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Columbia University’s Tel Aviv Plans Draw Strong Faculty Rebuke [1]

['Liam Stack']

Date: 2023-04-05

Columbia University’s plan to open a new center in Tel Aviv is drawing criticism from close to 100 faculty members who say the university should reconsider the move because of Israel’s human rights record and ongoing political crisis.

Plans to open the center, which were announced on Monday, had been an open secret on campus, but they attracted renewed criticism after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel won re-election this fall with the help of far-right political allies. He has since pushed forward judicial reforms that have deeply divided Israel, even as he faces trial for corruption.

Criticism of Columbia’s plan has spilled into the open in recent weeks: Ninety-five faculty members have signed an open letter against the proposal. A competing faculty letter in support of the center has drawn 172 signatures.

Professors writing in opposition to the new center cited their concerns about academic freedom, complying with U.S. nondiscrimination law and “the role of a university in global politics” in light of Israel’s record.

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[1] Url: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/05/nyregion/columbia-university-tel-aviv-campus.html

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