Professors respond to Yonath's comments on terrorists

Dr. Neve Gordon, who called for boycott on Israel, says Nobel laureate has right to political expression. Elisha Haas, former chemist at Weizmann Institute, says 'it's too bad she commented without thinking'

Reuters | Published: 10.11.09, 12:26

Professors at various institutions in Israel responded Sunday to Professor Ada Yonath's comments on the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Yonath, Israeli winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry, said that regardless of a prisoner-swap deal "anyone who is imprisoned in Israel who is not just a criminal but what we refer to as a terrorist… should not be imprisoned here".

The remark posed the question of whether professors should involve themselves in issues unrelated to their field of expertise. Dr. Yuval Yonai, a senior lecturer on sociology at Haifa University, claims any scientist can express an opinion on any subject, but that not all opinions should be made public.

"Any civilian, no matter what his office, should participate in political discussion. The media should determine who it pays attention to and who it doesn't. A chemist can also state her opinion," he said.

But others weren't convinced. "I am very sorry (Yonath) got carried away into an argument in which she is not proficient," said Elisha Haas, formerly a chemist at the Weizmann Institute who claims to know Yonath well. "It's too bad she commented without thinking."

He added that he had no objection to members of the academia expressing their opinions on political matters, but that they should attempt to do so reservedly.

"She is basically saying murderers should be released for nothing; meaning they shouldn't be caught or punished but allowed to walk free. I am sorry for this outburst. She is a smart woman, but this was not a smart comment," Haas said.

It was not the first time an Israeli professor had stirred public opinion with misplaced political commentary. Dr. Neve Gordon of Ben Gurion University, who recently called for a boycott of Israel, said he did not see a problem with what Yonath said.

"It's important for everyone to express themselves on these issues, not just members of the academia," he said. "I think it is our duty as educators to stress that the essence of democracy is that the citizen is not just a bystander, but also has the ability and the right to affect political processes."

Dr. Gordon, author of the book 'Israel's Occupation', added that he encourages his students to do the same. "I want my students to open their minds and think critically of what goes on around them," he said. "That's part of our job."