Stanford and the ASA Boycott: Pushback & Response
September 18, 2014
I previously wrote and spoke about the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israeli academics, and the complicit role of Stanford University as an institutional member of the ASA. I asked Stanford to follow the lead of Bard College, Brandeis University, Indiana University, Kenyon College, Penn State Harrisburg), the University of Texas (Dallas) and the University of Utah, and terminate its institutional membership in the ASA. Failing that, Stanford could announce that, as a matter of policy, it will not allow university funds to be used for ASA membership dues and journal subscriptions, travel to ASA conferences, or other ASA-related activities. (The American Studies Program can maintain its academic freedom and independence by raising its own funds for this purpose, separate from the university budget.) Read the rest of this entry »
Israel, the American Studies Association, Stanford, and Us: Why We Should Care
September 7, 2014
[At the request of some of my classmates, I am posting here the comments I made at a TED-style talk at our recent reunion.]
I am here to talk about Israel, the American Studies Association boycott, and the role of Stanford University. Read the rest of this entry »
Imagine There’s No Countries
August 16, 2014
Also published in The Algemeiner, August 24, 2014
John Lennon expressed an appealing dream: “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do / Nothing to live or die for / And no religion too / Imagine all the people / Living life in peace…” What a lovely idea – can we make it happen? Maybe it’s the answer to the endless strife in the Middle East, most notably between Israel and the Palestinians? Read the rest of this entry »
On Proportionality (Part 1)
August 14, 2014
Critics of Israel’s military offensive against Hamas have decried—during Operation Protective Edge as well as previous rounds—what they see as the “disproportionate” Israeli response, even as they lament the unwarranted and unprovoked attacks by Hamas. Even supporters of Israel wonder aloud whether the IDF acted “proportionately” or overreacted. They correctly point out that Hamas’ rockets and attack tunnels do not constitute an existential threat to Israel, and that few Israelis were actually hurt by them. In comparison, the extent of the destruction and devastation in Gaza, as well as the casualty figures, seem quite high. To answer the question of whether Israel’s actions were “proportionate” or “disproportionate,” we must start by considering what the term actually means. Read the rest of this entry »
Gaza Civilian Casualties
August 10, 2014
Many in the media, political leaders, and the public have been asking about the carnage in Gaza. Why are were so many civilians killed and injured? Richard Kemp wrote for the Gatestone Institute that the IDF spokesperson, Peter Lerner, was challenged by a reporter to explain whether the IDF was intentionally targeting civilians, or simply incompetent. Kemp writes, “To suggest that military incompetence is the only explanation for civilian deaths other than deliberate mass murder reveals a breathtaking but unsurprising ignorance of the realities of combat.” Continue reading this article…
Jerusalem Light Rail, Revisited
[Originally published in Kim Milrell da Costa’s Israelism.se, July 23, 2013]
Once again, my family and I are visiting Israel from the northwest corner of the U.S., in Seattle, Washington, where I manage an Israel resource center (www.BroaderView.org). And once again, we are spending our summer in my hometown of Rehovot. While the kids are at day camp—“kaytana” in Hebrew—I roam the country by bus and train and car to see friends and acquaintances, old and new. Once again, my travels bring me to Jerusalem for a day of meetings. I wrote last year about my adventures on Jerusalem’s “CitiPass” light rail, and got some very positive reactions, so I thought I would post an update. Read the rest of this entry »
On the Jerusalem Light Rail
Originally published in Kim Milrell da Costa’s Israelism.se, August 8, 2012
I was born and raised in Israel, and live in Seattle, in the northwest corner of the United States, where I am a consultant, speaker, and educator focused on modern Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I manage an online resource center about Israel at www.BroaderView.org, and invite you to visit! Read the rest of this entry »
My Two-State Solution
July 7, 2012
If I were advising the Israeli government, I would recommend that Prime Minister Netanyahu lay out his own “peace plan,” backing up his stated support in June 2009 for a Palestinian state with specific parameters for that state. These are not “preconditions” or take-it-or-leave-it terms of an agreement, but rather a framework for discussions, an indication of what Israel is willing to give and what it expects to get in return. Everything on both sides of the equation should be phrased to appeal to the international community, using the language of fairness and justice and rule of law: end of occupation, peace, security, reciprocity, no discrimination, good-faith negotiations, etc. Read the rest of this entry »