. Oroub El-Abed, Senior Teaching Fellow SOAS, London University, UK
  106. Professor Nada Elia, Antioch University-Seattle, Washington, USA
  107. Professor Mary Fakher-Eldin, University College, Dublin, Ireland
  108. Professor Hoda Elsadda, Cairo University, Egypt
  109. Professor Samera Esmeir, University of California, Berkeley, USA
  110. Professor Ghazi-Walid Falah, University of Akron, Ohio, USA
  111. Professor Laila Farah, DePaul University, USA
  112. Professor Randa Farah, University of Western Ontario, Canada
  113. Professor (emeritus), Emmanuel Farjoun, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,  Israel
  114. Dr. Adel Farrag, (retired) Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland
  115. Professor Mona Fawaz, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  116. Professor (emeritus) Sasan Fayazmanesh, California State University, Fresno, USA
  117. Professor Ilana Feldman, George Washington University, USA
  118. Dr. Sean Field, Historical Studies Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa
  119. Arie Finkelstein, student, Université  Paris Est, France
  120. Professor Ellen Fleischmann, University of Dayton, Ohio, USA
  121. Senior Scholar Bill Fletcher, Jr., Institute for Policy Studies; former President, TransAfrica Forum, USA
  122. Professor Manzar Foroohar, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, USA
  123. Professor (emeritus) Giorgio Forti, Universití  degli Studi di Milano, Italy
  124. Dr. Naomi Foyle, Coordinator of British Writers In Support of Palestine, UK
  125. Professor Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawaiʻi, USA
  126. Daniela Fuentealba Rubio, Investigator/archivist, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, Chile
  127. Professor Candace Fujikane, University of Hawai”i at Mānoa, Honolulu, USA
  128. Professor Nell Gabiam Iowa State University, USA
  129. Professor (retired) Rosemary Galli, Observatorio das Nacionalidades, Brazil
  130. Professor Jose Maria Gago Gonzalez, Member, Seminario de Fuentes Orales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
  131. Professor (emerita) Irene L. Gendzier, Boston University, USA
  132. Professeur des Ecoles (en retraite) Marie Gérí´me,  Ecole de Viuz,  Faverges, France
  133. Professor Julie Gervais, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
  134. Khalil Mohammad Gharra – student, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine
  135. Ana Ghoreishian, PhD student, University of Arizona, USA
  136. Professor Rita Giacaman, Birzeit University, Palestine
  137. Dr. Terri Ginsberg, ICMES, New York, USA
  138. Professor (emerita) Sherna Berger Gluck, California State University, Long Beach, USA
  139. Professor Paula Godinho, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
  140. Professor Heather Goodall, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
  141. Professor (emeritus)  Yerach Gover, City University of New York, USA
  142. Professor Michel Gros,  CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research,  Rennes, France
  143. Professor Regina Beatriz Guimarí£es Neto. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; 2006-2008 President Brazilian Oral History Association, 2008-2010/Brazil
  144. Professor Yvonne Haddad, Georgetown University, USA
  145. Professor Ghassan Joseph Hage, University of Melbourne, Australia
  146. Professor (emerita) Elaine Hagopian, Simmons College, Boston, USA
  147. Dr. Andrea Hajek, University of Glasgow, UK
  148. Professor (emerita) Sondra Hale, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  149. Emad Hamdeh, PhD student, Exeter University, UK
  150. Lecturer Rola Hamed, University College,  Cork, Ireland
  151. Professor Carrie Hamilton, University of Roehampton, UK
  152. Dr. Rema Hammami, Birzeit University, Palestine
  153. Professor Sari Hanafi, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  154. Karen S. Harper, community oral historian, Historical Society of Long Beach, California, USA
  155. Professor Michael Harris, Université  Paris-Diderot, France
  156. Dr. Jason Hart, Senior lecturer, University of Bath UK
  157. Professor Rumy Hassan, University of Sussex, UK
  158. Professor Salah D. Hassan, Michigan State University, Lansing, USA
  159. Professor Frances Hasso, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
  160. Milton Hatoum,  writer, translator and professor, Brazil
  161. Professor Laia Haurie, Universitat Polití¨cnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
  162. Karim Hauser Askalani, Journalist, Casa írabe Consortium, Madrid, Spain
  163. Dr Mahmoud Hawari, Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford, UK
  164. Professor Desiree E. Hellegers,  Washington State University Vancouver, Washington, USA
  165. Professor Sami Hermez, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  166. Professor Elena Hernández SandoicaUniversidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
  167. Shir Hever, Independent Economist/Researcher, Palestine-Israel
  168. Professor (emeritus) Nicholas Hopkins, American University-Cairo, Egypt
  169. Professor Nubar Hovsepian, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
  170. Professor (emeritus ) Heinz Hurwitz, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  171. Professor  Takeji Ino, Wayo Women”s University, Japan
  172. Perla Issa, PhD candidate, Exeter University, UK
  173. Kumiko Isumisawa, Chief Librarian, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan
  174. Professor Ferran Izquierdo Brichs, Universitat Autí²noma de Barcelona, Spain
  175. Dr Hana Jaber,  Histoire du Monde arabe contemporain, Collí¨ge de France, Paris, France
  176. Professor Richard Jackson, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, NZ
  177. Hazem Jamjoum, PhD student, New York University, USA/Palestine
  178. Dr. Colleen Jankovic, US Film Scholar, Al-qaws organization, AlQuds/Jerusalem, Palestine
  179. Tineke E. Jansen, Independent researcher, former IOHA Council member, England
  180. Professor Maher Jarrar, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  181. Dr.Lena Jayyusi, Researcher, author, Palestine
  182. Chrischene Julius, Collections, Research and Documentation Dept District Six Museum, South Africa
  183. Professor Ray Jureidini, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
  184. Professor Sharif Kanaana (retired), Birzeit University, Palestine
  185. Professor Rhoda Kanaaneh, Columbia University, New York, USA
  186. Samar Kanafani, PhD Candidate, University of Manchester, UK
  187. Professor, J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, USA
  188. Dr. Fatma Kassem, Independent researcher, Israel
  189. Professor Robin D. Kelley, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  190. Emma Jean Kelly, PhD Candidate, Auckland University of Technology, Aotearoa New Zealand
  191. Dr. Bryan Kelly, Queens University, Belfast, N. Ireland
  192. Professor Emeritus Douglas Kerr, Case Western Reserve University, USA
  193. Professor Amy Kesselman (emerita), State University of New York at New Paltz, USA
  194. Dr. Abdulhadi Khalaf (retired) Center of Middle East Studies, Lund University, Sweden
  195. Professor Muhammad Ali Khalidi, York University, Canada
  196. Professor Tarif Khalidi, Center for Arab & ME Studies, American University, Beirut Lebanon
  197. Professor Asem Khalil, Birzeit University, Palestine
  198. Dr. Laleh Khalili, Reader in Politics, SOAS, University of London, England
  199. Dr. Agnes Khoo, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Leeds, UK
  200. Dr. Miyuki Kinjo, Post-doctoral researcher (Palestine/Israel), Ritsumeikan University, Japan
  201. Professor Gary Kinsman, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
  202. Professor David Klein, California State University, Northridge, USA
  203. Dr. Felipe Gustavo Koch Buttelli, Lecturer in the Religions Science Faculty, Regional University of Blumenau (FURB), Brazil
  204. Dr. Dennis Kortheuer, California State University, Long Beach, USA
  205. Professor Rubén Kotler, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina
  206. Professor Eileen Kuttab, Birzeit University, Palestine
  207. Professor Hidemitsu Kuroki, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan
  208. Dr. C S Lakshmi,  SPARROW Sound & Picture Archives for Research on Women, Mumbai India
  209. Dr David Landy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
  210. Professor Nadia Latif, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
  211. Professor Bonita Lawrence (Mi’kmaw), Indigenous Studies, York University, Canada
  212. Zoe Lawlor, University of Limerick Language Centre, Ireland
  213. Dr. Clint LeBruyns, Theology and Development Program, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  214. Professor Ronit Lentin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
  215. Dr. Les Levidow, Open University, UK
  216. Professor Miren Llona, Universidad del Paí­s Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; former Council member, IOHA, Spain
  217. Professor David Colles Lloyd, University of California, Riverside
  218. Dr. Elisabeth Longuenesse, (CNRS) Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, France
  219. Professor Maria Losé Lera, Seville University, Spain
  220. Arab Lotfi, film maker, university lecturer, journalist, writer, Lebanon
  221. Professor (emeritus) Moshé Machover, Kings College, University of London, England
  222. Dr. Alex Lubin, Director, Center for American Studies and Research, American University of Beirut; University of New Mexico (on leave) – USA/Lebanon
  223. Dr. Kenneth Macnab (retired), University of Sydney, Australia
  224. John Marquez, PhD Student,  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
  225. Hala Marshood, Student, Humanities Faculty, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine
  226. Dr. Michael Marten, Lecturer in Postcolonial Studies and Religion, University of Stirling, Scotland
  227. Professor Rocio Medina Martin, Universidad Pablo de Olavide Sevilla, España
  228. Professor Nur Masalha, SOAS, University of London, England
  229. Dr. Norma Masriyyeh, Bethlehem University, Palestine
  230. Professor Joseph Massad, Columbia University, New York, USA
  231. Marie-eve Mathieu,  teacher,  í‰douard-Montpetit College, Canada
  232. Professor Dina Mattar, SOAS, University of London, England
  233. Dr. Rachel Mattson, public historian, archivist, educator, New York, USA
  234. Professor (lecturer) Mary McDonald-Rissanen University of Tampere,  Finland
  235. Des McGuinness, School of Communications, Dublin City University, Ireland
  236. Dr. Bill McSweeney, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
  237. Dr. Daniel Meier, University of Oxford, UK
  238. Dr. Willem Meijs, independent language consultant, Birmingham, UK
  239. Mar Gijon Mendigutia, PhD candidate, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain,
  240. Professor Anne Meneley, Trent University, Canada
  241. Meena R. Menon, author and oral historian, Delhi, India
  242. Professor Laurie K. Mercier, Washington State University Vancouver, USA
  243. Professor William Messing, University of Minnesota, USA
  244. Jennifer Mogannam, Ph. D. candidate, University of California, San Diego
  245. Professor  Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University, New York, USA
  246. Professor Shahrzad Mojab, University of Toronto, Canada
  247. Professor Antonio Montenegro, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil
  248. Professor Annalies Moors, Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  249. Professor Amir Mufti, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  250. Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, California State University, San Bernardino, USA
  251. Professor Suroopa Mukherjee,  University of Delhi,  India-
  252. Dr. Corinna Mullin, University of Tunis, Tunisia
  253. Professor (emerita) Martha Mundy, London School of Economics, UK
  254. Dr. M.J. Muskens, University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands
  255. Professor Cynthia Myntti, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  256. Dr. Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford, UK
  257. Professor Premilla Nadasen, Queens College, City of New York, USA
  258. Professor Eiji Nagasawa, Vice Director, Institute for Advanced Study on Asia, The University of Tokyo, Japan
  259. Dr. Khalil Nakhleh, researcher and writer, Palestine
  260. Dr. Dorothy Naor, Independent researcher, Israel
  261. Professor Salem H. Nasser, Sí£o Paulo School of Law of Fundaí§í£o Getúlio Vargas), Brazil
  262. Dr. Marcy Newman, Independent Scholar, India
  263. Dr. Sonia Nimr, Birzeit University, Palestine
  264. Professor Isis Nusair, Denison University, Ohio, USA
  265. Dr Barra O”Donnabhain, University College Cork, Ireland
  266. Dr. Féilim í“”Hadhmaill,  University College Cork, Ireland
  267. Professor Mari Oka, Kyoto University, Japan
  268. Professor Gary Y. Okihiro, Columbia University, New York, USA
  269. Hussein Omar, PhD student, University of Oxford, UK
  270. Imranali Panjwani, PhD student, Kings College, University of London, UK
  271. Professor Ilan Pappe, Exeter University, England
  272. Professor Paul Parker, Baltzer Distinguished Professor of Religion,  Elmhurst College, USA
  273. Dr Nigel Parsons, School of People, Environment & Planning, Massey University, NZ
  274. Dr. Professor Jaime Pastor, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia,  Spain
  275. Professor Willie Van Peer, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  276. Dr. Ana Pego, Business and Economic Studies Department, Open University, Lisbon, Portugal
  277. Professor Sylvain Perdigon, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  278. Professor Julie Peteet, University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA
  279. Dr. Elizabeth Picard, Directeur de Recherche (emerita), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
  280. Professor Gabriel Piterberg, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  281. David Polden, independent researcher, Committee for Nuclear Disarmament, London, UK
  282. Dr. Nicola Pratt, University of Warwick, UK
  283. Dr. Nicolas Puig, Researcher, L’Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) France
  284. Dr. Neshat Quaiser, Jamia Millia Islamia, Central University, New Delhi, India
  285. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities, Palestine
  286. Dua”a Qurie, Executive Director, The Palestinian NGO Network, Ramallah, Palestine
  287. Jorge Ramos Tolosa, researcher and professor, Universitat de Valí¨ncia, Spain
  288.  Professor Marwan Rashed, Université de Paris-IV Sorbonne, Paris
  289. Morteza Rasoulipour, Head of Oral History, Institute for Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies, Tehran, Iran
  290. Professor Stuart Rees, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
  291. Dr. Sophie Richter-Devroe, Exeter University, UK
  292. Professor (emerita) Rosalie Riegle,  Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan, USA
  293. Professor Martina Rieker, American University of Cairo, Egypt
  294. Dr. Rebecca Roberts, Independent scholar, UK
  295. Professor Lisa Rofel, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
  296. Professor Ben Rogaly, University of Sussex, UK
  297. Professor Vincent Romani, Université du Québec í  Montréal (UQAM), Canada
  298. Professor (emerita) Hilary Rose, University of Bradford & Gresham College, London, UK
  299. Professor (emeritus) Steven Rose, Open University & Gresham College, London, UK
  300. Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, London School of Economics, University of London, UK
  301. Dr. Alice Rothchild, MD, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, USA
  302. Dr. Bashir Saade, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  303. Professor Hanan Sabea, American University-Cairo, Egypt
  304. Professor Fatima Sadiqi, Senior Professor of Linguistics and Gender Studies; Co-founder, International Institute for Languages and Cultures (INLAC), Fez, Morocco
  305. Ann Sado, Independent lecturer, former Board member, Japan Oral History Association, Tokyo
  306. Professor (emeritus) Sadao Sakai, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan
  307. Professor Masaki Sakiyama, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
  308. Anaí¯s Salamon,  Bibliothécaire en chef, Bibliothí¨que d”études islamiques de l”Université McGill, Québec, Canada
  309. Professor Ruba Salih, SOAS, University of London, UK
  310. Professor Nisreen Salti, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  311. Dr. Adel Samara, author, editor Kanaan Review, Occupied Palestine
  312. Mandy Sanger, Education Manager, District Six Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
  313. Dr. Leena Saraste, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
  314. Professor Cecilia Sardenberg, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil
  315. Professor Surajit Sarkar – Ambedkar University, Delhi. India
  316. Dr. Rosemary Sayigh, Center for Arab and ME Studies,American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  317. Professor (emeritus) Robert M. Schaible, University of Southern Maine, USA
  318. Professor (emeritus) Pierre Schapira, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
  319. Dr. Leonardo Schiocchet, Guest Researcher, Institute for Social Anthropology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences,  Post-doctoral grantee CAPES, Brazil
  320. Professor Sarah Schulman, ACT UP Oral History Project, New York, USA
  321. Professor Richard Seaford, University of Exeter, UK
  322. Professor (emerita) Evalyn F. Segal, PhD, San Diego State University, USA
  323. Professor May Seikaly, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA
  324. Professor Sherene Seikaly, American University in Cairo, Egypt
  325. Professor Jihane Sfeir, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  326. Dr. Anthony F. Shaker, Visiting Scholar McGill University, Montreal, Canada
  327. Professor Anton Shammas, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
  328. Dorothy Sheridan, Honorary Professor of History (retired), University of Sussex , UK.
  329. Dr. Magid Shihade, Birzeit University, Palestine
  330. Professor Alan Louis Shihaden, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  331. Professor (emeritus) Kazuko Shiojiri, University of Tsukuba;  Tokyo International University; Director, Institute of International Exchange (IIET), Japan
  332. Professor Andor Skotnes, Chair, Dept. of History and Society, The Sage Colleges, Troy, NY, USA
  333. Professor Souad Slim, University of Balamand, Lebanon
  334. Richard Saumarez Smith, Professor, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  335. Dr. Graham Smith, Oral History Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London
  336. Dr. Kobi Snitz, Weizmann Institute, Israel
  337. Professor Dean Spade, Seattle University School of Law, Washington, USA
  338. Dr. Jane Starfield, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
  339. Professor Ted Steinberg, Case Western Reserve University, USA
  340. Suzy Subways, SLAM! Herstory Project, New York, NY
  341. Professor Akiko Sugase, National Museum of Ethnology, Japan
  342. Dr. Ziad Suidan, Independent scholar, USA
  343. Dr Mayssun Sukarieh , Fellow, Cogut Center for the Humanities, Brown University. USA.
  344. Sady Sullivan, Independent Oral Historian Brooklyn, New York, USA
  345. Dr. Hitoshi Suzuki, Area Study Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan
  346. Professor Paul Tabar, Director, Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American Univ., Lebanon
  347. Professor Neferti Tadiar, Barnard College, New York, USA
  348. Rabah Tahraoui ,Professeur ,Université de Rouen, France
  349. Professor Carlo Taibo, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
  350. Professor Ghada Talhami, Lake Forest College, Illinois, USA
  351. Professor Vera Tamari, Birzeit University, Palestine
  352. Professor Lisa Taraki, Birzeit University, Palestine
  353. Sibel Taylor, PhD candidate, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England
  354. Professor Sunera Thobani, University of British Columbia, Canada
  355. Professor Simona Tobia, University of Reading, UK
  356. Professor (retired) Chizuko Tominaga,  Miyagi Gakuin Women”s University, Japan
  357. Professor Barry Trachtenberg, University of Albany, New York, USA
  358. Professor Judith Tucker, Georgetown University, USA
  359. 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
  360. Professor Masaki Uno, Hiroshima City University, Japan
  361. Professor Sharon Utakis, Bronx Community College, City University of New York, USA
  362. Professor C. Utathya, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
  363. Professor Salim Vally, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
  364. Dr. Toine Van Teeffelen, Arab Educational Institute, Bethlehem, Palestine
  365. Professor Agustin Velloso, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) Madrid, Spain
  366. Professor Kamala Visweswaran, University of Texas, USA
  367. Naomi Wallace, Independent scholar, award-winning playwright, UK/USA
  368. Professor Devra Weber, University of California, Riverside, USA
  369. Dr. Livia Celine Wick, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
  370. Professor Mark R. Westmoreland, American University Cairo, Egypt
  371. Professor Johnny Eric Williams, Trinity College, USA
  372. Professor Ulrike Woehr, Hiroshima City University, Hiroshima, Japan
  373. Dr. Patrick Wolfe, Trobe University, Australia
  374. Adel Yahya, Director, Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE), Ramallah,  Palestine
  375. Yoshihiro Yakushige, PhD student, Kyoto University, Japan
  376. Dr. Hala Yameni, Bethlehem University, Bethlehem, Palestine
  377. Professor Nadia Yaqub, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
  378. Professor Masae Yuasa, Hiroshima City University, Hiroshima, Japan
  379. Professor (emeritus)Takehi Yukawa, Keio University,  Japan
  380. Omar Zahzah, PhD student, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  381. Professor (emeritus) Elia Zureik, Queen”s University, Canada

To add your name or organization please email: hebrewuconferenceboycott@gmail.com 

See below for organizational endorsements

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.

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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 Hebrew University 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 also http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/12/un-report-accuses-israel-of-pushing-palestinians-from-jerusalem-west-bank/

[1A] http://www.bdsmovement.net/files/2011/02/EOO23-24-Web.pdf; http://www.idf.il/1283-13885-en/Dover.aspx ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talpiot_program

[2] Keller, U. (2009) the Academic Boycott of Israel and the Complicity of Israeli Academic Institutions in Occupation of Palestinian Territories. 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

[5] http://www.jewishlinkbc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=944:lapid-threatens-to-bring-down-the-govt-on-haredi-army-issue&catid=150:news&Itemid=562

[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)

[12] http://pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=792

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