A group of Jewish American university professors will shortly launch an online database of materials and resources designed to help academics obtain a more balanced understanding of the Middle East conflict, the Israeli newspaper 'Haaretz' reports.
The website bills itself as “the world’s largest public library of course syllabi in Jewish studies and Israel studies.”
“Our aim to go beyond the usual debate about whether Israel is the greatest country in the world or the most wretched country in the world,” Cary Nelson, former president of the Association of American University Professors (AAUP) and the driving force behind the initiative, told 'Haaretz'.
The new online database will be free of charge. It will be launched at the end of the month.
Nelson has been at the forefront of fight against academic boycotts of Israel by US universities. At the same time, he has often spoken out against the Israeli occupation and expressed sharp criticism of the Israeli government.
In recent years, a number of professional academic associations have passed resolutions to boycott Israeli institutions of higher education. They include the American Studies Association and the National Women’s Studies Association. A resolution to boycott Israel by the much larger American Anthropological Association was rejected in June, but only by a very slim margin.
Berkeley reinstates controversial course
Meanwhile, the University of California at Berkeley reinstated a controversial student-led course entitled 'Palestine: A Settler Colonial Analysis', according to the UK newspaper 'The Guardian'. The college said the course did not cross the line into political advocacy and organizing, claiming it was purely educational.
Last week, the university decided to suspend the course and said didn't comply "with policies and procedures that govern the normal academic review and approval of proposed courses."
