Recently professors from The Third Narrative signed a letter calling for personal sanctions against four Israeli politicians who advocate unilateral annexation of the West Bank. (thirdnarrative.org/israel-palestine-articles/israel-a-time-for-personal-sanctions/) In this article, Dr. Yehuda Kurtzner of the Shalom Hartman Institute argues against The Third Narratives letter: Saddest of all is that this effort toward changing the outcomes by sanctioning the actors echoes of the efforts in Jewish institutional life that these scholars detest, which close down the discourse on Israel through the setting up of red lines and boundaries of who can speak, and where, and about what. Both of these responses entail a resistance to difference of opinion by avoiding it, either slamming a door in its face or seeking to undermine those who hold contrary opinions. While we dont advocate political positions, we thought this was an interesting debate. Does imposing sanctions on these politicians unfairly limit discourse? Could it do anything to improve the status quo in Israel/Palestine? And does it tie into Open Hillels goal of open discourse in campus Jewish communities? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 23:11:51 +0000
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