Amnon Rubenstein, a dovish former Knesset member and education minister, and one of the handful of Israeli politicians (current or former) whom I deeply admire, writes about his firsthand experience with the academic boycott of Israel:
A student of mine in a class on multiculturalism was writing a paper on Hispanic culture in the US. The definitive article on the subject was published by Prof. David Branwell of the National University of Ireland, so my student e-mailed Branwell asking whether his position on bilingual education in America remained unaltered, to which the professor replied: “I am sorry, we imposed an academic boycott of Israel at the time of the Israeli invasion of Gaza.”
I, too, have e-mailed Branwell asking about the body imposing the boycott and whether there are any conditions under which it would end. I am still waiting for a reply – unless the boycott applies also to relevant information about it.
[normblog notes that the name of the professor in question is actually Barnwell.]
Refusing to answer an Israeli student’s question about bilingual education in the US? That will really help advance justice for the Palestinians.
