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Ehud Olmert is NOT WELCOME at UM

As students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Michigan we hereby express our protest against the invitation extended to Mr. Ehud Olmertan individual suspected of responsibility for war crimes and governmental corruptionto give a public lecture on April 7, in an event sponsored by the Law School, the International Institute, the Ford School of Public Policy, the Ross School of Business and the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. While the event was canceled due to Mr. Olmerts recent conviction on charges of bribery, the decision to invite him and the lack of transparency surrounding his visit should still be scrutinized and criticized by our intellectual community. Mr. Olmert served as the prime minister of Israel in 2006-2009. In this period, his administration continued the policy of expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. At the same time, Olmerts government constricted the military blockade on the Gaza strip, disrupting the supply of key products and maintaining a population of more than one million people on the constant verge of a humanitarian disaster. Olmert's government also launched two extensive military campaigns: the war in Lebanon in 2006 and operation "Cast Lead" in Gaza in 2008. As attested by testimonies and reports published by international human rights organizations, in these military operations the Israeli army (I.D.F) committed war crimes against Lebanese and Palestinian people. In operation Cast Lead the I.D.F launched a series of air strikes and invasions into densely populated areas, killing 759 Palestinians who did not take part in any form of fighting, among them more than 300 children and 100 women. In several cases, I.D.F forces used shells containing white phosphorus. Operation "Cast Lead" also included the massive destruction of Palestinian homes by the I.D.F, which turned some 20,000 people homeless. For the part he played in these events Mr. Olmert could face an arrest for war crimes if he visits the UK. His previous tour in American universities met the protest of students and activists. In recent years Mr. Olmert has been tried in Israel for governmental corruption. He was suspected in fraud, breach of trust, and the taking of bribes. In 2012, Olmert was acquitted in two cases, but was convicted in breach of trust. The court sentenced him to a one year suspended prison term. This week, on March 31st 2014, Mr. Olmert was convicted of accepting bribes while serving as mayor of Jerusalem. This recent conviction only heightens our dismay over the fact that Mr. Olmert was about to receive an honorable stage in our university. We believe that such events contribute to a dangerous process of white-washing and legitimizing war crimes and corrupt political culture. The fact that the Law School was among the sponsors of this event, which was to be held without an announced topic and where the speaker could not be challenged from the floor by the audience but would only be responding to questions submitted in advance, was particularly disappointing and troubling. We urge the sponsors of this event and the University community as a whole to consider

the grave ethical implications of honoring individuals associated with war crimes and corruption before inviting speakers such as Mr. Olmert to campus, and to ensure that all lectures and events are arranged in the spirit of transparency, democracy and free discussion. Mohammed-Ali Abazeed, Alumnus Cass Adair, Graduate Student, English Ido Admon, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Abdallah Alkahalah, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering Tahany Alsabahi, Undergraduate Student, LSA Samia Ayyash, Undergraduate, LSA Kathryn Babayan, Faculty, History Elizabeth Barrios, Graduate Student, Romance Languages and Literatures Sarah Bazzetta, Alumna Ali Bolcakan, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Jos H. Bortoluci, Graduate Student, Sociology Oriol Burgos-Tsoffar, Undergraduate Student, Comparative Literature Diana Sierra Becerra, Graduate Student, History and Womens Studies Jonathan Brack, Graduate Student, History Smadar Brack, Graduate Student, History Maria Canal, Graduate Student, Romance Languages and Literatures Baak andar, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Vedran Catovic, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Nishaant Choksi, Graduate Student, Anthropology & History Erdem ipa, Faculty, History and Near Eastern Studies Joshua Cole, Faculty, History J. Benjamin Cronin, Graduate Student, History Scott De Orio, Graduate Student, History Tarek Dika, Faculty, Comparative Literature Maayan Eitan, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Geoff Eley, Faculty, History Farah Erzouki, Undergraduate Student, LSA Chris Estrada, Graduate Student, Anthropology & History Sara Feldman, Graduate Student, Near Eastern Studies Joshua Friedman, Graduate Student, Anthropology Yoni Goldstein, Alumnus Rebecca Grapevine, Graduate Student, History Saida Grundy, Graduate Student, Sociology and Women Studies Alan Haber, Alumnus David M. Halperin, Faculty, English, Women Studies and Comparative Literature Jarrod Hayes, Faculty, Romance Languages and Literature Gabrielle Hecht, Faculty, History Laura Herbert, Graduate Literature, Romance Languages and Literature Alexandra Hoffman, Alumna, Lecturer, Judaic Studies Geoffrey Hughes, Graduate Student, Anthropology Diane Owen Hughes, Faculty, History Yanay Israeli, Graduate Student, History Hassan Jibril, Undergraduate Student, LSA Amr Kamal, Alumnus

Matan Kaminer, Graduate Student, Anthropology Sara Katz, Graduate Student, History Yazan Kherallah, Undergraduate Student, LSA Neveser Kker, Graduate Student, Political Science Nora Krinitsky, Graduate Student, History Ian Matchett, Undergraduate Student, Political Science Christopher Meade, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Lamees Mekkaoui, Undergraduate Student, LSA Rostom Mesli, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Alice Mishkin, Alumna, Staff Katya Mishuris, Graduate Student, History Lamia Moghnieh, Graduate Student, Social Work & Anthropology Ammanee Mohammad, Undergraduate Student, LSA Gina Morantz-Sanchez, Faculty, History Firas Mouasher, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering Regev Nathansohn, Graduate Student, Anthropology Rachel Neis, Faculty, History Davide Orsini, Graduate Student, Anthropology and History Tova Perlmutter, Alumna Miray Philips, Undergraduate Student Federico Pous, Graduate Student, Romance Languages and Literatures Helmut Puff, Faculty, History Kristy Rawson, Alumna, Screen Arts and Cultures Bruno Renero-Hannan, Graduate Student, Anthropology and History. Amanda Respess, Graduate Student, Anthropology & History Timothy Rhein, Undergraduate, Near Eastern Studies Jennifer Robertson, Faculty, Anthropology and History of Art Amy Rosenberg, Staff, Kelsey Museum Katie Rosenblatt, Graduate Student, History William Gertz Runyan, Graduate Student, Comparative Literature Anton Shammas, Faculty, Near Eastern Studies Mejdulene Shomali, Graduate Student, American Culture Aaron Stark, Alumnus, Staff Alejo Stark, Graduate Student, Astronomy Michelangelo Trujillo, Graduate Student, Social Work and Sociology Ruth Tsoffar, Faculty, Comparative Literature and Womens Studies Deema Totah, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering Joseph Viscomi, Graduate Student, Anthropology & History Alan Wald, Faculty, English Literature and American Culture Leann Wilson, Graduate Student, History Orian Zakai, Alumna, Lecturer, Judaic Studies The Student Union of Michigan

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