News & Views item - June 2007

 

 

Britain's University and College Union to Hold Year-long Debate Over Boycotting Work with Israeli Universities. (June 5, 2007)

    On May 31 The Guardian reported, "Delegates at the first conference of the new University and College Union in Bournemouth voted by 158 to 99 for 'a comprehensive and consistent boycott' of all Israeli academic institutions, as called for by Palestinian trade unions in response to Israel's '40-year occupation' of Palestinian land."

 

However Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the union, told The Guardian: "I do not believe a boycott is supported by a majority of [120,000] UCU members, nor do I believe that members see it as a priority for the union."

 

The UK Minister for Education, Bill Rammell, said: "The UK government fully supports academic freedom and is firmly against any academic boycotts of Israel or Israeli academics. Whilst I appreciate the independence of the UCU, I am very disappointed that the union has decided to pass a motion which encourages its members to consider boycotting Israeli academics and education institutions. I profoundly believe this does nothing to promote the Middle East peace process."

 

Considerable anger has been expressed by the British academic establishment for the vote by the UCU delegates to propose the boycott to their branches for debate.

 

In today's Guardian Colin Shindler, a reader in Israeli studies at the School of Oriental And African Studies (Soas), University of London says: "I teach the Israel-Palestine conflict to large classes that include Palestinians, Israelis, Jews and Muslims. I do this without any difficulties in the multicultural environment at Soas, and I work hard for all my students. I am also a loyal trade unionist. While my union, the University and College Union (UCU), does not directly call for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions - presumably for fear of legal action - the spirit of last week's motion is just that... Since the resolution argues that "passivity or neutrality is unacceptable", do I now have to self-censor my lectures in order to adapt to the union's view of the Israel-Palestine conflict? ...Should I fraternise with my American colleagues, although some of them may support Bush's war in Iraq, and cold-shoulder my Israeli ones, even though they overwhelmingly identify with the Israeli peace camp? ...I recently facilitated a "day of negotiations" at Soas between Israeli and Palestinian academics, including the Palestinian ambassador and a retired Israeli brigadier general. Would the union condemn the very idea of such a discourse, since Israelis are present?"

 

Dr Shindler then asks: "To whom can I turn for advice in this Kafkaesque situation? My union? My local branch at Soas? Will UCU vote for the Canadian resolution at the forthcoming Educational International Congress that "excellence in higher education rests upon ironclad guarantees of academic freedom, which includes the right of higher education teaching personnel to engage in teaching, research and scholarship without interference"? If it does, then why is my case deemed to be outside the box?"

 

He says pointedly: "The union leadership does not seem to have even heard of the forthcoming Unesco proposals for Israeli-Palestinian academic cooperation - a code of ethics for all academics in the region," and concluded almost despairingly: "My hope has always been that the knowledge gained by my students will somehow prepare the ground for a better future, for peace between the two peoples and an alleviation of Palestinian suffering. The UCU initiative will undermine this and blindly encourage the rejectionists on both sides of this bitter conflict to further their agenda."

 

Of course what is most upsetting, is not the call for the boycott per se but the clottishness of the 151academic delegates and their imbecilic reasoning.