Ben-Gurion University today (Monday) sent a letter to the "Bookworm" bookstore, demanding the removal of the logo of the institution attached to a book launch event that will take place this coming weekend.
The book is written by Prof. Oren Yiftachel, a full-time lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The book accuses the State of Israel of 'Apartheid.' The book's name is "Power and Land: From Ethnocracy to Creeping Apartheid in Israel / Palestine".
The original announcement ahead of the book launch event at a store in Tel Aviv included the emblem of Ben-Gurion University, and states that the event, in which the State of Israel is accused of implementing Apartheid laws, is being held in collaboration with the university, established by the Israeli government which is the source of much of its funding..
The "Bookworm" Facebook page reads: "We are pleased to invite you to a discussion and discussion around Prof. Oren Yiftachel's book, in collaboration with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev."
Following the publication of the ad with the university logo, the store received a letter from Ben-Gurion University's legal department, with an unequivocal demand to remove the logo which was embedded without coordination with the university.
"Contrary to what was shown in the ad, this is a private event of a bookstore and the university did not sponsor it and the use of its logo was done without permission and authority," the university told Arutz Sheva.
Last April there was an official launch of the book in question, in which the invitation to launch the book was published on the university's official website, and the organizers of the event included the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy in collaboration with Ben Gurion University's Department of Geography and Environmental Development.
Those who welcomed the event in April, among others, are Prof. David Wachstein, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Nurit Alfasi from the Department of Geography and Environmental Development at the university.
Shai Glick, CEO of the B'Tsalmo organization, said: "I congratulate the university administration for refusing to lend a hand to hatred and incitement against the State of Israel. It is unfortunate that extremist bodies are trying to flaunt an official logo as opposed to the truth. This proves that not only is the logo incorrect, but also all their anti-Israel claims. We will continue to protect the good name of the State of Israel and its citizens, the only democracy in the Middle East. "