Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

shira

(30,109 posts)
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 07:51 AM Sep 2014

When a Haaretz journalist (Amira Hass) was asked to leave a Palestinian university

Anti-Israel bashers who rail against apartheid can finally rejoice. They just found it!

The true face of the BDS movement.

....In the past twenty years, I have entered Birzeit University dozens of times, and have been an audience member at various academic conferences there. I have also interviewed faculty members both on and off campus. A year ago, an economics lecturer refused an interview, telling me, "It's not personal. But you know what the rules are." I didn't know there was a rule against being interviewed by Haaretz.

It is well known that the university doesn't employ Israeli Jews as academic staff, even from anti-Zionist left-wing circles. In 1998, my application to an Arabic course for foreigners was rejected. (A sarcastic friend, Iyad from Gaza, said back then: "With your Gazan accent, how can they accept you?&quot But I was never told that there was a university law against my very presence, as an Israeli Jew, on Birzeit's campus. The claim that the law APPLIES to me because I am representing an Israeli institution is a shaky one: Palestinian citizens of Israel who teach at Israeli universities are not subject to the same policy. If I had known about the existence of such a law, I wouldn't have come to the conference. I have other places to invest my subversive energies.

I am writing about this incident precisely because I did not take it personally. I do not take personally the fact that some faculty members were hiding behind hypothesized angry students and a law that many others seem to be unaware of. In my opinion, it would have been more dignified to tell me explicitly: We do not differentiate between those who support the occupation and those who are against it, between those who report on policies to forcibly evict the Bedouin or those who carry out that policy; for us, there is only one place for every Israeli Jew - outside.


http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.618007

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
When a Haaretz journalist (Amira Hass) was asked to leave a Palestinian university (Original Post) shira Sep 2014 OP
So a reporter for a paper that has a known anti-Palestinian bias intaglio Sep 2014 #1
Amira Hass and Ha'aretz have a known anti-Palestinian bias? oberliner Sep 2014 #2
Haaretz is not known for it's anti-Palestinian bias. Neither is Amira Hass.... shira Sep 2014 #3
Your post is 100% incorrect King_David Sep 2014 #4
Shalom intaglio.... Israeli Sep 2014 #5
So you "understand" Birzeit's apartheid policy vs. Jews, correct? shira Sep 2014 #8
Just by the way in not sure it's a good idea to post complete articles here on DU King_David Sep 2014 #9
Actually, I think it's more like you GOT a free U2 album on iTunes whether you wanted it or not. Ken Burch Oct 2014 #16
ya but does itunes give you 6 songs a month for free just for signing up-not paying them anything azurnoir Oct 2014 #17
There's something striking about this, but not surprising. aranthus Sep 2014 #6
Not just her, but her like-minded Israel bashing friends in BDS.... shira Sep 2014 #7
the university administration publicly apologized for the incident azurnoir Sep 2014 #10
"has nothing against the presence of the journalist Hass." King_David Sep 2014 #15
But, but, they're not anti-Semitic, they're anti-Zionist grossproffit Sep 2014 #11
Interesting this article also ignores the Univerities apology but adds this rather rancid morsel: azurnoir Sep 2014 #12
The religious Right wing blogs .... Israeli Sep 2014 #13
Of course it's not due to the occupation King_David Sep 2014 #14
Most support for Israel is due to Islamophobia shaayecanaan Oct 2014 #18
The extreme right like David Duke and extreme left like G Berlin King_David Oct 2014 #19
The extreme right like Brigitte Gabriel, Caroline Glick, Pam Gellar shaayecanaan Oct 2014 #20
True King_David Oct 2014 #21
Birzeits statement on Hass exclusion - I doubt it will happen again azurnoir Oct 2014 #22

intaglio

(8,170 posts)
1. So a reporter for a paper that has a known anti-Palestinian bias
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 08:36 AM
Sep 2014

is refused an interview with a Palestinian professor - and that's apartheid? A university whose objective is to educate Palestinians and employ Palestinians is practising apartheid?

Perhaps this university is trying to counteract refusal of many Israelis to employ or interact with educated Palestinians but that would put your fantasy of Israel at risk.

 

shira

(30,109 posts)
3. Haaretz is not known for it's anti-Palestinian bias. Neither is Amira Hass....
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 09:15 AM
Sep 2014

What happened at Birzeit is straight-up bigotry.

King_David

(14,851 posts)
4. Your post is 100% incorrect
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 09:23 AM
Sep 2014

There's lots of research available about IP , it's one of the most written about conflicts of the world that everyone's interested because it involves Jews.

Or you can look up Amira Hass .

Or just ask one of us.

Israeli

(4,151 posts)
5. Shalom intaglio....
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 10:11 AM
Sep 2014

....you are being manipulated by an expert .

Amira Hass is an Israeli Left wing post zionist ....shira does not like her... or any of us .

See : http://www.democraticunderground.com/113449249

Shira twists things to suit her own agenda .... you need to read the full article ....can you ?
If not I can post it for you .

King_David

(14,851 posts)
9. Just by the way in not sure it's a good idea to post complete articles here on DU
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 10:38 AM
Sep 2014

That Haaretz makes people pay for.

It's sort of like "downloading free" music and videos.

You can get a U2 album for free if you have iTunes .

azurnoir

(45,850 posts)
17. ya but does itunes give you 6 songs a month for free just for signing up-not paying them anything
Wed Oct 1, 2014, 12:45 AM
Oct 2014

because that would be more like Ha'aretz

aranthus

(3,385 posts)
6. There's something striking about this, but not surprising.
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 10:19 AM
Sep 2014

It's not that she was excluded from a Palestinian institution because she's Jewish. No surprise there at all and many of us already understood what Palestinianism was about anyway. No, what's striking, but not surprising is that getting hit with this little slice of reality does not seem to change her thinking in any way. I'm quite certain that she intends to be just as "subversive" as she was before. Which says something about her.

 

shira

(30,109 posts)
7. Not just her, but her like-minded Israel bashing friends in BDS....
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 10:27 AM
Sep 2014

No amount of facts or logic will change their thinking in any way.

Exactly like religious fanatics. No difference. Religious fanatics are compromised by their religious beliefs while others are compromised by their political beliefs. They're all impervious to facts and reasoning.

azurnoir

(45,850 posts)
10. the university administration publicly apologized for the incident
Sun Sep 28, 2014, 06:29 PM
Sep 2014

I can't begin to fathom why that got left out

At the final session of the conference on Wednesday, a lecturer from another department asked to discuss the fact that I had been kicked out, and the issue of banning left-wing Israeli Jews in general. The lecturer and others, who weren't present at the time of the incident, were shocked and expressed their protest, I was told. When it was announced that I was asked to leave, "for my own protection," a number of people left the hall in anger. Meanwhile, a storm erupted on Facebook. Acquaintances have since called me to apologize. The owner of my local grocery store apologized "in the name of the Palestinian people."

Meanwhile, the university published a statement Saturday saying: "The administration has nothing against the presence of the journalist Hass. The university as a national institution differentiates between friends and enemies of the Palestinian people… and works with every person or institution that is against the occupation."


http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.618007

King_David

(14,851 posts)
15. "has nothing against the presence of the journalist Hass."
Mon Sep 29, 2014, 07:28 AM
Sep 2014

She really fancies herself the most righteous Jew among the primitives .
Kind of like that website called Mondoweiss - the righteous Jews among a sea of Neanderthals . We even have some views like that here on DU.

azurnoir

(45,850 posts)
12. Interesting this article also ignores the Univerities apology but adds this rather rancid morsel:
Mon Sep 29, 2014, 12:57 AM
Sep 2014
But in her typical left-wing, self-hating fashion, the Haaretz reporter wrote an article basically defending the university for removing her for being a Jew, essentially saying that it’s “understandable” as it always is, due to the alleged “occupation” and Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people

.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1504549/pro-palestinian-journalist-expelled-from-ramallah-university-conference-for-being-jewish/#D8RhJEJu0TPqsB0i.99

apology from Birzeit University

At the final session of the conference on Wednesday, a lecturer from another department asked to discuss the fact that I had been kicked out, and the issue of banning left-wing Israeli Jews in general. The lecturer and others, who weren't present at the time of the incident, were shocked and expressed their protest, I was told. When it was announced that I was asked to leave, "for my own protection," a number of people left the hall in anger. Meanwhile, a storm erupted on Facebook. Acquaintances have since called me to apologize. The owner of my local grocery store apologized "in the name of the Palestinian people."

Meanwhile, the university published a statement Saturday saying: "The administration has nothing against the presence of the journalist Hass. The university as a national institution differentiates between friends and enemies of the Palestinian people… and works with every person or institution that is against the occupation."



http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.618007

Israeli

(4,151 posts)
13. The religious Right wing blogs ....
Mon Sep 29, 2014, 02:51 AM
Sep 2014

.....are having a field day azurnoir....

Israelcool has it top of their page :

http://www.israellycool.com/2014/09/28/reader-post-amira-hass-anti-israel-leftist-thrown-out-of-birzeit-university-for-being-jewish/

The IP conflict has nothing to do with the occupation or the oppression of the Palestinian people dont you know ..... its all due to anti semitism .

King_David

(14,851 posts)
14. Of course it's not due to the occupation
Mon Sep 29, 2014, 07:20 AM
Sep 2014

But a lot of suport the Palestinians do get from the outside is definitly due to AntiSemitism .

Witness David Duke or other extreme right . Same with the extreme left. Same with Greta Berlin and the free Gaza movement. Same with 75% of people on websites and forums, it's not due to the occupation that brings that support , it's due to good old fashioned bigotry against Jews .
( usually goes along with homophobia too )

shaayecanaan

(6,068 posts)
18. Most support for Israel is due to Islamophobia
Wed Oct 1, 2014, 07:47 PM
Oct 2014

do you really think right-wing Protestants like Chuck Hagee have secretly been suppressing their great love for the Jewish people these past 2000 years?

The simple arithmetic of it is that the right now hates Muslims more than it hates Jews.

King_David

(14,851 posts)
19. The extreme right like David Duke and extreme left like G Berlin
Wed Oct 1, 2014, 09:11 PM
Oct 2014

Make cause with Palestinians precisely because they hate Jews .

These are way more extremist right than Hagee et al.

shaayecanaan

(6,068 posts)
20. The extreme right like Brigitte Gabriel, Caroline Glick, Pam Gellar
Wed Oct 1, 2014, 09:49 PM
Oct 2014

and Robert Spencer support Israel precisely because they hate Muslims and/or Arabs.

azurnoir

(45,850 posts)
22. Birzeits statement on Hass exclusion - I doubt it will happen again
Thu Oct 2, 2014, 12:48 AM
Oct 2014
Birzeit said in a statement Tuesday that it "regrets the lamentable incident involving the apparent exclusion of Hass from a Center for Development Studies Conference and will work with students and faculty to create better understanding of, and ensure adherence to, university policies, which oppose discrimination based on identity."

"Birzeit University wishes to clarify its principled position of welcoming supporters of the Palestinian struggle and opponents of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, regardless of nationality, religion, ethnicity, or creed," the statement said.


http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=731230
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Israel/Palestine»When a Haaretz journalist...