Support Israeli Universities Against Boycott

Many of our members have asked for information in order to support the Israeli universities being boycotted by the AUT, the British Association of University Teachers. Below is information from StandWithUs in LA. The point in writing is to put pressure on AUT members to reverse their decision to Boycott Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities. The more letters sent the better. Letters should be polite, brief and clear. (Many of the letters I have read are too wordy.)

As well, the National Post in Toronto, Wednesday had two excellent articles on the AUT, by Alan Dershowitz, professor of law at Harvard and by Ed Morgan, professor of law at the University of Toronto. Letters should be sent to the National Post supporting these articles.
The Globe and Mail in Toronto Thursday had an excellent article by Shira Herzog of this issue. Letters can be sent to the Globe reinforcing her statements. (I will send out these articles in a separate mailing)

The British Association of University Teachers (AUT) has made the odious decision to boycott Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities and has agreed to distribute the Birzeit University's call for a total cultural and academic boycott of Israel. (The motions of the AUT are bleow) This requires a response from as many people as possible especially professors and people in leadership positions, but ALL letters will make a difference! Information can be found in the Press Release below from StandWithUs.

Shirley Anne Haber
The Media Action Group
info@mediaactiongroup.com

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WRITE TO: The following members of the British Association of University Teachers (AUT) should receive letters telling them to REVERSE THEIR DECISION, made Friday April 22, 2005 to boycott Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities.

press@aut.org.uk
president@aut.org.uk
sally.hunt@aut.org.uk
paul.cottrell@aut.org.uk,
brian.everett@aut.org.uk,
catherine.wilkinson@aut.org.uk

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StandWIthUs Press Release

APRIL 22, 2005

StandWithUs Denounces Britain Association of University Teacher's vote to Boycott Israeli Academics

LOS ANGELES (April 22 2005) The international education organization StandWithUs (SWU) denounced Britain's Association of University Teachers' (AUT) decision today to boycott Israeli academics. "We are deeply disturbed by this one-sided, politically inflammatory decision. The vote was the result of a combination of propaganda campaign and racism," stated StandWithUs National Director Roz Rothstein.

Britain's AUT voted to boycott academics from Israel's Bar Ilan University and Haifa University and is continuing to review Hebrew University's status. These measures fall neatly in line with demands by Palestinian academics for what they call a comprehensive boycott of "all Israeli academic and cultural institutions."

"This boycott movement is simply part of the war against Israel and its legitimacy. It is reminiscent of Nazi Germany when that regime banned Jewish academics and even denounced Jewish science and art," said Rothstein. " Now the AUT has voted to ban academics simply because they are Israeli citizens. They justify their decision by twisting the truth about Israel and its university system which in fact promotes freedom of ideas and encourages Arab-Israeli cooperation."

SWU also criticized the AUT decision to exempt Israeli academics from the boycott if they sign a statement denouncing the Israeli government. "Apart from being McCarthy-like, this is blatantly one-sided. Why aren't Palestinian academics forced to condemn suicide bombing and PA media incitement in order to work with British universities? If the AUT's misguided method was sincere, they would have imposed demands on both sides," said Rothstein.

SWU also denounced the focus on Israel. "If the AUT wants to use academic boycotts to coerce offending governments, why aren't they focusing on China or other countries where intellectual freedom and civil rights are virtually non-existent? Why single out Israel?"

"The British University community should be ashamed of how this action reflects on them. The AUT vote is a perversion of academic integrity and a blow to international standards of scholarly cooperation and research. It should be overturned as soon as possible," Rothstein asserted. "Our organization will work energetically with other groups to ensure that this is rescinded and that fairness and accuracy return to the AUT's debate about this tragic conflict."

With offices in Los Angeles, New York and Jerusalem, StandWithUs is a U.S. non profit group dedicated to ensuring factual and balanced debate about the Arab-Israeli conflict.

BACKGROUND ON THE AUT ACADEMIC BOYCOTT
WHAT IS THE AUT? The Association of University Teachers, with 48,700 members, is the largest and most influential union of higher education lecturers and support staff, such as librarians, in the United Kingdom. THERE WERE 190 DELEGATES AT THE AUT MEETING.

WHAT WAS THE BOYCOTT RESOLUTION AND HOW DID THE AUT VOTE?

The resolution centered around five separate motions:

1. Contact and work with the Israeli Union of Higher Education. (An Israel-friendly counter-proposal.) This motion was tabled.

2. Boycott Hebrew University because it allegedly confiscated Palestinian land to build dorms. This motion was referred for further investigation because of inconclusive evidence.

3. Officially circulate the Call for a Cultural and Academic Boycott of Israel that was issued by Birzeit University in the West Bank and signed by 60 PA academic unions and NGOs. This motion passed.

4. Boycott Haifa University because it allegedly violates academic freedom as evidenced by one professor's-Ilan Pappe's-complaints. This motion passed BY A NARROW MARGIN (96 TO 92).

5. Boycott Bar-Ilan University because it supervises degree programs at the Israeli College of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank. This motion passed BY A NARROW MARGIN (96 TO 92).

WHO INTRODUCED THE MOTION? Two anti-Israel activists, Sue Blackwell and Shereen Benjamin, both from Birmingham University AUT branch, co-wrote the resolutions calling for specific boycotts. The resolutions calling for the circulation of a boycott call was proposed by the open university branch of the AUT Blackwell draped herself in a Palestinian flag at the event. Blackwell and Benjamin were following the lead of Mona Baker, an instructor who was born and educated in Egypt, and linguists Steven and Hillary Rose, both Jews, who had led the way in calling for academic boycotts of Israel. The controversial Haifa University professor, Ilan Pappe, also worked closely with these AUT members.

WAS THERE DEBATE? No. Opponents were not allowed to speak.The AUT's Assistant General Secretary David Bleiman commented that the absence of debate meant the motion would "carry little moral authority." The AUT refused Jewish members' request that the motion be rescheduled FROM late Friday afternoon when Sabbath and Passover were beginning TO an earlier day in the 3-day conference so they could attend and vote. The AUT also refused to accept evidence from Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities which disputed the facts stated in the motions.