Hebrew U. Drops Goldstone From Board

By Forward Staff June 4, 2010

Judge Richard Goldstone has been removed from the board of governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Israeli daily Maariv reported Goldstone’s removal from the board earlier this week. Goldstone headed a U.N. investigation into the winter 2008-2009 conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel that has been fiercely denounced by Israel and many of its supporters. Goldstone was first informed of his removal by a reporter from Britain’s Jewish Chronicle.

“This is the first I have heard about my position as a governor of the H.U.,” Goldstone told The Jewish Chronicle. “I feel confident that it is not correct and such action would not be taken without notice to me or the South African Friends of the Hebrew University.”

Hebrew University spokesperson Orit Sulitzeanu confirmed to the Jewish Chronicle that Goldstone had indeed been removed from the board. “We prefer that our governors are active and from time to time we remove governors who are not active and freshen the ranks with people who will be active. His removal has nothing to do with his Report about Gaza,” she told the paper.

David Schonberg, a Jerusalem-based attorney, told The Jewish Chronicle he had been pressing Hebrew University for months to remove Goldstone due to his role in producing the U.N. report. Schonberg said he received early notice of Goldstone’s removal from the school’s legal adviser recently after earlier replies he found evasive.

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