One of them, Noam Chomsky, who was singled out for the centre's peace prize, has been feted by Hezbollah on a visit to Lebanon.
He had also at one stage defended writing a preface for a Holocaust denier's book on the spurious grounds that one cannot automatically assume that a Holocaust denier is an anti-Semite.
Another, Ilan Pappe, has been thoroughly discredited for fabricating the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The third, Michael Lerner, promotes anti-Israel bigotry and the fourth, Jeff Halper, favours the Palestinian historical narrative as opposed to that of his own people and country.
Lynch would have had more credence had he invited a well-known pro-Israeli academic to address his centre as a means of providing its audiences with a point of view at variance with an anti-Israel one. On the other hand, that might be contrary to the centre's ethos.
Leslie Stein, West Pymble, NSW
IT is important to keep separate a number of points about the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies and its support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The centre's director Jake Lynch has every right to argue for, defend and try to persuade others of his reasons for supporting the BDS campaign.
Academic freedom is not a principle one can simply choose when it pleases you. It applies as much to issues about which there is deep disagreement as it does when there is broad consensus. Universities are the place where difficult issues should be debated respectfully but also in a rigorous and searching way. I defend Lynch's right to do so.
However, it is not the policy of the school in which the centre sits, nor the faculty of arts and social sciences, nor the University of Sydney to support the BDS campaign.
Indeed, I believe the campaign, as it applies to universities, cuts against one of the fundamental roles a university should play in a free society. But I respect the fact that there are different views about the campaign and remain willing to debate with those who think differently.
Duncan Ivison, professor, faculty of arts, Sydney University, NSW
THE arguments put forward by Jake Lynch in his letters can be condensed: "I'm not racist, some of my best friends are Jewish". Lynch should understand that his support of the BDS movement means he will be judged by the company he keeps.
Bill Lyndon, North Sydney, NSW
JAKE Lynch's letter simply adds fuel to the fire. He gives as examples of visitors hosted by his centre, Ilan Pappe, Jeff Halper and Noam Chomsky, all of whom are virulent opponents of almost everything the state of Israel does.
However, his centre is not prepared to host academics who might identify any positive policies implemented by Israel, Dan Avnon being the recent example.
Lynch is not a proponent of freedom of expression. His centre acts as a proponent of partisan grandstanding.
David D. Knoll, Coogee, NSW
JAKE Lynch tries hard to hide his biases behind a wall of seemingly harmless and pompous spin. His letter (11/12) was a wonderful example.
"The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is conceived as part of a remedial strategy in the face of inadequate government responses to Israeli policy." You don't have to be an associate professor in reading-between-the-lines to see where this movement is heading.
T. Griffin, Adelaide, SA
No comments:
Post a Comment