Latest news with #UnderstandingHamasandWhyThatMatters
Middle East Eye
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
London School of Economics resists Israel ambassador's call to cancel event on Hamas book
A leading British university has resisted a campaign by pro-Israel groups and the Israeli ambassador to cancel the launch of a new book about Hamas. The book, Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters, which is edited by Helena Cobban and Rami Khouri, was launched on Monday afternoon at the London School of Economics amid widespread outrage, with a pro-Israel protest held outside the university. The Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, wrote to LSE vice-chancellor Professor Larry Kramer asking him to cancel the launch, organised through the university's Middle East Centre, accusing it of platforming "Hamas propaganda". She claimed that the launch could "serve to grow support for a brutal terror organisation among your students and beyond". But the university did not back down, with a spokesperson saying: "Free speech and freedom of expression underpins everything we do at LSE. Students, staff and visitors are strongly encouraged to discuss and debate the most pressing issues around the world.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The book's description says that it "provides much-needed insight into a widely misunderstood movement whose involvement in a just resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict will be critical". "This book does not advocate for or against Hamas. Rather, in a series of rich and probing conversations with leading experts, it aims to deepen understanding of a movement that is a key player in the current crisis," it continues. "It looks at, among other things, Hamas's critical shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement; the delicate balance between Hamas's political and military wings; and its transformation from early anti-Jewish tendencies to a stance that differentiates between Judaism and Zionism." 'Misrepresentation' of Hamas Contributors to the book include Jadaliyya co-editor Mouin Rabbani and academic Azzam Tamimi, author of Hamas: A History from Within. The event, chaired by the Middle East Centre's director Michael Mason, was addressed by Rabbani and co-editor Cobban, as well as Jeroen Gunning, a founder of the field of critical terrorism studies, and international relations lecturer Catherine Charrett. During the event, all speakers condemned war crimes committed by Hamas and the targeting of civilians. Cobban said during the event: "It's crucial for us to recognise how complicit corporate media in this country have been in the misrepresentation - and I would even say the 'disrepresentation' - of both Hamas as a movement and its actions." She added that "resistance to occupation" is "permitted in international law". London university described pro-Palestine protesters as 'dressed as terrorists' Read More » "I am definitely prepared to condemn all attacks that violate international humanitarian law, whether on 7 October or any other day," she said. "However, it's important to note that much of what Hamas did on 7 October involved attacking military targets inside Israel." Gunning argued that labelling Hamas terrorists "erases the historical context of the 7 October attacks... It allows Israel to claim these were irrational, evil, unprovoked attacks, and that it's about hatred and nothing else." LSE has previously been embroiled in controversies related to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. In January, Middle East Eye revealed that students who staged a protest to draw attention to the university's investments in Israel were described as being "dressed as terrorists" in emails between senior staff. Footage of the incident analysed by MEE showed that some protesters had covered their faces with the Palestinian keffiyeh. Last year, the LSE became the first British university to evict its students from an encampment for Gaza after securing a court order to disperse them. LSE reportedly has £89m ($113m) invested in 137 companies involved in possible war crimes in Gaza, the arms industry and fossil fuels.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LSE refuses cancellation of book launch defending ‘misunderstood' Hamas
A leading university has defended its decision to host the launch of a book that claims Hamas is 'misunderstood'. The London School of Economics (LSE) claimed it was defending 'free speech' by refusing to cancel the launch of Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters on Monday afternoon. It comes after the Israeli ambassador to the UK called for the event to be cancelled amid concerns it could 'provide a platform for Hamas propaganda'. Tzipi Hotovely wrote to Prof Larry Kramer, the vice-chancellor of LSE, asking him to cancel the launch. In her letter, Ms Hotovely wrote: 'I am deeply concerned that the event is providing a platform for Hamas propaganda – a terror organisation proscribed under United Kingdom law. I worry that by promoting such a book, which sympathises with and justifies the survival and existence of Hamas, will only serve to grow support for a brutal terror organisation among your students and beyond.' She added: 'The university should not be endorsing this event, let alone organising it through its Middle East Centre. 'Nor should the university allow this event to go ahead on its premises. Therefore, I encourage you to cancel the event.' The university's Middle East Centre, which is hosting the event on March 10, said the book explores Hamas's 'shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement'. It added that it 'aims to deepen understanding of a movement that is a key player in the current crisis'. The event will feature a talk by the book's author and academics researching the Middle East. An LSE spokesman said: 'Free speech and freedom of expression underpins everything we do at LSE. Students, staff and visitors are strongly encouraged to discuss and debate the most pressing issues around the world.' They added: 'We host an enormous number of events each year, covering a wide range of viewpoints and positions. 'We have clear policies in place to ensure the facilitation of debates in these events and enable all members of our community to refute ideas lawfully and to protect individual's rights to freedom of expression within the law. 'This is formalised in our code of practice on free speech and in our ethics code.' Stop the Hate, a Jewish-led direct action group, has asked supporters to write letters to the university to persuade them to cancel the event. It is also planning a protest on Monday at LSE's Middle East Centre. A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said: 'Particularly amid the backdrop of rising levels of anti-Semitism in the UK, including on British university campuses, the platforming of an event that is sympathetic to a proscribed terrorist organisation is especially worrying. 'Universities have a duty to protect their students from hate speech and incitement to violence, and that includes their Jewish students, too. The event should be cancelled. It should never have been allowed in the first place.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
LSE refuses cancellation of book launch defending ‘misunderstood' Hamas
A leading university has defended its decision to host the launch of a book that claims Hamas is 'misunderstood'. The London School of Economics (LSE) claimed it was defending 'free speech' by refusing to cancel the launch of Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters on Monday afternoon. It comes after the Israeli ambassador to the UK called for the event to be cancelled amid concerns it could 'provide a platform for Hamas propaganda '. Tzipi Hotovely wrote to Prof Larry Kramer, the vice-chancellor of LSE, asking him to cancel the launch. In her letter, Ms Hotovely wrote: 'I am deeply concerned that the event is providing a platform for Hamas propaganda – a terror organisation proscribed under United Kingdom law. I worry that by promoting such a book, which sympathises with and justifies the survival and existence of Hamas, will only serve to grow support for a brutal terror organisation among your students and beyond.' She added: 'The university should not be endorsing this event, let alone organising it through its Middle East Centre. 'Nor should the university allow this event to go ahead on its premises. Therefore, I encourage you to cancel the event.' The university's Middle East Centre, which is hosting the event on March 10, said the book explores Hamas's 'shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement'. It added that it 'aims to deepen understanding of a movement that is a key player in the current crisis'. The event will feature a talk by the book's author and academics researching the Middle East. An LSE spokesman said: 'Free speech and freedom of expression underpins everything we do at LSE. Students, staff and visitors are strongly encouraged to discuss and debate the most pressing issues around the world.' They added: 'We host an enormous number of events each year, covering a wide range of viewpoints and positions. 'We have clear policies in place to ensure the facilitation of debates in these events and enable all members of our community to refute ideas lawfully and to protect individual's rights to freedom of expression within the law. 'This is formalised in our code of practice on free speech and in our ethics code.' Stop the Hate, a Jewish-led direct action group, has asked supporters to write letters to the university to persuade them to cancel the event. It is also planning a protest on Monday at LSE's Middle East Centre. A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said: 'Particularly amid the backdrop of rising levels of anti-Semitism in the UK, including on British university campuses, the platforming of an event that is sympathetic to a proscribed terrorist organisation is especially worrying. 'Universities have a duty to protect their students from hate speech and incitement to violence, and that includes their Jewish students, too. The event should be cancelled. It should never have been allowed in the first place.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fury over LSE launch for new book that ‘whitewashes' Hamas
A leading university has been criticised for hosting the launch of a new book accused of 'whitewashing' Hamas. Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters, which claims the proscribed terror organisation is subjected to vilification, will be launched at the London School of Economics (LSE) next month. Campaigners have accused LSE of disregarding the group's violent history, including the Oct 7 massacre, and have urged it to cancel the event. The Campaign Against Antisemitism claimed that the book is 'an outrageous attempt to whitewash Hamas' barbaric acts of horror', and the LSE event itself is further evidence of how British universities 'have become epicentres of Jew-hatred'. Anti-Semitic abuse on campuses in the UK has reached record levels following the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct 7, according to a report by the Community Security Trust (CST). In December, the CST found that widespread pro-Palestine activism led to many Jewish students feeling university life had become increasingly 'hostile' towards Jews. Students at LSE slept in the university's atrium for more than a month in support of Palestine and only left after losing a legal challenge. A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'This book's synopsis describes Hamas as 'a widely misunderstood movement' and says that 'the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has been subjected to intense vilification'. Perhaps that is because it capped decades of lethal suicide bombings with the massacre of 1,200 and the abduction of some 250 people. 'Is such conduct not worthy of 'vilification'? 'This appears to be an outrageous attempt to whitewash Hamas's barbaric acts of horror. 'For all their virtuous anti-racism rhetoric, our universities have become epicentres of Jew-hatred and this event is yet another example of how bad the problem is. We will be writing to LSE, which must cancel this propaganda event immediately.' The university's Middle East Centre, which is hosting the event on March 10, said the book explores Hamas's 'shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement'. The talk will feature the book's author and academics researching the Middle East. The centre's director Michael Mason, who will chair the book launch, said the event is 'covered by LSE's commitment to academic freedom and free speech'. In a statement to The Jewish Chronicle, he said: 'The Middle East Centre does not (as with LSE as an institution) take a formal position on political or international issues. 'We endeavour to provide a platform to facilitate discourse on contemporary matters by encouraging critical debate, within the law, where the views of all parties are treated with respect.' He added 'Nothing from the hosting of this event can reasonably be construed as the Middle East Centre or LSE condoning Hamas and its actions on October 7.' The Telegraph contacted LSE for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Fury over LSE launch for new book that ‘whitewashes' Hamas
A leading university has been criticised for hosting the launch of a new book accused of 'whitewashing' Hamas. Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters, which claims the proscribed terror organisation is subjected to vilification, will be launched at the London School of Economics (LSE) next month. Campaigners have accused LSE of disregarding the group's violent history, including the Oct 7 massacre, and have urged it to cancel the event. The Campaign Against Antisemitism claimed that the book is 'an outrageous attempt to whitewash Hamas' barbaric acts of horror', and the LSE event itself is further evidence of how British universities 'have become epicentres of Jew-hatred'. Anti-Semitic abuse on campuses in the UK has reached record levels following the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct 7, according to a report by the Community Security Trust (CST). In December, the CST found that widespread pro-Palestine activism led to many Jewish students feeling university life had become increasingly 'hostile' towards Jews. Students at LSE slept in the university's atrium for more than a month in support of Palestine and only left after losing a legal challenge. A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'This book's synopsis describes Hamas as 'a widely misunderstood movement' and says that 'the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has been subjected to intense vilification'. Perhaps that is because it capped decades of lethal suicide bombings with the massacre of 1,200 and the abduction of some 250 people. 'Is such conduct not worthy of 'vilification'? 'This appears to be an outrageous attempt to whitewash Hamas's barbaric acts of horror. 'For all their virtuous anti-racism rhetoric, our universities have become epicentres of Jew-hatred and this event is yet another example of how bad the problem is. We will be writing to LSE, which must cancel this propaganda event immediately.' The university's Middle East Centre, which is hosting the event on March 10, said the book explores Hamas's 'shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement'. The talk will feature the book's author and academics researching the Middle East. The centre's director Michael Mason, who will chair the book launch, said the event is 'covered by LSE's commitment to academic freedom and free speech'. In a statement to The Jewish Chronicle, he said: 'The Middle East Centre does not (as with LSE as an institution) take a formal position on political or international issues. 'We endeavour to provide a platform to facilitate discourse on contemporary matters by encouraging critical debate, within the law, where the views of all parties are treated with respect.' He added 'Nothing from the hosting of this event can reasonably be construed as the Middle East Centre or LSE condoning Hamas and its actions on October 7.'
