fbpx

Linux creator cancels Israel talks

The creator of the Linux computer operating system canceled three lectures at Israeli universities because of pressure from the Palestinian Authority. Richard Stallman, an American, said his Palestinian hosts threatened to pull their financial support for his July trip if he spoke to an Israeli audience along with his planned lectures to Palestinian audiences, Haaretz reported Tuesday.
[additional-authors]
May 31, 2011

The creator of the Linux computer operating system canceled three lectures at Israeli universities because of pressure from the Palestinian Authority.

Richard Stallman, an American, said his Palestinian hosts threatened to pull their financial support for his July trip if he spoke to an Israeli audience along with his planned lectures to Palestinian audiences, Haaretz reported Tuesday.

“They are unhappy that I offered to give talks at Israeli universities, and say they won’t buy the tickets if I’m going to do that,” Stallman wrote in an e-mail to his Israeli coordinator.

Stallman said he will speak in the Palestinian regions as planned.

“I think it is best if I go and give the speeches they originially invited me to give,” Stallman said. “I am sorry for the disappointment this will cause.”

Stallman is a self-described software freedom activist and is the founder of the Free Software Foundation, which seeks to promote computer user freedom and campaigns against software patents.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

True Legends and a Smoked Brisket

This week we share our column with one of our favorite Instagram bloggers, New Yorker Jeff Mosczyc (pronounced Mah-zik). As the son of a German immigrant father and a first-generation Hungarian mother, his mouthwatering, meat-centric recipes reflect his Ashkenazi background.

Father’s Day Food

This year’s Father’s Day round-up features recipes from different ends of the Jewish spectrum: dill pickle kraut and a Moroccan tomato dip.

What Will Bibi Do?

With the U.S. and Iran signing a ceasefire deal that limits Israel’s options, the Israeli prime minister is facing a most difficult moment during an election year.

Trump’s Civilizational Moment

It all depends on one mercurial and imperfect man in the White House. But whether he succeeds or fails, he is leading a free world, much of which no longer understands what it needs to do to survive.

When ‘Peace’ Breaks Out

Ultimately, although he presented himself as a disruptor, Trump remains captive to the conceptual frameworks, values and norms of Western societies, which place them at a disadvantage in the current clash of civilizations.

We Need a Long-Term Strategy to Deal with Iran

In handing Tehran the keys to lock up the region without a fight, Trump would become the first American president to sign away his country’s right to ply international waters freely.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.