Stephen Hawking joins academic boycott of Israel

Physicist pulls out of conference hosted by president Shimon Peres in protest at treatment of Palestinians

Professor Stephen Hawking is backing the academic boycott of Israel by pulling out of a conference hosted by Israeli president Shimon Peres in Jerusalem as a protest at Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

Hawking is in very poor health, but last week he wrote a brief letter to the Israeli president to say he had changed his mind. He has not announced his decision publicly, but a statement published by the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine with Hawking's approval described it as "his independent decision to respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine, and on the unanimous advice of his own academic contacts there".

In April the Teachers' Union of Ireland became the first lecturers' association in Europe to call for an academic boycott of Israel, and in the United States members of the Association for Asian American Studies voted to support a boycott, the first national academic group to do so.

In 2009, Hawking denounced Israel's three-week attack on Gaza, telling Riz Khan on Al-Jazeera that Israel's response to rocket fire from Gaza was "plain out of proportion … The situation is like that of South Africa before 1990 and cannot continue."

We dont really hear much about Stephen Hawking in regards to politics.

I think its interesting when the most intelligent person on the planet "speaks" about his personal views (even if its through his actions).

I'm not intelligent enough to understand his theories on "gravitational singularities theorems in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation (often called Hawking radiation)" or "the cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics"...

But I would like to know more about his life in general.

reply to post by gladtobehere


How long will it take , before He is called Anti-Semite..
Or Crazy.

Well, he'll not be getting anymore funding then!

I wish he could create black holes, then maybe we could throw all the worlds governments into it and then we could all live happy lives again.

Originally posted by Tw0Sides
reply to post by gladtobehere

 

How long will it take , before He is called Anti-Semite..
Or Crazy.

edit on 7-5-2013 by Tw0Sides because: (no reason given)

Yes he will be labeled that before too long but it is nice to see more high profile people starting to speak out about what is happening over there. I am surprised that the American teachers supported the boycott because everyone claims that all Americans back Israel. Looks like that lie is falling apart.

reply to post by buster2010


Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.



Pax

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by buster2010

 

Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.
Pax

Wow!! I nearly choked laughing at that

Not believing in a supernatural being does not make him the "Anti Christ"

reply to post by VoidHawk


Well technically he is anti-christianity (aren't all people who aren't idiots, though?), but I wouldn't go as far as to label him the antichrist.

Good on him. That's all I have to say.

anyone that sees israel for what it really is, is a hero in my book.

well done.

Am I the only one wondering really it took you that long?

reply to post by gladtobehere


Steven Hawking is the most intelligent person on the planet? Who says?

This is the same who considers himself an authority on whether God exists or not. It's as if when he speaks, the truth has been told.

One wonders whether we treat this man with such godly reverence because he's locked in his body and bound to a wheel chair.

Frankly, he might be the most egotistical person alive.

In any case, this is consistent with his other political interests. His claims about Gods non existence is 100% political in nature, reflecting his solidarity with the new atheists.

Though this is a disturbing development. But in any case, academia isn't quite all on the same page, here. You have your die hard leftists, radicalists, and antisemites, pushing the same idea about Israel. They probably do so for different reasons. Not least of which, in the case of Hawking, is a symbolic attack on the "Jewish" worldview. To just adumbrate this concept: For a long time the west has saw itself in terms of Judaism; Christians replaced the the old "legalist" religion of Judaism, and spent a millenia or so tormenting it's Jews. Then when the Jews were forced into banking by Christian guilds which wouldn't let them join, or feudal law which prohibited them from owning land, then, in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, when Jews found themselves over-represented (but still a minority overall) in banking and commerce, they were accused (again falsely) of rigging the entire system to suit their interests. Again, the Europeans saw themselves in contrast to the Jews.

And now, like clockworks, here we are again. This time it's the Jewish state that the international community (particularly Muslim and European states) seeks to contrast itself with. And this of course, is perfectly valid. There is no connection here. It isn't at all reflective of some pathological psychological trend - of course not, we have evidence.

And yet, here I am, wondering how on earth someone could boycott Israel, a nation which contributes more to humankind's well being than the entire Muslim world combined. A nation which, despite having the audacity to believe it could return to it's ancient land, a land they had been refused from returning to by political decree, won back its land after fighting for it in 1948. Did things go perfectly? Did injustices occur? As in all wars, yes. But do they deserve this? To be blacklisted? Even though this nation bends over backwards to give political rights to all its citizens; allows political representation to its Arab population (something which is de-jure qualification for "apartheid"), made Arabic a co-official language.

My God....Only someone blind to the details and feverishly swept up by political dramas could fail to understand the reasonability of the Jewish states existence.

I would be all for a two state solution were it not for the Arab worlds obvious ill intent towards Israel.

Originally posted by dontreally


I would be all for a two state solution were it not for the Arab worlds obvious ill intent towards Israel.

That is the dilemma, isn't it?

It is better to die in revenge than to live on in shame.

I think the Middle East sleeps, drinks, and eats that saying.

I'm surprised most of you aren't upset with the man.

He basically has one foot in the grave so now feels its ok to speak out against Israel?

You don't find it malicious that he kept quiet for all these years and waits until the end to speak out?

Guess he's smart enough to know how to work the system to his advantage until he no longer needs it.

reply to post by dontreally

You have your die hard leftists, radicalists, and antisemites, pushing the same idea about Israel. They probably do so for different reasons. Not least of which, in the case of Hawking, is a symbolic attack on the "Jewish" worldview.

Your whole post condemns people for not being able to see the big picture, yet it is clearly you who have confined your world view to the smallest possible box.

reply to post by Hopechest


Huh? He has ALS. He could have been dead any day. His living as long as he has is highly unusual.

Though nice narrative. Making a connection between his "Deathly fear" of speaking out against the Jewish cabal which controls the world, because....ohhh, it would so endanger and discredit his already highly accredited academic career.

To even think your explanation is remotely logical is a laugh..

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


And how have I confided to the smallest possible box?

Read some books on the subjects, or at least learn something about me, before you make baseless claims about my understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Originally posted by VoidHawk

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by buster2010

 

Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.
Pax

Wow!! I nearly choked laughing at that

Not believing in a supernatural being does not make him the "Anti Christ"

Please go back and re read what I said and not your interpretation. I specifically left out the word "The" and put a space between "anti and Christ" I never said he was "The AntiChrist" I said he was Anti i.e. against Christ. By words of his own admission. He denies God's existence. Hard to be for something you don't believe in. Meaning if you you are not for something you are against it!

He would not argue with me why are you.

reply to post by sonnny1


It's a barbaric 1st millennium way of thinking.

It's not particularly "Islamic", though it is definitely old-world. It is not reflective of the 3rd millennium we live in.

Ultimately, thats all it takes. In our age of reparation, where people argue the merit of whether blacks should be repaired for the injustice done to them, it is surprising that the political injustice done to the Jews for over 2000 years, starting with the Romans, down through the middle ages, the reformation, enlightenment, and early modern era, wouldn't warrant discussion whether they too deserve to be repaired as a people for the injustices done against them by our forefathers.

Its as if every people is allowed to be, Chinese, Arabic, etc, except for the Jews. With them, it's either join us or be ostracized.

reply to post by dontreally


The fact that you jump into this thread and immediately link religion to everything and you throw around the word anti-semite and say Hawking is attacking the Jewish world view. I mean seriously, could you be any more predictable...

Originally posted by dontreally
reply to post by Hopechest

 

Huh? He has ALS. He could have been dead any day. His living as long as he has is highly unusual.

Though nice narrative. Making a connection between his "Deathly fear" of speaking out against the Jewish cabal which controls the world, because....ohhh, it would so endanger and discredit his already highly accredited academic career.

To even think your explanation is remotely logical is a laugh..

Two words.

Mel Gibson, a highly acclaimed actor and directer himself, destroyed for speaking out against Israel.

He couldn't get a job teaching a 4th grade play nowadays unless he pays for it himself.