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Revision as of 18:13, 8 November 2005 by 80.178.203.155 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A Personal Letter Concerning the Bukay Affair
Dear friends,
After circulating the findings of the investigation carried out by the Rector of the University of Haifa, Professor Yossi Ben-Artzi (who concluded that all of the quotes related to Dr. David Bukay in the media were false), I got a letter which charged me with spreading lies and defamations across the web, although I was not author of the article in which the accusations were made against Bukay, as I was merely a circulator of a news' item published in Israeli news website. Therefore, a disciplinary trial had to be carried out against me on Wednesday, March 16. I am glad to inform you that it going to be cancelled, and nothing will take place on March 16.
After a thorough investigation, and after a personal conversation with Dr. Bukay, I felt that it is my obligation is to apologize.
I arrived to the conclusion - due to information given to me - that the quotes in Nana news website were not said by Bukay as they were formulated by the reporter and by Bukay's student, Mr. Fadi Abu-Yunes. Mr. Abu-Yunes announced the Rector of the University that he did not say the quoted accusations against Bukay.
Unfortunately, Abu-Yunes - though aware of my letter circulated to academics and other people with whom I have a contact - did not bother to contact me in order to inform of his decision to deny the quotes related to Bukay. He did so only in a conversation with the Rector, letting me to circulate false news’ item.
In a phone conversation I had with Mr. Abu-Yunes, he told me that Bukay did preach to murder all the Arabs and that the Rector's report was mendacious. A day latter, I got a phone call from other person, who apparently spoke to Abu-Yunes, and told me that Bukay did not preach to shoot the all Arabs in their heads but only the Arab terrorists. A day afterwards I asked Abu-Yunes to come with me to a notary in order to make a statement, in which he will state that Bukay did preach for a mass murder of innocent Arabs. He agreed.
A day afterwards I got another phone call from the same man, who clarified that Bukay did not say the quotes related to him, and Abu-Yunes denies the quotes in Nana's report.
After having a face-to-face conversation with Bukay, I concluded that all the quotes related to him were false and that I was misled by opportunistic, unprincipled and scoundrel elements.
I will make myself clear: I don't accept, by definition, Bukay's views and outlook. I don't agree with his analyses as they were published in books and articles he wrote. I am standing in total disagreement with him. Nonetheless, I believe that Bukay did not say the quotes related to him, and therefore he is an innocent person.
Cynical, unprincipled and dishonest villains used me, as they knew that I am committed to peace, equality, humanism, liberty, justice and fairness. For two weeks, neither Abu-Yunes nor any other person who read my letter, even tried to notify me that Bukay and/or Abu-Yunes, if to believe him, were misquoted in the Nana website.
I believe that it is my duty to apologize and ask for Bukay's pardon and I am taking my hands off this entire affair.
Please find, in attachment, the Hebrew version of my apology. Below you'll find an English version of it.
Yours,
David Merhav
March 15, 2005
To Dr. David Bukay The School of Political Science University of Haifa, Israel
A Letter of Apology and Clarification
On January 27 I sent a letter through my electronic mail to my mailing list, in which I translated into English the news' item published in Nana news website that dealt with your alleged expressions.
Lately, I received the findings of the investigation held by Professor Yossi Ben-Artzi, the Rector of the University of Haifa. The investigation concluded that the report in Nana website does not consists of any element of truth. Furthermore, from documents given to me, I understood that most of the course's participants deny the expressions related to you, including a student that part of the quotes in the news' item were related to her. They defined the quotes related to you as "blood libel".
Therefore I concluded that lie, falsification and distortion are standing in the core of the quotes related to you. In light of the Rector's report, accepted unquestioningly by the signed below, I decided to express my sincere apology and my deep sorrow since you were hurt by the publications circulated by the signed below without any sort of malice aforethought, based upon sincere concern to the University's reputation.
I would like to add that the Rector's report related to the affair was circulated to the mailing list of the signed below, in English as well as in Hebrew.
I would like to express my regret concerning the sad conducting of this affair, and I am delivering my sincere apology to you. I would like to condemn unequivocally those who misused my sincere concern for fair, respectable, equal and just academy to all of its students - from all nationalities and religions - in order to advance personal and political interests that nothing exists between them and genuine fairness, respect and justice - my personal values.
Finally, I would like to inform you that this letter would be sent, in Hebrew and English versions, to all the addresses listed in my mailing list, to which my publications were sent.
Yours Sincerely,
David Merhav
Undergraduate student The Department of Philosophy University of Haifa, Israel