German University suspends Pro BDS professor/Revealing Israeli crimes is no antisemitism

Friday 27 January 2017 03:49 | Astrid Essed | 751 keer bekeken | 0 reacties | 0 x aanbevolen

GERMAN UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS BDS PROFESSOR/REVEALING

ISRAELI CRIMES IS NO ANTI SEMITISM/LETTER TO

FREIE UNIVERSITAT BERLIN

INTRODUCTION:

There is a yearlong and growing tendency to accuse anyone, who criticizes Israel

for its colonialism and occupation policy, of anti semitism. Generally one shouldn't have

to pay any attention to that nonsense, but sometimes it has severe consequences. That

happened to professor Eleonora Roldan Meldivin, who was suspended by the Freie Universitat

Berlin for her criticism of the Israeli occupation and it's system of apartheid. Time for a letter of protest.

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OF THE OTTO SUHR INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

SUBDEPARTMENT OF THE FREIE UNIVERSITAT BERLIN

Subject:

Your cancelling of academic assignments for professor Eleonora Roldan Mendivin.

My demand:

Cancel your wrong decision about professor Mendivil, because

you violate the academic free speech, you neglect history and

genuine human rights.

Dear Board of Directors.

Being an historian and a human rights activist, I am very disappointed

in your Institut, because your lack of respect for academic freedom, your

historical misunderstanding, as your clear lack of involvement for human rights.

Reason?

Your cancelling of academic assignments for professor Eleonora Roldan Mendivin,

because of her alleged ''antisemitic activities''. [1]

Learning from the press, her ''antisemitism'' consisted of her

calling the State of Israel ''colonial'', and she should have questioned

the ''Existenzrecht'' of the State of Israel. [2]

I quote the Jerusalem Post ''She has written, “Israel is a colonial state... Period.” [3]

You are basing your decision about mrs Mendivil on the letter of the

student group called ''Gegen jeden Antisemitismus an der Freien Universität'' to the Board of directors of

the Freie Universitat Berlin:

Among else in the letter is written:

''„Sie verharmlost mit diesen Vergleichen und Bezeichnungen nicht nur die historischen Verbrechen des Kolonialismus und der Apartheid und stellt den israelischen demokratischen Rechtsstaat mit Unrechtsregimen auf eine Stufe“ [4]

Ladies and Gentlemen, that you consider this letter as a serious accusation

of anti semitism is more than ridiculous.

But before I react on that, first this:

From the press I learned, that you didn't even give mrs Mendivin the opportunity

to explain her points of view, or to defend herself. [5]

That's against rules of fair play and I condemn that.

ANTI SEMITISM AND CRITICS ON THE ISRAELI STATE

Now I come to antisemitism, which is, it has to be remembered,

especially a Western issue.

One need not mention the whole course of Western ;;christian''

antisemitism, from the Middle Ages and later on, culminating

in the racial superiority theories in the 19th century, with ended

in the monster of the Holocaust.

You as directors of a German university know that all too well.

And since you know that, you too are aware of the definition

of antisemitism:

Defined defined ''as hostile actions or discrimination against Jews as a religious or ethnic group''

Yes, discrimination and hostility to Jews ''AS A RELIGIOUS OR

ETHNIC GROUP''

That's a whole other story than critics of a STATE, which Israel is and

the policies of a State.

Compare it with racism against black people.

Is racism against black people the same as critics upon

the policy of a STATE where black people live, for

example Zombabwe?

Of course not.

No one will utter the idea, that critics of the policy of Zimbabwe,

is racism, because it is a country of black people.

Why is Israel so different?

Let that sink in, please

And what says more, there are enough Jewish organisations, that

are very critical of Israeli policies:

I mention the Israeli human rights organisation, Btselem.[6]

Jewish voice for Peace [7]

Boycott From Within [8]

Association for Civil Rights in the Israel [9]

HaMoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual [10]

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel [11]

Public Committee Against Torture in Israel [12]

All those ''Jewish'' organisations are higly critical

of the human rights situation of Israel.

All of them are against the Israeli occupation

of the Palestinian territories.

Because this occupation exists, whether you want to

hear it or not.

I mention here also some Jewish intellectuals, who are highly critical of the

Israeli politics and human rights violations.

Naomi Klein, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, Moshe Zuckermann, Norman Finkelstein.

The Israeli scholar Ilan Pappe, who wrote a famous book about

the ethnic cleansings of Palestinians during the war in 1948.

Read it!

You can learn from it. [13]

As mrs Mendivil, those people and organisations show

the true colours of the State of Israel, occupation and

oppression.

Besides:

What has mrs Mendivil said, that is so

''anti semitic''?

She uses her right on free speech [which you

have tried to deny her] to talk about Israeli politics, based on a

POLITICAL MOVEMENT, ZIONISM.

She talks about colonialism.

She talks about occupation. [14]

Whether you agree with it or not, nowhere I have read the

word: ''Jew''

Where is she stigmatizing Jews?

She does NOT accuse ''Jews'', which would have

made it anti semitic, indeed.

She talks only about zionism and the existence of a State,

based on that zionism and the consequences of that.

If you don't believe me, read the interview with her in

which she explains her points of view. [15]

When you had taken the trouble to speak with her

before taking your decision, you would have known.

By the way, did you know, that 250 Israeli scholars have

protested against your decision of the suspension

of mrs Meldivin? [16]

Of course you know, because you received the

letter. [17]

Should they act as such, were she a real anti semitic?

Think for yourself.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION WITH PROOF

SUPPORTED NOTES:

OCCUPATION/APARTHEID/CRIMES

Since 1967 Israel occupies the Palestinian territories the Westbank, East

Jerusalem and Gaza [18], which, as by all occupations in the world,

has laid to oppression and humiliation of the occupied Palestinian

population, human rights violations and warcrimes, as Gaza

military expeditions like Cast Lead and Protective Edge, which lead

to thousands of Palestinian deaths. [19]

Another utter injustice are the illegal settlements in the occupied

Palestinian territories [20], which are extended untill now [21], which

means pure landrobbery.

Freedom of movement and difficult access for thousands

of Palestinians to reach their fields and marketing their produce,

as difficult access to hospitals and schools,

has further been limited by the illegal

Israeli Wall. [22]

The blockade of Gaza is a starvation operation of the Israeli

occupation regime. [23]

APARTHEID:

And last, but not least, the clear apartheid policy:

There is a different legal system for Israeli’s and settlements compared

with the Palestinian population in the occupied territories Westbank

and East Jerusalem [in Gaza there is a different legal system,

according to laws, imposed by the Hamas government]

A common legal system for Israeli’s and settlers, the military

law for occupied Palestinians, despite the fact they are civilians. [24]

Also there are other discriminatory laws in Israel. [25]

Concerning the drama, which political zionism

[which de facto means, founding a State in the land of

another people, in casu the Palestinians, first an Ottoman

colony, then a British Mandatory], violating the Palestinian

right to selfdetermination and indeed leading to

neo colonialism, I advise you to read Professor Ilan Pappe's

the Ethnic cleansing of Palestine [26], as my article

''Disaster over Palestine, the refugee problem

and the ideology of transfer'' [27]

EPILOGUE

The message is clear:

Anti semitism is racism against Jewish people.

Not critics on the State of Israel.

Those are two wholly different things.

Besides:

Professor Mendivil mentions the Israeli SYSTEM of occupation,

the oppression, the human rights violations, the colonialism,

the system of apartheid.

You can agree with that or not [although denying it

is getting harder every day] , but it is NOT anti semitism.

THAT'S NONSENSE!

Therefore I demand from you, that you stop embarrassing

yourself and end the suspension of Professor Meldivin,

who has the right on free expression and her academic freedom.

If you don''\t, you are a supporter of a system of

occupation and oppression, that is harder to defend, as

time proceeds.

You will find yourself at the wrong side of history.

Thanks for reading this letter.

Kind greetings

Astrid Essed

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

SEE FOR NOTES

http://www.astridessed.nl/german-university-suspends-bds-professorrevealing-israeli-crimes-is-no-antisemitismletter-to-freie-universitat-berlin/

http://community.dewereldmorgen.be/blog/astridessed/2017/01/25/german-university-suspends-bds-professorrevealing-israeli-crimes-is-no-anti-semitism

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