Neve Gordon
Encyclopedia
Neve Gordon is a doctor of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
, who writes on issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
and human rights
. A third-generation Israeli, Gordon did his military service in an IDF
Paratrooper
unit, and suffered severe injuries in action at Rosh Hanikra
, as a result of which he has a 42 percent disability. During the first Intifada
he served as director of Physicians for Human Rights
, Israel. He is an active member in Ta'ayush
, Arab-Jewish Partnership. He identifies himself as a member of the Israeli peace camp, has described Israel as an 'apartheid state' and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel movement
.
, University of Michigan
, and at Brown University
.
Gordon has participated in the 'Humanitarian Action in Catastrophe' group at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
.
, The Nation
, The Guardian
, Ha'aretz, The Jerusalem Post
, The Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, In These Times
, The National Catholic Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education
and CounterPunch
.
Gordon was co-author, together with Ruchama Marton
, of Torture: Human Rights, Medical Ethics and the Case of Israel and editor of From the Margins of Globalization: Critical Perspectives on Human Rights. His book Israel's Occupation was published by the University of California Press
in late 2008.
Directly after the February 2009 Israeli election
, Gordon stated that it would have "devastating effects". He also stated that the new Yisrael Beiteinu party possessed 'neo-fascist' tendencies. He concluded that the Obama administration should pressure the Likud
-based government coalition economically and politically to adopt the two state solution.
editorial
on August 20, 2009 that he had decided to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel movement. He stated that Israel had become so right wing
and 'an apartheid state' that he felt he had no choice but to support this course of action. This led to threats by some US donors to withhold funds from Ben-Gurion University, and to a heated debate within Israel over the rights of academics to freedom of expression.
The Ben-Gurion University management responded by denouncing Gordon's views. The President of the University, Professor Rivka Carmi, said, "We are appalled by Dr. Neve Gordon's irresponsible remarks, that morally deserve to be completely and utterly condemned. "We disapprove of Gordon's disastrous views and reject his cynical exploitation of the freedom of speech in Israel and the university." Israeli Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar
called Gordon's article "repugnant and deplorable. Religious Affairs Minister Ya'akov Margi
called on the university to immediately suspend Gordon from his job and to publicly condemn his article.
in which Gordon sued Plaut for libel. In May 2006, the Israeli magistrate
court in Nazareth
ruled in favour of Gordon, and ordered Plaut to pay Gordon 80,000 shekel
s in compensation plus 15,000 shekels in legal fees. Both sides appeal
ed to the District Court
in Nazareth
and in February 2008, the court upheld a libel judgment relating to a publication in which Plaut called Gordon a "Judenrat
Wannabe" but reduced the damages to 10,000 shekels (about $2,700) on the basis that, in the court's view, Plaut was entitled to criticize Gordon. There is an ongoing appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel
.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
, who writes on issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. A third-generation Israeli, Gordon did his military service in an IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
Paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
unit, and suffered severe injuries in action at Rosh Hanikra
Rosh Hanikra
Rosh Hanikra may refer to:* Rosh HaNikra grottoes, a geographic feature in Israel* Rosh HaNikra, Israel, a kibbutz nearby* Rosh HaNikra Crossing, a border crossing between Israel and Lebanon...
, as a result of which he has a 42 percent disability. During the first Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
he served as director of Physicians for Human Rights
Physicians for Human Rights
Physicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 by a small group of doctors who believed the unique scientific expertise and authority of health professionals could bring human rights violations to light and provide justice for victims...
, Israel. He is an active member in Ta'ayush
Ta'ayush
Ta'ayush is a grassroots non-violent organization established in the fall of 2000, by Gadi Algazy and a group of Palestinians and Jewish citizens of Israel. It describes itself as "a grassroots movement of Arabs and Jews working to break down the walls of racism and segregation by constructing a...
, Arab-Jewish Partnership. He identifies himself as a member of the Israeli peace camp, has described Israel as an 'apartheid state' and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel movement
Economic and political boycotts of Israel
Boycotts of Israel are economic and political cultural campaigns or actions that seek a selective or total cutting of ties with the State of Israel...
.
Academic career
Gordon received his doctorate at Notre Dame University in 1999, and has been a visiting scholar at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
.
Gordon has participated in the 'Humanitarian Action in Catastrophe' group at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute is an academic institute in Jerusalem established in 1959 by the Van Leer family of the Netherlands.The Van Leer Institute is a center for the interdisciplinary study and discussion of issues related to philosophy, society, culture and education...
.
Publications
His articles have been published in LA Times, The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Ha'aretz, The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
, The Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, In These Times
In These Times
In These Times is a politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published by the Institute for Public Affairs in Chicago...
, The National Catholic Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
and CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
.
Gordon was co-author, together with Ruchama Marton
Ruchama Marton
Ruchama Marton is an Israeli psychotherapist, psychiatrist, and feminist, and the founder of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.-Early Life and Work:...
, of Torture: Human Rights, Medical Ethics and the Case of Israel and editor of From the Margins of Globalization: Critical Perspectives on Human Rights. His book Israel's Occupation was published by the University of California Press
University of California Press
University of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
in late 2008.
Israel-Palestine conflict and Israeli politics
Gordon self-describes as a supporter of the two state solution and as a member of the Israeli peace camp. In his opinion, three essential conditions must exist to solve the peace process:- 1. "Israel's full withdrawal to the 1967 border with possible one per one land swaps so that ultimately the total amount of land that was occupied will be returned."
- 2. "Jerusalem's division according to the 1967 borders with certain land swaps to guarantee that each side has control over its own religious sites and large neighborhoods. These two components entail the dismantling of Israeli settlements and the return of the Jewish settlers to Israel."
- 3. "The acknowledgment of the right of return of all Palestinians but with the following stipulation: While all Palestinians who so desire will be able to return to the fledgling Palestinian state, only a limited number agreed upon by the two sides will be allowed to return to Israel; those who cannot exercise this right or, alternatively, choose not to, will receive full compensation."
Directly after the February 2009 Israeli election
Israeli legislative election, 2009
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
, Gordon stated that it would have "devastating effects". He also stated that the new Yisrael Beiteinu party possessed 'neo-fascist' tendencies. He concluded that the Obama administration should pressure the Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
-based government coalition economically and politically to adopt the two state solution.
Support for economic and political boycotts of Israel
Gordon wrote in an Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
on August 20, 2009 that he had decided to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel movement. He stated that Israel had become so right wing
Politics of Israel
The Israeli system of government is based on parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the Knesset. The Judiciary is independent of the executive...
and 'an apartheid state' that he felt he had no choice but to support this course of action. This led to threats by some US donors to withhold funds from Ben-Gurion University, and to a heated debate within Israel over the rights of academics to freedom of expression.
The Ben-Gurion University management responded by denouncing Gordon's views. The President of the University, Professor Rivka Carmi, said, "We are appalled by Dr. Neve Gordon's irresponsible remarks, that morally deserve to be completely and utterly condemned. "We disapprove of Gordon's disastrous views and reject his cynical exploitation of the freedom of speech in Israel and the university." Israeli Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Education.-Biography:...
called Gordon's article "repugnant and deplorable. Religious Affairs Minister Ya'akov Margi
Ya'akov Margi
Ya'akov Margi is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas and as the country's Minister of Religious Services.-Biography:Margi was born in Morocco and brought to Israel during Yakhin Operation in 1962....
called on the university to immediately suspend Gordon from his job and to publicly condemn his article.
Gordon – Plaut court case
Aside from his vocal criticism of Israeli policies, Gordon was well known in a high-profile controversy involving Steven PlautSteven Plaut
Steven Plaut is an American-born Israeli associate professor of Business Administration at the University of Haifa and a writer. Plaut is a member of the editorial board of the Middle East Quarterly, a publication of the Middle East Forum think tank....
in which Gordon sued Plaut for libel. In May 2006, the Israeli magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
court in Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
ruled in favour of Gordon, and ordered Plaut to pay Gordon 80,000 shekel
Shekel
Shekel , is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley...
s in compensation plus 15,000 shekels in legal fees. Both sides appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
ed to the District Court
District court
District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations. These include:-Australia:District Court is the name given to the intermediate court in most Australian States. They hear indictable criminal offences excluding treason, murder and, in some States, manslaughter...
in Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and in February 2008, the court upheld a libel judgment relating to a publication in which Plaut called Gordon a "Judenrat
Judenrat
Judenräte were administrative bodies during the Second World War that the Germans required Jews to form in the German occupied territory of Poland, and later in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union It is the overall term for the enforcement bodies established by the Nazi occupiers to...
Wannabe" but reduced the damages to 10,000 shekels (about $2,700) on the basis that, in the court's view, Plaut was entitled to criticize Gordon. There is an ongoing appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
.
Books
- Torture, Human Rights, Medical Ethics and the case of Israel, Zed Books, New York, ISBN 1856493148 (1995; editor, with Ruchama Marton)
- From the Margins of Globalization: Critical Perspectives on Human Rights. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, ISBN 0739108786 (2004; editor)
- Israel's Occupation. University of California Press, Berkeley CA, ISBN 0520255313 (2008)