24 July 2007
Dozens of American trade unions have condemned the recent Israel boycott proposed by their counterparts in the United Kingdom. "Calls for academic boycotts of Israel are inimical to and counter to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of association, key principles for which academics and educational unions have struggled over many years, ” a joint statement released last week says.
The motivations of those in favor of a boycott were also questioned: "With the large number of local, regional and international conflicts, with the diverse range of oppressive regimes around the world about which there is almost universal silence, we have to question the motives of these resolutions that single out one country in one conflict”.
"We note with increasing concern that virtually all of these resolutions focus solely on objections to actions or policies of the Israeli government, and never on actions or policies of Palestinian or other Arab governments, parties or movements. We notice with increasing concern that characterization of the Palestinians as victims and Israel as victimizer is a staple of such resolutions. That there are victims and victimizers on all sides, and that many if not most of the victims of violence and repression on all sides are civilians, are essential items often not mentioned in these resolutions." The US unionists went on to recommend: "Rather than divestment from Israel, we believe that investment of time, energy and material aid is the best means to alleviate the ongoing suffering of Palestinians and Israelis."
Meanwhile, Tom Hickey, a British university lecturer who first proposed a resolution calling for an academic boycott of Israel, has claimed he had been made the victim of a sustained campaign of vilification at the hands of various professors and powerful persons in the US and Israel. Hickey, who had called on British professors to “consider the moral implications of links with Israeli academic institutions,” claimed that he had been subjected to sustained vilification by “eminent American professors and supporters of Israel,” who had threatened to “bankrupt and destroy the careers of any union members who support a boycott.” The boycott proposal, which was passed in May by the second largest university and lectures’ union in the UK, recommends that members of the union boycott Israeli academics and institutions that refuse to publicly declare their opposition to the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. Other British unions, including the influential UNISON and the Transport and General Workers Union, have also called for a boycott of Israeli-made products.
