Amman. Photo: Wiki Commons

An Israeli expert on mental health was forced to flee and cancel his speaking engagement at a Jordanian university after hundreds of students protested outside Amman’s University of Jordan last week.

The protesters not only demanded the cancellation of Dr. Gideon Anholt’s lecture, but also demanded that authorities expel Jordan’s Israeli ambassador and cancel the 1994 peace treaty, according to reports. Protesters bragged that they succeeded to cancel “the Zionist’s lecture” on Facebook, after a university official agreed to give in to their demands.

Dr. Anholt had to be smuggled out the back door. “This event saddens me but has not changed my feelings,” he said. “It’s a pity fanatics are allowed to ruin prospects of collaboration. I understand that the current atmosphere is very complex but I will still try to promote as many scientific initiatives as I can. It won’t be easy though,” he said.