Is Harvard denying Tenure to Cornel West over his views on Palestine? | Informed Comment |

This controversy would not be addressed at Informed Comment, perhaps, except for West's assertion that Palestine is at the heart of it.

Professor West told Alvarez,

"I was first tenured 37 years ago at Yale University and have served as University Professor -- the highest faculty position -- at Harvard and Princeton. Therefore, the only grounds I can conceive of Harvard's refusal to pursue a tenure process for me are age and politics. Like everyone, I grow old. However, the recent invitation extended to me to give the prestigious Gifford Lectures in Edinburgh, Scotland, leads me to conclude that some people believe I have something significant yet to say. In regards to politics, I do not believe that my intense and joyful support of my dear brother Bernie Sanders for president is a cause of any concern on behalf of the powers that be at Harvard. So, I surmise it must be my deep Christian witness based on the idea that an ugly Israeli occupation of precious Palestinians is as wrong as any ugly Palestinian occupation of precious Jews. I would bear any burden or pay any cost in order to stay in contact with the precious humanity of any oppressed people."

West is saying here that in his youth when his views on the Palestine issue were not so well known (or perhaps had not evolved to where they are today), he had no problem getting tenure at universities like Yale.

It is certainly the case that using language like "an ugly Israeli occupation of precious Palestinians" would be enough to keep someone from being hired at most American universities. This is because many pro-Israel professors and administrators (as well as those hoping for big donations from pro-Israel donors) are corrupt, and are entirely willing to misuse their positions to silence voices that are inconvenient for Israeli propaganda.