Academic Freedom in the P.A.

A few weeks back, a group of academics circulated a petition promoting calling upon"academics, intellectuals, professional academic organizations, and educational institutions in Israel and internationally to become actively involved in defending the Palestinian people’s right to an educational system that is open, sustainable, and accessible." Among other items the group deemed a violation of academic freedom: Israel's construction of a security fence. The resolution also cites"the internationally recognized entitlement to education," although its authors never explained why they expressed concern solely about Palestinians and not, say, Saudi Arabians, Iranians, Sudanese, North Koreans, or Chinese, among others. I'm sure they had their reasons.

This morning's Jerusalem Post brings news of Prof. Riad al-Agha, president of the Gaza-based National Institute of Strategic Studies, who was arrested on charges of"incitement" after he criticized the operations of Palestinian security forces on Palestinian state TV. Agha was released only after agreeing to publish a statement in which he apologized for making"offensive remarks" against the security forces, which, he was compelled to state, are led by"nationalistic figures whom I highly appreciate and respect and who have a known history of struggling [against Israel]."

I'm sure that given the scholars' concern"in defending the Palestinian people’s right to an educational system that is open, sustainable, and accessible," I'll soon be receiving an e-mail asking me to sign a petition condemning the P.A. for its handling of the al-Agha case. Surprisingly, however, that e-mail doesn't seem to have yet arrived.