Harvard Journal Accused of Censoring Pro-Palestinian Content

Harvard Journal Accused of Censoring Pro-Palestinian Content
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A letter signed by more than 115 scholars condemns the cancellation of a special issue of the Harvard Educational Review on Palestine as an act of censorship, The Guardian reported. The scholars argue that the decision was a result of “anti-Palestinian discrimination” and an attempt to silence academic discourse on the “genocide, starvation and dehumanisation of Palestinian people.”

The special issue of the journal was intended to address the education of and about Palestinians. According to the article, the publisher, the Harvard Education Publishing Group (HEPG), demanded an unprecedented “risk assessment” by Harvard’s general counsel before its publication. The publisher later cancelled the entire issue, citing an “inadequate review process” and a “lack of internal alignment,” but denied that the decision was an act of censorship.

The authors and editors of the issue have rejected this explanation, calling it an example of the “Palestine exception” to academic freedom. The cancellation has also been condemned by other groups, including PEN America and the Middle East Studies Association. In response, the scholars who signed the letter have pledged to boycott HEPG until it apologizes, commissions a new issue on Palestine, and implements safeguards for editorial independence.