The Academic Friends of Israel

 

P.O. Box 360                                                       Email: mail@academics-for-israel.org

Harrow                                                             Website: www.academics-for-israel.org

HA3 9WY

 

7 June 2007                                                                               

Dear Colleagues

Here is a round up of the latest news, opinion pieces and statements that have been issued in the last week since the UCU voted to consider again a boycott. It is not a complete list but it is intended to convey to you an idea of the outrage it has caused around the world. Tomorrow the new UCU executive meet for the first time and are expected to decide on how they intend to discuss a boycott of Israel at branch level. It is expected that they will go forward with this matter as half the new executive are from the UCU Left which has the support of the SWP.

I have split this digest into:

1. Boycott news

2. Articles against the boycott

3. Articles supporting the boycott

Since I do not expect anyone to read everything, I would recommend that you read the following:

1. Divide and rule? By Colin Shindler
http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2094952,00.html

2. Responding to the Boycott by Shalom Lappin http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2007/06/responding_to_t.html

3. Why the Boycott Should Outrage All Academics by Charles Small          http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/06/05/small

4. What if Israelis had abducted BBC man? By Charles Moore

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/06/02/do0201.xml

 

Finally I would like to bring your attention to the following event in London.

Nick Cohen, the Observer columnist and Author will be delivering the fifth Isaiah Berlin Annual Lecture:

What's Left? How Liberals Lost Their Way on Thursday 21st June - contact AFI for details

Regards

Ronnie Fraser

Academic Friends of Israel

Latest Boycott news:

1. the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Declares Its Opposition to the UK University and College Union Motion Urging Support for "an International Boycott of all Israeli Academic Institutions"

http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2007/0606boycott_statement.shtml

2. UCU motion 31 calls for the UCU to campaign for a moratorium on research and cultural collaborations with Israel via EU and European Science Foundation funding until Israel abides by UN resolutions.

The IAB and SPME received this letter from the European Commission in November 2006 clearly stating they are against such a suggested moratorium on research and cultural collaborations with Israel.

The press release from November is pasted below and you can view the European Commission statement at: http://www.biu.ac.il/academic_freedom/EU.pdf

3. Petition against boycott issued by SPME President Ed Beck, Alan Dershowitz and 25 other US academics

 

SPME have issued a petition calling for Non-Israeli Academics and Professionals to stand in Solidarity with Israeli Academic Colleagues by declaring themselves to be Israeli academics for purposes of any academic boycott.

Please consider signing this or passing it on to colleagues.

 

To Sign this petition go to
http://www.spme.net/cgi-bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=9&Action=Sign

 

4. Letter from Goldhirsh Foundation, Boston, MA: Deeply Disappointed in Israel

Dear Ms Hunt

As a Director of a $150 million Foundation that supports scientists around the world in the quest for a cure for brain cancer, I am profoundly disappointed in your union's decision to boycott Israel today.

This action represents a severe setback for academic freedom and open discourse.Moreover, the decision to single out and demonize Israel above and beyond all other countries—remaining silent over Russia's brutal occupation in Chechnya, for example, or China's ongoing oppression of Tibet—is, at best, troubling.

At worst, it points to a far more sinister and tragic motivation. Equally disturbing is to do so at a time when Israel's civilians are facing near-daily missile attacks from Gaza and her partner for negotiations is an organization that dispatches suicide bombers and refuses to recognize the Jewish State's right to exist.

Given this decision, I am deeply saddened to say that while my Foundation had been considering opening up our scientific grant process to British researchers we will no longer be able to do so.

I urge you to work against this boycott and restore learning's highest ideal of fairness free of prejudice to British academia.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Goldhirsh

Director

The Goldhirsh Foundation

www.goldhirshfoundation.org

4. TO VIEW ALL UCU MOTIONS SEE: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2569

 

Articles against the boycott

Israel advocates [AFI] blast UCU remark

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1180960617282&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Jews divided on response to British boycott threat

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/20070606britishboycott.html

 

Blair tells lecturers to call off Israeli boycott

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2096819,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11

Blair opposes British academic boycott of Israel

http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070606-111916-6055r

U.K. education minister coming to discuss academic ban on Israel

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/867978.html

MELANIE PHILLIPS: Israeli boycotts show Britain's academic elite has taken leave of its senses http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=459662&in_page_id=1772&in_author_id=256

Pressure Mounts for Boycott Retaliation

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=14156

Why I have nothing to say about the British academic boycott

http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2007/06/07/why-i-have-nothing-to-say-on-the-british-academic-boycott/

An academic boycott? An anti-Semitic boycott

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3409503,00.html

Britain is Not the Only Battleground, By Ben Cohen

http://ajcblog.org/2007/06/01/britain-is-not-the-only-battleground

Boycott? A Jew-hunt won't help the Palestinians

http://www.workersliberty.org/node/1744

Cooperation is the answer: Expanding scientific collaboration with Britain best response to boycott, Eitan Gilboa

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3408704,00.html 

Dissecting the British academic boycott

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1844907/posts

Yale Expert Responds to British Academic Union’s Boycott of Israel
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=38103

ADL runs ads slamming academic boycott of Israel

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1180960607994&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

UK baroness: Proposed Israel boycott 'outrageous'

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1180867541922&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Watch Benjamin Netanyahu On British Academic Boycott

http://www.onejerusalem.org/blog/archives/2007/05/watch_benjamin.asp

Israel to Boycott the British Academic Boycott

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18422952&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=6

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/102200.html

This academic boycott is an empty gesture
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,2094171,00.html

Yousef Alhelou: UK academics back proposal to boycott Israeli ...
UN Observer -
http://www.unobserver.com/layout5.php?id=3563&blz=1

Research funders to disregard Israel boycott
Guardian Unlimited - UK
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2092516,00.html

Envoy: Academic boycott not UK policy http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1180450954999&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

UK academic boycott of Israel slammed
http://www.ejpress.org/article/17195

Long trail of anti-Semitism in Europe, ministers say
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3407905,00.html

Boycott of Israel goes against the academic ethos www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/debate/letters/article1873266.ece

Foes of Brit Boycott Make Last Stand
Jewish Exponent - Philadelphia, PA,USA
http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/13150/

Israel Condemns British Academic Boycott as 'Discriminatory'
CNSNews.com - Alexandria, VA,USA
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200705/INT200705

Letters: Open debate on academic boycott
Guardian Unlimited - UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,,2092817,00.html

Israel denounces British academic boycott  

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=20923

Livni protests UK academic boycott of Israel http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3407478,00.html

Israel threatens British boycott http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1878463.ece

British Academics’ Union Endorses Israel Boycott , NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/world/europe/31britain.html

Largest Labor Union in Britain May Consider a Boycott of Israel http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/world/europe/01britain.html?em&ex=1180843200&en=c9b6b74b3957be76&ei=5087%0A

Academics express outrage at Israeli boycott

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2092194,00.html

Israel Condemns British Academic Boycott as 'Discriminatory' http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200705/INT20070531b.html

Israel denounces British academic boycott call http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=853012007

Fury As Academics Are Sacked For Being Israeli
By Charlotte Edwardes, The Telegraph – London

http://www.rense.com/general26/furyasacademics.htm

Academic Fallout From Middle East

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/31/mideast

Ken Livingstone says he opposes academic boycott

http://www.ejpress.org/article/17200

Articles supporting the boycott

On the Academic Boycott of Israel
Virginia Tilley, The Electronic Intifada, 27 May 2007
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6955.shtml

Motion in support of Palestine passed at UCU conference

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=11891

Monday’s FT had 3 letters regarding the UCU boycott including a rebuttal from Tom Hickey, proposer of the motion.

http://www.ft.com/comment/letters  

Steven Rose: Why pick on Israel? Because its actions are wrong  http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2611732.ece

Israel should be regarded as a pariah state, with racist policies – letter from MEP Chris Davies http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/article2611726.ece

Ynet: “Israeli professor: UK boycott justified” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3257291,00.html

 

Patron:

The Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks

 

Advisory Board: 

Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld - Chairman of the Board of Fellows, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Henry Grunwald Q.C. - President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

Amir Lev

John D A Levy - Director of the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East

Andrew R. Marks, M.D. - Columbia University, USA

Dr Robin Stamler

Professor Leslie Wagner CBE

Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham

 

The Academic Friends of Israel Ltd is limited by guarantee and registered in England No 5297417.