Academic Friends of Israel - Press Release
By Ronnie Fraser, AFI, 29 September 2007
Source: AFI Website
Press Release, 29 September 2007
Academic cooperation rather than boycotts
The Academic Friends of Israel welcomes the UCU decision to put an end to its involvement with plans for an academic boycott of Israel that has plagued the union and its predecessors since 2003.
Ronnie Fraser Director of the Academic Friends of Israel commented:
"While we welcome the UCU's decision to take the academic boycott of Israel
off the agenda we remain concerned that the UCU still intends to explore
ways to implement the motion such calling for a moratorium on EU research
and cultural collaborations with Israel. Another part of the resolution
states that criticism of Israel cannot be construed as anti-semitic. This is
contrary to the EUMC definition of antisemitism and we therefore call upon
the General Secretary and the NEC to publically condemn this part of
resolution 30."
He continued: "Six weeks ago the UCU refused to allow me as a member to see their legal advice. It is clear therefore that they have wasted everyone's time and effort since then and we would like to know why the UCU did not tell the world earlier that an academic boycott of Israel was illegal.
More academic cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian academics has to be the way forward on the road to peaceful coexistence. We in Britain can play our part and the Academic Friends of Israel with its partners in Israel and America will work towards improving and expanding the burgeoning links between UK, Israeli and Palestinian academics. Already 60% of British Universities have joint programmes and links with Israeli universities and our plans for the future include publicising and expanding existing UK-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian academic cooperation."
For further details, please contact Ronnie Fraser, Director of The Academic
Friends of Israel, via email (
The Academic Friends of Israel
Email: mail [AT] academics-for-israel.org
P.O. Box 360
Harrow
HA3 9WY
Reproduced at Zionism On The Web with permission