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LMU Munich Cancels Event on Palestinian Academia After Review

University leaders said the program did not meet required academic standards following external complaints.

Overview

  • The Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies had scheduled the multi-hour event for 28 November with scholars from Birzeit University and Al-Quds University.
  • CSU lawmakers demanded a suspension and review of the program after an open letter from a network of Jewish academics criticized a lack of balance and raised concerns for Jewish students.
  • LMU announced the event would not proceed, citing doubts that it qualified as a scholarly event at the necessary level and pledging to design new formats for highly charged topics.
  • Academic‑freedom and pro‑Palestinian networks denounced the cancellation as a serious infringement on academic freedom and discriminatory toward Palestinian scholars.
  • Bavarian officials welcomed the decision as a safeguard against propaganda, and the dispute adds to recent campus tensions that included a pro‑Palestinian protest camp at LMU.