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Source: http://www.thestar.com/article/658717
York University Middle East Conference Anything But Academic
[Toronto Star] Na'ama Carmi - I hesitated whether to accept the invitation to participate in the conference at York University on "Models of Statehood in Israel/Palestine." Such conferences are frequently hijacked and become anti-Israeli events. But not in my worst dreams did I imagine an atmosphere that was totally incompatible with academic discourse. A hostile atmosphere toward people with different views generally, and Jewish-Zionist Israelis in particular, was created. Anyone who challenged the Palestinian perspective was intimidated or even labeled a racist. What happened at York University reflects a worrying, dangerous and, unfortunately, not uncommon pattern. Persons who demand the protection of human rights abandon them and display little tolerance for the views of others when they have the power to marginalize them. This was not an academic conference, but an "academic" version of Durban. The writer teaches at the faculty of law of Haifa University in Israel.