Radical intellectual was set to speak at Bir Zeit University.
By JPOST.COM STAFFNoam Chomsky 311(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Noam Chomsky was denied entry into Israel via the Allenby Bridge border crossing on Sunday, he told Channel 10's Yaron London.The world-renowned linguist, and sharp critic of the US and Israel was on his way to speak at Ramallah’s Bir Zeit University in the Palestinian territories, at the invitation of Palestinian Authority parliament member and liberal activist, Dr. Moustafa Barghouti,the sources reported.He was allegedly held up on the Jordanian side of the crossing for over four hours and was finally sent back to Amman, with no official cause given for turning him back.Speaking from Amman, Chomsky said he had tried to cross the bridge with his daughter. He said he was politely questioned, "actually they were more statements than questions," Chomsky said. "I was told the government doesn't like the kinds of things I say, and secondly, the don't like the fact I will only be speaking at Bir Zeit and not speak at any Israeli University," Chomsky told Channel 10.Asked what he answered, Chomsky replied: "I told them there is no government that likes anything I have to say, and that I have spoken at Israeli Universities many times and tried to go over to speak at Bir Zeit at those times,"Reports vary as to what Chomsky was told was the reason for the decision to turn him away at the border, he was apparently given no official explanation.Chomsky has said that Israel and the US are the true obstacles to peace, saying that the Arab peace proposal was the Palestine Liberation Organization’s official position. He says Hamas hinted they would consider it and even Iran’s leader, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had accepted and it. Only Israel and the US ignore all these developments, he claimed.
