Israeli academics, sign a petition at your own risk

...Israel becomes more of an authoritarian state in which dissent is quashed. If Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu are re-elected we can expect things to get ever worse. Make no mistake, the leaders of these two parties and their acolytes have no interest in democratic governance except insofar as it serves their particular ends.

There is only one way to really protest - refusal to accept the Israel Prize from the MacCarthyists

Teachers are permitted to intimate their political beliefs in classrooms, so why should any other academic be differently privileged?

Well, she ain't the first nor the last one. Same happened to MY DAD A Jew: and no-one complained then and not even Jewd as then they too much friends with h and of those who always try to destroy Jews at the TIME

In all the other surrounding Arab / Islamic countries she would have found herself in jail or be one of the "disappeared" She has the right to vote. Nethanyahu has the right to disinvite. That is freedom on both sides of the issue.

Had Israel not been the most transparent Democracy this article would have never been written least of all published-- There of course is at all times the scope for improvement- fine tuning of the Democratic institutions.The subtle questions allowing full freedom of speach and criticism whilst discouraging public offence of those who might think otherwise-- is not readily solved. The present Democratically elected Government had a message to convey to Angela Merkel and most probably wanted to avoid confusion especially in the face of the approaching elections what that message migth be including on the delegation people who identify with radically different ideology. P.M. Netanyahus reaction could be interpreted as an attemtp to be honest he and his party think "A" Professor Feldhay thinks "B"- and should be included into the representation of opposition partiess-- I agree with the writer that those questions are not so easily solved. Sylvia Sztern-SempreLovingM.G.

It will guaranty freedom of speech, but not freedom after speech. Israel is allowing McCarthyism to creep in, and the reaction will be don't speak out, don't sign petitions, don't join organizations, don't read certain books that may be proscribed now or later. However, a democratic society needs exactly that kind of discussion and debate.