Yaacov Lozowick on academic boycotts of Israel:
Fish himself then goes on, eventually, to state a position whereby any academic boycott is wrong, including the one on Apartheid South Africa. This is a reasonable approach, of course. I’d add to it that perverse as it was, that regime was no-where near being the world’s worst, not even in the Post-WWII world; Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Nigeria all spring effortlessly to mind, and a systematic list would be far longer. So, contrary to Fish’s comment, including Israel on anyone’s list is, indeed, perverse; singling it out as uniquely evil is, quite simply, evil itself.
I also think calls to boycott Israel are deeply hypocritical and harmful to the boycotters. Israel is one of the most creative places in the world, compared to size or not. How many of the boycotters will forgoe on taking advantage of scientific or technological advances created by Israelis? Hands, anyone?
Referring to that last point check Jack out.
And in these times, JoshuaPundit points out that Israeli inventions could reduce emissions and the burning of oil. This is a point emphasized by West Bank Mama.
Thomas Friedman has lately been writing a lot about the need for renewable energy. While he has written about Shai Agassi, he hasn’t argued more generally about Israel’s research into such technologies. Why not?
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
