Is this seat occupied? Hebrew University debates IDF uniforms in class

The Hebrew University in Jerusalem has been at the center of many recent political debates. Last year, its administration fought the deportation of Lara Alqasem, a student supporter of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement who came to study in Jerusalem, and in January, a literature instructor clashed with a student in the reserves who came to class in uniform. The instructor, Carola Hilfrich, received threats following the incident, and Al-Monitor has learned that she decided to cancel all her classes in the Humanities Faculty and go on unpaid leave.

The incident renewed controversy over the issue of soldiers at universities. In the Western world, especially since the student protests of the 1960s in the United States and Europe, campuses have symbolized strongholds of freedom and democracy and to a large extent opposition to militarism. But in Israel, the situation is far more complicated. Mandatory military service for Jewish young people makes uniforms an integral part of Israeli society. Tourists are sometimes frightened at the sight of uniformed and armed soldiers on the trains and buses and at restaurants. Soldiers on active duty, students on reserve duty and officers studying in various university programs are common to see walking around college campuses.

The Hebrew University recently won a bid to provide an educational program for Israel Defense Forces cadets in training for officer roles in the army intelligence service. Until now, Haifa University had administered the three-year military honors program, called Havatzalot. The program includes, among others, classes in the university's Islamic studies department. One of its senior professors, Liat Kozma, wrote in a March 27 tweet that has since been removed, “I’m thinking here about our Palestinian students, but not only them — studying in a combined class of soldiers and civilians about the history of the Middle East impacts what can and cannot be said on an essential level.” She added that “turning 40% of our department into a military department” would harm its legitimacy as a research facility.

An even sharper critique was voiced by a leftist academic organization called “Academy for Equality.” The organization claims that the program would create a small army base on campus and put part of it under military control. Academy for Equality argues that the army could prevent the entry of Arab workers to its facility and change the campus environment to a military one. It further claims that the military could intervene in the curricula.