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Last update - 14:50 29/09/2007
British academics drop planned boycott of Israel
By Tamara Traubman, Barak Ravid and Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondents, The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Tags: academic boycott, U.K, UCU 

A British academic union dropped controversial plans to boycott Israeli universities Friday, after it decided that the proposed boycott would be illegal and could not be implemented.

Britain's University and College Union (UCU) had been considering whether to halt funding, visits, conferences and joint publishing with Israeli institutions.

In May, the union voted to promote a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, accusing Israeli scholars of "cooperating in the occupation" of the Palestinian territories, which the motion said had denied education to Palestinians.
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The decision was extensively criticized by many, including the former British prime minister Tony Blair, the heads of the leading universities in the U.K. and numerous North American academics.

Since then UCU has sought extensive legal advice in order to try to implement congress policy while protecting the position of members and of the union itself.

The legal advice makes it clear that making a call to boycott Israeli institutions would run a serious risk of violating U.K. anti-discrimination legislation.

The proposed boycott is also considered to be outside the aims and objects of the UCU.

A campus tour to discuss the boycott was also suspended following the legal advice.

UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt said that "while UCU is at liberty to debate the pros and cons of Israeli policies, it cannot spend members' resources on seeking to test opinion on something which is in itself unlawful and cannot be implemented."

Foreign Minister Tzipi welcomed the UCU decision. She said that "the suspension of the impending boycott is important news for the Israeli academia. It supports the internationally held view that limiting the freedom of speech in academia is inherently wrong." She also said that it "proves that joint efforts can foil a cynical political move to undermine Israel's international legitimacy."

Livni questioned her British counterpart, David Miliband, on the issue at a meeting Friday. Livni also asked Miliband about a legal loophole that allows Israeli security officials to be tried in U.K. courts.

Ophir Frenkel, the executive director of the International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom, a panel established by Bar Ilan University to coordinate the campaign against the boycott, welcomed the UCU decision. She said that "the UCU has finally understood that an academic boycott is not a legitimate measure of political protest."

In 2003, a proposal for British universities to sever all ties with Israeli academic institutions was defeated, but two years later Britain's Association of University Teachers - the UCU's predecessor - voted to boycott Israel's Haifa and Bar Ilan universities. That decision was overturned only a month later under fierce international pressure.

Efforts spearheaded by British unions such as the UCU to cut ties with Israel have outraged Israelis, many of whom accuse the groups of unfairly targeting their country.

The boycott talk has also embarrassed the British government, which dispatched its top higher education official to Israel in June in a show of solidarity with universities there.

Jews in the United States have jumped to defend Israel against its British detractors. The New York-based Anti-Defamation League place ads in leading newspapers decrying the motions as anti-Semitic, and Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz - a vocal Israel backer - even threatened to organize a group of lawyers to bankrupt any group implementing a boycott.

Israel's embassy in London welcomed the UCU's statement Friday.

"It's not the first boycott to be canceled," Israeli embassy spokesman Lior Ben Dor said. "We hope not to witness any more."

Relate articles:
U.K. union backs calls for boycott of Israel academe
U.S. university heads slam U.K. boycott of Israeli academe
More than 10,000 academics sign petition against U.K. boycott bid
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  1.   as predicted the union cannot exceed its powers 22:52  |  victor hardman 28/09/07
  2.   good! makes people hate you more 22:53  |  Vaarn 28/09/07
  3.   Many israeli academic institutions either benefit from or 23:03  |  lakshmi 28/09/07
  4.   good on them, ucu is saving face 23:10  |  roy 28/09/07
  5.   So, welcome Israeli colleagues. We accept you because we are 23:12  |  Andreas 28/09/07
  6.   Illegal Boycott 23:20  |  Frank P. 28/09/07
  7.   They ran away, Lakshmi 23:21  |  Danny 28/09/07
  8.   LAKSHMI #3 23:21  |  JOJO 28/09/07
  9.   Vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam 23:29  |  Albert Seligman 28/09/07
  10.   Lakshmi 23:30  |  Jasmine Murphy 28/09/07
  11.   Re lakshmi 23:35  |  Esther 28/09/07
  12.   Great! Now I can concentrate on Avram Grant! 23:38  |  Sally the hun 28/09/07
  13.   Enough harm 23:40  |  Esther 28/09/07
  14.   Non-slfhating Jewish benefactors must withdraw £££ support 23:52  |  Alan 28/09/07
  15.   #6 frank 23:57  |  wh 28/09/07
  16.   Naked bullying - stop it 23:59  |  Marc 28/09/07
  17.   Thank you USA 00:00  |  Liliane 29/09/07
  18.   Boycott is illegal because it is racist 00:08  |  Izik 29/09/07
  19.   UK BOYCOTTERS ARE GENOCIDAL ANTISEMITES 00:12  |  G. Marcus 29/09/07
  20.   To the Bashers and Bigots and Liars 00:20  |  GZLives 29/09/07
  21.   Great News! The Jewish State remains legitimate in the UK 00:42  |  Gina 29/09/07
  22.   #3 lakshmi 01:30  |  Lynn 29/09/07
  23.   #2 Varn 01:32  |  Lynn 29/09/07
  24.   #6 Never boycott Universities 01:42  |  Lynn 29/09/07
  25.   Gina well said re plight of Palestinians 03:12  |  Robert 29/09/07
  26.   Blackmail 03:32  |  justiceseeker 29/09/07
  27.   Waiting for Tosefta 04:05  |  Danite 29/09/07
  28.   Academic freedom - Israel and Ahmadinejad 04:29  |  Raul 29/09/07
  29.   Boycott 04:32  |  Edifice 29/09/07
  30.   UK lecturers:Boycott? 04:52  |  jan Jansen 29/09/07
  31.   #15 Gina 05:42  |  Lynn 29/09/07
  32.   Amazing PR For Yet More Anti Semitism 05:51  |  Anne Tee 29/09/07
  33.   BCU Finally Exhibiting Signs of Academic Enlightenment ... 06:14  |  Lavi 29/09/07
  34.   Winning the Battle while Losing the War 06:20  |  Natallie Durson 29/09/07
  35.   re: Danite 06:22  |  Efox 29/09/07
  36.   wishful thinking 06:42  |  British Prof. 29/09/07
  37.   #3 - Lakshmi, you are entertaining 07:18  |  JES 29/09/07
  38.   those who would denigrate the law 07:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/09/07
  39.   UCU is forever burnt in my eyes 07:49  |  Begood 29/09/07
  40.   I am absolutely amazed! 08:02  |  JES 29/09/07
  41.   #29 - Jan 08:03  |  JES 29/09/07
  42.   What a cop out... 08:20  |  Dutch 29/09/07
  43.   #33 - Dear British Prof. 08:33  |  JES 29/09/07
  44.   #42 - You tell `em Dutch! 08:36  |  JES 29/09/07
  45.   Israeli Academics Deserve to Be Boycotted 08:52  |  Brian 29/09/07
  46.   Brit Prof #33 08:53  |  winston 29/09/07
  47.   #34, Durson, no you lost 08:56  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/09/07
  48.   Robert etc. 09:15  |  Palestinian Brit 29/09/07
  49.   16 Marc 09:16  |  Martha Hoelzermann 29/09/07
  50.   British Prof? 09:17  |  Oddvark 29/09/07
  51.   This crud was written by a British prof.? 09:19  |  Israeli 29/09/07
  52.   Cop out Dutch 09:23  |  Israeli 29/09/07
  53.   Natallie 09:23  |  Clickfool 29/09/07
  54.   PalBrit 09:25  |  Israeli 29/09/07
  55.   36 British Prof. 09:31  |  Martha Hoelzermann 29/09/07
  56.   The power of zionism 09:43  |  Dav 29/09/07
  57.   to all those who are dissatisfied with the decision not to boycot 09:45  |  scallywag 29/09/07
  58.   still it was a good idea if only to give a signal 09:48  |  rose 29/09/07
  59.   Israeli 09:51  |  Palestinain Brit 29/09/07
  60.   # 47 Kohn .. Better think again 10:09  |  Natallie Durson 29/09/07
  61.   The Boycott environment 10:18  |  FOX 29/09/07
  62.   "Losing the war"? 10:23  |  Albert Seligman 29/09/07
  63.   Suppressing Voices 10:38  |  Albert Seligman 29/09/07
  64.   Andreas 10:40  |  Albert Seligman 29/09/07
  65.   #60, Durson 10:43  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/09/07
  66.   FINALLY !!! 10:44  |  michel 29/09/07
  67.   Natalie -- The Lebanese appealed to the UN for a ceasefire 10:45  |  Gina 29/09/07
  68.   Palestinian Brit 10:49  |  Matthew 29/09/07
  69.   Robert 10:50  |  Gina 29/09/07
  70.   #60 another reason for studying history before a monologue in 10:50  |  victor hardman 29/09/07
  71.   Winston and Blackmore quotes, profound 10:54  |  FOX 29/09/07
  72.   Boycott 10:54  |  Matthew 29/09/07
  73.   200,000 children in Gaza do not have basic school supplies & 11:07  |  lakshmi 29/09/07
  74.   Re JES #40 etc 11:07  |  Esther 29/09/07
  75.   Oh Durson! What a strange mind you have! Stalin`s-Hitler`s mind! 11:09  |  Vittorio 29/09/07
  76.   Ebery square inch of land with a palestinian on is occupied 11:10  |  Johnny 29/09/07
  77.   This is only the beginning 11:10  |  Ben Alofs 29/09/07
  78.   rose and the signal 11:11  |  scallywag 29/09/07
  79.   palestinian brit and fairness 11:15  |  scallywag 29/09/07
  80.   Thank you, God. That is good news! Academic boycott is illegal. 11:22  |  Hal 29/09/07
  81.   Durson #60 11:24  |  Begood 29/09/07
  82.   Brian life never gave you happiness right? 11:24