A Correction, an Apology and an Appreciation

My blog post on “How Anti-Zionist Jews Form the Fifth Column for Hamas” misquotes Uriel Abulof, a political scientist who teaches at  Tel Aviv University and Cornell University.  I wrote that Professor Uriel claimed that  “…the very existence of a Jewish polity, no matter at what territory, is considered almost an immoral abomination, a form of colonialism.”[4].

In fact, he was describing how many people view Israel to explain their hatred of the Jewish state. That is not his view of Israel.

If I had taken the time to check whether he was misquoted (he was) before including his statement in my column, I would have found out a number of things. First, he has in fact spoken out against Hamas and has defended Israel. Second, he is an inventive and thoughtful scholar who has contributed to a deeper understanding of how when, and why of “momentous moments” when social actors stop taking certain political realities for granted and start seeing them as involving moral dilemmas, thus fostering social agency and a transformative agenda.”

And third, he is gracious.

So I am glad to have the opportunity to apologize to Uriel, correct the record and obtain a deeper appreciation of his scholarship!