The disagreement comes amid continuing protests in Israel against a controversial judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which critics contend would weaken democracy in the country, which is an important U.S. ally.
Donate NowColumbia University’s announcement that it would open a new global center in Tel Aviv, Israel, has divided its faculty and raised concerns from some that the site would be off-limits to many students and faculty due to Israeli government restrictions.
We would never tolerate this in the United States, of not allowing people to participate in Columbia programs because they have a criticism of the United States foreign policy, but we're doing exactly that in the state of Israel.But an even larger faculty contingent – numbering 171 as of Friday – signed on to a separate letter voicing support for the new center, saying it would be “a positive step in the intellectual life of the university.
The announcement quoted Columbia President Lee Bollinger, who argued that “it is more important than ever for Columbia to continue seeking to advance inquiry and learning across borders. I look forward with anticipation as the Tel Aviv Center takes shape in the months and years ahead as part of our broader Columbia Global efforts.
“One does not have to support the policies of the current government of Israel — and many of us do not — to recognize that singling out Israel in this way is unjustified,” their letter states. “Some of us agree with the thousands of protesters who have gathered to oppose proposed changes in the judiciary and others do not, but we all recognize that Israel is a country that allows free debate. This obviously is not the case with some of the countries that already host global centers.
Another critic of the project, historian Rashid Khalidi, said “the same standard should be applied” to all of the university’s global centers, but that the university failed to meaningfully incorporate feedback from faculty. He added that the case of the Tel Aviv center demanded heightened scrutiny in light of ties between the U.S. and Israel.Foes can't go there
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