BRICUP Newsletter 137 September- October 2020
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BRICUP Newsletter 137 September- October 2020 www.bricup.org.uk [email protected] CONTENTS P 6. BOOK LAUNCH: P 2. Education Secretary’s threat to An Army Like No Other- How the universities over IHRA definition of Israel Defence Force Made a Nation antisemitism: Haim Bresheeth-Zabner - BRICUP Editor P 7. The IHRA Definition of P 2. Scholasticide in Palestine: The Case Antisemitism: Defining Antisemitism by of Professor Imad Barghouthi Erasing Palestinians - a new article on Robert Boyce- BRICUP antisemitism Rebecca Ruth Gould, - BRICUP P 4. Ominous Development in Longstanding issue of Zionist pressure P 7. Professor Goldi Asuri - Jewish on Medical Journals. students disappointed over lack of action on ‘Israel lobby’ Derek Summerfield - BRICUP From The Jewish Voice for Labour website P 5. The Use of a Scientific Journal to P 8. University of Toronto under fire Legitimate a War Crime: the case of for rescinding job offer due to pressure Ariel and Molecules from pro-Israel donor Richard Seaford - BRICUP Editor P 6. A Campaign for Non-Recognition P 9. COVID-19 IN PALESTINE - of and No Ties With Ariel University Updates- From Jewish Voice for Peace P 10. News from other Campaigns P 9. SIGN THE COMMITMENT by and scientist, it is necessary to locate it within UK scholars to human rights in what can best be described as Israel’s policy of scholasticide in the Occupied Palestinian Palestine . Territories. To a degree scarcely understood outside the OPT, P 9. Notices the struggle for Palestine’s survival has been a struggle for Palestinian higher education. Until ***** the Nakba in 1948 when most of the Palestinians who formed a majority in what became Israel Education Secretary’s threat to were driven into exile, Palestine had almost no universities over IHRA definition of tertiary colleges or universities to speak of. antisemitism: Palestinians seeking higher education commonly travelled to Egypt, Jordan or further abroad to Editor complete their education. Edward Said, for Following the news that only 29 out of 133 example, attended Victoria College in Alexandria universities had adopted the IHRA definition of before going on to a preparatory school in antisemitism, The Secretary of State for Massachusetts, then to Princeton and Harvard Education, Gavin Williamson has accused Universities. But after the Six Day War in 1967, universities in England of ignoring antisemitism which Israel used to justify its permanent on their campuses and ordered them to adopt the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, definition before the end of the year, threatening Palestinians recognised that they must create them with cuts to “funding streams” if they failed universities of their own. For one thing, the Israeli to do so. occupation meant they could not freely access We will be reporting on this issue in detail in universities in Egypt and Jordan. For another, the our next issue occupation threatened the very existence of Palestinian culture, and for yet another the ***** struggle for independence required an educated leadership. Accordingly, several colleges and Scholasticide in Palestine: The Case of normal schools were upgraded to university status Professor Imad Barghouthi in the 1970s, and by the start of the first Intifada Robert Boyce in December 1987 Palestine had eight universities with a student enrolment of perhaps 15,000 On 16 July Dr Imad Ahmad Barghouthi, a students. professor of theoretical space plasma physics at Al-Quds University, was arrested at a check-point Palestinians, however, were not the only while returning to his home in Ramallah. ones who grasped the importance of higher According to Professor Barghouthi’s lawyer, his education for their national struggle. Israeli ‘crime’ was posting messages on his Facebook officials also monitored Palestinian activity account to which the Israeli authorities took closely, and though their policies towards the exception. This might seem scarcely credible to OPT remain shrouded in secrecy, we know from readers unfamiliar with Israeli policy in the documents recently published by Haaretz that as Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). It must early as 1965 senior police, security, foreign be pointed out, however, that this is the third time ministry and education ministry officials agreed Israeli forces have arrested and imprisoned that, as one of the documents stated, ‘The Professor Barghouthi in recent years. He has formation a broad educated class must be averted never been convicted of any crime, and on 2 as far as possible’ in order to head off the September an Israeli judge was prepared to development of a ‘radical leadership’. It release him on bail when the Israeli military concluded that Palestinians should be discouraged occupation authorities intervened to demand that from enrolling in institutions of higher learning his detention be extended to 15 November, at and especially not in the humanities and law. which time it may well be extended indefinitely. Israeli occupation forces therefore put obstacles To fully grasp the significance of this appalling large and small in the way of the newly founded mistreatment of a leading Palestinian academic Palestinian universities. 2 They required all Palestinian universities falsely claiming that it was a bomb factory, as and colleges in the OPT to apply for short-term well as the Palestinian ministry of education and permits to operate, which could be, and numerous schools including two UN schools occasionally were, arbitrarily withheld. They being used a temporary civilian shelters. In similarly rationed building permits and zoning Operation Pillar of Defence in 2012 and rights, and contrary to international law they Operation Protective Edge in 2014 Gaza suffered levied import duties and VAT on construction two further military assaults. In the latter assault, projects, building material, laboratory equipment Israeli military forces damaged or destroyed and books. They frequently withheld or censored nearly 300 schools and again made the Islamic books that were freely available in Israel. As University of Gaza a target, killing or injuring frequently they held up the delivery of laboratory over 1500 students and lecturers and staff. equipment and supplies ordered from abroad, West Bank universities meanwhile faced sometimes for months and even years. They intensified disruption which has continued down erected checkpoints on access roads to the to the present. Palestinian academics seeking universities, withheld or delayed visitor permits visas to travel abroad face unpredictable delays. until they ceased to be of value, sent in military Visas for academics from abroad to lecture or forces to disrupt campus activity and repeatedly participate in conferences are regularly held up. shut down universities altogether. Birzeit, the first IDF soldiers force their way onto campuses, of the Palestinian universities and a centre for the disrupt activity by throwing tear gas grenades and social sciences, was forcibly closed on no fewer smashing up office equipment and university than 15 occasions between 1973 and 1987. records, and frequently close individual Israel responded to the first Intifada universities for days at a time particularly during beginning in December 1987 by closing all the sensitive examination period. As well as Palestinian schools, colleges and universities for Gazan residents, Israel bars Palestinian citizens nearly three years and in the case of Birzeit, over and residents of Israel from attending West Bank four years. Lecturers who attempted to continue universities by threatening to remove their rights teaching in mosques, churches, community of residence if they are found in the OPT. Israel centres or private homes were arrested, as were similarly refuses to issue visas to students from students caught carrying academic textbooks. Arab countries to study at West Bank universities, Schoolchildren became a particular target of which many would probably do given their Israeli repression. According to the Swedish relatively high academic standards. For the past branch of the Save the Children, upwards of four years Israel has also refused to issue or renew 30,000 children required medical treatment for visas for most of the non-resident faculty at these beatings received in the first two years of the universities. Many of those affected are Intifada, a third of them under the age of ten. Palestinians who grew up in the diaspora, and Student enrolment reached 36,000 by 1995-6, but some have been employed in West Bank learning conditions were severely compromised universities for years and even decades. Israel and with the new millennium the plight of now also obstructs movement in the OPT to such Palestinian universities worsened. In 2000 Israel an extent that individual universities draw introduced its separation policy, limiting travel students only from their immediate area and are between Gaza and the West Bank and including a no longer able to serve a national function. The ban on Gaza students enrolling at West Bank constraints mean they cannot collaborate in universities. During the second, or Al-Aqsa, teaching or research, and at any one time some Intifada which began in September 2000 and 500 Palestinian students are likely to be held in continued until February 2005, Israeli military Israel prisons. Israeli policy can thus be described forces again made a special target of Palestinian as scholasticide, and the treatment of Professor schools and universities. According to one study, Barghouthi should be understood within this no fewer than eight universities and over three context. hundred schools were shelled, shot at or raided by Professor Barghouthi was arrested on 16 July the IDF. This was followed by Operation Cast 2020, the third time that Israeli occupation forces Lead in December 2008 – January 2009, when have arrested and detained him. On 6 December Israel bombed the Islamic University of Gaza, 2014 they arrested him at the border crossing 3 from the West Bank to Jordan on his way to a reason for their arrest, as well as to facilitate a meeting of the Arab Union of Astronomy and speedy and fair trial.