To the editor,
The article by Mairghread Ryan on Ilan Pappe's lecture neglects some important background information. Ilan Pappe is one of the most extreme of Israeli activists who seek to rewrite history to support their political beliefs. He was active in the Israeli Communist Party, which takes a Marxist position in opposition to nationalism.
Although an academic historian, he believes that factual accuracy in history is not important because every historian is subjective. Therefore, ideology trumps historical fact. It is disturbing to me that he was invited to speak at UB because this invitation implies that there are people on campus that support this view of history.
I accept that ideology can create a lens through which facts may be interpreted, but, Pappe's position is simply an excuse to use the privileged position of an academic to wage a propaganda war rather than engaging in serious intellectual work to help us better understand the past. It is especially distressing that his views are given credence on the world stage.
The UB community should recognize it for what it is, propaganda that simplifies and distorts a complex issue so as to polarize popular opinion. In our own recent history we have only to remember "WMD" and "Swiftboating" to understand how a message like Pappe's can lead to enormous damage in world affairs.
Edward Steinfeld
Professor of Architecture
arced@buffalo.edu
Extreme Israeli activist
Can damage world affairs
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