NATFHE boycott is on!

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) has this morning decided to boycott Israeli Academics who do not demonstratively oppose their government. The Union also congratulated Hamas (a proscribed terrorist organisation [Home Office]) on their electoral victory which has brought the Palestinians close to civil war [Aljazeera 5/18/2006 and Reuters 21/5/2006). There was significant opposition to the motion with the final vote being recorded as 106 for, 71 against with 21 abstentions.

While they may think of themselves as a powerful force of the British elite, in really British academics, or at least their unions, seem able only to create and foster divisions in society - both at home in the UK and in the Middle East. This boycott may only last until the merger in a few days time, but unless people speak out it will set an agenda of division and conflict for the UK, and promote War and the death of innocents on both sides in the Middle East.

With the merger British Academics can choose to put these Israel bashing attacks on academic freedom behind them. The question is, will they?

Please see the Academic boycott resource center for more information:
http://www.zionismontheweb.org/academic_boycott/