Columbia Law Review site experiences downtime following publication of article critical of Israel
There's been an issue with a published article on Columbia Law Review's website, which described Palestinians as living under "brutally sophisticated structure of oppression" by Israel.
The board of directors for the Columbia Law Review issued a statement to CNN, saying the website is currently "temporarily suspended" because the article had not gone through the usual processes of review or selection. The website has been unavailable since Monday, displaying a message saying it's "under maintenance."
It's important to note that the Columbia Law Review Association is an independent non-profit organization, separate from Columbia University or its law school. The board decided to involve all student editors in the review process on Sunday, giving them a chance to read the article, raise any queries, and discuss it. They deemed it necessary for fairness towards editors who were not initially involved in writing the piece.
The board wanted to delay the article's publication until June 7 to allow for further review, but it still got published on Monday.
The board also mentioned wanting to bring the website back online as soon as possible because it was preventing access to the Review's scholarly articles.
The controversial article was authored by Rabea Eghbariah, a PhD candidate at Harvard University, who proposes a new legal concept - Nakba. This concept derives from 'al-Nakba', a term used by Palestinians to signify the establishment of Israel in 1948 and means "catastrophe" in Arabic.
In response to the situation, Eghbariah said, "Shutting down the entire Columbia Law Review website to silence my legal scholarship on the Nakba is reflective of a pervasive and anti-intellectual Palestine exception to academic freedom. This incident showcases how hostile academic institutions in the US are towards Palestinian voices and thought. Why is it so scary for Palestinians to speak their truth?"
This is yet another incident highlighting that US academic institutions are indeed an unfriendly environment for Palestinian voices.
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Despite the controversy surrounding the published article, some prominent media outlets have expressed interest in covering the story, as it sheds light on the struggles faced by Palestinians in the business of academia.
Subsequently, several media platforms have been actively discussing the temporary suspension of the Columbia Law Review website, critiquing the board's decision and questioning the implications for academic freedom.
