Hebrew University Suspended Palestinian Professor for Labeling Israeli Actions in Gaza as Genocide
On 13 March, 2024, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, sent a letter to officials from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem requesting that they revoke their decision to suspend renowned Palestinian Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian on the basis that it reinforced the suppression of freedom of speech for Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI).
CLICK HERE to read an unofficial English translation of the letter
CLICK HERE to read the letter [Hebrew]
University officials had alleged that Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian behaved in a “disgraceful, anti-Zionist, and inciting manner” in her activism for Palestinian human rights, particularly noting that she had signed a petition labeling Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and had thereby harmed the reputation of the Israeli state “both locally and internationally”. This allegation was outlined in a letter dated 12 March 2024, informing Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian of her suspension from her position at the University.
In the letter, Adalah’s legal director, Dr. Suhad Bishara objected to this characterization, observing that the actions taken against Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian were motivated by “ideological positions that seek to align with the Jewish-Zionist consensus expressed in this war” and that encouraged blind support for the official and military policies of the State of Israel. Adalah argued that such actions undermined the academic freedom of Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian as an active part of a policy of political control and repression, and that they stifled the development of critical positions at the university in the name of the Israeli state and its political ideology. It is worth noting that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already issued provisional orders against Israel, on 26 January 2024, indicating a plausible case of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Consequently, the decision made by the Hebrew University to suspend Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian is in conflict with the international values upheld by the ICJ's orders.
In particular, Adalah objected to the discriminatory nature of the decision, which impacted a large segment of the staff and students at the University, especially Arabs. The letter noted that “the University did not take a position against staff members who incited to the commission of war crimes in Gaza, by expressing opinions in favor of killing Palestinian residents of Gaza.”
Later, on 28 March, the university reinstated Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian after widespread public outcry from Palestinian and Israeli academics against her suspension, including a protest held at the university.
The suspension came as part of a larger wave of crackdowns on freedom of speech for Palestinian citizens of Israel, including punitive measures against Palestinian students within Israeli academic institutions, the firing and suspension of Palestinian workers, and mass arrests and detentions related to social media posts. Universities in particular have been a site of heavy suppression since the start of the war, with over 100 Palestinian students from 33 academic institutions facing disciplinary proceedings for their expressions on social media.
CLICK HERE to read more in Adalah’s briefing paper Crackdown on Freedom of Speech of Palestinian Citizens of Israel
