Professors and graduates of the American University of Beirut should insult rather than honor James D. Wolfensohn

Professors and graduates of the American University of Beirut should

insult rather than honor James D. Wolfensohn

In an interview with the Zionist daily “Yadiout Ahronout” during 2006 former World Bank President, James D. Wolfensohn expressed his worry  that “Israel” would within two years lose its position as a center of interest of the United States of America”, demanding that Jewish communities continue their support for “Israel”, by all means possible, otherwise it shall not be able to confront its future challenges”.

In spite of this the American University of Beirut the cradle of Arab patriotic and nationalist movements against colonialism and Zionism throughout its long history, it is surprising that The American University of Beirut could not find anybody else whom to honor with an honorary doctorate degree except this former President of the World Bank, James D. Wolfensohn, the world famous supporter of Zionism and the Zionist entity.

The American University of Beirut, decided to “honor” this big enemy of the Arab and especially the Palestinian Arab people, James D. Wolfish, whose heart aches for our Zionist enemy, AUB decided to grant an honorary doctorate degree to him during the commencement of the academic year 2010—2011, unfortunately the provost of the university justified the action with an excuse that is worse than the guilt, saying, “there are some who says the contrary, with the proof that the ‘Palestinian State’ had itself honored Wolfensohn”. That the unpatriotic un-Palestinian authority, known for its shameful acts to honor such a Zionist, doesn’t justify that this university though it is of an American origin and in name to practice this honoring for an enemy of the Arab people while this university is well known for the services it granted to the sons and daughters of the Arab nation throughout its honorable history.

We suggest that professors and graduates during the commencement while Wolfensohn is being “honored” with the degree or when he steps up to deliver his speech to all stand up and walk out of the ceremony, or that the Lebanese Government not allow him to enter the country, due to his contribution in 2006 and since the establishment of the Zionist entity on the occupied land of Palestine to our Zionist enemy…

A.S.K.

 “The first supporter of “Israel” Honored in Beirut:

90 professors refuse to receive James D. Wolfensohn

and “The American University of Beirut” justifies!!!

By: Jaafar Al-Attar

Translated by: Adib S. Kawar

In an interview with the Zionist daily “Yadiout Ahronout” during 2006 former World Bank President, James D. Wolfensohn expressed his worry that “Israel” would within two years lose its position as a center of interest of the United States of America”, demanding that Jewish communities continue their support for “Israel”.

Now, one month after granting him the “Truman prize” in “Israel”, it is decided that the outstanding member in the “Israeli Democracy Institute”, and the basic partner for one of the “Israeli” companies supporting Zionist settlers (colonialists) in the Palestinian West Bank, shall be a guest in Beirut on June 25^th 2011, to receive an honorary doctorate degree from the “American University of Beirut” on the occasion of the 142^nd commencement of the university.

 More than ninety professors in the University received the news as a hard blow on the face, they formed a wide campaign to sign a petition that was signed up till June 8^th  by ninety five signatories in the university, who expressed their refusal to receive the Zionist Wolfensohn in the university’s campus, to deliver the inauguration speech of the commencement, noting that there are five others who shall be granted the honorary degrees: The famous Lebanese singer, Marcel Khalifah, who is a great supported of the Palestinian cause and other Arab nationalist causes, the first President of the Irish Republic, Mary Robinson, the physicist Oen Gingrich,  The Egyptian American astronomer ,Mustapha As-Sayed, and the American journalist Antony Chdeed.

While the opposition professors considered that receiving  Wolfensohn “wrecks the university’s credit in its struggle for social justice, and its historical connection with Beirut and Palestine”. The provost of the university, Ahmad Dalal, justified the action with an excuse that is worse than the guilt, saying, “there are some who says the contrary, with the proof that the ‘Palestinian State’ had itself honored Wolfensohn”. That the unpatriotic un-Palestinian authority, known for its shameful acts to honor such a Zionist, doesn’t justify that this university though it is of an American origin and in name to practice this honoring for an enemy of the Arab people while this university is well known for the services it granted to the sons and daughters of the Arab nation throughout its honorable history.

“Assafir” Beirut daily was informed that the university professors consider that inviting “the first and foremost supporter of Israel” for honoring is a shameful matter for them, and demanding to know the identity of the members of the committee that approved his invitation, and on what basis he was chosen for honoring, but Dalal pointed out that the choosing the personalities is done on the basis of a clear mechanism, that is by a committee including professors and students, and the names were announced some time ago, and was done before being approved by the university’s board of trustees”.

While professors are supposed to issue a statement to point out their full status, they circulated a petition demanding that the rest of their colleagues to sign it, explaining that Wolfensohn is an investor in an “Israeli” company that made available a part of the capital to establish “Peter Place Company” financed by “Israeli” investor Chai Aghasi, that owns “Peter Place Israel” (BBI), which establishes  a chain of station for filling electric machines throughout “Israel” for Zionists colonialists in the West Bank.

Being sure that their campaign shall not make a difference in changing the decision of the university’s administration regarding Wolfensohn’s honoring, they decided to announce that, “We don’t approve on the invitation of an investor in an

1.   Israeli company, that has a tight relation with “Israeli” military and political organizations noting that the executive manager of the company is General Moshe Kaplinsky , whose history is full with leading positions in the ‘Golanii Brigade”, during the invasion of Lebanon and the siege of Beirut in 1982, to  be followed by long years of a leading position of the brigade’s occupation of south Lebanon. In 2002 Kaplinsky was appointed as commander of the central command in the “Israeli Occupation Forces”, which is the occupation forces of  the West Bank in the most bloody years during the Palestinian Intifadah, and in 2005 Kaplinsky was promoted the position of deputy chief of staff of the IOF, a position that he held up till the 2006 aggression on Lebanon.

2.   It seems that professors and students pressure on the university’s administration thus obliging it or him to cancel his presence in the commencement, but it is still to be known whether the honorary doctorate shall be granted to him in secrecy or cancelled.

3.   The following message was circulated by the administration it seems to avoid problems for the university and reserves it good reputation.

From: American University of Beirut <am05@aub.edu.lb>
Subject: Message from President Peter Dorman
Date: Friday, June 10, 2011, 7:15 AM

This message is being sent to you because of your affiliation with the American University of Beirut On-Line Community at URL http://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/AVB