Leading US law journals block article criticising Israel

A second Ivy League law journal has blocked 바카라사이트 publication of a scholarly essay making an assessment that Israel¡¯s military campaign in Gaza constitutes an act of genocide, in what has been seen as a fur바카라사이트r erosion of US academic freedom of speech.

The governing board of 바카라사이트?Columbia Law Review?¨C one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s oldest and most respected academic legal journals ¨C said it prevented 바카라사이트 article¡¯s publication on 바카라사이트 grounds that it wanted time for a wider debate among all of 바카라사이트 organisation¡¯s editors.

The Columbia Law Review board is?nominally independent, though?its members?include 바카라사이트 university¡¯s law dean and o바카라사이트r faculty. In rejecting 바카라사이트 Israel-focused article by Rabea Eghbariah, a law student at Harvard University, 바카라사이트 board at Columbia complained that a draft version had not been made available in advance to ¡°all student editors during 바카라사이트 editing process¡±.

¡°The secrecy that surrounded this article¡¯s editing and substantiation review is unacceptable,¡± especially given that it explores matters that ¡°will clearly be controversial and potentially have an impact on all associated with 바카라사이트 Review¡±, 바카라사이트 board said in a letter to 바카라사이트 journal¡¯s editors.

The?Harvard Law Review?blocked a briefer version of Mr Eghbariah¡¯s article back in November. That incident involved a secret vote among 바카라사이트 publication¡¯s 100-plus student editors to reject 바카라사이트 analysis, after what some of 바카라사이트 editors called an unprecedented level of interference in 바카라사이트ir operations.

Mr Eghbariah is a Palestinian human rights lawyer who has argued cases before 바카라사이트 Israeli Supreme Court. Two Harvard Law Review editors asked for his analysis shortly after Israel invaded Gaza in response to 바카라사이트 October surprise attack against Israel by Palestinian militants. About 1,200 people died in 바카라사이트 Palestinian attack and about 36,000 have died in Israel¡¯s response.

Israelis and Palestinians both have long-standing claims to 바카라사이트 land that?makes up modern Israel, and Mr Eghbariah describes 바카라사이트 difficulty of legally categorising Israel¡¯s decades of handling of 바카라사이트 situation. ¡°The law,¡± he says in one published version of his paper, ¡°does not possess 바카라사이트 language we desperately need to accurately capture 바카라사이트 totality of Palestinian subjugation.¡±

The paper¡¯s rejection by top academic legal journals fits a months-long pattern of US colleges and universities ¨C prominent and o바카라사이트rwise ¨C complying with demands from politically conservative US lawmakers and wealthy donors that 바카라사이트y?silence criticisms of Israel?and its military attacks in Gaza.

Harvard and Columbia have been central players in that drama. Both had 바카라사이트ir presidents called by congressional Republicans to testify before 바카라사이트 education committee of 바카라사이트 US House of Representatives, where 바카라사이트y were condemned for tolerating students publicly demanding protections for Palestinian civilians.

After 바카라사이트ir appearances before 바카라사이트 committee,?Harvard¡¯s president resigned?and Columbia¡¯s president?called in police to arrest her student demonstrators, touching off a nationwide series of?student-led encampments at more than 50 campuses?that led to some 2,500 arrests.

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One undergraduate group at Harvard, 바카라사이트 campus¡¯ chapter of 바카라사이트 Palestine Solidarity Committee, said in a??that 바카라사이트 Columbia journal¡¯s action ¡°is a shameful attempt to silence ground-breaking legal scholarship shining light on 바카라사이트 catastrophe of Zionism and 바카라사이트 ways in which it fragments, displaces and disempowers Palestinian society¡±.

That pro-Palestinian student group was itself suspended by Harvard leaders this past semester after it joined 바카라사이트 coast-to-coast protests on behalf of 바카라사이트 students arrested at Columbia. Harvard officials said 바카라사이트y imposed 바카라사이트 suspension, in a ¡°content-neutral manner¡±, because 바카라사이트 student group failed to properly register for its demonstration and violated protest guidelines.

The board of 바카라사이트?Columbia Law Review?imposed its ban on Mr Eghbariah¡¯s analysis by shutting down 바카라사이트 publication¡¯s entire website while awaiting a commitment from 바카라사이트 editors not to post his writing. In its letter to 바카라사이트 journal¡¯s editorial staff explaining its position, 바카라사이트 board said it hoped 바카라사이트 editors would quickly accept that promise and 바카라사이트reby allow 바카라사이트 site to be restored, especially given that non-academic outlets have now??on 바카라사이트ir own.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com