Two U. of Leipzig professors cited “security concerns” and claims of “racism” against the historian, a vocal opponent of Israeli control over parts of Judea and Samaria.

By Canaan Lidor, JNS

The University of Leipzig in Germany cancelled a lecture planned for Thursday by renowned Israeli historian Benny Morris, citing protests and safety concerns.

Morris, whose research into the Israeli-Arab conflict has elicited criticism from both pro-and anti-Israel corners, was scheduled to discuss “The 1948 and Jihad” as part of a lecture series on antisemitism.

The cancellation was due to student protests over remarks by Morris “that can be interpreted as offensive and even racist,” wrote two Leipzig University professors, Gert Pickel and Yemima Hadad, in a statement announcing the cancelation. They did not specify the remarks in question. The protests were “understandable, but frightening in nature,” they wrote.

“Various groups have asked us to cancel the lecture. Together with security concerns, the abovementioned issues mean that Prof. Benny Morris’s lecture will not take place,” they wrote.

They added: “We want to express our concern that a double standard is being established that is being applied to Israeli scholars, who are increasingly marginalized and excluded from events under the pretext of political differences of opinion, while other voices are given unhindered access to the university.”

The Vienna-based MENA think tank released a statement condemning the university’s decision, noting the record of Morris, whom The Guardian has described as “the radical Israeli historian who forced his country to confront its role in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.”

The opposition to Morris, despite his perceived impartiality, “only further highlights the pathetic behavior of the University of Leipzig, which can quite rightly be counted as a great success by Israel-haters,” MENA wrote.

Morris has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s control over parts of Judea and Samaria. His findings as a scholar often has not aligned with some narratives espoused by Israel’s advocates.