aaaa....Sydney University peace centre rebuffs Israeli
civics teacherdec 6 2012
Sydney University peace centre rebuffs Israeli civics teacher
Sydney University peace centre rebuffs
Israeli civics teacher
- The Australian
- December 06, 2012
Hebrew University of
Jerusalem academic Dan Avnon is credited with developing and implementing the
only state program in civics written for joint Jewish-Arab high
schools.
He approached the head
of the Sydney University centre, Jake Lynch, for assistance with studying civics
education in Australia under a fellowship agreement between the two
institutions.
But Associate Professor
Lynch rebuffed the request, citing the centre's support for the anti-Israeli
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The centre helped
establish the Sydney Peace Foundation, which awards the Sydney Peace Prize. Past
recipients include the controversial Palestinian activist Hanan
Ashrawi.
The centre's website says it "promotes interdisciplinary research
and teaching on the causes of conflict and the conditions that affect conflict
resolution and peace".
Professor Avnon
contacted Associate Professor Lynch, expressing interest in spending time at the
centre and meeting him.
Associate Professor
Lynch emailed in reply: "Your research sounds interesting and worthwhile.
However, we are supporters of the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions,
and that includes the call for an academic boycott of Israeli
universities."
The BDS movement
explicitly equates the Jewish state with apartheid-era South
Africa.
The campaign was
started in 2005 by 171 Palestinian non-governmental organisations as a form of
"non-violent punitive measures" against Israel until it "complies with the
precepts of international law".
The BDS campaign has
included protests outside the Max Brenner chain of coffee shops, which are
Israeli-owned.
The boycott was led in
Australia by Greens council members in Sydney's inner-west, including former
Marrickville mayor Fiona Byrne, whose council voted to support the boycott in
2010. It was dropped after widespread criticism from the federal and state
governments, business leaders and the Jewish community.
In 2003 the awarding of
the Sydney Peace Prize to Dr Ashrawi provoked fierce debate and protests,
arising from her role as a Palestinian spokesperson in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Israeli hard-liners loathe Dr Ashrawi, branding her a propagandist and
an apologist for terrorism.
Professor Avnon - who
has written on moving beyond the Jewish-Palestinian divide to develop a new
sense of citizenship in Israel - said of the centre's decision: "I find it
ironic that you promote a policy of boycott that does not distinguish one
individual from another. It is ironic because, like myself, many (probably most)
intellectuals and scholars in relevant fields are doing our best to effect
change in Israeli political culture. We pay prices for going against the
institutional grain. And then we turn around and meet such a 'blind to the
person' policy."
Professor Avnon continued: "One common tendency that must
be changed if we ever want to live sane lives is to debunk categorical and
stereotypical thinking when dealing with human beings." He received no response
from Associate Professor Lynch.
University of Sydney vice-chancellor Michael Spence
rejected a call from Associate Professor Lynch in 2009 to cut links with the
Hebrew University and a second Israeli institution, the Technion, in the city of
Haifa. "I do not consider it appropriate for the university to boycott academic
institutions in a country with which Australia has diplomatic relations," he
wrote in response at the time.
A spokesman for Dr Spence said his position had not
changed.
The spokesman said Associate Professor Lynch was "entitled
to express a public opinion where it falls under his area of expertise", but
added, "on this particular matter he does not speak for the school, the faculty
or for the university".
The Australian was
unable to contact Associate Professor Lynch yesterday.
Professor Avnon said he
had received "heart-warming, collegial and positive responses" from other staff
at Sydney University. "I look forward to associating with them and learning from
and through them about Australia's policies in civic education and other
issues," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment