German University Cancels Lecture by Leading Israeli Historian Benny Morris Following Student Protests - Europe - Haaretz.com
▻https://archive.ph/2024.12.01-112749/https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2024-12-01/ty-article/.premium/german-university-cancels-lecture-by-leading-israeli-historian-following-student-protests/00000193-81ac-de89-abff-99ff0e1c0000
Students opposing the lecture accused Morris of being “a person who justifies the expulsion, killing and rape of hundreds of thousands of people.” They cited statements from Morris’ past interviews with various media outlets, including a 2004 interview with Haaretz in which he said that “in certain conditions, expulsion is not a war crime… When the choice is between destroying or being destroyed, it’s better to destroy… when the choice is between ethnic cleansing and genocide – the annihilation of your people – I prefer ethnic cleansing.”
Morris discussed the Palestinians during the interview, saying, “Something like a cage has to be built for them. I know that sounds terrible. It is really cruel. But there’s no choice. There is a wild animal there that has to be locked up in one way or another.”
Speaking with Haaretz, Morris said the cancellation of the lecture was “disgraceful , especially since it resulted from fear of potential violence by students. It is sheer cowardice and appeasement .”
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In recent decades, especially after the second intifada, Morris was relabeled as a right-winger and supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by left-wing circles, following a political shift. The shift saw him placing the primary blame for the conflict on the Palestinians.
“There will not be a territorial compromise [and] there will not be peace on the basis of the country’s division, mainly because the Palestinians cling to their desire to have control of the whole Land of Israel and to eradicate Zionism,” he told Haaretz in 2019.
