Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Tuesday 23 June 2015

BRISMES & BDS: The desperate cry of the broken-hearted

Remember Frances Guy (pictured left, head covered dhimmi-style, with the extremist sheikh she admired)?  If not, my posts here and here and here and here should refresh your memory.

The former FCO diplomat is now head of  Middle East region at Christian Aid as well as president of BRISMES (the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies).  To quote the latter's self-description:
'Founded in 1973, BRISMES is the UK’s premier higher education umbrella organisation for MENA [Middle East and North Africa] studies, embracing all the top universities in the UK to promote the study of all aspects of the region.
Sponsorship and corporate and individual membership of BRISMES has long facilitated access and exposure to the best academics, emerging scholars and substantive research in the field.
This is, if anything, even more important in today’s world than it has been historically. The MENA region remains one of the most complex and volatile parts of the world – as well as being of major strategic and economic importance to the United Kingdom. A better understanding of the dynamics and tensions underlying its political and economic situation is essential not only in its own right but also to the analysis and understanding of wider global questions.'
This week (24-26 June), BRISMES is holding a conference at the London School of Economics on the theme "Liberation".  The Conference program and list of speakers is available here.

It would appear that BDS in the form of the Academic Boycott  is off the agenda at the conference, and certain individuals are distinctly unhappy, to judge from what anti-Israel activists (for instance here) have been posting on Facebook:



 I wonder whether the desperados will get their wicked way.

(Update next post)

2 comments:

  1. They already have. The agenda includes a whole panel on BDS (to be more precise - on how to make BDS succeed). The famous luminary Gilbert Achcar is on it.
    "At the moment even discussing BDS can be very difficult for staff". My ass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, well, how horrible. Thanks for the information.

      Delete

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