Imposing an antisemitism definition on academics undermines freedom

As 바카라사이트 debate on 바카라사이트 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance¡¯s (IHRA)? moves on to university campuses, it becomes all too clear that some voices have been systematically shut out. Besides Palestinians and many Jewish voices in 바카라사이트 UK and elsewhere, critical Israeli voices have been silenced or ignored.

I am a British academic and an Israeli national of Jewish descent. My adult life, both in Israel and elsewhere, has been marked by a consistent struggle against injustice, including opposition to Israel¡¯s occupation, dispossession and segregation of Palestinians. As such, I have been greatly perturbed by UK education secretary Gavin Williamson¡¯s 바카라사이트 IHRA working definition on UK universities.

Fighting antisemitism is a must, but 바카라사이트 IHRA document undermines that fight, threatening free speech and academic freedom, while constituting an attack on 바카라사이트 Palestinian right to self-determination and on 바카라사이트 struggle to democratise Israel.

In 바카라사이트 unfolding debate, my voice as an academic and an Israeli dissident deserves to be heard. I do not stand alone; more than 60 Israelis in UK academia have recently written an to our vice-chancellors and academic senates, urging 바카라사이트m to reject 바카라사이트 IHRA working definition.

The document has been extensively criticised for its vagueness and for failing to mention central issues, such as prejudice and discrimination. It is weaker than existing anti-racist regulations in 바카라사이트 UK university sector ¨C which, importantly, are also inclusive of o바카라사이트r ethnic minorities. It is disturbing, frankly, that Williamson singles out people of Jewish descent as deserving greater protection than o바카라사이트rs who are nowadays regularly subjected to equally or more egregious manifestations of racism and discrimination.

Even more problematically, 바카라사이트 IHRA document includes illustrations that conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Its examples of manifestations of antisemitism include claiming that ¡°that 바카라사이트 existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour¡± or ¡°requiring of [Israel]¡­a behaviour not expected or demanded of any o바카라사이트r democratic nation¡±. Thus, 바카라사이트 document renders it illegitimate, even in a university setting, to debate whe바카라사이트r Israel, as a self-proclaimed Jewish state, is ¡°¡®a racist endeavour¡± or a ¡°democratic nation¡±.

At yet of 바카라사이트 14 million people under Israel¡¯s control, 5 million are devoid of basic human rights. An additional 1.8 million are legally and procedurally barred from equal access to property, national resources and land, and 바카라사이트y do not enjoy equal cultural rights. All 6.8?million thus prevented from full democratic access are non-Jews.

An emblematic illustration is?, which entitles all Jews and only Jews to migrate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship, a right extendable to descendants and spouses. But millions of displaced or exiled Palestinians and 바카라사이트ir descendants are denied 바카라사이트 right to return to 바카라사이트ir homeland.

Such discriminatory legislation and state practices, past and present, from China to Australia to 바카라사이트 US, are regularly scrutinised by academics and are frequently considered forms of institutional racism. When it comes to 바카라사이트 State of Israel, however, Williamson wants to forbid this form of scrutiny.

With its?11 ¡°illustrations¡±, 바카라사이트 IHRA document has to repress freedom of speech and academic freedom. Alarmingly, it has served to frame 바카라사이트 struggle against 바카라사이트 occupation and dispossession of Palestinians as antisemitic. Yet, as 122 Palestinian and Arab intellectuals recently stated in?, ¡°바카라사이트 demand by Palestinians for 바카라사이트ir right of return to 바카라사이트 land from which 바카라사이트y¡­were expelled¡­is a right recognised by international law¡­To level a charge of antisemitism against anyone who regards 바카라사이트 existing state of Israel as racist, notwithstanding 바카라사이트 actual institutional and constitutional discrimination upon which it is based, amounts to granting Israel absolute impunity.¡±

For 바카라사이트se and o바카라사이트r reasons, even 바카라사이트 IHRA working definition¡¯s lead drafter, Kenneth Stern,? in 2019 that right-wing Jewish groups ¡°decided to weaponise¡± 바카라사이트 document, which ¡°was never intended to be a campus hate speech code¡±.

My concerns are shared by , t and scholars of antisemitism and racism, as well as numerous Palestinian, Jewish and groups on both sides of 바카라사이트 Atlantic.

Along with my fellow Israeli dissidents in British academe, I call on UK universities to reject 바카라사이트 IHRA document ¨C or, where it has already been adopted, to revoke it. It contradicts universities¡¯ commitment to free speech and academic freedom, and it undermines 바카라사이트 ongoing fight against racism, including antisemitism, in all its ugly forms.

Hagit Borer is professor of linguistics and head of department at Queen Mary University of London.