Enough Already!

I'm beginning to get really tired of hearing Israel's blanket excuse for attacking civilian establishments and non-combatants. The "Hamas was firing rockets from so-and-so site" has pretty much lost whatever credibility it had.

First they attacked the Islamic University in Gaza, next a United Nations school and now the United Nations headquarters in Gaza. It may just be me but its seems like the Israeli attacks are being targeted at those establishments where a strong voice of opposition to the claims of self-defense could originate. Israel is making sure that the only voice heard is theirs and no news of the actions they take themselves can be heard.

This strategy leads one (at least me) to think that the IDF may not be acting in self-defense but lashing out in anger; possibly committing crimes against humanity. If this were the case, Israel would definitely not want word of the crimes it was committing to leak out for everyone to find out about. That is why it makes sense that Israel is proceeding as they are. They want to hide what is really happening in Gaza so that they do not attract more negative publicity than they are already receiving. Israel cannot afford to lose what few allies it has, especially the United States. If it were to come out that Israel was committing war crimes then it would likely lose the support of the US and then would likely suffer the wrath of the international community.

I wonder if there will be anyone left to speak out against Israel when they are done?

- blenCOWe

CUPE Committee Advocates Censorship and Ban

So apparently the Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee of CUPE has proposed that Israeli academics be banned from teaching or speaking at Ontario universities.

I guess there's nothing like starting the year off with some good old fashioned racism!

I tend to avoid writing on topics related to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. As far as I am concerned, it is a dispute with no fair and equitable resolution in sight or even possible. That said, I find this proposal to be ridiculous and an assault on academia.

Maybe this is just the student inside me speaking but one of the major attractions that I have had to academia is that it tends to serve as a forum for free-thinking and, more importantly, free speech. The proposal to remove all Israeli academics from campuses unless they condemn the assault on Gaza and the bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza.

According to article I read this is, this proposal is meant to be a calculated political response to the recent escalation in Gaza. Well... academia is not the place to do this! This proposal will only hamper any discourse. Censorship has no place in the university classroom, it will serve to provide an incomplete perspective on issues and perpetuate the kind of ignorance that helps to create and further these conflicts.

Now don't take this as my statement in support of either party in the conflict. I condemn senseless killing of any group of people, not to mention the intrusion of politics into the classroom.

I know, I know, that's a funny thing to hear from a political science student.

If CUPE feels it necessary to make a political statement on this subject, make a public announcement or lobby the government. Don't use the academic community as your political medium. You do not represent the students in this community so don't attack the quality of their education. Students pay good money to study from these academics and gain the best educations they can. They should not suffer from your politics.

- blenCOWe