UK lecturers to vote on Israel boycott
YNet | 30.05.2007 22:43 | Anti-racism | World
Note that Livingstone doesn't mentiona any real alternatives.
There is no 'peace process' while Zionist Extremism holds Israel hostage to its will, and the American Neo-Fascists aligned with them are driving it - while telling Zionists behind closed doors that any overtures against Israel are "just for show".
Zionists Assured US Pressure on Israel "All For Show"
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IE16Ak04.html
There is no 'peace process' while Zionist Extremism holds Israel hostage to its will, and the American Neo-Fascists aligned with them are driving it - while telling Zionists behind closed doors that any overtures against Israel are "just for show".
Zionists Assured US Pressure on Israel "All For Show"
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IE16Ak04.html
UK lecturers to vote on Israel boycott
Largest union of university and college lecturers will vote on calls by Palestinians for 'comprehensive' boycott of Israeli institutions; London Mayor Livingstone: Boycott will undermine peace process
Hagit Klainman
Published: 05.30.07, 12:06 / Israel News
LONDON - The UK's largest union of university lecturers will vote Wednesday on whether to back calls for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Activists will press delegates of the University and College Union (UCU) to heed calls from Palestinian trade unions for "a comprehensive and consistent boycott of all Israeli institutions."
The debate comes just days after Jewish American Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg cancelled an academic visit to the UK because of what he termed "widespread anti-Israel and anti-Semitic current in British opinion".
Delegates will be asked to consider "the moral implications" of their universities' links with Israeli academic institutions and to back the view that "passivity or neutrality is unacceptable and criticism of Israel cannot be construed as anti-Semitism."
Nafthe and the Association of University Teachers (AUT), which merged last year to form the UCU, voted twice last year in favor of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in protest at their "complicity in the occupation."
In 2005 the AUT passed a boycott motion that was later reject in the wake of harsh criticism.
'Now is not the time for boycotts'
Last year Nafthe members agreed to uphold a boycott of Israeli institutions, but the move became void when the union merged with the AUT to form the UCU.
The union will also be asked to resist government attempts to "engage colleges and universities in activities which amount to increased surveillance of Muslim or other minority students and to the use of members of staff for such witch-hunts".
The findings of a parliamentary inquiry into anti-Semitism in the UK will also be discussed by delegates. The inquiry claimed that anti-Semitism was "becoming acceptable on UK campuses."
The Guardian newspaper reported that lecturers from Barnet College in London want the UCU to endorse the parliamentary report which argued that any moves by UK universities to sever ties with Israeli academics would amount to an attack on "academic freedom and intellectual exchange".
During a meeting organized by the Movement for Reform Judaism on Tuesday, London Mayor Ken Livingstone said an academic boycott would undermine efforts to restart the peace process.
“Now is not the time for boycotts. Boycotts should only be used as a last resort - when there is no other alternative, such as was the case with South Africa but is not the case here,” he said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3406485,00.html
Largest union of university and college lecturers will vote on calls by Palestinians for 'comprehensive' boycott of Israeli institutions; London Mayor Livingstone: Boycott will undermine peace process
Hagit Klainman
Published: 05.30.07, 12:06 / Israel News
LONDON - The UK's largest union of university lecturers will vote Wednesday on whether to back calls for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Activists will press delegates of the University and College Union (UCU) to heed calls from Palestinian trade unions for "a comprehensive and consistent boycott of all Israeli institutions."
The debate comes just days after Jewish American Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg cancelled an academic visit to the UK because of what he termed "widespread anti-Israel and anti-Semitic current in British opinion".
Delegates will be asked to consider "the moral implications" of their universities' links with Israeli academic institutions and to back the view that "passivity or neutrality is unacceptable and criticism of Israel cannot be construed as anti-Semitism."
Nafthe and the Association of University Teachers (AUT), which merged last year to form the UCU, voted twice last year in favor of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in protest at their "complicity in the occupation."
In 2005 the AUT passed a boycott motion that was later reject in the wake of harsh criticism.
'Now is not the time for boycotts'
Last year Nafthe members agreed to uphold a boycott of Israeli institutions, but the move became void when the union merged with the AUT to form the UCU.
The union will also be asked to resist government attempts to "engage colleges and universities in activities which amount to increased surveillance of Muslim or other minority students and to the use of members of staff for such witch-hunts".
The findings of a parliamentary inquiry into anti-Semitism in the UK will also be discussed by delegates. The inquiry claimed that anti-Semitism was "becoming acceptable on UK campuses."
The Guardian newspaper reported that lecturers from Barnet College in London want the UCU to endorse the parliamentary report which argued that any moves by UK universities to sever ties with Israeli academics would amount to an attack on "academic freedom and intellectual exchange".
During a meeting organized by the Movement for Reform Judaism on Tuesday, London Mayor Ken Livingstone said an academic boycott would undermine efforts to restart the peace process.
“Now is not the time for boycotts. Boycotts should only be used as a last resort - when there is no other alternative, such as was the case with South Africa but is not the case here,” he said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3406485,00.html
YNet
Additions
UK lecturers vote to boycott Israel
31.05.2007 07:00
The boycott resolution calling on British college lecturers to “consider the moral implications of existing and proposed links with Israeli academic institutions.” was passed before your post, seemingly by 158 to 99.
Union procedures also lay down a series of criteria to be met before any action is taken to enforce a boycott.
Union procedures also lay down a series of criteria to be met before any action is taken to enforce a boycott.
Danny
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Lecturers vote again for Israel boycott
31.05.2007 16:11
The lecturers' union UCU voted today, Wednesday 20 May, in favour of boycotting Israel. An amendment moved by Workers' Liberty member Mark Osborn, to delete the boycott call from a motion on Israel/Palestine, was defeated, and the motion was passed.
The motion was carried by 159 votes to 99 with 17 abstentions. The vote on the amendment was not counted, but was similar.
The motion's wording is slippery, calling only for circulation of Palestinian calls for a boycott and "members to consider the moral implications of links with Israeli academic institutions", but the drift is clear.
UCU was formed by the merger of two unions, AUT and NATFHE. In AUT there was a major debate on this issue in 2005, and a special conference of the union on 26 May 2005 voted by an 80:20 majority to rescind the decision to boycott two Israeli universities which had been adopted on a snap vote, without debate, at its regular conference on 22 April.
In NATFHE, however, there had been much agitation for a boycott - by the SWP and others close to it - and the issue had never been fully debated out.
What's needed now is a full discussion among the membership, to do the same job in UCU as was done in AUT in May 2005.
Another sad indication on the political direction of the new, merged union was a vote to cut out from a motion on Iraq any criticism of the Islamist and neo-Ba'thist "resistance" militias.
ISRAEL/ PALESTINE
Composite based on Brighton University motion:
Congress notes that Israel's 40-year occupation has seriously damaged the fabric of Palestinian society through annexation, illegal settlement, collective punishment and restriction of movement.
Congress deplores the denial of educational rights for Palestinians by invasions, closures, checkpoints, curfews, and shootings and arrests of teachers, lecturers and students.
Congress condemns the complicity of Israeli academia in the occupation, which has provoked a call from Palestinian trade unions for a comprehensive and consistent international boycott of all Israeli academic institutions.
Congress believes that in these circumstances passivity or neutrality is unacceptable and criticism of Israel cannot be construed as anti-semitic.
Congress instructs the NEC to
* circulate the full text of the Palestinian boycott call to all branches/LAs for information and discussion;
* encourage members to consider the moral implications of existing and proposed links with Israeli academic institutions;
* organise a UK-wide campus tour for Palestinian academic/educational trade unionists;
* issue guidance to members on appropriate forms of action.
Amendment moved by Mark Osborn from Community Education Lewisham
Delete third paragraph.
Fourth paragraph, after 'Congress believes that', insert 'while much criticism of Israel is anti-semitic'; after 'criticism of', replace 'Israel' with 'Israeli state policy', and after 'cannot', insert 'necessarily'.
Final paragraph, after 'Congress instructs the NEC to', delete first two bullet points
In third bullet point, after 'Palestinian', add 'and Israeli'
At end of fourth bullet point, add 'in line with Policy on International Greylisting and Boycotts, and EI policy'
Add new bullet point: 'Support direct links between education workers and UCU bodies in the UK, and Israeli and Palestinian trade union organisations.'
IRAQ
Clause in motion from Community Education Lewisham
The various so-called resistance forces have regularly killed trade union, women's and LGBT activists. The 'resistance' groups - various types of Ba'athist-fascist and Islamist organisation - are unremittingly hostile to the new labour movement.
Amendment from University College London:
To delete all above and replace by: The 650,000+ excess civilian deaths in Iraq since 2003 and the destruction of civil society, including the attacks on trade unionists, women and LGBT people, derive directly from the presence of occupying US and UK forces - practically, morally and legally under the Geneva Conventions.
repost
Homepage:
http://www.workersliberty.org/node/8557