Post #2121269

Israel's Education Minister Yoav Kisch (#Likud) today demanded university presidents sign a written commitment to avoid "political agendas" on campus or face budget sanctions and government legislation. The threatened bill would give the minister discretionary control over ~14bn NIS/year in university funding and the power to dismiss and replace senior academic appointments at will. ------ From the letter: Accordingly, the institution heads commit to: - Prevent the expression of a political position by the institution or its institutional representatives in a political manner. - Ensure the continuity of the academic activities and administration of the institutions. - Prevent disruptions, shutdowns or strikes in the activities of institutions originating from political disputes or political struggles, and to make clear that there is no place for a strike to harm the normal functioning of higher education institutions for political reasons. All of this, in order to prevent a split, to maintain the functioning of the institutions, and to allow all members of the faculty and students to inquire, learn, and express positions in a free and independent manner. ----- "express positions in a free and independent manner" ... 🤔 the hallmark of fascism: the document suppresses institutional dissent while invoking the language of free inquiry to legitimize that suppression... Hebrew https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-05-30/ty-article/.premium/israeli-education-minister-accused-of-creating-a-submissive-academia/00000188-6cd9-de23-ad8d-fddde3790000 PDF https://img.haarets.co.il/bs/0000019d-fc70-ddfa-a5bf-fd797dbb0000/1d/df/a818ea674d1ca1299f5193ab5652/whatsapp-image-2026-05-06-at-11-21-merged.pdf #AcademicFreedom #Israel #Fascism