Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., March 11, 2008 Adar2 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 23:34 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 08:04 18/05/2007
Israeli, U.K. academics meet to discuss proposed academic boycott
By Assaf Uni, Haaretz Correspondent

BRIGHTON, England - Two very different groups of academics met at the
University of Brighton on Wednesday. On one side of the table were five local representatives of Britain's University and College Union, the sponsors of a resolution proposing an academic boycott of Israel. On the other were four Israeli academics who came to Britain to fight the proposal. They only managed to agree on one issue: Their argument should be conducted politely.

"Israeli universities cooperate with the occupation, and therefore, all coopertion with them should be boycotted," declared Tom Hickey, one of the Britons. "Israel commits terrible, exceptional crimes in the occupied
t
Advertisement
erritories."

However, he added that he would be willing to cooperate with any Israeli
college that publicly denounced its government's activities.

Dr. Jonathan Rynhold of Bar-Ilan University retorted angrily: "You are
imposing standards on Israel, and Israeli academe, that you do not demand of any other country, not even British academe, of which you are a part. And you treat the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as if it were completely one-sided."

"It is one-sided," responded Hickey.

The UCU proposal is part of a growing wave of British initiatives to boycott Israel. These include decisions for an academic boycott approved by the AUT and NATFHE the two lecturers' unions that later merged to form the 120,000-strong UCU in 2005 and 2006, respectively; last month's decision by Britain's National Union of Journalists to boycott Israeli products; the Anglican Church's decision to divest from companies doing business with the Israel Defense Forces; a demand for Israel's expulsion from the World Medical Association by 130 British doctors; and boycott calls by leading British architects.

Though both AUT and NATFHE approved academic boycotts, the decisions became void when the two merged last year. Therefore, Hickey has introduced a new boycott proposal at the UCU's annual conference, which takes place on May 30 and June 1. Among other things, the proposal demands that no more European Union funds reach Israeli universities.

Worried by the growing trend, Israeli academe which largely ignored the
early boycott proposals has geared up to fight this one.

"In practice, our work has just begun," said Ofir Frankel, who
coordinates the activities of Bar-Ilan's International Advisory Board for
Academic Freedom. "If we manage to thwart the proposed boycott at the
conference at the end of the month, that would be wonderful, but our goals are designed for the longer-term. We want to influence public opinion among British academics and provide them with a true picture of Israeli academe."

"Over the last year, you can sense that Israeli academe has united behind our goal," she continued, adding that she plans to attend the conference with a group of Palestinian students who study at Israeli universities, and they will present their work at the same booth.

At the Brighton meeting, Professor Zvi Hacohen of Ben-Gurion University, a senior official in Israel's lecturers' union, presented two arguments against the boycott: "First, there is widespread cooperation between our universities and Palestinian and Jordanian universities; the proposed boycott will damage this cooperation. Additionally, you must understand that Israeli institutions and universities are not political organizations, and they have no influence over the policies of the government or the parties."

But the British academics were not impressed. "My belief that we need to work for a boycott was only strengthened," said one, Bob Brecher. "The very fact that this delegation came here shows that the academic establishment in Israel is central and influential."

From Brighton, the Israelis proceeded to Birmingham and Manchester to meet undecided voters; they also met with British parliamentarians.
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Bring down the house
Knesset speaker calls for wrecking of yeshiva killer's family home.
Frum and fabulous
Beauty salons offer Haredi women a unique brand of modest glamour.
  1.   the beauty of being called an acadamic dont confuse me with facts 02:04  |  ralph 18/05/07
  2.   British left = anti-semitic scum 02:16  |  SystemF 18/05/07
  3.   Growing Rejection of Brutal Oppression 02:17  |  gearoid 18/05/07
  4.   Best way to deal with British promoters of anti-Israel boycott... 02:29  |  Dr. L. Brnd 18/05/07
  5.   Genius From Belfast 02:40  |  Barry 18/05/07
  6.   counter boycott 02:41  |  Michael 18/05/07
  7.   Boycott 02:42  |  Equest360 18/05/07
  8.   gearod of belfast 02:44  |  Connie 18/05/07
  9.   Boycott! 02:47  |  Boris 18/05/07
  10.   On The Other Hand 02:56  |  Barry 18/05/07
  11.   UK AND ISRAEL BOYCOTT 02:56  |  Roberto 18/05/07
  12.   British Boycott 03:02  |  Mitchell 18/05/07
  13.   #3 03:03  |  Johnnymac 18/05/07
  14.   #4 is the SMARTEST response I`ve ever heard 03:41  |  avi 18/05/07
  15.   Jewish Academia Must Boycott Britain 03:43  |  semsem 18/05/07
  16.   BRIT ACADEMIA 04:02  |  JOJO 18/05/07
  17.   Israeli Left are flirting with treason 04:15  |  Joe 18/05/07
  18.   TO BELFAST AND BERRY / I LIKE YOUR RESPONCE BERRY 04:16  |  PAUL 18/05/07
  19.   #4 and #14 04:23  |  Ali bin Abu ibn Abd 18/05/07
  20.   An Excellent Tactic 04:27  |  Richard 18/05/07
  21.   #4 Seriously good idea! 04:41  |  Hal 18/05/07
  22.   THE LESSONS OF HISTORY ARE IGNORED 05:10  |  paul harris 18/05/07
  23.   Ali bin Abu ibn Abd, we Americans tolerate, respect and love Jews 05:27  |  JC 18/05/07
  24.   #19, sorry these rules enacted after 9/11 not Jewish organization 05:36  |  Historian 18/05/07
  25.   #19 Abu- The law passed Congress by 90+%, Jews are 2.5% 05:48  |  Dr. L. Brnd 18/05/07
  26.   Dr. L. Brnd 05:59  |  Amir Khan 18/05/07
  27.   Shame on you, British academics singling out the Jewish state but 06:07  |  Ronit Eitan 18/05/07
  28.   Acadamia 06:26  |  Ron 18/05/07
  29.   The racists should be denounced by the antisemitic they really r 06:47  |  An Australian 18/05/07
  30.   # 4 excellent idea 06:51  |  An Australian 18/05/07
  31.   Go ahead and unplug 06:59  |  Oddvark 18/05/07
  32.   No. 4---Sorry the US anti-boycott laws 07:01  |  steve 18/05/07
  33.   #26 Amir - racism claim from a state that outlaws Jewish religion 07:04  |  Dr. L. Brnd 18/05/07
  34.   British academic bigots 07:40  |  Esther 18/05/07
  35.   Don`t speak with them! 07:47  |  CuttheBS 18/05/07
  36.   Maybe Britain should boycott itself then 07:56  |  Jake 18/05/07
  37.   Neo-Leftists, take a good look at what you`ve become 08:00  |  Jake 18/05/07
  38.   Where did these British so-called "academics" leave their brain? 08:18  |  Somebody from Europe 18/05/07
  39.   The pity of it all, sya an anglophil..... 08:59  |  Esther 18/05/07
  40.   I support proposal of Dr. L.Brndt #4............................. 09:12  |  Vittorio 18/05/07
  41.   BRITISH LEFT = the NEO NAZIS of Western Europe 09:12  |  amir 18/05/07
  42.   Brits boycotting Israelis meet with Israelis -- just how dumb? 09:19  |  Serge 18/05/07
  43.   British Academics Informed by BBC Misinformation 09:28  |  Kapule David Mabuta 18/05/07
  44.   Boycott Britain ! Buy Irish ! 09:34  |  Paul Henzen 18/05/07
  45.   # 3 Gearoid. Belfast is in the UK ! 09:38  |  Paul Henzen 18/05/07
  46.   4, Very good 10:36  |  CM 18/05/07
  47.   Brits hating Yehudim (Jews) shows disgusting British character 10:43  |  Ohev Tsion 18/05/07
  48.   Brits helped kill 655,000 in Irak - boycott them! 10:45  |  Archie Bunker 18/05/07
  49.   One point 10:45  |  Sylvie 18/05/07
  50.   Could u help me out here? 10:46  |  Star of David 18/05/07
  51.   If the local conflict did not involve Jews, you, Brits, would not 10:49  |  Avihu 18/05/07
  52.   Look who`s talking! 10:56  |  Jack 18/05/07
  53.   To SystemF: Zionist right = fascist scum 10:58  |  John 18/05/07
  54.   The boycott is a disgrace, but... 11:06  |  Jessie Coehn 18/05/07
  55.   im a british, jewish student 11:11  |  joshua 18/05/07
  56.   Response to Brutal Repression? 11:15  |  Huldah 18/05/07
  57.   The old thing... 11:15  |  christoph 18/05/07
  58.   Boycott, yes, but only against the "bad guys", please..... 11:20  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/05/07
  59.   British academia seem imbecilic 11:21  |  dovvod 18/05/07
  60.   Proffessors wasting their time/breath/$$/££... 11:29  |  Rufus 18/05/07
  61.   To Gearoid - What targetted killing 11:29  |  dovvod 18/05/07
  62.   To The People of the U.K. 11:34  |  Daniel 18/05/07
  63.   The Brits removed the holocaust from their education syllabus 11:35  |  Alon Fisher 18/05/07
  64.   To British Academics with an Understanding of Geography and War 11:42  |  Daniel 18/05/07
  65.   Left wing UK academics 11:50  |  Paul 18/05/07
  66.   Multiple Choice Test 11:56  |  Daniel 18/05/07
  67.   ITS A DISGRACE 12:00  |  Nicole 18/05/07
  68.   TO AMIR 12:02  |  Nicole 18/05/07
  69.   to Joshua 12:03  |  Nicole 18/05/07
  70.   #4 Don`t limit it to promoters of boycott... 12:18  |  Bill 18/05/07
  71.   to Paul Henzen on Irish 12:30  |  Anubhav 18/05/07
  72.