The Academic Friends of Israel

 

 

 

For those of you who do not already know NATFHE conference motion 198C relating to a personal boycott of Israel academics and institutions was passed today. The voting was 107 for, 71 against with 21 abstentions. 

Following the decision we issued this press release. 

Ronnie Fraser 

Academic Fiends of Israel     

The Academic Friends of Israel

Press Release, 29 May 2006
 

NATFHE is following a dangerous path

The Academic Friends of Israel condemns NATFHE’s decision to go ahead with a boycott of Israeli academic Institutions and academics. It encourages a course of action which ignores the complexities on the ground and binds and pressurises members into actions which are undemocratic and McCarthyite in spirit. This only brings dishonour and sheer ridicule upon NATFHE which can be rightly called and remembered as a racist and discriminatory union.


In spite of today’s setback, The Academic Friends of Israel consider personal boycotts are wrong and will continue with our policy of exposing academics who boycott Israeli Institutions and academics. We believe that anyone who pursues such an action is breaking discrimination and equal opportunities legislation as well as University rules and their own contacts of employment.
 Ronnie Fraser, director of the Academic Friends of Israel, commented:

  

"There are countless Palestinian and Arab collaborations with Israel in agriculture, medicine, science, and many other fields; as well as burgeoning links between academics in this country and Israel. If the sponsors of this boycotting campaign succeeded in something, it is only to undermine further progress, collaboration and peace in the Middle East and to marginalise the standing of NATFHE, it successor union, the UCU and British academia” 

For further details, please contact Ronnie Fraser, Chair of The Academic Friends of Israel, via email (mail@academics-for-israel.org).

 The Academic Friends of Israel

Email: mail@academics-for-israel.org

P.O. Box 360                                                

HarrowHA3 9WY

 

 

Patron:

The Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks 

Advisory Board: 

Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld - Chairman of the Board of Fellows, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Henry Grunwald Q.C. - President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

Amir Lev

John D A Levy - Director of the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East

Andrew R. Marks, M.D. - Columbia University, USA

Professor Leslie Wagner CBE

Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham

 

The Academic Friends of Israel Ltd is limited by guarantee and registered in England No 5297417