tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971541537715440752.post7199801097815926489..comments2023-11-05T22:12:50.570+11:00Comments on Daphne Anson: Why Professor Geoffrey Alderman Is Wrong Regarding The Southampton Conference: A professor writes ...Daphne Ansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297188759548931101noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971541537715440752.post-21744351488052307492015-04-13T11:32:54.072+10:002015-04-13T11:32:54.072+10:00I thank the posters for their interesting comments...I thank the posters for their interesting comments. Professor Alderman's analogy between the subject of this conference and the Scots nationalists is, has been pointed out, clearly misleading, as the SNP doesn't question the Act of Union of 1707, only whether it should continue. The Declaration of Independence of the USA in 1776 had no viability in international law until the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, when the USA was officially recognized by Britain. This is in complete contrast with the Israeli Declaration of Independence of 1948, which was based on the UN Partition Plan of 1947- it was completely valid; both the USA and the USSR recognized the legitimacy of the new State at once, and Israel was admitted to the UN in 1949. Any claim that the State of Israel is illegitimate is nonsense, and motivated by anti-semitism.William Rubinsteinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971541537715440752.post-55214372671122831882015-04-13T05:53:09.963+10:002015-04-13T05:53:09.963+10:00Professor Rubinstein says, som much more cogently,...Professor Rubinstein says, som much more cogently, what I was arguing on the original engage online comments thread on this conference (here: https://engageonline.wordpress.com/2015/03/22/thoughts-on-the-forthcoming-southampton-conference/#comments), that this was not and never was intended to be a genuine academic conference. It was (may yet still be) a gathering of activists dedicated to their favourite subject: furthering the delegitimisation of Israel. As such, it could and should be allowed to carry on...just not under the label of an "academic" conference. <br /><br />Two or so weeks ago, the UK organisation "We believe in Israel" (an offshoot of BICOM) held an all day meeting. It was openly addressed to activists interested in their favourite subject: the support of Israel and fighting the delegitimisation of the same. There was no pretence, despite the presence of many academics, past and present, that this was in any way an academic event.<br /><br />The insert in the comment by Prof Rubinstein as to the possible relocation of the event is interesting: I fail to see why, providing that Southampton U refunds any moneys already received for it, they can be forced to provide space for this event. <br /><br />BTW, I was told off for questioning the assertion (no question mark, not even an implied one) that the Israeli Declaration of Independence was "unilateral". This despite the Balfour Declaration, the League of Nations 1922 Resolution and the UN General Assembly vote in 1947. My further comment that the US Declaration was unilateral: should we now call that into question? was studiously ignored.<br /><br />I wonder why?Brian Goldfarbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971541537715440752.post-58142053143335159462015-04-12T01:09:51.012+10:002015-04-12T01:09:51.012+10:00Alderman is inconsistent.
Geoffrey Alderman Apri...Alderman is inconsistent. <br /><br />Geoffrey Alderman April 2015: “There is no subject on God’s Earth that cannot be discussed in a university.”<br /><br />Geoffrey Alderman April 2010: “To argue – as an academic or in an academic setting – that the state of Israel should be destroyed seems, to me, to amount to an incitement to genocide. That is where free speech becomes hate speech.”<br /><br />http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/apr/30/academic-freedom-speech<br /><br />So if – as was very likely – a speaker argued for ‘one state’, Geoffrey would immediately switch from supporting the event to denouncing it …<br /><br />And sure enough, look who one of the speakers was …<br /><br />Ms. Ofra Yeshua-Lyth, writer, Journalist, Jaffa, member of Jaffa One State Group, “The Israeli Liberal Elite and Their Fixation on the Jewish state”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971541537715440752.post-32904930709336351752015-04-12T00:16:02.262+10:002015-04-12T00:16:02.262+10:00A commenter has pointed out on the Daphne Anson bl...A commenter has pointed out on the Daphne Anson blog's Facebook page, that, contrary to Geoffrey Alderman's contention, "the SNP does not 'call into question the legitimacy of the UK': it simply wishes to dismantle it using legal methods". Excellent point.Daphne Ansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12297188759548931101noreply@blogger.com