Within the first 100 days, the Israeli regime has destroyed every single university in the Gaza Strip. Killing 100 university deans and professors, including several university presidents, nearly 4,300 students, and more than 230 teachers, professors, and administrators. This context is particularly important for us today as we pan out momentarily to discuss the targeting of academics and academic institutions, specifically looking at the targeted attacks currently unfolding against internationally renowned palestinian scholar and long time friend of Radio Intifada and SWANA Region Radio, Professor Nadera Shalhoub Kevorkian.

On March 12, 2024, Hebrew University suspended Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian for denouncing the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. In a statement explaining their position, the Hebrew University claimed her suspension was to “ensure a safe and conducive environment” for their students. This suspension is not the first attempt at the silencing of Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian. In October of last year, 1000 researchers of child and adolescent trauma signed a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Immediately after the publication of the letter, the leadership at Hebrew University sent Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian a letter demanding her resignation. This letter was subsequently leaked to the media including Israeli state television. Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian has been the target of a public hate campaign. 

In a statement penned by the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network- a network that spans across Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States- signatories denounced the Hebrew University’s suspension of Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian. In their statement they write: 

“This decision by the Hebrew University sends a chilling message to scholars worldwide, particularly those engaged in critical studies and activism that challenge injustices and seek to uncover the truths that lie beneath the surface of politically charged contexts. Academic freedom is a cornerstone of any democratic society, allowing scholars to pursue research, teach, and disseminate knowledge without fear of censorship, retribution, and silencing. The suspension of Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian is a direct affront to this principle, jeopardizing not only her career and personal well-being but also the integrity and independence of academic inquiry at a global level.”

The letter from the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network comes with a call to action urging “academic institutions worldwide to recognize the gravity of this situation and to reaffirm their commitment to protecting the rights of scholars and academic freedom.

Today, here to discuss with our listeners the gravity of the situation unfolding at the Hebrew University and across universities all over is researcher, scholar, and author Maya Wind. Maya Wind is a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Her scholarship broadly investigates how settler societies and global systems of militarism and policing are sustained, with a particular focus on the reproduction and export of Israeli security expertise. Her recent book, Towers of Ivory and Steel, chronicles the complicity of Israel’s academic system, from its academic disciplines and degree programs to campus infrastructure, and research laboratories in Israel’s settler-colonial project.