CONDEMNING THE BOYCOTT WHILE IGNORING THE CANCER. Ruth Wisse writes about the US university presidents who signed the protest against the proposed British boycott of Israeli academic institutions. While welcome, she finds that the broader problem--which is being ignored by these same university presidents--is exemplified by The New York Times:

The protest against the British academic boycott published in the New York Times was framed strictly as a defense of academic freedom and solidarity with Israeli colleagues. It avoided any mention of the ideology of hate that fuels this boycott. One might as well condemn cancer without investigating its cause or doing what one can to prevent its spread. Having once joined in symbolic action, these presidents of American colleges and universities would do well to appoint a committee from within their midst to investigate the spread of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel prejudices on their own campuses and within their own curricula, where it does the most damage. As in medicine, prevention is the best cure.

But what are the chances of university presidents--or the media--actually taking a stand on the ideology itself?

Technorati Tag: Israel and British Boycott.