Israeli Minister Urges Princeton to Remove Book That Allegedly Spreads Blood Libels
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli sent a letter to Princeton University’s leadership urging them to remove a book accused spreading blood libels.
The 2017 book “The Right to Maim” is being taught in Princeton’s upcoming course “The Healing Humanities: Decolonizing Trauma Studies from the Global South.” The Jerusalem Post reported that Chikli wrote in his letter: “It was shocking to see that this book includes explicit insinuations that Israel uses a deliberate strategy of maiming Palestinians. This delusional and false accusation is nothing but a modern-day antisemitic blood libel.” He argued that including the book in the course has no academic value and it only “contributes to a hostile and divisive atmosphere against Jews and Israelis who study at your university, as well as against the Jewish community.”
Iran Envoy Placed on Leave Will Be Teaching Princeton Classes
Rob Malley, the Biden administration’s Special Envoy to Iran who has been placed on leave by the State Department, will be teaching a couple of classes at Princeton University during the upcoming school year.
According to the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ (SPIA) website, Malley will be teaching “a graduate course this fall on foreign policy decision-making, and one to two undergraduate courses in the spring focused on some combination of diplomacy, negotiation, and foreign policy.” He will be serving in the roles of visiting professor and visiting lecturer. SPIA Dean Amaney Jamal lauded Malley’s “significant diplomatic experience and interactions with multiple presidential administrations” as being “of enormous value to our students.” “I am very happy to welcome him to the School and look forward to his contributions,” Jamal said in a statement.
Per various media reports, Malley was one of the chief negotiators involved in forging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration exited out of in 2018; the Biden administration has been working to revive the deal to no avail thus far. Malley was placed on leave in June, which was reportedly due to allegedly mishandling of classified information, though the State Department has refused to publicly provide any details on the matter. Malley himself told Fox News in June, “I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon. In the meantime, I am on leave.”
Violence At Anti-Israel Protest at Brazil University
An act of violence reportedly occurred during a protest in response to the StandWithUs Brazil Director Andre Lajst speaking at the Federal University of Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil on August 10.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported that Lajst was discussing the benefits that Israeli technology could provide to the Amazon; StandWithUs Brazil further explained in a statement posted to social media that Lajst was one of four speakers during a symposium “on various topics related to entrepreneurship, development and sustainability in the Amazon.” The protests occurred outside of the auditorium that Lajst was speaking, where an advisor to the university rector suffered a broken nose while trying to protect her daughter. Additionally, protesters inside the auditorium harassed attendees and Lajst had to be escorted out by security. One protester was arrested for allegedly pushing a police officer but was later released, per JTA.
The university said in a statement that they regret “the events that occurred on August 10th” and will be investigating the matter. They added that they are committed to “to the safety and well-being of its entire academic community and emphasizes the importance of ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all.”
New Institute Supports “the Delinking of the Study of Zionism from Jewish Studies”
The recently established Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism (ICSZ) say on their website that they aim “to support the delinking of the study of Zionism from Jewish Studies, and to reclaim academia and public discourse for the study of Zionism as a political, ideological, and racial and gendered knowledge project, intersecting with Palestine and decolonial studies, critical terrorism studies, settler colonial studies, and related scholarship and activism.”
According to the Jerusalem Post and CAMERA, the ICSZ consists of both academics and activists, including those who are affiliated with the field of ethnic studies and the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. The Post reported that the ICSZ plans to provide “annual fellowships for students and academics, conferences, publications.” The ICSZ’s website says they will be holding their inaugural conference, titled “Battling the ‘IHRA definition’: Theory & Activism,” at UC Santa Cruz on October 13 and NYU Law on October 14, but NYU Law has told the Journal that they are not hosting the conference.
This article has been updated to clarify that NYU Law has said they are not hosting the ICSZ’s conference on October 14.
