British academics may boycott Israel

Members of Britain's lecturers' association have filed motions to boycott Israeli academics who refuse to condemn the government's military actions in the territories, London's Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday.

According to the report, the association's annual council meeting, beginning April 20, is also set to discuss the possibility of boycotting three of Israel's eight universities - Haifa University, Bar Ilan University and Jerusalem's Hebrew University - due to their alleged support of government policy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

However, the motion does state that

"conscientious Israeli academics and intellectuals opposed to their state's colonial and racist policies" will be excluded from the boycott.

Palestinians join call

While the association vetoed a similar measure two years ago, it believes a recent call by Palestinian academics to boycott Israel is enough to push the resolution through this year, the Guardian reported.

Birmingham University lecturer Sue Blackwell said she is convinced the motion will be approved this year, as boycott campaigners are better organized.

"One of the reasons we didn't win last time was that there was no clear public call from Palestinians for the boycott. Now we do."

Counter-motion may be filed

Council president-elect and executive member

Gargi Bhattacharyya said he too would support the boycott motion.

"Things aren't getting better there for our (Palestinian) academic colleagues, he said. "They are saying the internationally emotional pressure is an important and a peaceful way for us to support them. I think within the sector… there is a huge concern that the Palestinian education structure has been destroyed."

While the union's executive has not yet decided how to tackle the motions, according to the Guardian sources have said it may file a counter-motion, as it "recognizes that the peaceful resolution of the problems facing the Middle East will not be brought about by the erection of barriers, but by open dialogue".

Hebrew University Professor Nachman Ben-Yehuda said the boycott would prove "damaging" to the Jerusalem university.

"I think it's right to criticize a country or university if it does something wrong, I think we should be criticized for things we shouldn't be doing," he said. "But to say we won't talk any more goes against something very, very basic. We solve problems through dialogue."