Nobody disputes the competence of Michael Eisen to act as director of e-life a leading neuroscience journal adept of new ways to publish scientific papers. Nobody also challenges the journal the Onion that publishes balanced views on all sorts of subjects. Now because Eisen published a twit stating that “Gaza citizens dying are criticized because they did not condemn Hamas”, Israeli scientists threaten not to submit papers to e-life unless Eisen was removed from office! Eisen was removed…
This is quite amazing considering the fact that the Israeli Government has repeatedly criticized any attempt of organizations to implement an embargo on products imported from territories that are considered “illegally occupied territories” by the majority of UN states. Both Harvard, Max Planck and Howard Hughes requested also from e-life to remove Eisen to avoid controversies during these tough times.
Is it possible to have and express a view that is not approved by the Israeli Government? In essence, we can express our views on any topic EXCEPT on the Israel /Palestine debate unless this is an unconditional support to Netanyahou. Independently of the views debated,
it remains unfair and dangerous to give all this power to Israel because this is a Jewish country (in fact a multi ethnic country). A letter signed by 2000 scientists many remaining anonymous for fear of being annoyed or pursued because of their opinions stressed the dangers of removing for these reasons Eisen from his job. Contrary to their Israeli Colleagues they are not threatening to quit e-life if Eisen is not reinstated- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdJyIQzIsTypmmZXIi-RfSjbe4Psp1RIvjXz-DxWJKA5hHIQ/viewform
Amazing how freedom of speech is becoming a luxury even in democratic countries! In the 18th century, the French author Beaumarchais wrote “as long as I am dealing with authority, morale, cult and religions, politics, the politicians and the people exerting responsibility, on the opera or other spectacles, I can write on anything that will be inspected by the censors”. He also is at the origin of the famous sentence “Speech freedom gets useless when it is not used”.
These are amazing times when the amount of violence reported continuously by Twitter (X) with the approval of King Musk is ludicrous. Nowadays, we can say what we want on the pope or Jesus Christ BUT not on the prophet or the Jewish establishment in Israel and the Israeli -Palestinian conflict, the rest is still feasible. Another common factor between Israel and the Islamic religion. These are not good news and are in line with the indications that freedom is reduced in the world including in European democratic countries.
This article was previously published on my Médiapart Blog on December 5, 2023: https://blogs.mediapart.fr/ben-arineurochlorefr/blog/051223/michael-eisen-quand-critiquer-israel-reste-interdit
Photo : JASON HENRY/NYT-REDUX-REA
