When asked, Rob van Duijn of Studium Generale said that the format of the meeting met with criticism from a number of people within the university. It was emphatically not about a debate, but about "an exchange of views on the conflict" - a form that the critics said would not be appropriate. The criticism, according to Van Duijn, included remarks about possible actions during or around the meeting. "With that, we felt that the chance of the evening being disrupted was too great. After all, it is a sensitive subject and emotions are running high."
Unknown critics
Exactly who the critics are, Van Duijn does not know. "Still, I hope I will get an opportunity to speak to them about their objections, to understand them and explain what the goal of the dialogue table is."
Forty people - UM students and staff - were to participate in the closed meeting. They would write down their thoughts on the ongoing conflict, share them with others and listen to each other's stories.
Cautious course
The meeting was announced by the Executive Board late last year. At the time, pro-Palestinian students then demanded that UM condemn Israeli actions in Gaza. The Board opted for a cautious course: in a statement, they wrote that they understood calls for a stand, but would not go along with them. However, the Board did want to provide space "for an open and safe dialogue" to "provide a place for the exchange of views and opinions".