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Last update - 09:16 30/09/2007
FM praises British academics for nixing planned boycott of Israel
By Tamara Traubman, Barak Ravid and Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondents, The Associated Press and Haaretz Service

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni last week welcomed the decision of Britain's University and College Union to drop its controversial plan to boycott Israeli universities. The union decided Friday that the proposed boycott would be illegal and could not be implemented.

Livni said Friday 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."

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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.

The 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.

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."
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  1.   WHAT IS THERE TO PRAISE??? 09:58  |  Robert 30/09/07
  2.   those that would denigrate civil liberties 10:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/09/07
  3.   Once a boycott ever a boycott 11:02  |  Esther 30/09/07
  4.   For Cipora #2 11:07  |  Esther 30/09/07
  5.   another repeat of yesterdays i wrote 11:10  |  victor hardman 30/09/07
  6.   UCU - worries remain 11:22  |  La Comparsita 30/09/07
  7.   The Brit acedemics have adequately expressed themselves 11:47  |  Natallie Durson 30/09/07
  8.   #7 - Natalie - who tied the knots? 12:10  |  Shlomo 30/09/07
  9.   HOORAY, ACADEMICS USED RATIONAL LOGICAL THOUGHT FOR ONCE 12:18  |  Mitch Iginer 30/09/07
  10.   Durson # 7 - you`re right 13:07  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  11.   Britain is way off track and off base 13:09  |  Avi 30/09/07
  12.   Re Natallie #7 13:11  |  Esther 30/09/07
  13.   Natallie Durson 13:18  |  akiva (zionist) 30/09/07
  14.   # 12 Esther 14:18  |  Natallie Durson 30/09/07
  15.   Makes no difference 14:58  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/09/07
  16.   Re Natallie #14 14:59  |  Esther 30/09/07
  17.   A truce in new-old antisemitism`s current tsunami 15:15  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/09/07
  18.   Re Chris #17 15:39  |  Esther 30/09/07
  19.   Natallie Durson # 13 15:46  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  20.   Chris Linthwaite # 15 15:48  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  21.   #20 ChanahS 16:11  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/09/07
  22.   Hello Everybody Mmmmm Illegal or Rather 16:17  |  Gil 30/09/07
  23.   ChanahS, I think I agree with you. 16:21  |  akiva (zionist) 30/09/07
  24.   TO NO 1. 16:21  |  DANNY. 30/09/07
  25.   What a joke, ChanahS! 16:24  |  akiva (zionist) 30/09/07
  26.   Hello Again, Mmmm Illegal???? 16:40  |  Gil 30/09/07
  27.   ChanahS,"rescind", there`s a problem with this word. 16:47  |  akiva (zionist) 30/09/07
  28.   Apartheid and its discontents 17:13  |  Tosefta 30/09/07
  29.   Was the legal problem a general boycott instead of targeted one? 17:14  |  Tosefta 30/09/07
  30.   Chris Linthwaite # 21 17:26  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  31.   akiva # 23 + 25 17:31  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  32.   Hello Again, Mmmm Illegal???? 17:32  |  Gil 30/09/07
  33.   Shameful double standards-Livni offers no Relief to Gazans 17:33  |  Dutch 30/09/07
  34.   #30 ChanahS 17:53  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/09/07
  35.   #32 Gil 17:56  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/09/07
  36.   UK law needs to be changed 18:12  |  Nick Ferriman 30/09/07
  37.   Chris Linthwaite @ 34 18:34  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  38.   Chris Linthwaite @ 34 18:34  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  39.   Israeli influence on the Palestinian education 18:54  |  mehmet 30/09/07
  40.   #37 and #38 ChanahS 19:06  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/09/07
  41.   What about Palestinian academic freedom? 19:23  |  Don Camillo 30/09/07
  42.   CHRIS LINTHWAITE (#35) obviously can?t read! 19:33  |  Gil 30/09/07
  43.   Linthwaite: nobody invented the internet 19:46  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 30/09/07
  44.   MEHMET I rest my case 19:46  |  Gil 30/09/07
  45.   Mehmet 19:50  |  David aDifferent Jew 30/09/07
  46.   Argentina, Spain and Caribbean States sould boycott UK 20:06  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/09/07
  47.   borcott= stupid refusal. 20:12  |  akiva (zionist) 30/09/07
  48.   #42 Gil 20:19  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/09/07
  49.   alled moderate Matgie gets it wrong again 20:27  |  Labhras 30/09/07
  50.   Mehemet and the Technion 20:44  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  51.   Don Camillo 21:00  |  Lynn 30/09/07
  52.   # 39 Unfortunately mehmet 21:01  |  Lynn 30/09/07
  53.   #33 Dutch 21:08  |  JG 30/09/07
  54.   CHRIS LINTHWAITE (#48) 21:18  |  Gil 30/09/07
  55.   D.CAMILLO which part of "unlawful&cannot be implimented"too hard? 21:22  |  PETER SM 30/09/07
  56.   Chris Linthwaite and the Internet 21:24  |  mich 30/09/07
  57.   # 29 Targeting is not appropriate Tosefta 21:30  |  Lynn 30/09/07
  58.   #36 ferriman an irrelevant post again 22:05  |  victor hardman 30/09/07
  59.   Lets boycott all Palestinian academics 22:08  |  Bill 30/09/07
  60.   UK`s UCU has now banned a planned Pal academic visit 22:09  |  Don Camillo 30/09/07
  61.   Nazillie Durson 22:11  |  Bill 30/09/07
  62.   Chris Linthwaite the ignoramus 22:22  |  Bill 30/09/07
  63.   Don Camillo # 60 22:25  |  ChanahS 30/09/07
  64.   #4, Esther: yesterday`s killing of a little gorl 22:38  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/09/07
  65.   #53 JG, Show respect 22:39  |  Dutch 30/09/07
  66.   Don Camillo (Illusional) 23:07  |  Gil 30/09/07
  67.   #65 doris cracks a joke ! show respect she says ! 23:08  |  victor hardman 30/09/07
  68.   Will Israel copy the respect for human rights? 23:13  |  Tim 30/09/07
  69.   #65 Dutch - No Respect 23:53  |  JG 30/09/07
  70.   For #64 23:57  |  Esther 30/09/07
  71.   This UCU 00:04  |  Esther 01/10/07
  72.   #63 ChannahS does not read post before responding 00:10  |  Labhras 01/10/07
  73.   TIM Will Pals. show respect for human rights ever?Even to Pals? 00:16  |  PETER SM 01/10/07
  74.   boycott 00:20  |  j10 01/10/07
  75.   Don Camillo # 60, if true, 00:23  |  Lynn 01/10/07
  76.   #58 Hardhead 00:46  |  Labhras 01/10/07
  77.   #60 they wanted to come to the UK to protest.. 01:00  |  Don Camillo 01/10/07
  78.   Don camillo and boycott 01:04  |  Truths 01/10/07
  79.   #66 The illusion is firmly in your mind `Gil` 01:05  |  Don Camillo 01/10/07
  80.   # 72 Labarse So now you are telling me 02:10  |  ChanahS 01/10/07
  81.   Labarse # 76 02:11  |  ChanahS 01/10/07
  82.   #41 Don Camillo 05:49  |  Franco