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Last update - 01:29 23/08/2009
L.A. Jews mull boycott of Israel university over 'apartheid' op-ed
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Los Angeles, boycott 

Members of the Los Angeles Jewish community have threatened to withhold donations to an Israeli university in protest of an op-ed published by a prominent Israeli academic in the Los Angeles Times on Friday, in which he called to boycott Israel economically, culturally and politically.

Dr. Neve Gordon of Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva, a veteran peace activist, branded Israel as an apartheid state and said that a boycott was "the only way to save it from itself."

Gordon, a political scientist, said that "apartheid state" is the most accurate way to describe Israel today.
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"3.5 million Palestinians and almost half a million Jews live in the areas Israel occupied in 1967," Gordon wrote, "and yet while these two groups live in the same area, they are subjected to totally different legal systems. The Palestinians are stateless and lack many of the most basic human rights. By sharp contrast, all Jews - whether they live in the occupied territories or in Israel - are citizens of the state of Israel."

"It is indeed not a simple matter for me as an Israeli citizen to call to suspend cooperation with Israel," he further wrote. "The words and condemnations from the Obama administration and the European Union have yielded no results, not even a settlement freeze, let alone a decision to withdraw from the occupied territories."

Gordon was in the public spotlight in 2002, during Israel's assault on the Palestinian Authority, as one of the Israelis who stayed with Yasser Arafat in his compound. In 2003, he was a vocal critic of Paratroopers Brigadier Col. Aviv Kochavi.

In the wake of the publication of the article, Israel's Consul-General in Los Angeles, Yaakov (Yaki) Dayan sent a letter to the president of Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Rivka Carmi, in which he said that such statements may be detrimental to the university.

"Since the article was published I've been contacted by people who care for Israel; some of them are benefactors of Ben-Gurion University," Dayan wrote. "They were unanimous in threatening to withhold their donations to your institution. My attempt to explain that one bad apple would affect hundreds of researchers turned out to be futile."

"I believe that the definitive answer to anti-Zionist lecturers like Gordon is to set up a center for Zionist studies, which unfortunately does not exist in Israeli academia," he continued. "This center would help dispel the lies disseminated by Gordon in the name of your university."

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      1.   If Gordon had any integrity he would resign his post 23:01  |  McQueen 22/08/09
      2.   punishment 23:08  |  anonymous 22/08/09
      3.   Neve Gordon 23:08  |  Jane 22/08/09
      4.   Please think before labeling Dr. Gordon as a self-hater Jew 23:17  |  Abe 22/08/09
      5.   Don`t get angy ,get even ,examine Gordon`s tax statements 23:17  |  Absolute Sweden 22/08/09
      6.   Well done Doc. 23:19  |  had enough 22/08/09
      7.   gordon 23:25  |  professor 22/08/09
      8.   Dr. Neve Gordon. A Righteous Jew. My respect. 23:28  |  Lou Medel 22/08/09
      9.   We have plenty of nutty professors in the US! 23:38  |  US CITIZEN 22/08/09
      10.   Neve Gordon is probably right 23:39  |  OCCUPATION MAGAZINE 22/08/09
      11.   who in Israel thinks this haughty jew is prominent? 23:43  |  sz 22/08/09
      12.   Do your worst 23:46  |  Yoni 22/08/09
      13.   Gordon merely telling the truth... albeit undiplomatically... 23:50  |  Esther 22/08/09
      14.   Why Should Anyone Be Surprised 23:56  |  crlman 22/08/09
      15.   Only thing American Zionists know is money money 00:02  |  Chanalau, Tova 23/08/09
      16.   What lies? He wrote the exact truth! 00:02  |  BBSNews 23/08/09
      17.   Boycotts 00:04  |  Arieh Zimmerman 23/08/09
      18.   NO freedom of speech in Israel?? Swedish posters please note 00:11  |  PETER SM 23/08/09
      19.   When uncomfortable truths are spoken out...... 00:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/08/09
      20.   Thank you Professor Gordon! 00:25  |  Haaretz Fan 23/08/09
      21.   Haaretz, once again is trying.... 00:26  |  Abecassis 23/08/09
      22.   what he said 00:33  |  eyal 23/08/09
      23.   As a student in Ben Gurion Univ 00:33  |  Abe 23/08/09
      24.   Does Ben Gurion university need this professor? 00:50  |  shlomo 23/08/09
      25.   Neve Gordon is my hero 00:53  |  Rod 23/08/09
      26.   naive left 01:01  |  alan 23/08/09
      27.   Israeli Consul General NOT US Jews React 01:02  |  Dolphin 23/08/09
      28.   Opposing a boycott by calling for a boycott? 01:03  |  Mike W 23/08/09
      29.   LA Counsel General 01:06  |  yuval 23/08/09
      30.   Everybody must boycott Beer Sheva university 01:13  |  Allen 23/08/09
      31.   AIPAC ...the most dangerous threat to 01:16  |  kiwi girl 23/08/09
      32.   Should Neve Leave? 01:30  |  Justin White 23/08/09
      33.   Yaki Dayan`s misplaced displeasure 01:35  |  Michael N 23/08/09
      34.   Mistaken reaction of LA Jews 01:39  |  Ariel 23/08/09
      35.   He`s entitled to his opinion 01:46  |  dB 23/08/09
      36.   Guidelines on attacking one`s government 02:28  |  Sherlock Holmes 23/08/09
      37.   Dueling boycotts 02:33  |  Peter Reich 23/08/09
      38.   The problem if universities rely on private donations 02:40  |  KM 23/08/09
      39.   Gordon Way Out Of Line 04:10  |  Justin White 23/08/09
      40.   Why not look into what he said 04:12  |  Rami of Nazareth 23/08/09
      41.   International support 04:15  |  ron 23/08/09
      42.   Another lefty clown among so called 04:19  |  TOMY 23/08/09
      43.   Revoke his citizenship... 04:30  |  David 23/08/09
      44.   Yes, we need 100 more Dr Neve Gordans. the TRUTH at last 05:27  |  Jonathan David 23/08/09
      45.   Neve Gordon is a parasite 05:38  |  Mark 23/08/09
      46.   When the truth is spoken out, some feelings will get hurt.... 06:02  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/08/09
      47.   LA Jews 06:04  |  Dariush 23/08/09
      48.   L.A. Jews mull boycott of Israel university 06:30  |  Phil 23/08/09
      49.   Pro. Nev Gordon vs Pro. Benny Morris and LA Jews 06:59  |  Wedi Mendefera 23/08/09
      50.   Peace activist? Critic of Israel doesn`t equal peace activist. 07:02  |  B 23/08/09
      51.   Withhold all phlanthropy to Ben Gurion University until Gordon 07:07  |  jae 23/08/09
      52.   JONATHAN DAVID He can say what he likes in Israel 07:20  |  PETER SM 23/08/09
      53.   a jewish boycott of a zionist university? 07:23  |  to funny 23/08/09
      54.   the destructiveness of self hating Jews 07:23  |  a 23/08/09
      55.   Dariush They think he is a headline grabbing lefty 07:23  |  PETER SM 23/08/09
      56.   DARIUS LA Jews many of whom are refugees from the M.E. 07:44  |  PETER SM 23/08/09
      57.   L.A. Jews 07:53  |  Ralph 23/08/09
      58.   Moral Schizophrenia 08:20  |  James Rifkin 23/08/09
      59.   Dr. Neve Gordon 09:28  |  David 23/08/09
      60.   The traitor is the plague. 09:39  |  B. Gold 23/08/09
      61.   "dispel the lies disseminated by gordon"? 09:51  |  eric 23/08/09
      62.   Why DONATE to an Israel bashing enterprise? 09:56  |  Ex Donator 23/08/09
      63.   The most problematic part 10:01  |  Ex Donator 23/08/09
      64.   Israel, Palestinians and the world 10:21  |  V 23/08/09
      65.   to jae #12 `withhold...` 10:22  |  Colin Wright 23/08/09
      66.   Rifkin#19 10:23  |  ron 23/08/09
      67.   Boycotting universities 10:42  |  Boris 23/08/09
      68.   The once humanitarian left has died. Now: false, hypocrite left 10:54  |  Israeli citizen 23/08/09
      69.   To #5 David 11:08  |  Dean 23/08/09
      70.   To #21 Ex Donator 11:17  |  Dean 23/08/09
      71.   Niv Gordon 11:32  |  Clap Hammer 23/08/09
      72.   If you are not jewish and live in Israel 11:38  |  had enough 23/08/09
      73.   had enough - Enough with libels 11:58  |  Ex Donator 23/08/09
      74.   HAD Enough how much rights are there to be a high court judge? 12:43  |  PETER SM 23/08/09
      75.   We need more Dr. Gordon`s, Dr. Finkelstein`s, and Dr. Chomsky`s 12:53  |  palestinian 23/08/09
      76.   Intellectual dishonesty and distortions of history 13:16  |  Joe Frazier 23/08/09
      77.   What drives Neve Gordon`s opinions? 13:26  |  Rod 23/08/09
      78.   Boycott Gordon, That`s the Way 13:27  |  Shmuel 23/08/09
      79.   Dean - Try donating to a Univ. 14:01  |  Ex Donator 23/08/09
      80.   Bravo Neve Gordon 17:52  |  Dorothy Naor 23/08/09
      81.   L.A JEWS.... 17:55  |  michal 23/08/09
      82.   No 58 James Rifkind, right on the mark. 18:11  |  Ben Alofs 23/08/09
      83.   Neve Gordon is right 19:06  |  Ronit 23/08/09
      84.   To the LA jews who agree with Dr. Gordon`s view 19:56  |  NE 23/08/09
      85.   What did he do wrong? 01:50  |  Andrew 24/08/09
      86.   Jewish ethics 04:32  |  Honi 24/08/09
      87.   To ex-donator ( #73) 08:42  |  Dean 24/08/09
      88.   Dean 16:16  |  Ex Donator 24/08/09
      89.   Honesty is Tabu is Aparthied Isreal 18:29  |  carl 24/08/09
      90.   I suggest he walk his talk and refuse "apartheid blood money". 01:14  |  Susan 25/08/09
      91.   To ex-donator 10:37  |  Dean 26/08/09
      92.   resp 11:38  |  john 15/09/09
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