Rabat - Amid Israel’s ongoing violation of human rights toward Palestinians, over 343 British academics signed a public letter pledging to boycott Israel.
Rabat – Amid Israel’s ongoing violation of human rights toward Palestinians, over 343 British academics signed a public letter pledging to boycott Israel.
The letter, signed by 343 scholars from 72 institutions across the UK, including Oxford University and Cambridge University, was printed on Tuesday in a full-page ad in The Guardian.
In this unprecedented statement, university teachers said they would refuse to work with Israeli universities, describing them as “deeply complicit” with Israeli violations of international law.
“As scholars associated with British universities, we are deeply disturbed by Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the intolerable human rights violations that it inflicts on all sections of the Palestinian people, and its apparent determination to resist any feasible settlement,” the ad reads.
Signatories of the anti-Israel Academic Commitment have vowed not to “accept invitations to visit Israeli academic institutions; act as referees in any of their processes; participate in conferences funded, organized or sponsored by them, or otherwise cooperate with them.”
“We will maintain this position until the state of Israel complies with international law and respects universal principles of human rights,” the public letter concluded.
However, the signatories say that they will continue to work with Israeli researchers “in their individual capacities.”
The initiative brought immediate criticism from the British and Israeli governments. The Guardian quoted The British ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey as saying that he was “deeply committed” to promoting academic and scientific ties.
“As David Cameron has said, the UK government will never allow those who want to boycott Israel to shut down 60 years worth of vibrant exchange and partnership that does so much to make both our countries stronger,” David Quarrey added.
