NEW COLUMBIA UNIV. ISRAEL DIRECTOR SUPPORTED REFUSAL OF ISRAELIS TO SERVE IN TERRITORIES

New Columbia Israel Director Supported Refusal of Israelis to Serve in Territories - Jared Irmas (New York Sun)

Officials at a Columbia University department established in 2005 to balance an anti-Israel tilt in Middle Eastern scholarship at the university have appointed as its director a professor who signed a letter supporting Israelis who refused to serve in military operations in the territories.

Supporters of Israel on campus say they are disappointed about the appointment of Yinon Cohen as the new director of the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.

In May 2002, Cohen, then a professor at Tel Aviv University, endorsed a statement that supported Israelis who refused to serve in military operations in the territories.

Columbia professor and vice president of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Judith Jacobson, said, "I am offended because in May 2002, the Intifada was going on actively, and people within Israel, not beyond the green line, were being killed."

The Columbia search committee responsible for hiring a director included an outspoken critic of Israel, Rashid Khalidi, as well as a professor who supported an anti-Israel divestment campaign, Lila Abu-Lughod.