A conference at the University of Southampton discussing the right of Israel to exist has been cancelled, say the organisers, who have accused the institution of bowing to pressure at the expense of free speech.

The conference, due to take place next month, described itself as “unique because it concerns the legitimacy in international law of the Jewish state of Israel”, but critics denounced it as one-sided.

Among those who condemned the conference were the Jewish Board of Deputies, and MPs including Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, and Caroline Noakes, MP for Romsey and Southampton.

The Zionist Federation UK arranged a petition opposing its staging that attracted more than 6,400 signatures. A counter-petition signed by more than 800 academics, including from Oxbridge, Russell Group and US Ivy League universities, urged Southampton to resist the pressure.

Oren Ben-Dor, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Southampton, and one of the event organisers, said he was told by the institution’s operating officer on Monday that it would not be allowed to take place. The university conceded that it was considering cancelling the event because of health and safety concerns but said no final decision had been taken.

Ben-Dor said: “It is very clear that the health and safety issue was not serious, it’s a way of creating bogus reasoning. The real reason was political pressure. The controversial nature of the conference is precisely where [the principle of] freedom of speech leads – that’s where the commitment to freedom of speech is tested.

The controversial nature of the conference is precisely where … commitment to freedom of speech is tested Prof Oren Ben-Dor

“It’s clear that security is a fig-leaf to stop the conference. It’s ridiculous to say they cannot ensure the safety of the participants.”

Ben-Dor, who grew up in Israel but has denounced it as an “apartheid state” and voiced support for an academic boycott, said the organisers were considering legal action against the university but would also consider finding an alternative venue.

He organised the conference with Prof George Bisharat, from University of California Hastings College of the Law, Southampton University engineering professor Suleiman Sharkh, and Juman Asmail, a Palestinian rights activist.

About 150 people had signed up to attend but Ben-Dor said he was expecting up to 300.

Ben-Dor said he and Sharkh, a Palestinian, initially felt proud that their university was hosting the conference but had been let down. “The notion of offence is not enough to consider something to be censored,” he said. “Living in a free society means you should be able to hear something unpalatable to you.”

Others due to appear at the conference included Richard Falk, the Jewish American academic and former UN special rapporteur who once compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the Nazis’ treatment of Jews.



Noakes expressed concern about the presence of Falk and said the university could “bring itself into disrepute by hosting such an apparently one-sided event”. Pickles said there should be a platform for all sides, warning that “the far-left’s bashing of Israel … often descends into naked antisemitism”.

The far-left’s bashing of Israel ​… often descends into naked antisemitism Eric Pickles

Some pro-Israel speakers were scheduled to appear and Ben-Dor claimed that he had invited a number of senior Israeli academics but that they had all declined to attend.

A spokesman for the Zionist Federation said it was awaiting the university’s official decision but added: “We would welcome the cancellation. We don’t think that it was a valid academic discussion.”

A university spokesman said: “The University of Southampton is in discussion with the organisers of the conference International Law and the State of Israel about the possibility of withdrawing permission for the event to be held on campus.

“However, this review process is still ongoing. Any decision will be judged purely on considerations around the health and safety of our staff, students and for the general public.”