Author:
Gemma Ware
(MENAFN- The Conversation) Across parts of academia, concerns are mounting that the Israel-Gaza war is having a chilling effect on academic freedom. In the second of two episodes of The Conversation Weekly exploring how the war is affecting life at universities, we speak to an Israeli legal scholar, now based in the UK, about the pressures that academics and students are facing to rein in their views about the war.
In the two months since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli war on Gaza, Neve Gordon is worried that there's been a major clampdown on academic freedom in the US, Europe and Israel.
After teaching for 17 years in southern Israel, Gordon moved to the UK in 2016 and he's now a professor of human rights and humanitarian law at Queen Mary University of London. His research looks at the laws of war with a special focus on Israel-Palestine, and on definitions of antisemitism .
He's also the vice-president at the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies and chair of its committee on academic freedom. In this role, he's been following the impact of the conflict on free speech at universities, and recently hosted an international webinar on the issue .
In Israel, Gordon told us he was aware of 113 cases in Israel of students and staff who have been suspended or dismissed, and at least ten students who have been arrested for their criticism of Israel's attack on Gaza.“We have several students sitting behind bars for Facebook or tweets that basically express empathy for the suffering of the Palestinians,” he says.
Read more: American universities in the spotlight over reaction to Israel-Gaza war – podcast
Meanwhile, in Germany, many protests supporting Palestinian rights have been banned and Gordon says colleagues in Germany have told him that“the situation is untenable”.
All this, Gordon says, is having a chilling effect across academia.
Listen to the full interview with Neve Gordon on The Conversation Weekly podcast, where you can also listen to the first of our two episodes on the way the Israel-Gaza war is affecting life at universities, focusing on what's been happening at one American public university .
This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany, with assistance from Katie Flood. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl.
You can find us on X, formerly known as Twitter @TC_Audio , on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email . You can also subscribe to The Conversation's free daily email here .
Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here .
MENAFN18122023000199003603ID1107619193
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.