New bill requires universities to fire anti-Zionist faculty

A legislative proposal requiring Israeli institutions of higher education to terminate lecturers who express anti-Zionist sentiments has drawn strong condemnations from Arab lawmakers and academics amidst what critics see as a wartime crackdown on freedom of expression, writes Sam Sokol for The Times of Israel.

If passed, the bill, which was brought to the Knesset on Monday by coalition whip Ofir Katz (Likud), would require universities to fire without compensation any instructors who deny Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign Jewish nation, incite terrorism, or express support for a terrorist organisation or an armed struggle against the State of Israel.

“The State of Israel prides itself on extensive freedom of expression that allows a wide range of opinions to be heard on any stage. However, the days of war in which we find ourselves oblige us to … balance freedom of expression against the basic principles of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” the bill’s explanatory notes state.
Full report on The Times of Israel site