By HAIM WATZMAN

STEPHEN Greenblatt, president of the Modern Language Association, has criticized the publisher of two British translation journals for dismissing two Israeli scholars from roles on her publications simply because of their nationality.

Mr. Greenblatt, a professor of English at Harvard University, wrote an open letter to Mona Baker, a professor of translation studies at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, saying that her action “violates the essential spirit of scholarly freedom and the pursuit of truth.”

The dismissals have been the most prominent manifestation so far of a boycott by some European scholars of Israeli academic institutions, on the grounds that only such extreme actions would push the Israeli government to end what the scholars see as violations of Palestinian human rights.

Ms. Baker, the owner and publisher of the two translation journals, dismissed Miriam Schlesinger, a senior lecturer in translation studies at Bar-Ilan University, and Gideon Toury, a professor in Tel Aviv University’s School of Cultural Studies, from the boards of her journals.

Mr. Greenblatt’s letter is the latest expression of widening American involvement in the conflict between the largely European group of academics who support the boycott and the Israeli scholars who oppose it. In its June 7 issue, the journal Science ran an editorial declaring that it would not accept submissions from scientists who withheld research information from the Israelis or otherwise refused to cooperate with them. The British journal Nature also denounced the boycott, in May.

A Web petition condemning the boycott of Israeli academic and scientific institutions has garnered more signatures to date than the original boycott petition. The boycott petition now has just over 700 signatures, while the anti-boycott petition boasted 980, as of July 5.

The anti-boycott petition, which may be seen at http://www.aaisc.net, was begun in April by a largely American group of scholars from prominent universities, and has now been signed by many Europeans and Israelis.

The petition states: “The recent calls for moratorium on contacts with Israel, and other calls for boycott, miss the mark in many respects. For the Israeli public, a boycott reinforces the perception that it must fend for itself. Within the Palestinian community, it sends the message to the non-compromising extremists that their strategy of violence is bearing fruit.”

About 10 Israelis signed the original boycott petition, which may be seen at http://www.pjpo.org 

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Daily Express headline, 24 Mar 1933