I am writing to express my admiration for CAUT's willingness to publish Elia Zureik's courageous article on the obstacles facing Palestinian education.

As an Israeli citizen, I am aware of the restrictions imposed on Palestinian students and educators by my government and the military authorities. It is vital that members of educational associations such as CAUT learn of the difficulties their Palestinian colleagues face.

For sure, Israel has legitimate security concerns. It has been my experience, however, that Israeli military and political authorities are often willing to impose unnecessarily draconian penalties in the name of state security. This is especially true in the case of Palestinian educational institutions, which have been all but incapacitated by Israeli measures during the late 1980s and 1990s. Palestinians cannot vote or gain easy access to the Israeli media. Therefore, they are far more vulnerable than Israeli citizens to excessive state intervention in their lives.

Although the difficulties Palestinian educators and students face are often common knowledge among European academics, information on Israeli policies is less widely disseminated in North America. I am delighted CAUT saw fit to print Professor Zureik's article, as it is testimony to your independence and commitment to encouraging freedom of expression. Bravo!

I recently moved to Montreal to take up a Canada Research Chair at McGill University. By publishing Professor Zureik's article, CAUT has made me very proud to be a member of the Canadian academic community.

Thank you.

James Ron
Canada Research Chair in Conflict & Human Rights
Sociology, McGill University