A recent proposal by Israel’s Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett (head of the rightwing Jewish Home party), for the Knesset to legislate an “ethics code” that would prohibit university faculty from voicing their political opinions in class and from “participating in, or voicing support for, academic boycotts against Israeli institutions,” has drawn concern from members of our Third Narrative community as a threat to academic freedom. Significantly, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has voiced a similar concern:
“We cannot build thriving educational systems if we do not develop one that encourages controversy,” he said. “The freedom to express a different opinion needs procedural protections and constant vigilance.”
. . . “We will not be able to build thriving and vital systems of scientific research and development of inspirational works of art,” he said, “if we do not actively foster educational systems that encourage diversity, controversy, initiative and unpredictability.”
The Third Narrative engages with people on the left who suspect that it is wrong to lay all blame for the Arab-Israeli conflict at the feet of Israeli Jews but feel that too many Israel supporters reflexively support –or passively accept—the Israeli occupation. When it comes to this conflict, the truth is rarely black or white; it resides in a gray area where advocates on either side typically don’t like to venture.. 