This event is being promoted as a dialogue event about Arabs, when in reality the panel is made up of all but one Israeli. While most Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank cannot even travel to seek urgent medical care, much less to talk about their blogs, it seems patently unfair that Israelis are able to travel the world to discuss Arab issues with the privilege afforded to them because of their Israeli or other North American passports. A cursory search on the internet did not net any evidence indicating that any of the Israeli participants support boycott of the Zionist state or condemnation of Zionism as a racist ideology. A panel discussion about Arabs should be composed of a panel made up of Arabs, not 5 Israelis and 1 Arab that happens to work for them.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel delineates a carefully thought out set of principles for joint projects between Israelis and Palestinians which we support an adherence to:
"As in the cultural field, events and projects (such as those involving educators, psychologists, or historians) involving Palestinians and/or Arabs and Israelis that promote “balance” between the “two sides” in presenting their respective narratives or “traumas,” as if on par, or are otherwise based on the false premise that the colonizers and the colonized, the oppressors and the oppressed, are equally responsible for the “conflict,” are intentionally deceptive, intellectually dishonest and morally reprehensible. Such events and projects, often seeking to encourage dialogue or “reconciliation between the two sides” without addressing the requirements of justice, promote the normalization and perpetuation of oppression and injustice. All such events and projects that bring Palestinians and/or Arabs and Israelis together, unless based on unambiguous recognition of Palestinian rights and framed within the explicit context of opposition to occupation and other forms of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, are strong candidates for boycott. Other factors that PACBI takes into consideration in evaluating such events and projects are the sources of funding, the design of the project or event, the objectives of the sponsoring organization(s), the participants, and similar relevant factors."
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel delineates a carefully thought out set of principles for joint projects between Israelis and Palestinians which we support an adherence to:
"As in the cultural field, events and projects (such as those involving educators, psychologists, or historians) involving Palestinians and/or Arabs and Israelis that promote “balance” between the “two sides” in presenting their respective narratives or “traumas,” as if on par, or are otherwise based on the false premise that the colonizers and the colonized, the oppressors and the oppressed, are equally responsible for the “conflict,” are intentionally deceptive, intellectually dishonest and morally reprehensible. Such events and projects, often seeking to encourage dialogue or “reconciliation between the two sides” without addressing the requirements of justice, promote the normalization and perpetuation of oppression and injustice. All such events and projects that bring Palestinians and/or Arabs and Israelis together, unless based on unambiguous recognition of Palestinian rights and framed within the explicit context of opposition to occupation and other forms of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, are strong candidates for boycott. Other factors that PACBI takes into consideration in evaluating such events and projects are the sources of funding, the design of the project or event, the objectives of the sponsoring organization(s), the participants, and similar relevant factors."
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