[Air-L] The difficult conversation we don't seem to be having

[Peter Hervik]

Dear all, upon reading the entire thread, it seems obvious that we need to
urge everyone to go back to a humanitarian foundation. Some people in the
thread seem to have lost their hearts. Some commentators are lost in
distractions, such as contesting that “conflict” is a war at all, arguing
that people also get killed in Yemen, (so we can ignore Palestine). And,
then there is the “but” that is eventually used to place and project cause,
blame and guilt.



Some of us are researchers, teachers, and human beings with students in
seminar rooms, what can we tell them? Some of us have been teaching peace-
and conflict studies with seminar groups consisting of people embodying
very conflicts, torture and atrocities that we deal with. To seriously
engage in this in teaching and in AOIR,  we need to start from basics. Are
we not in this also because people are suffering, collective suffering,
whether war crimes, forced gang rapes, torture, massacres, genocide, and
cultural destruction. There is only one point of departure as priority:
Mass number of people suffering and right now. No distractions should shift
the focus. Now is NOT the time to expose entrenched polarizing identities
as proud Americans, or whatever.



1)    The fact is that an awful lot of people lost their lives in the Oct 7
Hamas attack. Hamas does not accept the existence of Israel as a state.
People who were killed, maimed, taken hostage or closely related are
suffering in ways hard to comprehend unless perhaps you have been directly
or vicariously suffering yourself in similar situations.

2)    The fact is that an awful lot of people have lost their lives in Gaza
and have been taken prisoners, while the entire population of Gaza are
displaced, struggling to survive while deprived of water, toilets,
electricity, food, medicine, diapers, antibiotics, and mobility. Tens of
thousands are suffering and dying unable to move or flee.

3)    The Israeli government used the Hamas attack to mobilize more than
300.000 Israeli soldiers and is the direct cause of the suffering.

4)    The fact is that a large minority of Israelis oppose the mass
killings, which many of us see as genocide.



Of course, Sky has an important point about the statement and hopefully
this can be enacted. It seems that the next move for the AOIR steering
committee may be to take a vote about a specific statement. There will
never be a full consensus, but if a large majority agrees, then that is
support of the statement. The American Anthropology Association (AAA)
resolution and boycott of Israeli universities, supported by many
colleagues in Israel, followed this procedure.



A statement could include what we study, or say is part of what we study.
Deconstruction the technopolitics, digital extreme speech, the vitriol
amplified by social media and the asymmetric power relations involved -
however you wish to write it. In addition, the disinformation,
misinformation – the generation of what I have elsewhere called “strategic
ignorance” - is what we (also) study. This is where we may even be able to
exchange fact-based findings that could make a difference to a wider
audience. To support a government or UN that says it is wrong what Hamas
and Israel is doing is too thin and insufficient. We need more. And there
is no platform of neutrality when it comes to enormous human suffering.


With regards,

Peter Hervik

Network of Independent Scholars in Education.


Latest:

Udupa, Sahana, Iginio Garliardone and Peter Hervik (eds.). 2021. *Digital
Hate.* The *Global Conjuncture of Extreme Speech*. Bloomington: Indiana
University Press.




Den tirs. 23. jan. 2024 kl. 14.55 skrev Dr. Rasha Abdulla via Air-L <
air-l at listserv.aoir.org>:

> Thank you Sky for this courageous message. You've restored my faith in
> humanity a little bit at the end of a very long and hard day. I do support
> a statement against the genocide in Gaza.
>
> All the best.
> Rasha
>
> Rasha A. Abdulla
> Professor
> Journalism and Mass Communication
> The American University in Cairo
> Twitter: @RashaAbdulla
> http://twitter.com/rashaabdulla
>
> On Mon, Jan 22, 2024, 5:27 AM Sky Croeser via Air-L <
> air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> >
> > This is a difficult message to write, and I know that it will probably
> open
> > some difficult conversations. I realised this morning that I was shying
> > away from having these conversations because I don’t want to create
> > problems for the many colleagues who I respect and am fond of within
> AoIR.
> > And while I do care about all of you, sometimes care means being brave
> (and
> > perhaps annoying) instead of being polite.
> >
> >
> > So. We need to talk about Gaza. And we need to talk about Israel. Many of
> > us have been speaking up individually, but our voices have more power
> when
> > we bring them together. I have signed on to other open letters, but I
> think
> > there are also important reasons for the Association of Internet
> > Researchers to take a stance.
> >
> >
> > *What I am suggesting?*
> >
> > I am asking for us to have a discussion about some form of public
> > solidarity with Palestinians who are currently under attack, and with
> those
> > within Israel and around the world who are speaking up against the
> actions
> > of the Israeli state.
> >
> >
> > It might involve a statement of solidarity for those who are under attack
> > in Gaza and other parts of Palestine, and for people engaged in
> non-violent
> > resistance to the actions of the Israeli state. It might involve joining
> > the international call for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions
> > complicit in the ongoing violence against Palestinians (the guidelines
> for
> > which are available here <https://bdsmovement.net/academic-boycott>). It
> > might involve a commitment to ask our own academic institutions to cut
> > their ties with the Israeli state. It might take some other format.
> >
> >
> > *Why now?*
> >
> > There are many acts of violence and oppression happening around the
> world.
> > Why should our academic organisation speak up on this, specifically?
> >
> >
> > Because the scale of the violence is immense and continuing
> > <
> >
> https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/daily-death-rate-gaza-higher-any-other-major-21st-century-conflict-oxfam
> > >,
> > exceeding that of any recent armed conflict. There is no end in sight,
> and
> > the deliberate restriction of food, water, and medicine means that people
> > within Gaza face starvation and disease as well as bombing and other
> forms
> > of direct violence.
> >
> >
> > Because many of us are based in countries which are prepared to condemn
> > other atrocities, but are unwilling to issue more than lukewarm
> statements
> > about the Israeli state’s violence against Palestinians. For example,
> > Australia’s
> > foreign minister Penny Wong
> > <
> >
> https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/17/penny-wong-meets-israel-katz-isaac-herzog-israel-gaza-palestine-war-meets-hamas-hostages
> > >
> > “has met with Israeli relatives of hostages held by Hamas and assured
> them
> > that she will continue to use Australia’s voice to call for the
> immediate,
> > unconditional and safe return of all hostages” and affirmed Australian
> > support for Israel, while only “raising concerns” about the humanitarian
> > situation in Gaza. Australia has also supported the US/UK bombing of
> Yemen
> > <
> >
> https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/12/australia-military-support-yemen-airstrikes-us-uk
> > >
> > in retailation for their disruption of shipping routes to Israel. Where
> our
> > own governments will not speak up for human rights, we have an obligation
> > to raise our voices.
> >
> >
> > Because AoIR is <https://aoir.org/diversity-and-inclusivity/> “is
> > committed
> > to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of
> > opportunity, and human dignity.” The last university in Gaza has now been
> > destroyed
> > <
> >
> https://www.thenational.scot/news/24059315.israel-destroys-last-university-gaza-strikes-continue/
> > >
> > by the Israeli army, along with many schools. Students from these
> > universities feel their loss keenly
> > <https://wearenotnumbers.org/lament-for-the-universities/>, even while
> > trying to stay alive through bombings and the denial of their basic human
> > needs. Countless Palestinian academics
> > <
> https://wearenotnumbers.org/tributes-to-refaat-alareer-killed-dec-9-2023/
> > >
> > and students
> > <
> >
> https://wearenotnumbers.org/tributes-to-mohammed-zaher-hamo-killed-nov-24-2023/
> > >
> > have been killed, injured, and displaced
> > <https://wearenotnumbers.org/i-have-left-all-my-books-behind/>. Attacks
> on
> > Palestinian educational institutions are not new
> > <
> >
> https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/impact_attackeducation_palestine_2022_en.pdf
> > >.
> > Calls for protection
> > <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03057925.2021.1987192>
> have
> > gone unheeded.
> >
> >
> > Because the digital technologies that many of us research are woven
> through
> > this conflict. Israeli authorities are using facial recognition
> technology
> > <
> >
> https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/05/israel-opt-israeli-authorities-are-using-facial-recognition-technology-to-entrench-apartheid/
> > >
> > to entrench apartheid. The Israeli military is using an “AI” system to
> > “generate targets”
> > <
> >
> https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1218643254/israel-is-using-an-ai-system-to-find-targets-in-gaza-experts-say-its-just-the-st
> > >.
> > Telecommunications systems are shut down
> > <
> >
> https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/israel-intensifies-gaza-bombardment-as-internet-and-phone-services-go-down
> > >,
> > making it difficult for people in Gaza to communicate while under attack.
> > Large tech companies have been providing key systems to the Israeli
> > government <https://notechforapartheid.com/>.
> >
> >
> > Because Israeli citizens who protest
> > <
> >
> https://www.npr.org/2024/01/19/1225651180/israel-tel-aviv-protest-gaza-war
> > >
> > the actions of their government (including on social media) face
> > <
> >
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/12/israel-free-speech-arrests-hamas/
> > >
> > jail
> > <
> >
> https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-police-crack-down-arab-citizens-expressing-solidarity-with-gaza-2023-10-20/
> > >
> > and threats of violence
> > <https://www.972mag.com/israeli-protest-gaza-war-repression/>, as do
> those
> > who refuse to serve in the army
> > <
> >
> https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240115-israel-s-war-resisters-risk-jail-time
> > >.
> > They deserve our support and solidarity.
> >
> >
> >
> > *Why **are we** silent?*
> >
> > I do not think that AoIR has tended to position itself as a neutral or
> > apolitical organisation. Past conference themes
> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Internet_Researchers> have
> > included “Revolutions” and “Decolonising the Internet”. My sense is that
> > there was also a response and a discussion within the organisation to the
> > Black Lives Matter movement, among other issues.
> >
> >
> > Of course, I am aware that academic organisations will not often respond
> to
> > international events. Perhaps the silence so far is entirely for this
> > reason. Perhaps we are afraid that if we speak up on this we will also be
> > asked to speak about Sudan, Congo, and other issues (would that be
> > terrible?)
> >
> >
> > However, I think that we must also acknowledge the chilling effect that
> > many academics and others experience specifically on the matter of
> Israel.
> >
> >
> > Antisemitism is a real and significant problem in the world. However, the
> > ongoing attempt to conflate all criticism of Israel with antisemitism is
> > intellectually dishonest and dangerous
> > <https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/11/09/antisemitism-dangerous/
> >.
> > It also frequently glosses over the long history of Jewish
> > <
> >
> https://www.wrmea.org/2008-december/israel-and-judaism-the-long-and-largely-untold-history-of-jewish-opposition-to-zionism.html
> > >
> > opposition
> > <https://jacobin.com/2020/07/israel-palestine-anti-zionism-history-left>
> > to
> > the formation of Israel. Organisations like the ADL put forward claims
> that
> > groups like A Jewish Voice for Peace are antisemitic *because* they are
> > anti-Zionist. Similarly, Canary Mission lists university students,
> > professors, and organisations that criticise the Israeli state alongside
> > neo-nazi organisations like the “Daily Stormer”, conflating legitimate
> > criticism of the Israeli government with violent antisemitism.
> >
> >
> > I understand that many people do not want to contribute to the real
> > antisemitism faced by our friends, colleagues, and students face. We all
> > have a duty to oppose antisemitism in our communities and universities.
> > Perhaps that leads to a reluctance to speak out about the Israeli state’s
> > actions. However, I believe that we can oppose both antisemitism and
> > Israeli state violence. The Israeli state does not speak for, or act for,
> > all
> > <
> >
> https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/23/us/jewish-palestinian-protest-israel-gaza/index.html
> > >
> > Jewish
> > <
> >
> https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-jewish-group-protests-eight-cities-gaza-ceasefire-2023-12-15/
> > >
> > people
> > <
> >
> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/19/jewish-protest-israel-gaza-washington-dc
> > >.
> > We should not allow them to claim that they do.
> >
> >
> > We also must be aware that organisations like Canary Mission work hard to
> > impose
> > <
> >
> https://truthout.org/articles/advocacy-for-palestinians-has-been-outright-criminalized-warns-academic/
> > >
> > a high
> > <
> >
> https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/12/8/doxxing-students-palestine-feature/
> > >
> > cost
> > <
> >
> https://www.cuindependent.com/2023/11/05/ethnic-studies-pro-palestine-statement-taken-down-after-pushback/
> > >
> > on students and teachers within universities who do speak up. A variety
> of
> > governments have also worked to ban the Boycott-Divest-Sanctions movement
> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-BDS_laws>. There are therefore real
> > material consequences for speaking against the actions of the Israeli
> > state. Perhaps that is enough that we do not want to put AoIR as an
> > organisation, or fellow academics within AoIR, in a difficult position.
> >
> >
> > But if that’s the case, let’s at least acknowledge it. Let’s make it
> > visible. Let us be aware that our organisation, and its commitments to
> > values like diversity and inclusion
> > <https://aoir.org/diversity-and-inclusivity/>, are constrained and
> > limited.
> > That our interest in hearing from those who are currently at the margins
> of
> > our academic spaces (as set out in the ‘revolutions’ CfP
> > <https://aoir.org/aoir2023/aoir2023cfp/>) does not, perhaps, extend as
> far
> > as some of us might hope.
> >
> >
> > With love, solidarity, and significant trepidation,
> >
> > sky.
> > _______________________________________________
> > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
> > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
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> >
> > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > http://www.aoir.org/
> >
> _______________________________________________
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