Israeli student wins case against university


UKLFI

UKLFI

Kudos to United Kingdom Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) for their recent victory against anti-Israel bias at Warwick University.  In an interesting new case, UKLFI has achieved a measure of justice for an Israeli student who allegedly faced biased instruction at the English university.  UKLFI’s Jonathan Turner reports on the win:

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which rules on complaints against British universities, has recommended that Warwick University make a full apology to Israeli student Smadar Bakovic, and pay her £1,000 in compensation.

Ms Bakovic studied for an MA at Warwick, writing her dissertation on the subject of the feelings of identity of Israeli Arabs. The University allocated as supervisor Dr Nicola Pratt, a proponent of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Ms Bakovic asked for a different supervisor at the outset but the University refused. Dr Pratt and another member of the department gave a mediocre mark, bringing Ms Bakovic’s average down below the level required for a distinction. They criticised a footnote, in which she referred to the fact that minorities in Arab countries do not have equal citizenship rights, as evidence of her “tendency … to adopt Israeli/Zionist narratives as though they were uncontested facts.”

Mr. Turner reports that Ms. Bakovic first appealed to the University’s complaints committee, which ruled in part in favor of Ms. Bakovic, permitting her to revise her dissertation, ordering the department to remark it, and leading to a 9% improvement in her mark.

However, Warwick’s complaint committee did not criticise Dr Pratt, did not apologize, and did not provide any compensation for the distress that Backovic had soffered.
 
Ms Bakovic then submitted a new complaint to the OIA with help from UKLFI members. Mr. Turner reports that the OIA refused to find that Dr Pratt was biased, largely on jurisdictional grounds, but upheld the complaint to the extent that it sought a formal apology and monetary compensation.

LDB congratulates Ms. Bakovic for asserting her rights, something that too few victims are willing to do.  We also congratulation UKLFI and its members for establishing a useful British precedent against anti-Israel bias on campus.  LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus commented, “We are delighted to see UKLFI chalk up another win in its legal efforts to defend Israel and ensure fairness in the United Kingdom.”