US lobby group enters Israeli academic boycott row

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US lobby group enters Israeli academic boycott row

Benjamin Joffe-Walt
Wednesday May 31, 2006


A powerful American civil liberties group has called on US academics to boycott British lecturers who boycott Israeli universities.
In a backlash following this week's vote by the lecturers' union Natfhe to boycott Israeli academia, the Anti-Defamation League urged American universities and grant-giving bodies to "cut funding, support and contact with any academic who advocates a boycott of Israel."

The organisation's national director, Abraham Foxman, said in a statement: "Those who seek to damage and discredit their Israeli colleagues with a blacklist must know that there is a price to pay."

Meanwhile Anthony Julius, famous for his representation of Princess Diana and the successful defence of Deborah Lipstadt against David Irving, is acting as solicitor for the boycott's opponents in Britain.

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http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,1786912,00.html?gusrc=ticker-103704

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1. Wiesenthal Center: UK boycott redolent of Nazi campaign

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3256949,00.html
Jewish human rights organization sends letter to British Education Department saying boycotting of Israeli universities ‘a propaganda instrument of the PNGO - a network of Palestinian NGOs that includes groups associated with the European Union blacklisted terrorist organization Hamas, and those which glorify suicide
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(05.30.06, 15:17)

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2. this is a very delicate issue that is not being handled delicately,

much to my chagrin.

I think both groups are well-intentioned, but I think they're handling it rather un-academically. :-(