Pro-Israel campus groups denied presentation at Modern Language Association confab
(JNS.org) The pro-Israel campus groups Hillel International and the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) have been denied the right to present a discussion on Israel at the Jan. 9-12 Modern Language Association (MLA) convention in Chicago, JNS.org has learned.
MLA’s convention includes a roundtable discussion that will feature supporters but no opponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
The discussion—titled “Academic Boycotts: A Conversation about Israel and Palestine”—is seen as a possible precursor to an MLA academic boycott of Israel, which would mirror recent boycotts by the American Studies Association and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. The MLA convention will consider a resolution that condemns Israel for alleged “arbitrary denials of entry to Gaza and the West Bank by U.S. academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.”
Hillel and the ICC asked the 30,000-member MLA for the chance to present what they called an “open discussion featuring MLA members regarding academic freedom in Israel, its territories, and Gaza,” but MLA said the deadline to book a meeting at the convention had passed.
“The MLA convention has procedures for its members to organize sessions, and that deadline was 1 April [2013],” MLA Executive Director Rosemary G. Feal, the MLA’s executive director, wrote in an email to ICC Executive Director Jacob Baime. “We do not rent space at our convention for nonmembers to hold discussions.”
The existing MLA session’s speakers will include BDS movement co-founder Omar Barghouti; University of Texas professor Barbara Jane Harlow, who has stated her support for the ASA boycott of Israel, University of Southern California professor of English David Lloyd, a well-known BDS activist; and Wesleyan University professor Richard Ohmann, who signed a 2009 letter that described Israeli treatment of Palestinians as “one of the most massive, ethnocidal atrocities of modern times.” University of Texas professor Samer M. Ali, who publicly defended the ASA boycott, organized the roundtable.
“We believe the members of the MLA deserve to hear a far more diverse set of perspectives on the issue of academic freedom in Israel and nearby countries. The MLA members, as academics, certainly can appreciate the value of multiple perspectives on what is a very controversial issue,” ICC’s Baime said.
ICC and Hillel said they are now considering organizing a “balancing panel” discussion at a nearby location during the MLA convention. The panel would feature MLA members who oppose the anti-Israel resolution being considered at the convention.
Ali, the organizer of the convention’s roundtable on BDS, told The Chronicle of Higher Education that the roundtable assumes that Israel violates the rights of Palestinians, and that the debate will center on what to do about it.
“If people want to come and debate occupation, I think it will be a waste of their time, because that’s not what the roundtable is about,” Ali said.
*
IDF purchases field-ready smartphones
(By Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces is poised to enter the smartphone era. The Israeli Defense Ministry’s acquisition department recently finalized a deal with Motorola for a durable, field-tested smartphone that would allow troops to communicate and share encrypted data
The Motorola smartphone platform was selected after comprehensive testing carried out by the Defense Ministry and the IDF’s teleprocessing unit. According to the deal, Motorola will supply smartphones as well as establish a secure network for the devices.
Like most smartphones on the market, the device will include a touch screen, GPS, 8-megapixel camera, and a unique set of applications. The device will be durable, water- and dust-resistant, and will support 400 airtime minutes and up to 500 hours of reserve battery. The phone will allow troops to send encrypted text, media and emails from the field.
The new device will replace the current “Vered Harim” (“Rose Hills”) encrypted phone system, which will remain in use until all devices are upgraded. The project is estimated to cost $100 million over the span of 15 years, during which time Motorola Solutions will provide technical support and warranty for the devices and network.
“Signing the contract to develop and purchase the first army smartphone will bring the smartphone revolution to the future battlefield, and will afford the IDF and the defense establishment a significant advantage. We succeeded in bringing the world’s most advanced technology to the IDF at the best price,” said IDF acquisition department head Brig. Gen. Shmuel Tzuker.
*
British and German leaders to visit Israel in February
(JNS.org) British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are scheduled to visit Israel in February, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced.
Cameron is scheduled to arrive in mid-February, while Merkel will arrive a week later. The visit will be the first for Cameron since becoming prime minister in 2010. Merkel last visited in 2011.
While their trips come amid ongoing U.S.-brokered peace talks, the Israeli Foreign Ministry denied that the peace talks will be the focus of their trip.
Recently the European Union voted to offer Israel and the Palestinians an unprecedented aid package as an incentive for both sides to reach a final-status peace deal.
In addition to the two European allies, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit in late January and will address the Knesset.
*
Israeli Christians in Nazareth launch new website to encourage tourism
(JNS.org) A group of Israeli Christians from Nazareth have launched a new website called “Diglei Habrith” (United Flags) in an effort to promote tourism to Nazareth and strengthen Jewish-Christian ties.
The website, which is still under construction, is being organized by Israeli Christian and former IDF Captain Bishara Shlayan, a merchant seaman from Nazareth who has become outspoken new leader of the Israeli Christian community seeking to build Jewish-Christian ties. Shlayan is also leading efforts to form a new Israeli-Arab Christian political party called B’nei Habrit and to build a 100-foot statue of Jesus in Nazareth.
“The site will symbolize the attraction of the global Christian community to the city of Nazareth and the support of the world community to the Christian communities in Israel,” the website says.
*
Former PM Ariel Sharon’s health deteriorates
(JNS.org) Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s health has taken a turn for the worse, doctors at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer said on Wednesday.
Sharon, 85, was Israeli prime minister from 2001 until his suffered a second stroke in 2006 that left him in a permanent coma.
A source with knowledge of Sharon’s condition says it is only a “matter of days” if his health continues to worsen, Haaretz reported.
Sharon had a storied career in the Israeli military and later served as defense minister and foreign minister. His term as prime minister was noted for his response to the Second Intifada and for leading the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
*
Preceding provided by JNS.org