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University event questioning Israel's right to exist is cancelled
A conference at the University of Southampton discussing the right of Israel to exist has been cancelled, say the organisers, who have accused the institution of bowing to pressure at the expense of free speech.
The conference, due to take place next month, described itself as “unique because it concerns the legitimacy in international law of the Jewish state of Israel”, but critics denounced it as one-sided.
Among those who condemned the conference were the Jewish Board of Deputies, and MPs including Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, and Caroline Noakes, MP for Romsey and Southampton.
The Zionist Federation UK arranged a petition opposing its staging that attracted more than 6,400 signatures. A counter-petition signed by more than 800 academics, including from Oxbridge, Russell Group and US Ivy League universities, urged Southampton to resist the pressure.
Oren Ben-Dor, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Southampton, and one of the event organisers, said he was told by the institution’s operating officer on Monday that it would not be allowed to take place. The university conceded that it was considering cancelling the event because of health and safety concerns but said no final decision had been taken.
Ben-Dor said: “It is very clear that the health and safety issue was not serious, it’s a way of creating bogus reasoning. The real reason was political pressure. The controversial nature of the conference is precisely where [the principle of] freedom of speech leads – that’s where the commitment to freedom of speech is tested.
Source: www.theguardian.com