British Academics to sanction Israeli universities

Representatives of major UK academic institutions are planning to sanction Israeli higher education institutes, except the ones who condemns the “racist Israeli policy towards Palestinians”

The Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday that already sanctions were applied against few Israeli academics and academic institutes, but expected it would develop into an unprecedented systematic boycott.   

The Guardian report said that the higher council of British University Lecturers Union, which will convene on April 20, will debate a proposal to boycott both the Hebrew and the Haifa Universities.

The submitted resolution calls for imposing sanctions against all Israeli academic institutes except the ones that objects Israel’s “colonial racist policy in the Palestinian territories”

Swe Backfal, a professor at Birmingham University and an initiator to the boycott campaign, expressed confidence that the convention will approve the resolution.

The Guardian also said that the head of British lecturers council is considering submitting a counter proposal calling for solving the Middle East crisis “through dialogue, not by laying obstacles.”

The Hebrew university denied British academics’ “allegations” that it took over expropriated Palestinian land; Haifa University denied censoring academic researches that are critical of Israel.