Naor Ben-Yehoyada / Professor / 2017
Naor Ben-Yehoyada Occupation: Professor University: Columbia Organization(s): BDS Close Connection(s): Duncan Kennedy, Stephen Walt Overview Naor Ben-Yehoyada is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction (BDS) movement and was a leading participant in a controversial conference aimed at contemplating the dissolution of Israel. Ben-Yehoyada signed a letter of Israeli anthropologists in support of a petition by the American Anthropological Association (AAA) BDS petition and has characterized Israel as a colonialist state. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University (Columbia). Anti-Israel Conference In March of 2012, Harvard hosted a highly controversial conference entitled “The One-State Conference: Israel/Palestine and the One State Solution,” whose subject was the dissolution of Israel as a Jewish state. Despite the university’s insistence that it was an entirely student-run initiative, not officially supported by the institution, several professors took leading roles in the planning and execution of the event. Ben-Yehoyada was a leading participant in the conference. Demonizing Israel As a student at Harvard in 2006, Ben-Yehoyada participated in a Gaza Vigil on campus. In an article published by the university paper on November 16, 2006, Ben-Yehoyada was quoted saying that “This is a political demonstration. It can’t be apolitical because the Israeli occupation of Gaza is political.” In 2007, Ben-Yehoyada was part of a campaign at Harvard called “Harvard War Criminals,” which protested against IDF officers studying at Harvard Business School and other IDF visitors to the school.
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Naor Ben-Yehoyada / Professor / 2017
As part of the campaign, Ben-Yehoyada distributed “Wanted” fliers, featuring the face of former Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, under the caption, “War Criminal.” Support for BDS Ben-Yehoyada was one of several Israeli anthropologists who signed a letter published on September 10, 2014 in support of the American Anthropology Association’s (AAA) BDS petition. Characterizing Israel as a Colonialist State Ben-Yehoyada published an article in April of 2012 entitled “The reluctant seafarers: fishing, self-acculturation and the stumbling Zionist colonisation of the Palestine Coast in the interbellum period,” throughout which he characterized the “Zionist project” as an exercise in colonialism. This accusation was reiterated on December 1, 2013, when Ben-Yehoyada published an article in which he described Israel as a “Colonial modernization project”. BDS The BDS movement was founded in 2005 by Omar Barghouti and asserts that it “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.” BDS initiatives include compelling institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, academic boycotts, anti-Israel rallies and protests. The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, backed by university anti-Israel affiliates, student governments have brought to vote on some form of boycott of — or divestment from — Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities. These resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses. BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. In 2013, when the student government of the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats and the spitting on a student wearing a Star of David necklace. As a result, the student government chose to vote via a “secret ballot” in order to ensure their own safety. Social Media and Web Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naor.benyehoyada www.canarymission.org 2/3
Naor Ben-Yehoyada / Professor / 2017
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naorben?lang=en
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