GREAT ARTICLE

then I don't know who gave them the title of "professors".

British academy weeeee

Excellent article, you got it spot on. Being an ex-Brit I talk from experience regarding the attitudes of the Brits. They really do not get what is going on here. In one conversation I had with a jewish friend, it showed just how ignorant they are about what is going on here. I was trying to point out that the settlements are no where near where I live and that I did not consider it Israel. They could not distinguish the seperate parts of Israel in relation to area and politics. If this is a Jewish person with this idea, how do you expect the regular Brit to have a clue. This yet again all goes down, to our appalling Public Relations team, or should I say very noticeable lack of one.. Well done Yair, you should try and get this published in the Guardian!!!! (yeah sure!!!)

Lapid put all the blame on the Palestenians. A lot of what is going on in the territories goes beyond security reasons: What is happening in Hebron. The march today on Homesh. Illegal expansion and new settlements. Arrogance of the settlers. Humiliations of the palestinians. All those items are not necessary, are not legal(according to israeli law either), and are not human. And I sincerly think, that if israel would comply with this basic human minimum, no boycot will be voted.

Lapid's article, although well-written and logical, was an encouragement for the British "academics" to continue to wage their war against Israel. You see Mr. Lapid, the antisemitic professors want to see Jews and Israelis killed. They don't care about the terror that was a daily occurence before the 6 Day War. They don't care that the occupation ended in Gaza and that land has turned into a lawless terrorist base where thugs and fanatics (who make organized crime look like choir boys) not only aim their rockets at Jewish children in Sderot, but also kill each other. Remember, the hatred of Israel among the uneducated can be attributed to the biased reporting against Israel by the BBC and leftwing sources such as the Guardian and the demagogue, Mayor Livingstone. Many of these people really believe in the demonic portrayal of Israel from these establishment sources. The professors have no such excuses. They are simply haters and don't care......... whoops, they do care because they want you and your fellow Jews in Israel dead.

I like your attitude; I think however, I perceive in spite of all a genuine apology ("I know a price will have to be paid to achieve it.") Has that "price" not been paid already? I believe it has; and why then pay it again?

Funny you mention Hebrow. Jews lived there for millennia until slaugtered by Arabs in 1928.

They are only worried that Palestinians are being "humiliated' by having to stay on lines and searched for explosives that they usually carry on them. Do they understand that according to many Arab officials the simple facts that Jews exist is against their honor ? Do they understand they for Arabs "honor" means having the right to kill their daughters and slaughter infidels, or even their own people as Hamas and Fatah terrorists are doing while both think they are doing their religious obligations? Palestininas feel "humiliated "becuase they cannot enter Israel and kill as many people as they want, as easily as they want.

of media incitement against Israel by the BBC and Guardian. By now they've convinced most British that Israel is inherently evil racist, nationalist, apartheid society.

Mr.Lapid's article and comments are right on the money, additionally I would like to add if the arab muslim droppped there guns tomorrow there would be peace if the Israeli's do that the muslims will kill them off thats the difference and the truth.

My congratulations, a great article. Unfortunately, the Brits will not read it, and even if they will, they know apriori better.Nobody will take from them the good feeling, be on the side of the "supressed Palestinian people" : ideology for the European intelectuals is more important than the facts on the ground.

Forgetting for a moment the lucid comments by Lapid, would there have been humiliations etc. if at any of the missed opportunities the Palestinians accepted to go independent? This humiliation is a catch 22 situation created by the obstinacy of the Palestinians in their quest to destroy Israel. Think about it, as long as there is no peace and continuous terrorism from the Palestinians, Israel's reactions will render them perpetually humiliated. Simple logic!

From The Daily Sport - British version of New York Post By Barry Shaw May 25 2007 OK. So I understand that you are ticked off at Israel, and in love with the Palestinians. That's fine with me, as long as you have truly weighed up all the facts. So, you want to boycott Israel? I'll be sorry to miss you, but if you are doing it - do it properly. Let me help you. Make sure that you do not have tablets, drops, lotions, etc., made by Abic or Teva. It may mean that you will suffer from colds and flu this winter but, hey, that's a small price for you to pay in your campaign against Israel, isn't it? While we are on the subject of your Israeli boycott, and the medical contributions to the world made by Israeli doctors and scientists, how about telling your pals to boycott the following.... An Israeli company has developed a simple blood test that distinguishes between mild and more severe cases of Multiple Sclerosis. So, if you know anyone suffering from MS, tell them to ignore the Israeli patent that may, more accurately, diagnose their symptoms. An Israeli-made device helps restore the use of paralysed hands. This device electrically stimulates the hand muscles, providing hope to millions of stroke sufferers and victims of spinal injuries. If you wish to remove this hope of a better quality of life to these people, go ahead and boycott Israel. Young children with breathing problems will soon be sleeping more soundly, thanks to a new Israeli device called the Child Hood. This innovation replaces the inhalation mask with an improved drug delivery system that provides relief for child and parent. Please tell anxious mothers that they shouldn't use this device because of your passionate cause. These are just a few examples of how people have benefitted medically from the Israeli know-how you wish to block. Boycotts often affect research. A new research center in Israel hopes to throw light on brain disorders such as depression and Alzheimer's disease. The Joseph Sangol Neuroscience Center in the Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer Hospital aims to bring thousands of scientists and doctors to focus on brain research. A researcher at Israel's Ben Gurion University has succeeded in creating human monoclonal antibodies which can neutralise the highly contageous smallpox virus without inducing the dangerous side effects of the exisiting vaccine. Two Israelis received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Doctors Ciechanover and Hershko's research and discovery of one of the human cells most important cyclical processes will lead the way to DNA repair, control of newly produced proteins, and immune defense systems. The Movement Disorder Surgery program at Israel's Hadassah Medical Center has successfully eliminated the physical manifestations of Parkinson's disease in a select group of patients with a deep brain stimulation technique. READ THE REST OF IT HERE http://themiddleeastnow.com/boycottisraelproperly.html

This fantastic article shuold be directed to the Laftists isrealis and jewish around the world. firstly we need to understand that the Palestinian nation are controlled by the Islamic religion who can't agree to any kind of piece with JEW no matter wherever they are come from if they are in France or England, if we all be united and look for the real justice we will can break them

Hi Yair, Brilliant article,but as the saying goes CHAVAL AL HA-ZMAN! Unfortuanatly anti-semetism will never die, as we have witnessed for our-selves. However if I were an English proffesor you would get an "A" for good effort !! !!

Excellent article. My guess is that the reasons for the boycott attempt include the following: (1) My generation of Socialist Workers Party student politicians have now made it to the top in Unions and are refighting the battles they fought on campus 30(!) years ago. (2) Not so much Israel's poor PR, the British Jewish Establishment's PR is very softly, softly,; working behind the scenes. Contrast this with the 'in the face' attitude of ADL and Stand With Us. (3) As other talkback posters have said, there is an abundance of ignorance out there about Israel as it really is. (4) Media imbalance. Compare and contrast the media treatment of Israel's fight against terrorists with that of the recent Lebanese army's strike against terrorists. Small wonder the 'neutral' observer may have a particular view of Israel. Pieces like this, and an the active pro Israel groups in the blogosphere go some way to redress the balance.

Yair, another excellent article, are your pieces translated from your Hebrew text or do you write them in English?

These people know that the few Jews who escaped from Europe to Palestine before WWII would have been killed had they not done so. They however would have

Please sign the petition against the UCU motion regarding boycotting Israeli academics, at: http://www.petitiononline.com/stopucu/petition.html If you are an academic or a professional, please sign the petition against the UCU boycott, at: http://www.spme.net/cgi-bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=9 THANK YOU!!

I absolutely support the boycott until the occupation ends. No longer will I purchase British products (except for the occaisional Paul McCartney cd) until the English quit their occupation of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland!

That's how the English spoke themselves when they still had an empire. So, them you can't fool , anymore.

Firstly, hardly any of the "academics" supporting a boycott are in "distinguished" universities rather they are in the Open University, Brighton University and Birmingham University etc. One Jacqueline Rose is in London University - which is a good uni. When she chose to write a book on Israel she decided to quote a speech made by Jabotinsky in 1947(sic, hint when did he die....). This shows the quality of their "scholarship". Secondly, these people have tried repeatedly to get a boycott enforced and have repeatedly failed. This "boycott" was not a boycott but rather a call for the members to be polled on whether they should take into account their Israeli counterparts view on the Occupation when working with them. What Israel should have is a person in every embassy whose job is to oversee the media in his country. He/She would have noticed the lazy British newspapers uncritically publishing PR releases that mendaciously claimed that a "boycott" was passed and made the newspapers print a prominent retraction. after a few of these embarassments the newspapers would cease to publish this nonsense and these people would be left where they should be - in utter obscurity.

Mr. Yair Lapid's article is priceless. Bravo, Bravo, I might add, this applies to American academics as well.

"I still believe in peace. I am interested in the occupied territories, the bloodshed and cruelty. I believe in peace as I have all my life and I know that a price will have to be paid to achieve it." He forgot the "not" in the first line. Must be the hidden jewishness of Yair that planted that typo lol. Oy does that mean Ynet will change it and make my incredible observation look like a dill?

I'm not a big fan... Said to myself - "What the heck, let's give it a glance and see what he has to say". You really sent chills through my spine! You speak right out of my mind and heart. MAY GOD BLESS YOU, YAIR LAPID!

Sadly, the British "academics" who loudly call for boycotting of Israel academia have no clue and do not care what goes on across the globe from them. Their myopia and ignorance of the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism has already allowed for the immigration to the UK of fanatics who scream loudly for their society to end right in their midsts in mosques in London. They have seen the scandalous rise of "honor killings" and they are seeing radical imams being arrested for supporting and funding terror within their borders and they still do not get it, nor will they ever get it. They do not live here and thus do not have a clue what goes on here so perhaps we should invite the entire group here, then plunk them down inside Aza for a few hours, assuming we can recover their bodies after the smoke settles. Perhaps this is why the sun already set on the British Empire.