The Palestine exception
JVL Introduction
Jonathan Rosenhead writes in The Times Higher Education, wondering why it is so controversial to criticise Israel’s scholasticide in Palestine?
His answer is simple. As a recent example from the university of Paris-Saclay shows, Palestine is always the exception.
Such as, when universities are called on to think about their links with Israeli institutions and whether they align with academic values. And, if not, to call on them to do something like “suspend until further notice all forms of institutional cooperation with Israeli universities”.
Impossible! Discriminatory! Antisemitic!
Actually the last call was one put out in March 2022 by the conference of the presidents of French universities. Only the call was then “to suspend until further notice all forms of institutional cooperation with Russian universities”.
Such double standards prevail around the world. Indeed, they are the default position. Palestine is always the exception.
RK
This article was originally published by The Times Higher Education on Thu 19 Mar 2026. Read the original here.
Why is it so controversial to criticise Israel’s scholasticide in Palestine?
Paris-Saclay’s statement reprimanding its own ethics committee provides a prime example of the Palestine exception, says Jonathan Rosenhead
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Thank you Jonathan. Actually SOAS is currently persecuting at least two students who were part of the student protests for Palestine-so much for their statement. Nevertheless your article is useful because it illustrates the moral and political hypocrisy used by the defenders of Israel. In the constant arguments I try to emphasise the false nature of conflating criticism of the actions of a state with criticism of the people of that state. That is, to criticise Israel does not mean criticising the people, the Jewish inhabitants, as for example with the criticism of Putin with criticising the Russian people. It is only Israel which uses this false conflation to constantly accuse critics of antisemitism.