'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,' may sound good in theory. I am as much a proponent of unfettered speech as the next guy, but there has got to be limits. Did you support Columbia University's invitation to Iran's genocidal president? To the man who calls for Israel's annihilation? Should Cambridge Union have extended an invitation to Adolf Hitler in the late nineteen thirties? Would you have supported it? Are there any limits to speech in your view?

When will Israel's government learn that it's better to act smart and not tough? Chomsky and our enemies got just want they wanted, handed to them on a silver platter. Let the old crank bloviate while we trumpet free speech, he just loves the attention he gets by irritating other Jews - don't accommodate him!

Sounds like godly wisdom to me. I thank G-d for Israel, and I pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Yes, Steve, you are incorrect on this particular issue. I have many friends who are "pro-Israel" and "pro-Zionism" (ie, the support Israel as a Jewish state and they identify as Zionists) but are against the occupation because they believe it harms both Palestinians and Israelies (and the Israeli state). These Israeli Jewish friends have regularly travelled into Ramallah and other areas controlled by the PA and never had a problem, they were never harmed and welcomed and treated as honoured guests. I also have a Palestinian friend who is a dentist, whose client base was made up of both Palestinians and Israelis. Until Israel made it too difficult for them to do so, his Israeli Jewish clients (quite a few who were actually from Israel's illegal colonies) would regulary travel into PA controlled areas to use his services. They never had any problems. I have another Israeli Jewish friend (in her 70s and whose husband is a Holocaust survivor) who regularly takes Jewish visitors from the US (and who are pro-Israel) into PA controlled areas, so they can see first hand the situation is and so they can meet Palestinians (this in itself is a feat, because it often takes a lot to convince them to go and to dispell the propaganda that every Jew entering PA areas will be killed, as you imply). Again these pro-Israel visitors have no problem, they are often astounded and quite shocked that they are treated with respect and dignity by the Palestinians they meet. This is one of the reasons, my friend works tirelessly to do these types of trips, because its one of the most effective ways to break down Zionist propaganda and fear mongering about Palestinians.

First, West Bank is not your backyard, prevent any one from going inside the green line but he was supposed to give a lecture in beyond the green line. Secondly, If you really think we "rub our hands behind closed doors" and think of Chomsky as "useful idiot", then you are really way way far from understanding us and what we believe (regardless if you agree with us or not). If Israel's MKs think like this (that smartly), then our liberation day is very soon.

In part, you make Daniel's point. Daniel wrote, "(the left thinks) we (the west) are the cause of all the ills in the world." You wrote, we "fail to see how they are motivated by the right's heavy handed oppression." Israel's self-defense is "heavy handed oppression" in your view. Much of the political establishment, media and law enforcement propagate this myth that jihad terror is motivated by oppression, a sense of grievance, poverty or what have you. Never is it motivated by faith or by religion. Major Nidal Malik Hasan, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Faisal Shahzad, Osama bin Laden, Khaled Mashal, Hassan Nasrallah, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, etc., these devout men are motivated by "heavy-handed oppression" in your view. Not by religion as they themselves claim.

You claim to have many friends who are "pro-Israel" and "pro-Zionism" (ie, you say they support Israel as a Jewish state and they identify as Zionists) but are against the so-called "occupation." One cannot claim to be a Zionist and not support the Jewish people's right to live and to build in the entirety of the land of Israel. I maintain one cannot consider himself or herself "pro-Israel" and not support the Jewish people's right to live and build in the entirety of the land of Israel. Your friends are not Zionists. Neither are they pro-Israel. You speak of Israel's "illegal colonies." One does not colonize one's own land. Are you an illegal colonist in Australia? Are you in the habit of calling New York City, Raleigh, N.C., Atlanta, Ga., Chicago (Obama's home town), etc., colonies? These territories were in fact colonized by white European settlers and squatters as was much of your country. White Europeans had no historic connection to these territories- unlike the Jews the land of Israel. So do you refer to American cities as "colonies?" And if not, why not?

You people never really cared for Israel's interests in the first place, so the more irritated and grumpy you get here, the more convinced I am that Israel did something good, not allowing that old crackpot to spew his lies and hatred right in our home. I bet my bottom $ that if Israel HAD let him in, none of you would be praising and extolling Israel's openness and freedom of speech. Besides, all of you a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites. When Britain banned Moshe Feiglin from entering - none of you and your ilk called Britain a fascist country and expressed doubts on the legitimacy of its democracy. And mind you, Britain had an even weaker argument to ban him, since his rhetorics were not against Britain (the host country). And yes, #21, Chomsky DID express support for the "armed struggle" against Israel in numerous occasions, while meeting with Hamas and Hizbullah leaders.

Sure in theory it shouldn't of happened it was a border gaurd who took it upon himself to intentionally make problems for Chomsky because he knew who he was and what he was like. Not stopping him wouldn't have improved the opinion to Israel of Chomsky or any of his other admirers. Most people don't care either way. Then there is the Israel supporters who will still support Israel even if this sort of thing is done to the Chomskys of this world. If a gaurd bends a few rules to spite Chomsky well who cares. The man might think he has the solutions to all the worlds problems and if we listen to him everything will be perfect. Reality though is he is a nobody but a hateful communist. He is not an ambassedor or a head of state so why worry about diplomacy, if we had issued an appology it would have been like saying we are sorry we upset a respectable man like you Mr Chomsky we were very wrong. That would have been playing into Chomskys hands and would have seriously hurt Israel politically.

sovereignty. The crazy hateful Jews like Chomski is their main weapon against the Jews and their Jewish state of Israel.

dont do. It does not make any difference.

John - if Chomsky were Israeli, it would have been a different matter, but Israel has no obligation to give foreigners a platform for their hatred. #27 Michael - actually William Joyce had American and German nationality, as was known at the time, yet he was still hung as a traitor by the British. The argument was that, in the interests of its own security, a country is entitled to try a foreign national for crimes committed elsewhere. It's an argument that is very relevant in these days of international Islamist terror. I disagree with death sentences but, if I didn't, I might find moral justification for this ultimate form of retribution in this "old man's criticism", as you call it. Spare the tears. He has been sucking up to Hizbollah and minimising the impact of the Cambodian killing fields for 30 years.

Burning books usually comes after banning people and their ideas. Just asking.

assisting, promoting, or helping someone to say. Freedom of speech in it's entirety is the right of an individual to express or read/hear opinions that not in his/her own favor and most importantly not be attacked for it. The fact is that everyone in Israel, is free to hear Chomsky's talks on youtube, read his articles on the web, buy his books on Amazon and in book stores around the country. This isn't China with it's 'Great Firewall' actively blocking comments, websites, and prohibiting literature with full legal punishments for it. This is not the end of Democracy in Israel. His views and many even worse are spewed out daily by academics of this nation and are freely available without gov't intervention. However, this freedom does not mean that a government has to assist in helping everyone into this country or helping them promote their views. Furthermore, much like every country in the world, Israel has the right to allow and prohibit those enter it's boundaries (let the person from the country without a visa requirement throw the first stone!). Also analogous to the way Canada blocked the entrance of (thankfully) former MP Galloway, because of his active financing of terror organizations and his espoused views. He was viewed as a danger to the state and was banned entry. The fact is that while Chomsky may never say directly " Yatchba al'yahud!", if he is creating a climate where it creates a justification for killing Israeli citizens then it is indeed our right to prohibit entry. The fact that he proclaims us as 'apartheid state', ignoring the fact that Arabs sit in the parliament, army, academic institutions, press organizations, and so on. He is trying to create a climate where violence is justified against the 'Afrikaner', ignoring the fact that if a Palestinian walked into Haifa no one would care, but a Jew into a Ramallah generally leads to mob out for a lynching. So indeed, besides the lack of cognitive coherence in the thought that banning Chomsky is the 'end of democracy'. It was indeed our right. My personal opinion is a bit mixed, but in the end, it is important to make it clear that while you are free to say what you want about this country. We don't have to assist in that process regardless if you Jewish, Arab, or whatever...

Heck he'd be welcomed and be given subsidized housing and be called a settler.

Chomsky's ideas are still freely available in Israel. You can buy his books and read his rubbish on the internet. We just didn't let him in the country. Just like the UK and how they banned Geert Wilders from their country... But wait... how do you feel about that that ban?

It is usually the truth that frightens most those who are in a morally indefensible position. Chomsky is saying things that Israelis know to be true, hence he must be denied a voice (even though he is a Jew and could move to Israel tomorrow). This strategy is like having your finger in a dyke to stop the steady drip of truth, which will soon become a torrent. Israel needs to either give the Palestinians their freedom (with a sovereign state) or make them citizens of Israel and keep settling the land that they covet.

The UK has an ongoing ban on independent-conservative American radio talkshow host Michael Savage. Savage, a best-selling author, is lumped in by the UK with an assortment of nazi murderers, terrorist murderers, child-killers, etc.

Yet, the world wants the Jewish sovereignty act as if it is in Micronesia rather than in the middle of the worst neighborhood on this planet.

"Chomsky is certainly no idiot" ? And you call yourself a professor and you let others to call you that? Oy vaavoy.

I bet most people around the world would agree!

worrying about? No, seriously. Why do you care so much?

book no matter how bad books are.

With all due respect, Dr. Eldada, denying Dr Chomsky from Israel has brought dishonor to Israel and your article adds insult to injury. I do not share Dr. Chomsky's ideas about Israel but it is the likes of you, Dr. Eldad, who bring rot to the Israel I love. TZARUT EIN Sh'EIN Ke'DUGMATA.

I have never heard that jews burn books, I have heard that jews write books, and have a huge respect for books (even for the Quran). And it is the way we are educated. But, I have heard that other nations, burn books, especially jewish books : Spain, France, Germany, for example, know how to do autodafé. BTW, they not just burn books, they burn jews too. So please, keep your insanities for yourself. And, as said Friedrich Nietzsche "What does not destroy me, makes me stronger" .

Excellent article by Arieh Eldad. Why doesn't Israel publically ban the Richard Goldstone from entering Israel? This would be another, larger 'badge of honor.' Also, in all articles that mention him, responsible Jewish publications should refer to him always as Traitor Goldstone--an inextricable part of his name--like President Obama or Prime Minister Netanyahu. It's time for the Jews to show some pride.

Don't ever let him in .Him and his ilk should never be allowed to step on Israeli soil.He is a nasty old fart ,who is full of hate.Don't go soft on people like him.Well done.

That's a very good excuse to be rotten. "They'll hate me no matter what I do, so I might as well be a jerk"

OK to resist. Freedom of speech and intellectual curiosity don't trump survival. Chomsky, regardless of the putative purity of his motives, serves those who have evil in their heart