THE head of the University of Sydney Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies has defended his refusal to assist an Israeli civics teacher who has designed programs for Jewish and Arab children with research work in Australia.
In a stinging critique of Australia's foreign policy, Jake Lynch said the centre boycotted Israeli institutions "because of the deficiencies of official foreign policy and diplomacy by Australia and other influential states".
He said supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel sent a "message of unacceptability for Israel's expansionist policies and militarism". "The message has not been clear enough from many governments, including Australia's, and that has contributed to the problem," Mr Lynch said.
"By withholding our co-operation on an institutional level, we are doing our bit to make up for that."
The Australian revealed yesterday that the centre had rejected a bid by Hebrew University of Jerusalem academic Dan Avnon, credited with developing and implementing Israel's only state program in civics written for joint Jewish-Arab high school students, for assistance with research on the basis of the policy.
Civics education is one of the most sensitive subjects in the Israeli school curriculum. Earlier this year Professor Avnon took a strong stand in a clash over the treatment of a senior education official over the treatment in the curriculum of the incidents of 1948 that led to the birth of the Jewish state. He warned in local media against "an agenda that places an emphasis on nationalistic values at the expense of civil values".
On moving beyond the Jewish and Palestinian civil divide, Professor Avnon has warned how "locked horns represents a static headlock, which causes psychological and sociological immobility and consequently a diminished quality of life".
The ban on Professor Avnon provoked anger from the Coalition, which called on Foreign Minister Bob Carr to reveal if the centre declared its pro-BDS stand before receiving a $47,000 grant from AusAid in 2010. Associate Professor Lynch said this was like comparing "apples and oranges".
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop demanded Senator Carr repudiate the BDS campaign. "The decision of the centre to put a ban on contacts with Israeli academics is completely at odds with the aims of a centre that purports to be dedicated to studies in peace," Ms Bishop said.
The centre is outspoken on other policy issues, with its most recent annual report attacking the war on terror and accusing "official Australia" of attempting to sweep the issue of West Papua "under the carpet".
Sydney University provides two salaried staff positions, including Associate Professor Lynch's, at the centre.
Associate Professor Lynch said the centre received research income tied to specific programs and "a few diddly amounts" as a part of Sydney University's school of social and political sciences.
