Dear all, I have received this message today. I have no means to verify its authenticity, but given the gravity of the matter I have decided to fwd it to the list. alfredo. > > > > > > > Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:13:06 +0100 > > > From: Ilan Pappe > > > Subject: The expulsion of Pappe > > > > > > Dear Friends, > > > > > > I have received today an invitation to stand for a > > > trial in my university, > > > the university of Haifa. The prosecution, > > > represented by Haifa Deanıs of > > > humanities demands my expulsion from the university > > > due to the positions I > > > have taken on the Katz affair. It calls upon the > > > court to judge Dr. Pappe > > > on the offences he has committed and to use to the > > > full the courtıs legal > > > authority to expel him from the university². These > > > offences are in a > > > nutshell my past critique of the universityıs > > > conduct in the Katz affair, > > > the MA student who discovered the Tantura massacre > > > in 1948 and was > > > disqualified for that. The reason the university > > > waited so long is that now > > > the time is ripe in Israel for any act of silencing > > > academic freedom. My > > > intent to teach a course on the Nakbah next year and > > > my support for boycott > > > on Israel has led the university to the conclusion > > > that I can only be > > > stopped by expulsion. > > > > > > Judging by past procedures this is not a request, > > > but already a verdict, > > > given the position of the person in question in the > > > university and the way > > > things had been done in the past. The ostensible > > > procedure of a Ofair trialı > > > does not exist and hence I do not even intend to > > > participate in a > > > McCarthyist charade. > > > > > > > > > I do not appeal to you for my own sake. I ask you at > > > this stage before a > > > final decision has been taken to voice your opinion > > > in whatever form you can > > > and to whatever stage you have access to, not in > > > order to prevent my > > > expulsion (in many ways in the present atmosphere in > > > Israel it will come > > > now, and if not now later on, as the Israeli > > > academia has deiced almost > > > unanimously to support the government and to help > > > silence any criticism). I > > > ask those who are willing to do so, to take this > > > case as part of your > > > overall appreciation of, and attitude to, the preset > > > situation in Israel. > > > This should shed light also on the debate whether or > > > not to boycott Israeli > > > academia. > > > > > > This is not, I stress, and an appeal for personal > > > help my situation is far > > > better than that of my colleagues in the occupied > > > territories living under > > > the daily harassment and brutal abuses of the > > > Israeli army. It is an opening > > > gambit and many of colleagues, especially my > > > Palestinian Israeli colleagues, > > > can be next. A testimony to the tragic circumstances > > > of my own university is > > > that I know there is no use in distributing this > > > letter on its internal > > > web-site, as all of my colleagues in the past when > > > it came to the crucial > > > moment - for understandable reasons - felt they > > > could do very little to help > > > me, without risking their own position in the > > > university. > > > > > > I know many of you have access to world media and > > > can help to expose the > > > already dismal picture and false pretense of Israel > > > of being the Oonly > > > democracy in the Middle Eastı. > > > > > > Yours > > > Ilan Pappe > > >
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sun Jun 02 2002 - 00:00:06 EDT