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Last update - 02:33 31/05/2007
U.K. union backs calls for boycott of Israel academe
By Assaf Uni, Haaretz Correspondent

Britain's University and College Union (UCU) voted on Wednesday to promote a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, protesting Israel's policy on the Palestinians. Jewish and Israeli officials in the U.K. and Israel reacted with outrage to the motion which, for the most part, is a rhetorical move.

The motion was approved by a 158 to 99 vote, and called for freezing European funding for Israeli academic institutions, while condemning "Israeli academia's cooperation with the occupation."

In addition, the UCU decided to bring the question of whether to boycott Israel up for discussion by all the union's members, numbering about 120,000. The discussions are scheduled to take place over the next 12 months. The motion encouraged union members to "consider the moral implications of conducting ties with Israeli academic institutions."

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The vote was preceded by a heated discussion in which Israel was repeatedly referred to as an apartheid state, engaging in crimes against humanity in the occupied territories. The union representatives adopted two separate resolutions promoting an academic boycott against Israel. They said the situation in the territories did not allow spectators to stand idly by.

In addition, the union congress pledged to advertise the Palestinians' request for a boycott against Israel in all the union's offices, and to arrange for academics from the Palestinian Authority to attend delegations to the U.K. The union's representatives also decided to establish direct contact with Palestinian workers' organizations.

The union will also act toward halting academic cooperation with Israel, which is currently conducted through the European Union. The motion called for freezing all EU funding for Israeli academic institutions until Israel will "comply with the United Nation's resolutions."

Ronnie Fraser, who heads the British group Academic Friends of Israel, said that "the vote proved that nothing has changed within the ranks of the U.K.'s academic unions. This is another boycott."

In 2005, Fraser acted to overturn another boycott against Israel, which had been approved by the Association of University Teachers (AUT.) That decision was overturned a month after it was passed. In 2006, the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) also moved to boycott Israel, but its decision became invalid shortly thereafter when NATFHE and AUT merged to form the UCU.

UCU's general secretary, Sally Hunt, also opposes the motion. "I do not believe a boycott is supported by the majority of UCU members, nor do I believe that members see it is a priority for the union," she said. "Now, the union's branches will consult their members to form a stance on the boycott. Any decision to actually impose a boycott will have to overcome serious stipulations."

Israel's ambassador to Britain, Zvi Hefetz, responded by saying that the resolution was offensive to Britain's Jewish community. "Its slanted phrasing reeks of ignorance," he added. Adrian Fronda, a senior mathematics lecturer who had joined the union solely to vote against the boycott, was less diplomatic. "I came here to oppose the prevalent anti-Semitism we see all around us here," he said.

Education Minister Yuli Tamir condemned the British union's decision, saying she would address the British education minister on the matter.

The chairman of the Committee of University Heads, Professor Moshe Kaveh, called on British scientists to continue conducting joint projects with Israeli scientists. Tamara Traubmann contributed reporting.
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  1.   Reasonable parameters of a boycott 03:57  |  Tosefta 30/05/07
  2.   I hope Sudan ,Syria iran are next 04:10  |  Victor_The_Egyptian 30/05/07
  3.   boycott ENGLAND 04:12  |  ARIEH 30/05/07
  4.   UK BOYCOTTERS SERVINING INTENDED ARAB GENOCIDE AGAINST ISRAEL 05:18  |  "Real" UK Humanist 30/05/07
  5.   Boycott indeed...... 06:11  |  Esther 30/05/07
  6.   academic boycott 06:30  |  Shmuelshachor 30/05/07
  7.   if we can`t have dialogue in academia what is the point??? 06:37  |  Philly Jew 30/05/07
  8.   Hysteria in Britain like the 13th Century 07:30  |  Liliane 30/05/07
  9.   If UCU will boycott Israel, USA starts boycott UCU leaders. 07:55  |  Vittorio 30/05/07
  10.   British lecturers to vote on academic boycott of Israel 08:02  |  Galvin Templar 30/05/07
  11.   EU funds to Israel? 08:20  |  Leona 30/05/07
  12.   Boycott 08:48  |  Rachel Simson 30/05/07
  13.   Tip of the Iceberg 08:57  |  Natallie Durson 30/05/07
  14.   IF THESE GROUPS REPRESENT ENGLANDS FINEST... 09:22  |  SPTZ 30/05/07
  15.   #1, Tosefta 09:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/05/07
  16.   Let them boycott Israel 09:24  |  Nechama 30/05/07
  17.   Phony Academics 10:20  |  Connie 30/05/07
  18.   British Academic Boycott 10:20  |  Graeme Levin 30/05/07
  19.   I don`t understand all those "unions" and "associations" 10:26  |  S 30/05/07
  20.   Maybe Israel should do to UK what Iran did... 10:28  |  Stright 2 the point 30/05/07
  21.   the world should boycott isreal 10:30  |  samos 30/05/07
  22.   Same old Britain 10:35  |  Paul 30/05/07
  23.   Where is the original sin....??? 10:39  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/05/07
  24.   Boycott UK 10:39  |  Terence 30/05/07
  25.   Anti-Semites 10:39  |  Greg 30/05/07
  26.   GO TO HELL BRITISH 10:51  |  indrajaya 30/05/07
  27.   Joining the Arab dictatorships. 10:52  |  Colin. 30/05/07
  28.   Refusal to talk 10:56  |  sh 30/05/07
  29.   Britains academics. 11:02  |  David Nigel Braham 30/05/07
  30.   leona 11:06  |  Nina 30/05/07
  31.   Hang on a second 11:07  |  Vato Loco 30/05/07
  32.   Tosefta #1 and McCarthyism 11:11  |  Orwell 30/05/07
  33.   Why are leftists upset. They encourage the boycotts 11:14  |  Shlomo 30/05/07
  34.   Palestinian and Israeli universities should work together! 11:19  |  Suha 30/05/07
  35.   #23, Dino: "where is the original sin?" 11:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/05/07
  36.   )ther forms of cooperation should be cut off, not this one 11:28  |  tuairimiocht 30/05/07
  37.   Once again the automatic cry of anti-semitism 11:29  |  H50 30/05/07
  38.   SAMOSThe world should boycott Islamist" aparteid, theocratic, -- 11:33  |  PETER SM 30/05/07
  39.   "GO TO HELL BRITISH`Whassammata Indrajaya? angry? or just jelous 11:48  |  PETER SM 30/05/07
  40.   what would we do without British academics? 11:49  |  Josh Goldman 30/05/07
  41.   #11 Leona 11:50  |  D 30/05/07
  42.   #11 Leona and #30 Nina 11:52  |  D 30/05/07
  43.   Orwell - difference from McCarthyism 11:57  |  Josh Goldman 30/05/07
  44.   #39 Peter 11:58  |  D 30/05/07
  45.   # 39, PETER SM 12:03  |  indrajaya 30/05/07
  46.   DO THEY KNOW 12:06  |  JordanisPalestine 30/05/07
  47.   to all israel haters 12:13  |  brian epstein 30/05/07
  48.   to the enemy who tell us to retreat from the west bank 12:17  |  brian epstein 30/05/07
  49.   Boycott Israeli academia until Palestinian academics have freedom 12:17  |  Tarek 30/05/07
  50.   No more brittish stuff for me 12:18  |  Johnny 30/05/07
  51.   Birmingham and East London universities? 12:18  |  SystemF 30/05/07
  52.   Can we wait till after the England Brazil Game Please? 12:21  |  Ronnie Wolman 30/05/07
  53.   # 35 Cipora Julianna Kohn 12:29  |  Uriah Heep 30/05/07
  54.   EU funding of science 12:34  |  sellier 30/05/07
  55.   Sleep with dirty dogs you get fleas 12:36  |  Ariya Gothelf 30/05/07
  56.   Why do dogs Lick themselves? 12:40  |  FOX 30/05/07
  57.   # 32 Orwell 12:42  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/05/07
  58.   Singling out and factual lies 12:45  |  Dr Yoram S. 30/05/07
  59.   J.GOLDMAN.The Brit.accademics could focus on the whole picture 12:45  |  PETER SM 30/05/07
  60.   British VS iSRAELI BOYCOTT 12:52  |  Ralph 30/05/07
  61.   boycott NOW!!! 12:58  |  Rip Cohen 30/05/07
  62.   #26 Indrahaha sais something true 12:59  |  Hastaroth 30/05/07
  63.   tuairimiocht.do not be a hypocrit&look after your own interests 13:05  |  PETER SM 30/05/07
  64.   #40 Josh Goldman the self-hater in Jerusalem 13:12  |  Hastaroth 30/05/07
  65.   UCU bocott 13:24  |  Oxford student 30/05/07
  66.   Question 13:30  |  JustWondering 30/05/07
  67.   Labels 13:34  |  Paul 30/05/07
  68.   Hypocrisy, ignorance, bigotry 13:39  |  rich 30/05/07
  69.   British academics and Tatoos 13:40  |  FOX 30/05/07
  70.   3 get it 3! Not all of them! 13:45  |  Vato Loco 30/05/07
  71.   Swiss 13:46  |  Lynn 30/05/07
  72.   Universities located in Brighton, East London 13:50  |  Lynn 30/05/07
  73.   justwondering.the Pals are getting more aid than ever 13:58  |  PETER SM 30/05/07
  74.   #1 Tosefta 14:03  |  Lynn 30/05/07
  75.   Wrong Boycott 14:10  |  Walid 30/05/07
  76.   Cipora J. Kohn (#15) - I disagree 14:11  |  christoph 30/05/07
  77.   Pointless and hypocrite 14:14  |  Edith 30/05/07
  78.   Hypocritical British Academics 14:14  |  Mel Remson 30/05/07
  79.   #4, "real" uk humanist, sheer nonsense and no logic 14:15  |  VIPER 30/05/07
  80.   Sellier - dumb message 14:21  |  Josh Goldman 30/05/07
  81.   To be or not to be? that is the question 14:25  |  Chris Linthwaite