BOYCOTT

29/05/2006

By Tamara Traubmann, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Agencies

The largest university and college lecturers' union in Britain on Monday voted in favor of a motion recommending that its members boycott Israeli academics and institutions that do not publicly declare their opposition to Israeli policy in the territories.

The motion passed with 106 in favor and 71 against. There were 21 abstentions.

The 69,000-member National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) debated the proposal for the boycott at its annual conference in the northern English city of Blackpool. Two parts of the motion passed with a show of hands while a third went to a vote. Under the boycott, union members also will not submit articles to Israeli research papers.

LETTER to IRISH TIMES from ACADEMICS WANTING TO BOYCOTT ISRAEL

Sun Sep 17, 2006

ACADEMICS CALL FOR BAN ON ISRAEL

Madam, - There is widespread international condemnation of Israel's policy of violent repression against the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, and its aggression against the people of Lebanon. The Israeli government appears impervious to moral appeals from world leaders and to long-standing United Nations resolutions.

We feel it is time to heed the Palestinian call to take practical action to pressure Israel to comply with international law and basic human rights norms.

We, the undersigned representatives of Israeli and Jewish organizations, have witnessed the Occupation first hand. In our view, Israel's Occupation and settlement policies stem more from territorial claims than from genuine concerns of security, which can only be addressed through a complete end to the Occupation and peace with the Palestinians. Of the 12,000 Palestinian homes demolished by Israel in the Occupied Territories since 1967, less than 5% were demolished for security reasons (and even then we oppose demolition as a form of collective punishment, illegal under international law). In 95% of the cases the families involved were completely innocent of any security offense and were never even accused of or charged with any offense.

A NONVIOLENT RESPONSE
TO THE OCCUPATION
May 2005

Introduction
The movement towards a resolution of the Israel-Palestine
conflict through nonviolent means is now accelerating. There
is a window of opportunity to reach a just settlement. In spite
of past setbacks and much skepticism, many people on both
sides of the conflict cling to the hope for peace. As people of
faith, the God we believe in is the God of hope and peace. We
must not give in to despair.
Regardless of whether this new opportunity bears fruit in the
political arena, we believe that serious ethical and moral issues