- The Australian
- May 01, 2013
IT says a great deal about the illiberal tendencies of parts of our
academic community that the anti-Israeli boycott, divestment and
sanctions movement - which often borders on the anti-Semitic - finds
support in the humanities faculties of some of our universities.
Given the right of people to go about their legal business, and
shop where they please, it is questionable that the University of NSW
should even tolerate protests against a chocolate shop being established
on its site. But it is beyond question that it should take action
against protesters using blatantly racist and anti-Semitic language as
part of these protests. We expect that, quite rightly, there would be
forceful action to stamp out any vilification of, say, Muslim or Asian
students. Yet seemingly the targeting of Israeli-linked companies and
Jewish people throws up a confected moral quandary.
The BDS
movement wins support not just from jejune students eager for an
anti-establishment cause but also from some academics, perhaps for the
same reason. If it were not so tragic it would be a hilarious paradox
that the University of Sydney's Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies
backs BDS, including preventing academic exchanges. It is difficult to
think of an act that is more close-minded or less conciliatory than
banning an exchange of ideas between people in liberal democracies.
Still, this is what passes muster in some parts of the academy these
days.
The blatant dishonesty of this campaign should be identified and
condemned. The legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people present a
worthy cause, yet to couch their campaign in hateful language about
"apartheid" and "war crimes" is demonstrably inaccurate and offensive.
No objective view of history could fail to recognise Israel's offers to
surrender territory to the Palestinians in return for peace. The
landmark Oslo Accords cemented this reality but the olive branch has
never been grasped, primarily because Hamas, like Yasser Arafat's PLO
before it, simply will not recognise the right of Israel to exist. A
peace based on two secure states can hardly be delivered without that
fundamental acceptance. When Israel evacuated its citizens and withdrew
from Gaza in 2005 it wasn't peace that ensued but bloody battles between
Hamas and Fatah. Israel was rewarded with indiscriminate rocket fire
from Gaza into its territory, targeting its civilians. Unless
Palestinians accept responsibility for their actions, there can be no
serious consideration of a peaceful resolution to their rightful claims
for territory, statehood and the return of refugees.
As a
pluralistic democracy that provides for the security and well-being of
Palestinians, Israel is not remotely comparable to apartheid South
Africa. For decades Arabs have had greater democratic and human rights
in Israel than in any Arab country. They make up about a sixth of
Israel's population and Palestinian Muslims hold seats in the Knesset on
a platform of creating a viable Palestinian state. Israel is not
perfect and the Palestinian issue must be resolved. But demonising
Israel and Jews is not only wrong because it is racist, it is also an
incorrect and deceptive interpretation of reality. Julia Gillard is
right to condemn the BDS campaign, now so marginalised it has been
disowned even by the Greens. We are entitled to expect our universities
to take a stronger stand both against racism and in favour of facts.
No comments:
Post a Comment