Not in Kansas Anymore

"Cary Nelson, a highly respected professor of English, as well as a prolific author who has researched the Arab¿Israeli conflict extensively, here decisively dismantles one particular lie ¿ in this case, about Palestinian education ¿ propagated by the anti-Israel crowd... One of the most widely disseminated lies advanced by the `academic wing¿ of the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement ¿ a movement, as its name makes clear, dedicated to the strangulation of the Jewish state through a concerted campaign of boycotts, sanctions and divestment ¿ is that Israel has systematically impeded the academic freedom of Palestinian scholars and university students. In a series of penetrating chapters ¿ which include detailed case studies of specific scholars, student groups and institutions of higher learning ¿ Nelson proves beyond any reasonable doubt that this charge is simply fraudulent. Whilst not uncritical of certain Israeli actions vis-à-vis Palestinian universities, he nevertheless demonstrates unequivocally that the overwhelming impediment to academic freedom in these institutions emanates from within Palestinian society itself ¿ that is, the authoritarian control over higher education wielded by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Judea and Samaria and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the violent conduct of radical student groups on campus intended to intimidate and silence dissenters. Moreover, the author shows that Palestinian universities have often served as incubators of terrorism against the Jewish state. The genuine reality of academic freedom in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, not to mention the complicity of Palestinian universities in terrorism, observes Nelson, continues to rather conveniently escape the notice of academic Israel-bashers."¿David Rodman, Israel Affairs (October 2021)