The resulution by the largest union of academic lecturers in Britain to mount an academic boycott of Israel because of its policies in the Territories was declared illegal and unenforceable in a legal decision requested by the union’s General Secretary. In practical terms this means that the boycott must be lifted.
According to this decision, the call, directly or indirectly, for a boycott of this kind or its implementation are illegal. The General Director of the Union of University and College Lecturers (UCU), Sally Hunt, reported that in keeping with this decision the planned discussions by lecturers on the campuses on the subject of the boycott must be cancelled. The members of the Union are free to discuss and argue about Israel’s policies, but the Union “Cannot invest resources in order to adhere to a thing that is impossible to implement and illegal”, said Sally Hunt. The Union’s Strategic and Financial Committee adopted the decision.
Nevertheless, Union’s members are examining ways in which to implement the parts of their resolution that does not have to do with the boycott such as the suspension of joint projects involving British and Israeli researchers. In late September it was still impossible to obtain the reactions of members of the Union who had initiated the original resolution. Moreover, it is not clear whether the decision will prevent members of the Union from independently boycotting ties with Israel and whether in the future there will be further attempts by the Union to obtain permission to enforce other sanctions.
The UCU comprises 120 thousand lecturers. The resolution against Israel was adopted by a 60% majority in May 2007 at the Union’s annual meeting and the rationale presented was the “cooperation” by Israeli academics in the occupation of the territories. The resolution stated that the Union would distribute a position paper among its members on behalf of the Palestinian organizations calling for an academic boycott of Israel, and that at the Union’s branches on the campuses public discussions would be held on the subject of the boycott. The Union’s General Secretary, Sally Hunt, had opposed the resolution and since its passages sought various legal opinions on the legality of the boycott.
Israeli Minister of Education, Prof. Yuli Tamir, welcomed the cancellation of the boycott and said: “There was no justification for the use of the instrument of boycott in the academic arena.
Date: September 29,2007
By: Tamara Traubman
