War on Gaza: Hebrew University suspends prominent Palestinian academic
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has suspended a prominent Palestinian academic after she said that it was time to "abolish Zionism".
In an interview on Monday with Israel's Channel 12, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a law professor, said Zionism "can’t continue, it’s criminal. Only by abolishing Zionism can we continue."
"They will use any lie. They started with babies, they continued with rape, and they will continue with a million other lies. We stopped believing them, I hope the world stops believing them," she added, in reference to Israeli allegations of crimes committed on 7 October by Hamas in its surprise attack on southern Israel.
In October, Shalhoub-Kevorkian signed a letter accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, and calling for an end to apartheid and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.
The Hebrew University said on Tuesday that it sent a formal letter to the academic at the time, which "expressed strong condemnation over Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s alignment with a petition characterising Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal and labeling it an occupying force since 1948."
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The university suggested she should resign from her position, but, according to its statement on Tuesday, she continued to make "divisive statements" that brought "embarrassment to our esteemed institution".
"As a proud Israeli, public, and Zionist institution, the Hebrew University strongly condemns Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s recent shocking and outrageous statements… To ensure a safe and conducive environment for our students on campus, the university has decided to suspend Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian from teaching activities, effective immediately,” the university said in the statement.
Shalhoub-Kevorkian's suspension has been widely criticised online, with commentators accusing universities of cracking down on criticism of Israel's actions.
Jamil Dakwar, director of ACLU's human rights programme, described the suspension as "another blow to academic freedom in Israel".
Since the outbreak of war last year, scores of Palestinian citizens of Israel have been arrested in connection with social media posts expressing solidarity with victims of Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
Middle East Eye reported in October that Palestinian students in Israel suspected of harbouring sympathies for the residents of Gaza or opinions critical of Israeli policy were being reported to their faculties and, in many cases, suspended
More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war on 7 October, while 70,000 have been wounded. The UN announced on Saturday that 80 percent of Gaza is now uninhabitable, while the hunger rate stands at 100 percent.
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