The Bombing of Gaza University

One of the aspects of the Israeli attack on Gaza that received little publicity this year was the razing to the ground of Gaza University. Of course for the Zionists, any aspect of public or civil life in Gaza was a ‘terrorist’ target, since the people of Gaza – all of them – were likewise seen as ‘terrorists’.

The pictures below show some of the devastation but it worthwhile asking what a site, set up to defend ‘academic freedom’ and which has been vociferous in attacking the Academic Boycott for that reason, has said. I refer to the Zionist Engage site.

Sad to tell this is one form of academic boycott and attack on academic freedom that Engage has nothing to say about. Which is strange. The Engage site is clear that the reason it was set up was in order ‘to arm people with arguments and facts that they could use to counter the propaganda of the boycott campaign within the Association of University Teachers.’ It’s strange because Engage not only describes itself as a ‘left wing campaign.' But it says that they

‘"support" neither Israel nor Palestine;... We are not a "Jewish" campaign, whatever that might mean. We do not speak "as Jews" but as socialists, liberals, trade unionists or academics. A number of the people centrally involved in Engage are not Jewish.’

Of course Engage goes on to then say that it ‘is a single issue campaign. It focuses on one issue, antisemitism’ which is strange for a group that doesn’t call itself Jewish but less that pass. The fact is that Engage has based its arguments against an Academic Boycott both on anti-Semitism – a Boycott of Israel is apparently an attack on Jewish people here – but also notions of academic freedom.

So what has Engage had to say about the bombing of Gaza University? Has it condemned it, picketed about it etc? Truth to tell it has said nothing whatsoever. Attacks on Palestinian academic freedom are none of its concern. The pictures speak for themselves.

Tony Greenstein