Large group of U.S. scholars endorse academic boycott of Israel
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Source: CBS
The American Studies Association on Monday endorsed a boycott of Israeli universities, the largest group of U.S. scholars to do so.
About one-third of the group's more than 3,800 members voted, approving the boycott by 66 percent. Last April, the smaller Association for Asian American Studies, which has about 800 members, became the first scholarly group in the U.S. to support an academic boycott of Israel.
"The ASA condemns the United States' significant role in aiding and abetting Israel's violations of human rights against Palestinians and its occupation of Palestinian lands through its use of the veto in the UN Security Council," the American Studies Association said in a statement explaining the endorsement.
The vote, which is largely symbolic, is nonetheless a sign of the increasing momentum of the international boycott movement against Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. While the movement - which presses for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel - has scored some successes in Europe and elsewhere, it has had far less influence in the United States, Israel's closest and most important ally.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/large-group-of-us-scholars-endorse-academic-boycott-of-israel/
loudsue
(14,087 posts)there, and move Israel into a more benevolent position on the world stage. Israel has so much to offer. If they'd begin to reach out, I really believe they could achieve some peace in the region.
Is the old struggle between Jews and Muslims going to go away? Not unless a few true leaders decide to make it happen, come hell or high water. It has to be honest, consistent, and humble, on BOTH sides. I also wish the US had leaders that would stand BEHIND Israel making that transition.
Unfortunately, there are too many US politicians that are too invested in the old meme, and profit too much from war and discord.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)The boycott movement claimed a major victory earlier this year when Stephen Hawking pulled out of a conference in Israel.
American Studies Association says move is 'in solidarity with scholars and students deprived of academic freedom'
A prestigious US academic body has joined a growing movement to boycott Israel in protest at its treatment of Palestinians, in a move both welcomed and condemned in a bitterly divisive international arena.
The American Studies Association (ASA), which has more than 5,000 members, is the most significant US academic organisation to back a boycott of Israeli educational institutions following a two-thirds majority vote. Around a quarter of members took part in the ballot.
The ASA resolution was "in solidarity with scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom", the organisation said in a statement. It cited "Israel's violation of international law and UN resolutions; the documented impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian scholars and students; [and] the extent to which Israeli institutions of higher education are a party to state policies that violate human rights."
The resolution bans "formal collaborations with Israeli academic institutions, or with scholars who are expressly serving as representatives or ambassadors of those institutions".
The vote came amid renewed calls in the aftermath of Nelson Mandela's death for an international boycott drive against Israel similar to the anti-apartheid campaign.
Last week the major Dutch drinking water firm Vitens announced that it was severing commercial links, including joint projects agreed just weeks earlier, with Israel's national water company, Mekorot, in protest at its activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "The company concluded that it would be very difficult to develop joint ventures together, considering the fact that they cannot be seen as divorced from their political context. We follow international law," Vitens said in a statement.
At the same time, the UK government issued an explicit warning to British businesses over the risks of involvement in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including potential damage to a company's reputation. There were "clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity," it said.
Earlier this year, the EU established new guidelines that prohibit giving funds, grants, prizes or scholarships to Israeli bodies with links to settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, prompting a furious response by the Israeli government.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/17/us-american-studies-association-boycott-israel
MarcoS
(64 posts)IMO it has to be noted that Israel's current leaders, as repulsive as they might be, inherited an unworkable and frankly ridiculous situation. The underlying problem imo is the architecture of the country itself. The only thing dumber than theocracy is UN-mandated theocracy, and the direct (if not only) solution that maintains Israel as a nation would be to modify the UN Charter, to open up some or most of the 96% of the land in Israel now forbidden to foreign ownership. Or in other words convert the country from a formal theocracy into a true republic. Palestinians get their homes back, Israel gets stability, peace and above all else legitimacy among Arab nations, or at least far more than they have now. Win-win.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)duplicate thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014673913