As an American physician who spent an exhausting and sleepless summer in
Beirut during Sharon's "Man of Peace" horrifying siege of the city in 1982
removing shrapnels and bullets from bodies of innocent Lebanese and
Palestinian women, children, and the elderly; all made in America and
delivered by American tax funded weapons in the hands of Sharon's "Defense"
forces; I don't recall any outrage from President Lawrence Summers, nor read
any opposition from Professor Rita Goldberg, nor the National Review, nor
the Wall Street Journal, nor any Jewish American organization, nor from the
"Christian" Evangelists, nor from our government that gave the green light
to Sharon to invade Lebanon (by Alexander Haig), nor from Congress. Even
when the Israeli government led by Menachem Begin, a former terrorist and
Nobel Peace Prize winner (he admits his terrorism in his autobiography,
including the massacre of the entire village of Deir Yassin) found Sharon
negligent in his duty during the 3 day massacre by "Christian" Lebanese
Phalangist in the camps of Sabra and Chatila, none of the above mentioned
spoke out against Sharon's "war crimes" as defined by the Fourth Geneva
Convention.
Yet a simple lecture by an award winning Irish poet, Mr. Tom Paulin, enraged
President Summers, some faculty and students, a total of 120 out of
Harvard's entire population, was enough to intimidate the English Department
to cancel Mr. Paulin's lecture according to Alexandra M. Atiya's article:
"Controversial Poet Will Not Give Lecture: English dept. reacts to concerns
over extreme pro-Palestinian" views" (Nov. 13). Some may not agree with Mr.
Paulin's characterization of Israel's brutal occupation, and yes the killing
of innocent Palestinian children as documented by Amnesty International, our
own State Department, Human Rights Watch, the International Red Cross, and
Israel's own human rights organizations, media, and physicians. But the
outrage is that Harvard's President has used his academic position of the
country's leading university to become Israel's own lobbyist and personal
"Anti-Defamation League." He has lashed out at academicians and student
organizations who support a dialogue for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, an end to Israel's illegal and brutal occupation of 35 years, a
dismantling of settlements inhabited mainly by fanatical armed Jewish
Americans subsidized by American taxpayers, and support Israel's
implementation of over 60 U.N. Security Council Resolutions since 1948 that
Israel has defied, ignored due to the influence of Jewish lobbies and
individuals such as President Summers. The same lack of defiance by Iraq of
only 13 U.N. Resolutions is enough for Bush to annihilate Iraq.
Does President Summers recall when Jewish Americans were not allowed to
enter Harvard, clubs, or have the freedom of speech to defend themselves?
Is Freedom of Speech today ethnically and politically defined? Where was
President Summers when Professor Alan Dershowitz advocated the total
destruction of Palestinian villages in response to bombings in Israel as a
deterrent force? Would he cancel a speech if given by an Israeli politician
espousing the total "transfer" of Palestinians, including Israeli Arabs, if
120 Harvard faculty and students protested? I don't think so.
"Anti-Semitism" has become America's intimidating "Scarlet Letter" used to
silence and intimidate anyone worldwide who has the courage, humanity, sense
of justice and peace for both Israeli's and Palestinians to criticize Israel
or point out its military brutality. As often said here and abroad, there
is no such thing as "free speech" when it comes to Israel which only
prolongs the suffering of both peoples. Our Congress panders to the money
and power of Jewish lobbies (Read: "Jewish Power" by JJ Goldberg; "They Dare
to Speak out" by Congressman Paul Findley, "The Passionate Attachment" by
George Ball, or see www.cactus48.com and www.MidEastFacts.com).
It is such influence and power that has been complicit in supporting
Israel's vision of annexing all Palestinian land and Jerusalem, a city of
three faiths becoming for "Jews" only. It is such power that has made the
United Nations irrelevant with the U.S. casting dozens of vetoes to protect
Israel even from Resolutions it supported. Our own State Department has
become Israel's own "Better Business Bureau" and Complaint Department
looking after Israel and Jewish interests above all others, including
Americans held and tortured in Israel (see site of Partners for Peace).
.
Despite Mr. Paulin's "extremist" views, with similar views shared by the
world outside of the "protected" United States, even Israeli's, it would
have been an opportunity for free dialogue on his views and on the conflict.
Prohibiting such dialogue is an injustice to academic freedom, education,
debate, search for truth and justice, and above all a shame to Harvard run
by a President intent on protecting Israel at all costs lest the truth
becomes apparent and Harvard's community awakens to the Holocaust persecuted
Jews becoming the persecutors of another race innocent of guilt. Such
closed minds today will lead to further deaths of Israeli and Palestinian
human beings. Only American independence of Israel's influence will ever
lead to peace and security for Israel and a Palestinian state.
According to Harvard's President, academic free speech applies only when
Palestinians die, not when Israel is simply criticized. It's time Harvard's
alumni, faculty, and students determine if they want such a President to
lead America's foremost university.
Harvard's President, Lawrence Summer, a Jewish American and former Sect. of
Treasure in Clinton's administration, has become his own Anti-Defamation
League at Harvard preventing any dissent or discussion on Israel which
slamming any such criticism as ANTI-SEMITIC. As has often been said, there
is no free speech in America when it comes to Israel. While our government
will annihilate Iraq to export democracy and free speech, there is no free
speech in Harvard, Congress, our major media whose silence on Iraq and
Palestine is abominable compared to their intense interest in slamming an
Egyptian television series. Our own State Department has become Israel's
Better Business Bureau and Complaint Department searching the world for any
"Anti-Jewish", euphemistically called "Anti-Semitism", or any "Anti-Israeli"
criticism. Touch Israel at your own peril. President Summers has now made
it a habit to silence any faculty or student discussion on Israel while
allowing Prof. Alan Dershowitz to advocate the destruction of an entire
Palestinian village if a "bomber" is suspected from that village.
