Here’s a letter from Yale to Maen Rashid Areikat, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s rep in Washington, responding to Areikat’s complaint about that disgraceful conference that a Yale center dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism held last week. all about self-hating Jews, Palestinian identity formation (not good), and criticism of Israel (presumably at the behest of major donors).
President [Richard] Levin has asked me to respond to your letter of August 30th.
I very much appreciate the reference in your letter to the importance of free speech– a fundamental principal [sic] respected by individuals and institutions around the world. As an institution which holds this principal [ditto] in the highest regard, we cannot prevent speakers at an on campus event from speaking their minds. By the same token, the fact that speakers at a recent conference at Yale expressed various points of view does not in any way imply that the University endorses any of those views. Rather, it reflects Yale’s robust policy on freedom of expression.
Thank you for taking your time to express your views on the subject.
Donald L. Filer
Director, Office of International Affairs
