The vote was preceded by a heated discussion in which Israel was repeatedly referred to as an apartheid state, engaging in crimes against humanity in the occupied territories.
By Assaf Uni, Haaretz Correspondent
Britain’s University and College Union (UCU) voted Wednesday to promote a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, protesting Israel’s policy on the Palestinians.
Jewish and Israeli officials in the United Kingdom and Israel reacted with outrage to the motion which, for the most part, is a rhetorical move. The motion was approved by a 158 to 99 vote, and called for freezing European funding for Israeli academic institutions, while condemning “Israeli academia’s cooperation with the occupation.”
In addition, the UCU decided to bring the question of whether to boycott Israel up for discussion by all the union’s members, numbering about 120,000. The discussions are scheduled to take place over the next 12 months. The motion encouraged union members to “consider the moral implications of conducting ties with Israeli academic institutions.”
The vote was preceded by a heated discussion in which Israel was repeatedly referred to as an apartheid state, engaging in crimes against humanity in the occupied territories. The union representatives adopted two separate resolutions promoting an academic boycott against Israel.
They said the situation in the territories did not allow spectators to stand idly by. In addition, the union congress pledged to advertise the Palestinians’ request for a boycott against Israel in all the union’s offices, and to arrange for academics from the Palestinian Authority to attend delegations to the U.K. The union’s representatives also decided to establish direct contact with Palestinian workers’ organizations.
Continue reading ‘U.K. Union Backs Calls for Boycott of Israel Academe’