Guy Beiner, a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, argues against a “sweeping” proposal by Irish academics to ostracize Israeli professors in academe. In The Irish Times, he laments that “rash unilateral actions are the latest rage in addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict” and that “[d]ialogue is no longer in fashion.”

Of particular interest is his eloquent testimony of the openness of Israeli higher education:

When calling for an academic and cultural boycott, extremist Palestinian activists put forward fictitious claims that Israeli academic institutions promote “racist and colonial policies” and even listed far-fetched accusations that the institutions “sponsor research that justifies ethnic cleansing, extra-judicial killings, racial segregation and land expropriation.”

…Unlike academic institutions under numerous repressive regimes (which for some reason are not being sanctioned), the universities in Israel enjoy full academic freedom. The faculties express a wide range of outlooks.

Left-wing academics openly criticise the government and frequently utilise their scholarship to expose injustice.

In fact, much of the information used by pro-Palestinian activists around the world in their condemnations of Israeli policies derives from these sources.

Universities are often the only sanctuary for critical intellectuals, who are harangued by populist agitators and branded fifth columnists. Many teachers even voice oppositional opinions in the classroom and are at liberty to do so.

…The university in which I currently teach is located in the Negev desert, a peripheral region. The students are a multi-ethnic mix of all components of Israeli society.

In my classes there are Bedouins from the surrounding area and also Arab students who travel from as far away as the Galilee, knowing they will be treated on equal terms and given full access to all the resources they require.

…more than ever, [Israeli universities] need support from academics outside of Israel so they can remain beacons of free thought and learning in a dark age of rampant ignorance and mindless aggression.