The president of AUB responds to critics (in a letter to the campus community that was forwarded to me). Among the things he said: "The circulating messages
entitled "Can AUB Find Only Those Complicit with Zionism to Honor?"--taken
straight from the extremist coverage published by al-Akhbar newspaper—is a
rhetorical question that belies our history of honoring distinguished Arabs or
friends of the Arab world". Yes, it is all due to Al-Akhbar, you genius. He then said this about BDS: "institutional decisions cannot be subordinated to an absolute litmus test
imposed by the demands of outside groups." Somebody needs to tell this genius that those are not outside groups: that there is a very active BDS contingent among faculty, students, and staff of AUB but maybe he does not know that. To that extent he is out of the loop? He then said this: "I was born in Lebanon in the
same year as the nakba." What does that mean? You want a blender because it happened that you were born on a particular year? Wait: unless you are claiming that your mother insisted on delivering you in 1948 in solidarity with Palestinian struggle? If that is the case, I am impressed indeed. He then said: "I have never lived in the world without the dreadful specter of Palestinian
dispossession and an expanding Israeli settlement agenda..." Look at the State Department language: he only mentions "Israeli settlement agenda" as the troubling aspect about Israel. He does not mention that Israeli bombs have fell on the campus or that Israeli has invaded and occupied Lebanon, not to mention Palestine and other Arab lands. The only thing that troubles this man about Israel is the "settlement agenda". Without the settlement, Peter Dorman would have proposed that Netanyahu receives an honorary doctorate from AUB, I am sure.
PS Would Peter Dorman EVER dare describe the New York Times's Zionism as extremist?
PS Would Peter Dorman EVER dare describe the New York Times's Zionism as extremist?
