Press Release: Tuesday 25th September 2007
Education Minister: Israeli Academic Boycott "Politically Self-indulgent"
Bill Rammel MP, Minister for Higher Education and Universities has strongly condemned moves inside the University and College Union (UCU) to boycott Israeli academics.
Speaking in Bournemouth at a Labour Party Conference fringe meeting yesterday, the minister slammed the proposed boycott as "politically self-indulgent", explaining that peace in the Middle East will be achieved by "the politics of engagement, not the politics of isolation".
The fringe meeting, entitled "Academic Boycott: a Flawed Approach" was jointly organised by the Jewish Labour Movement and the Stop the Boycott Campaign. The Labour Arab group also participated in the meeting.
Mr Rammell reaffirmed the Government's commitment to hosting a seminar, in London, for Israeli, Palestinian and British academics, as well as announcing a forthcoming visit by UK University Vice Chancellors to Israel.
Professor Drummond Bone, Vice Chancellor of Liverpool University and outgoing Chair of Universities UK, noted that there was a "sinister edge" to the boycott movement, and stressed that not one of the 140+ Vice Chancellors in the UK supported it. As such, he felt that boycott of Israeli academics would fail whatever the UCU decides.
Agreeing, Jeremy Newmark, Chief Executive of the Jewish Leadership Council (speaking for Stop the Boycott) stressed that the lack of implementation "doesn't let UCU off the hook. If they support a boycott they will have a discriminatory policy".
Responding to pro-boycott activists who challenged the speakers, Newmark pointed out that they sought to deny Israeli academics the very same freedom of expression that they enjoyed. He also accused pro-boycott questioners of Israel's human rights record of hypocracy by pointing out that one of the first Israelis to be boycotted was Miriam Schlesinger, former head of Amnesty International's Israel branch.
Lorna Fitzsimons, Chief Executive of BICOM (speaking for Stop the Boycott) rejected analogies between apartheid South Africa and Israel/Palestine.
Speaking from the floor, Israeli Labour party MK Ophir Pines-Paz MK (leading the Israeli delegation to the conference) noted that the Israeli government was now providing more funding to increase UK-Israel bilateral ties.
Strong opposition to the boycott was also expressed from the floor by Wes Streeting, Vice President (Education) of the National Union of Students (NUS) on behalf of his organisation. Mr Streeting highlighted the potential impact of the boycott on Israeli and Jewish students in the UK, a point with which Mr Rammell agreed.
ENDS
Notes:
** "Academic Boycott: a Flawed Approach" was jointly organised by the Jewish Labour Movement and Stop the Boycott and held in Bournemouth at Labour Party Conference on Monday 24th September.
**Speakers included Louise Ellman (Chair), Professor Drummond Bone, Bill Rammell MP, Lorna Fitzsimons (BICOM/Stop the Boycott) and Jeremy Newmark (Jewish Leadership Council/Stop the Boycott).
**A UCU press officer was in the audience for the event.
