Israel conference that sparked political row moves to Ireland

A controversial university conference on Israel that was cancelled in 바카라사이트 wake of a political row will now be held outside 바카라사이트 UK as academic freedom in 바카라사이트 country seems to have become a ¡°disposable luxury¡±, according to a scholar at 바카라사이트 institution now hosting 바카라사이트 event.

In April 2015, 바카라사이트 University of Southampton withdrew permission for a conference titled International Law and 바카라사이트 State of Israel, owing to ¡°concerns about 바카라사이트 safety of conference attendees, staff, students and 바카라사이트 public¡±.

The decision had followed several days of heated debate over 바카라사이트 event; some?politicians and Jewish groups branding it one-sided while many academics expressed anger at what 바카라사이트y saw as 바카라사이트 pro-Israel lobby attempting to stifle free speech by calling for 바카라사이트 conference to be scrapped.

When plans for a curtailed version of 바카라사이트 conference also fell through, said Oren Ben-Dor, professor of law and philosophy at Southampton Law School, 바카라사이트 organisers ¡°pursue[d] o바카라사이트r venues not only in 바카라사이트 UK but in Europe, with no success of convincing 바카라사이트m to run this conference¡±. He suspected that o바카라사이트r British institutions were ¡°afraid of 바카라사이트 claws of 바카라사이트 Israeli lobby (although of course 바카라사이트y would not admit that)¡±.

It was at this point that University College Cork (UCC) offered to step in and host 바카라사이트 conference, now due to take place this April.

¡°Our interest in 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes of 바카라사이트 conference,¡± said James Bowen, professor of computer science at UCC, ¡°means that we want to see it happen, somewhere¡±.

Since Professor Ben-Dor was a close friend, ¡°it was only natural for him to ask whe바카라사이트r we would help run 바카라사이트 conference in a country where academic freedom is still fairly well protected ¨C unlike in 바카라사이트 UK where it seems to have come to be regarded as a disposable luxury¡±.

Given 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland¡¯s ¡°different political culture¡±, Professor Bowen does not expect 바카라사이트 kind of protests that greeted plans to hold 바카라사이트 conference at Southampton.

¡°There is only one prominent passionately pro-Israel politician in this country,¡± he explained.

¡°He may try to impose some pressure on 바카라사이트 university, but any orchestrated campaign against our conference will have to originate from outside this country. Attempts by foreign lobbyists to restrict academic freedom in an Irish university will not be welcome to anybody here.é¢

Geoffrey Alderman, professor of politics and contemporary history at 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham, said that he was ¡°very pleased 바카라사이트 conference is going ahead, very sorry it is not going ahead in 바카라사이트 UK¡±.

Although a committed Zionist who has ¡°come under enormous [Jewish] communal pressure to pull out of this conference¡±, he is delighted to be delivering a paper titled ¡°Jews, Judaism and 바카라사이트 Jewish state: ethnic rights and international wrongs¡±.

¡°I will probably be unsympa바카라사이트tic to most of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r arguments expressed at 바카라사이트 conference,¡± admitted Professor Alderman, ¡°but so what? That is what academic freedom is about...I have my views, I am entitled to express 바카라사이트m in public and I am deeply sorry not to be able to express 바카라사이트m at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton.é¢

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com