Israel Denies Chomsky Entry
Byrnzie
Posts: 21,037
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ma ... -west-bank
Noam Chomsky barred by Israelis from lecturing in Palestinian West Bank
US academic denies claim that misunderstanding by border officials was to blame for ban
* Ed Pilkington in New York
* guardian.co.uk, Sunday 16 May 2010
Noam Chomsky, whose withering critiques of political establishments have earned him the wrath of regimes of all persuasions around the world, was todayforbidden by Israeli immigration officers from entering the Palestinian West Bank.
Chomsky said he was disappointed and surprised to have been turned back from the Allenby bridge across the Jordan river, which is understood to be the first time he has been refused entry by the Israelis. He had been due to give a series of lectures on domestic and foreign policy at Birzeit University and the Institute for Palestine Studies in Ramallah, in the West Bank.
He told Al-Jazeera television that the immigration official who interviewed him had made it clear that "the government of Israel doesn't like the kinds of things I say, which puts them into the same category as every other government in the world".
The academic, aged 82, had been with his daughter and two Jordanian friends. The friends were allowed through by the Israelis, but Chomsky and his daughter were denied entry.
Chomsky added that the Israeli authorities also seemed to take exception to the fact that he was only giving lectures in the Palestinian territory and would not be speaking in Israeli universities, "which I have done several times in the past".
Chomsky has been a keen critic of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and of successive US governments that he says have propped up the system in which Palestinians are denied equal rights.
Sabine Hadad, a spokeswoman for the Israeli interior ministry responsible for immigration decisions, said the department was trying to contact the military to clear up the matter, in order to allow Chomsky in. She told Reuters there had been a misunderstanding, as border officials had wrongly assumed he was planning to visit Israel as well.
But Chomsky said: "There was no misunderstanding. I was invited to give a series of lectures. It was straightforward, I do it all the time." He said that even if the Israelis did clear him for entry, he would now have insufficient time in his schedule to visit the West Bank.
Noam Chomsky barred by Israelis from lecturing in Palestinian West Bank
US academic denies claim that misunderstanding by border officials was to blame for ban
* Ed Pilkington in New York
* guardian.co.uk, Sunday 16 May 2010
Noam Chomsky, whose withering critiques of political establishments have earned him the wrath of regimes of all persuasions around the world, was todayforbidden by Israeli immigration officers from entering the Palestinian West Bank.
Chomsky said he was disappointed and surprised to have been turned back from the Allenby bridge across the Jordan river, which is understood to be the first time he has been refused entry by the Israelis. He had been due to give a series of lectures on domestic and foreign policy at Birzeit University and the Institute for Palestine Studies in Ramallah, in the West Bank.
He told Al-Jazeera television that the immigration official who interviewed him had made it clear that "the government of Israel doesn't like the kinds of things I say, which puts them into the same category as every other government in the world".
The academic, aged 82, had been with his daughter and two Jordanian friends. The friends were allowed through by the Israelis, but Chomsky and his daughter were denied entry.
Chomsky added that the Israeli authorities also seemed to take exception to the fact that he was only giving lectures in the Palestinian territory and would not be speaking in Israeli universities, "which I have done several times in the past".
Chomsky has been a keen critic of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and of successive US governments that he says have propped up the system in which Palestinians are denied equal rights.
Sabine Hadad, a spokeswoman for the Israeli interior ministry responsible for immigration decisions, said the department was trying to contact the military to clear up the matter, in order to allow Chomsky in. She told Reuters there had been a misunderstanding, as border officials had wrongly assumed he was planning to visit Israel as well.
But Chomsky said: "There was no misunderstanding. I was invited to give a series of lectures. It was straightforward, I do it all the time." He said that even if the Israelis did clear him for entry, he would now have insufficient time in his schedule to visit the West Bank.
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Comments
Hey, Israel...it's definitely not me I'm talking about....I swear...it's just this guy I know. And maybe he looks like me, but it's not me. Just in case I ever need to visit...I love Israel...but this guy I know...he's really sick of your shit.
After banned by Israel. Chomsky to give Bir Zeit lecture by video from Amman
Chomsky will not try to travel through the Allenby Bridge border crossing a second time, after being turned back on Sunday.
By Danna Harman and Amira Hass
Tags: Israel news Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky has decided not to try to travel through the Allenby Bridge border crossing a second time. Instead, he will hold his scheduled lecture at Birzeit University by video conference from Amman. The lecture will also be broadcast live on Al Jazeera television.
Despite reports in the Israeli media that Israel would allow Chomsky to cross, the linguist discovered yesterday that there was no official guarantee of this. He told his hosts at Birzeit he felt the Israeli authorities were playing games. His daughter and friends, who are traveling with him, also said they prefer not to tire the 81-year-old with another fruitless journey.
Chomsky spoke yesterday to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whom he was supposed to meet in Ramallah. Fayyad's office released a statement saying the two men "discussed the political situation and developments in Palestine." Fayyad said he "strongly condemns the decision of the occupation forces to prevent Chomsky from entering Palestinian land."
Israel's refusal to allow Chomsky to travel to the West Bank received considerable coverage in the foreign media and blogosphere. The BBC quoted Chomsky as saying the Israeli officials were very polite, but didn't let him in because "the government did not like the kinds of things I say and they did not like that I was only talking at Birzeit and not at an Israeli university too."
Chomsky told Al Jazeera yesterday that nobody likes the things he says, so this puts Israel in the same category as every other government in the world. "I asked them if they can find a government that does like the things I say."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev told the New York Times yesterday that the idea that Israel prevents people critical of the government from entering is "ludicrous," and "it's not happening."
Tell that to Norman Finkelstein, and Richard Falk - to name just two.
and while this disgusting episode is another example of Israels repulsive behaviour, Israel is not doing anything different than the U.S with regard to censoring Chomsky and trying to stop anyone from knowing what is really going on. the U.S keeps turning a blind eye while Israel refuses to abide by international law, while they imprison an entire population of people. regarding Chomsky, why do you think that one of the greatest minds in the world on politics never appears on any of the political talk shows?? ever. it's just state censorship in Israel as opposed to private here in the US.
same shit. different country. different day.
http://www.israeli-occupation.org/2010- ... interview/