A University of Michigan professor has come under fire for declining to provide a recommendation letter, citing his support for an Israel boycott.
John Cheney-Lippold turned down the student's request after he learned it was for studying in Israel. A Zionist group later shared his response online. Critics said the email was anti-Semitic and called for him to be fired.
The academic says he supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for human rights reasons only. The BDS movement accuses Israel of human rights violations and says it opposes "all forms of racism", including anti-Semitism.
"I reject any attack of anti-Semitism," Prof Cheney-Lippold told the BBC. "The boycott of state institutions of Israel has nothing to do with the people - it has everything to do with not normalising a system that is apartheid-like."
For details: https://bbc.in/2poKsJ8