Bari Weiss: I hear congratulations on your Palestine Studies department are in order?

JVL Introduction

Bari Weiss, in case you don’t recall, a leading writer at the New York Times resigned recently because of intense pressure she felt there to “explicitly promote progressive causes”.

That’s not the universal perception of the NYT, especially with regard to Israel-Palestine.

In a hard-edged satirical intervention US Prof of English Moustafa Bayoumi congratulates Bari Weiss on cofounding a new University of Austin, a place where groupthink will be permanently banned.

Bayoumi is waiting expectantly for Weiss and her colleagues to put their principles into practice with the announcement of a Palestine Studies department, so that the cancel culture which prevails in American academe with regard to criticism of Israel, support for BDS and the like, can be rightly challenged.

But hang on. Isn’t Weiss one of those who, for instance, led a campaign at Columbia Unviersity, accusing a group of professors of bias against Jewish students; or who branded Alexanda Ocasio-Cortez an antisemite; or who demonises Peter Beinart.

Can this academic freedom fighter possibly be the same Bari Weiss?

This article was originally published by The Guardian on Fri 12 Nov 2021. Read the original here.