SRRT 6I a Publicationof the Socialresponsibilities Round T of the Americanlibrary Association
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SRRT 6I A Publicationof the SocialResponsibilities Round T of the AmericanLibrary Association June1990 Number96 lssN0749-1670 INTERNATIONAL REI.ATIONS COMMITTEE AND COMMITTEEON ISRAELICENSORSHIP CAMPAIGN SOUTHAFRICA by DavidL. Williams,Coordinator, Committee on lsraeli Censorship The Executive Board of the American Library Associationhas transmitted to the InternationalRelations As the lsraelimilitary occupation of the West Committee (lRC) the report authored by Robert Bank and Gaza enters its 23rd year, Palestinians Wedgeworthand ElizabethDrew on their trip to South continueto resistthe occupationregime and to press Africa on behalf of the American Association of theirdemands for self-determinationand basicpolitical Publishersand the Fundfor FreeExpression. [For more freedoms. As the death toll continuesto mount,this on the report,entitled 'The Starvationof Young Black thornyissue has come up withinthe AmericanLibrary Mirds: The Effectof Book Boycottsin SouthAfrica,' see Associationthrough the campaign launchedby the AmericanLibraries Jan. 1990,p. 9.1 The IRC will hold newly-formedCommittee on lsraeli Censorship (ClC) hearings at the Al-A Annual Conference in Chicago [not affiliatedwith the AmericanLibrary Association]. on Sunday, June 24 at 4:30 p.m. at the Chicago Thisis not the firsttime that the issuehas been Hihon. debatedin Al-A. In 1984a letterfrom a librarianwho is Personswho are interestedin commentingon also a prime mover in the current campaignresulted in the repoft are invited to attend the hearings. Please the formation of a joint subcommittee of the indicateyour interestby sending a notice to Robert lnternationalRelations Committee (lRC) and the Doyle,the IRC liaison,at ALA headquartersin Chicago lntellectualFreedom Committee (lFC) to look into or telephone him at 1-800-545-2433to indicate your allegationsof lsraelicensorship and reportback at the intentionof speakingat the hearings.Those who opt to June 1984ALA conference. lt appears, however,that speak will be given a period of not more than three this subcommitteemade only the most feebleattempts minutes,and are also requestedto leavea copy of their to collectrelevant documentation, which should have presentationwith the chairof the committee,E.J. Josey. been available from a wide range of organizations Thosewho are unableto attend the hearingbecause of inasmuchas the lsraelioccupation was then in its 17th program/meeting conflicts are invited to send their yearand strictcensorship policies had been a regular response to this report to Robert Doyle, At-A, 50 E. featureof the occupationregime since its inception' HuronSt., Chicago lL 60611,or to E.J.Josey, School of Thata committeeof informationprofessionals from the Libraryand InformationScience, University of Pittsburgh, largestand oldestlibrary association in the U.S.with a Pittsburgh,PA 15260. wealthof contactsall overthe world was unablein the On Monday,June 25 al2:.oOp.m., the IRCwill course of a six-monthperiod to adequatelydocument presentDennis Brutus,a SouthAfrican poet in exileand what is an everydayfact in the West Bank, Gaza and a former politicalprisoner on Robben lsland,whose lsraelitself can only be attributedto a lack of will to books were banned by the South African government. seriouslyaddress the problem. He will addressthe topic "AnotherLook at SouthAfrica: Duringthis time it alsoappears that the IFCand ls Democracyand Access to LibraryMaterials Possible?" the Officefor lntellectualFreedom made no contribution Dr. Brutus is a distinguishedpoet and scholarwho is to investigatinglsraeli censorship and remained currentlythe chairof the BlackStudies depaftment at the consistentlyopposed to any ALA action on the matter. Universityof Pittsburgh. Theconsequence was that the subcommitteefelt a lack of "firmevidence" when it repoftedback to the IRCand IFC in June '1984,providing credence to JudithKrug's organizationsin lsrael,the OccupiedTerritories, Europe, insistencethat no action be taken on the issue. and the U.S.,asking that relevantdocumentation be Apparentlyrealizing, however, that theremust be some sentto RobertDoyle at the Al-{ office in Chicago,from sUbstanceto allegationsof lsraelicensorship, the IRC where it is supposed to be forwarded to the IRC went to the ALA Councilat the June conferencewith a subcommittee. lt would appear that considerable somewhatequivocating resolution on the "Reaffirmation corroboratingdocumentation has beensent to Al-Afrom of Freedomof Expressionof ForeignNationals" which a varietyof sources,and the CIC has askedMr. Doyle admittedthat the IHC and IFC "have been unableto to providea list of receiveddocumentation. In March asceftain the details of such constraintsof individual the CIC formally requestedfrom Gordon Conableand rightsand intellectualfreedom, but are convincedthat JudithKrug of the IFC a declarationof what position theremust be someinequity that has providedthe basis they will take on whetheror not the IFC should be for statementsof concern." The IRC resolutionpassed involved in this matter, particularly if the IRC takes the ALA Council, but its clear equivocationenables anotherresolution to theALA Council (as of lateApril no lsrael'sdefenders in ALA to charge that ALA's public responsehad been received). criticismof lsraelin this case "amountedto a denialof Besidesarranging for Dr. Aruri to addressthe the conceptthat one is innocentuntil proven guilty"--in IHRTFmeeting on June23rd, the CIC is alsoorganizing this case after 17 years of a strict police state regimein a publicforum to be heldon the eveningof June 23rd the West Bankand Gaza! The IRC'swillingness to take whichwill address the issueof lsraelicensorship within theirresolution to ALACouncil without IFC approval was the general conte)d of the prolonged lsraeli military attackedon proceduralgrounds by JudithKrug and the occupation.Projected speakers for the forum include lFC, althoughthese defendersof intellectualfreedom Dr.Aruri, Mark Rosenzweig of the ProgressiveLibrarians abstainedfrom activelyinvestigating as to whetheror not Guild, Prof. Francis Boyle, who is a specialiston such freedomexisted in the OccupiedTerritories. As a internationallaw from the Universityof lllinoisat Urbana, finishing touch, several letters of complaint were and PrexieNesbitt, a prominentanti-apartheid activist producedby the Officefor lntellectualFreedom which from Chicagowho will addressthe issue of lsrael's providedthe basisfor chargingthat the IHC resolution alliancewith the South Africanregime. had generated"a substantialvolume of complaints*and The forum will take place from 7:00 to 9:00 considerableembarrassment to the organization.As a p.m., Saturday,June 23, in Room 241 ol the Lewis consequence of these machinations,the ALA Council Cenler, DePaul University,25 E. Jackson Blvd. The rescindedthe resolutionat its 1985Midwinter meeting. forum will be preceded by a receptionat 6:30 p.m. on A clear lessonfrom the 1984-85episode is that the 8th floor of the DePaul University law school lsraelicensorship policies will receivethe attentionthey (samebuilding). Both eventsare beinghosted by the should receivefrom the Al-A only if there is an organized NationalLawyers Guild, DePaul chapter. Followingthe campaign within ALA at the grassroots level to insure forum, join the ProgressiveLibrarians Guild at the thatthe requisitedocumentation is gatheredand that the ExchequerPub,226 S. Wabash (nearJackson), in the issuecannot be ignoredby Al-A leadershipbodies. The back dining room. For further informationwrite the CIC was formed on the heels of the January 1990 Committeeon lsraeli Censorship,P.O. Box 3034, Midwintermeeting where the lsraelicensorship issue was Chicago,lL 60654. raisedat severalappropriate committee meetings along with corroborativedocumentation. The International Human RightsTask Force (IHRTF)agreed to authorize publicationof a bibliographyon lsraelicensorship for RESOLUTIONON ISRAELICENSORSHIP distributionat the June Al-A conference,and to invitea speakerto addressthe issueat its Junepanel on human WHEREASthere is ampledocumentation from Article 19 rightsresponse networks. The panelwas subsequently and otherorganizations showing massive and stringent cancelledbecause of a schedulingconflict with the IRC lsraelicensorship in the OccupiedTerritories of the West panel on South Africa,but the IHRTFhas sincere-invited Bankand Gazaand withinpre-1967 lsrael itself, and Dr. NaseerAruri, a nationalboard memberof Amnesty Internationaland of Middle East Watch,to addressits WHEREASthis censorship,administered by the lsraeli June 23rd business meeting. Presentation of militaryand justifiedon grounds of lsrael'salleged documentationto the IRCat its Januarymeeting resulted security needs is in reality aimed at suppressing in the appointmentof an IRC subcommitteeto look into informationabout and criticism of lsraelitreatmentof the the situationand to reportback at the Juneconvention. Palestiniansunder occupation, and At the close of the Januarymeeting, the SRRTAction Council unanimouslypassed a very strongly-worded WHEREASthis censorship is alsoaimed at suppressing resolution[see below]condemninglsraeli censorship. awarenessof Palestiniannational and culturalidentity SinceJanuary, the CIC has contactedscores of and servesto underminePalestinian academic freedom SRRTf{ewsletter June1990 , and education,and seruingto restorethe Earth.And we will reportthe uses I I ofthe "Green Tax" periodically inour newsletter. Thanks WHEREASthis sweepingand arbitrarycensorship is in for yourconsideration. violationof universallyaccepted