Harvard Reverses Course on Human Rights Advocate Who Criticized Israel

New York Times and Chronicle of Higher Ed

HKS “reversed course…and said it would offer a fellowship to a leading human rights advocate it had previously rejected, after news of the decision touched off a public outcry over academic freedom, donor influence and the boundaries of criticism of Israel,” according to the NYT. HKS Dean Elmendorf “said his decision had been an ‘error’ and the school would be extending an invitation to Roth,” who was the former director of Human Rights Watch.

“The incident was the latest flare-up in the ongoing debate about when criticism of Israel shades into antisemitism, and when charges of antisemitism, in turn, are used to shut down criticism.” Later, the NYT article explains that “whether Human Rights Watch is fair to Israel has long been a source of contention, inside and outside the organization.”

As for Kenneth Roth, he claimed it was a “case of ‘donor-driven censorship,’ though he said he had no proof”— “‘It clearly looks like this is donor influence undermining intellectual independence,’ he said in an interview with The New York Times last week.”

Read the NYT Article

In a related Chronicle of Higher Ed piece, After Criticism, Harvard Dean Reverses Course on Fellowship for Human-Rights Leader, reporting intern Surovell writes that “Roth and others called for more transparency about why the dean initially vetoed the appointment. Roth also said he’d like to see the university and the Kennedy School make clear their commitment to academic freedom. Over the last 10 days, some scholars called on Elmendorf to resign over the controversy.”

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