Boycott Israel

The excellent Israeli historian Ilan Pappe writing on the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and why Israel cannot face up to her crimes.  Worryingly Pappe states that ‘The moral implication [of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine] is that the Jewish State was born out of sin—like many other states, of course—but the sin, or the crime, was never admitted. Worse, among certain circles in Israel, it is acknowledged and, in the same breath, advanced as a future policy against Palestinians wherever they are.’

For Israelis, 1948 is the year in which two things happened, one of which contradicts the other.

On the one hand, in that year the Jewish national movement, Zionism, claimed it fulfilled an ancient dream of returning to a homeland after 2,000 years of exile. From this perspective, 1948 is a miraculous event, the realization of a dream that carries with it associations of moral purity and absolute justice. Hence the military conduct of Jewish soldiers on the battlefield in 1948 became the model for generations to come. And subsequent Israeli leaders were lionized as men and women devoted to the Zionist ideals of sacrifice for the common cause. It is a sacred year, 1948, the formative source of all that is good in the Jewish society of Israel.

On the other hand, 1948 was the worst chapter in Jewish history. In that year, Jews did in Palestine what Jews had not done anywhere else in their previous 2,000 years. Even if one puts aside the historical debate about why what happened in 1948 happened, no one seems to question the enormity of the tragedy that befell the indigenous population of Palestine as a result of the success of the Zionist movement.

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The UCU has passed its 3 motions in favour of solidarity with Palestine (that also question links with Israeli academic institutions) by an overwhelming majority [I hear it was 250 to 30 but I've yet to have this confirmed].  To read the motions in full see Lenin’s Tomb, for one of the better articles on the topic look to the Guardian and if you want to laugh (or cry depending) try reading the rantings of that well known loon Melanie Philips (whose article is titled ‘The Universities Witch-hunt Against The Jews’).  Below is the UCU Press release.

On a rather different note its interesting how groups like Stop the Boycott, the Israeli media etc are only interested in academic freedom in defence of the state of Israel and not when that state is silencing critics such as Norman Finkelstein.  Finkelstein was recently arrested by the Israeli authorities when trying to visit the occupied Palestinian Territories (not Israel) and was deported back to the US without any outcry.  This is an example of how Palestinian academic life is interfered with: as visitors to their Universities can be refused, travel of Palestinian academics abroad can be denied and travel internally is often blocked by checkpoints.  Finkelstein’s case is just another example of how academic freedom is only important when it serves Israel not Palestine.

Delegates at the University and College Union (UCU) congress this afternoon (Wednesday) reaffirmed their commitment to helping international colleagues denied the freedoms they enjoy. A series of motions called for greater links and solidarity with trade unionists from Darfur, Zimbabwe, Palestine and Burma. Delegates debated the Palestinian motion at length and passed one which supported solidarity with Palestinian academics and did not call for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

Commenting on the motions passed this afternoon, Sally Hunt said: “Delegates in Manchester for UCU congress this week have the freedom to debate a whole host of issues. They can do this without worrying about being arrested, beaten and even killed. There are trade unionists around the world that are not so fortunate and we must never take our freedom to debate, whatever the issue, for granted.

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The following by Keith Hammond from the excellent site Palestine Think Tank.

The UK’s University and College Union is moving into its May 28th 2008 Congress.  Everyone in British Universities and Colleges is watching the proceedings carefully as everyone listens for news of the academic boycott.  It is absolutely clear that the UCU membership is keen on a boycott of Israeli institutions who support or remain silent on the occupation of Palestine and yet claim ‘humane’ credentials in the international world of academia. This situation is upsetting many academics.  What will be really interesting about this Congress is the way Anti-Zionist feeling amongst the rank and file translates to Congress decisions when the big stick of the law is being waived by the pro-Israeli group within the union that is threatening such a move.  (I have seen documents of their legal threats…. Pages and pages of them. editor’s note).

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While not calling for an organisational boycott the UCU is asking members to learn about the Israel-Palestine conflict.  It hopes to appeal to freedom of conscience, that once academics realise Israel is a criminal state they will refuse to work with it and personally boycott it.

However the Stop the Boycott campaign is threatening that appealing to academics freedom of conscience is illegal due to discrimination on a national and religous basis.  It seems odd that anti-racist laws are being used to defend a racist colonial state.  Was the boycott against apartheid in South Africa anti-white?  Anti-South African?  Or just anti-oppression?

I’m not sure what Stop the Boycott want?  That we can discuss Israel-Palestine, conclude Israel’s a criminal state (as did the International Court of Justice), but do nothing for fear of being sued?  I’ve been boycotting Israel goods and going to protests for several years now including Stop the War marches.  Does that mean I’m discriminating against Israeli’s and my fellow Brits?  Clearly not, I’m using democratic freedoms to pressure Governments to try and produce positive changes.  They also argue that the discrimination is not just to Israeli’s as it would ‘expose Jewish members of the union to indirect discrimination’ too.  A topic I’ve tackled previously here.

The fact that the legal advice suggests talking about boycotting Israel is anti-Jewish discrimination suggests they are clutching at straws and merely trying to smear and scare the campaign.  I can’t imagine theres a strong legal case against the boycott and I hope the UCU continues even if legal action is taken.  Having Israel’s crimes and status as an apartheid state going through the courts would be a big success - a McLibel 2.0.

For more news coverage on the Stop the boycott legal advice see the Guardian, Jewish Chronicle and Jerusalem Post.

I find the following article by Lyon Symons to be pretty poor and think many areas need clarifying.

Anti-semitism is obviously a serious issue and I find it hard to believe the MP who says ‘for the first time, antisemitism has been taken seriously’ I mean really?  This is the first time?  I would be deeply shocked if it was its seems very unlikely.  Racism of all kinds is taken very seriously on campus.

Now that asside I think theres another important issue at play and thats criticism of Israel being associated with anti-semitism.  On my university course this year theres an American girl and in some respects I feel sorry for her.  You see, she associates criticism of the US Government with anti-Americanism.  In Europe we find this concept hard to understand as unlike the US where critics of the Government are often considered unAmerican we have no such thing as an unScottish Scotsman.  Its normally clearly understood that people can love their country and hate its Government.  Anyway this girl took every criticism of the States personally, but being strong dealt with it and tried to get on with things (hard for her as every professor and student was critical of Bush and constantly making jokes).  I’m pretty sure she felt like a ‘pariah’ and thats why I felt sorry for her - no one was out to upset her, no one was being critical of her, she just took it that way.  One solution of course is that everyone near her never utters a bad word about George Bush or US global hegemony.  But what if I get offended by people talking badly about Tony Blair and his war in Iraq too?  Then no one can mention him badly in front of me either?  Then were is freedom of speech and democracy?

I think something similar is happening with criticism of Israel - some people are taking it personally when really its just legitimate criticism of a Government like any other.  Does that mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater?

What we should be concerned with is anti-semitism where it exists and not where supporters of Israel feel like pariahs.  Theres every reason for a supporter of illegal military occuaption (whether British, American or Israeli), Apartheid, illegal settlement, colonialism and aggression to feel like a pariah.  Whereas theres no reason for Jewish people to feel like pariahs.  However if they associate the two thats something they need to deal with.  Likewise if a critic associates Israeli Government crimes with Jewishness thats also something that needs to be resolved.

For more on the UK Government’s Parliamentary All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism read Norman Finkelsteins Kill Arabs, Cry Anti-semitism.

Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks has called on university vice-chancellors to take greater action to defend Jewish students who are made to feel like “pariahs” on campuses around the UK.

He told the JC this week that vice-chancellors “must defend freedom of speech on all sides and all arguments. It must never be students of this or that faith who feel vulnerable or at risk or like pariahs on a university campus.

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A report commissioned by the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre (Bicom), a leading ‘promoter’ (of Israeli propaganda), shows little damage to the UK economy if an academic boycott were to take place.  Its a huge glaring error on their part.  Although the report says ‘the proportion of UK GDP accounted for by economic links with Israel is small — £1.7 billion is just 0.1 per cent of UK GDP’ Jonathan Hoffman (whose credentials are vague) claims this ‘grossly underestimates the loss.’  According to him, not the report, other institutions globally would start to boycott the UK universities.  I’m not sure what the evidence of this is?  I doubt any large scale boycott would happen and this seems more like a scare story now that the report has been a positive result for those in favour of a boycott.

Even asking the question of the cost is ridiculous in the first place.  When we ended slavery a similar argument of economic loss was presented, similarly with child labour and I’m sure the same happened when the UK boycotted South Africa under Apartheid.  It’s always been a disgusting argument and always will be.  We should not support oppression no matter what the financial benefit.  The UCU is correct to confront Israeli oppression especially when extends into the Palestinian education system.

A leading economist has said that the UK economy and employment in Britain would suffer badly in the event of an academic boycott of Israel.

Commenting on a new report highlighting the financial impact on Britain if last year’s aborted academic boycott against Israel had gone ahead, Jonathan Hoffman, who has worked for the Bank of England and other major financial institutions, said: “The UK economy would suffer in the event of a hypothetical academic boycott.

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Anthea Lipsett has written a terrible article in the Guardian linking the UCU boycott with antisemitism.  You may wonder why I’ve written Guardi-yawn; well its because I’ve been following the Israel-Palestine conflict for many years now and I’m getting bored of EVERY critic of Israel being called an antisemite.  The shine has most certainly worn off.  Where is the evidence of this antisemitism?  Theres none but being a critic of Israel - which is all the evidence that seems to be required.  We have to forget that there are legitimate reasons to criticise Israel such as its illegal military occupation of the Palestinian Territories and Apartheid conditions.  This is a dangerous abuse of the term antisemitism as we all know what happened to the boy who cried wolf.  As for the All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism I suggest reading Norman Finkelsteins Kill Arabs Cry Antisemitism.  In it he says:

Although claiming that, in the struggle against anti-Semitism, “none of those who gave evidence wished to see the right free speech eroded,” and “only in extreme circumstances would we advocate legal intervention,” the report recommends that university authorities “take an active interest in combating acts, speeches, literature and events that cause anxiety or alarm among their Jewish students”.

If not enough is being done I wonder what this means?  People are still speaking freely about Israeli crimes?  I hope so.

Antisemitism in universities remains a major concern and the government needs to do more work to address it, an all party group of MPs has warned.

A progress report (pdf) one year after the government’s response to the All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism suggests the Department for Innovation, Universities and Science has failed to do enough to tackle antisemitism on campus.

“Although we can point to significant progress against many of the Inquiry’s 35 recommendations there are still areas which remain of concern and require further work, this includes… antisemitism on university campuses,” the report says.

It is up to individual universities to make sure campuses are free from harassment and discrimination, the report states. But the group says it will consider setting up a sub-group on antisemitism in relation to higher education in discussion with higher education sector bodies and Jewish community bodies.

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A small window into how the Apartheid system - using military occupation - affects education for Palestinian children. Thanks to Sabbah’s Blog.

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An article and title from The Press Association:

Controversial calls for British academics to consider boycotting Israeli universities are set to resurface later this month, threatening to re-ignite a row that spread worldwide.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) will discuss whether to continue links with Israeli academic institutions in the light of the “humanitarian catastrophe imposed on Gaza by Israel”.

A motion passed at the union’s annual conference last year provoked outrage from academics and politicians in Britain and overseas.

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We care about Academic freedom - just don’t mention the boycott, don’t mention crimes against Palestinians, don;t mention military occupation, curfews, blocks on education and above all don’t mention Apartheid.  We will contact our lawyers.  More from Polly Curtis in the Guardian:

Academics are today accused of attempting to revive the academic boycott of Israel by calling for lecturers to consider their links with Israeli institutions and lobby contacts over the Israeli occupation.

The University and College Union (UCU) annual conference this month will debate a motion which falls short of a full-blown boycott but asks members to “consider the moral and political implications of educational links with Israeli institutions” in the light of the “humanitarian catastrophe imposed on Gaza by Israel”.

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