A statement endorsed by 470 intellectuals has condemned the targeting of critics of Israel’s war in Palestine and castigated Israel’s ambassador for allegedly interfering with academic freedom in India.
The signatories include Delhi University’s Nandini Sundar, Rajshree Chandra, Maya John, Karen Gabriel and Apoorvanand as well as former professors Anita Rampal and Achin Vanaik; Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Nivedita Menon, Ayesha Kidwai and Atul Sood; Kyoto University’s Rohan D’Souza, and Ravi Sundaram from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Last month, O.P. Jindal Global University in Sonipat, Haryana, had distanced itself from a talk Vanaik had given on the Israel-Hamas conflict. This happened reportedly after the Israeli ambassador wrote to the varsity expressing “extreme disappointment” over the lecture that was critical of Israel’s role in the conflict that has killed almost 15,000 Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis.
India has in the recent past expressed concern at alleged interference by Canadian diplomats in the country’s internal affairs after the two countries expelled a diplomat each following the murder of a Khalistani separatist in Canada.
“We are issuing this statement to call upon university administrators and the government to respect our academic freedom,” the statement says.
“We object to the way in which any discussion of the historical context of the occupation of Palestine and the barbaric Israeli assault on Gaza, along with the denial of food, fuel and water, since October 7th 2023, is being projected as support for the brutal terror attack on civilians in Israel by Hamas on October 7th.
“We object to the Israeli ambassador’s interference with academic freedom on Indian campuses…. Defending the right to life and dignity of Palestinians, or pointing out the links between Zionism and Hindutva as supremacist ideologies, is not equivalent to antisemitism.”
Art curator Ranjit Hoskote was recently forced to quit a German art panel over his endorsement of a statement against an Israeli event in Mumbai, titled “Leaders’ Idea of Nations: Zionism and Hindutva”.
Israel has asked India to ban Hamas, which carried out raids on Israel in October.
Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon told reporters earlier this week: “When I see (former Hamas head) Khaled Mashal on video appearing (at a rally last month) in Kerala, calling the people to go to the streets and squares and demonstrate…. This would have probably been prevented…. We wouldn’t see it in the press here (Moussa) Abu Marzouk (head of Hamas’s international relations office) giving an interview (to Frontline magazine).”
Indian laws do not prohibit news outlets from publishing interviews with members of banned groups.
The signatories also condemned the police action against student demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine in Aligarh, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Coimbatore and other cities.
They regretted that many Opposition parties had failed “to show sufficient solidarity with the people of Palestine and have thus betrayed the history of India’s own freedom struggle”.
