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Sanctions & boycotts against racist, Apartheid Israel should exclude universities for DISCOURSE

by Open-Publishing - Friday 9 June 2006
5 comments

Wars and conflicts Discriminations-Minorit. School-University International

The world should respond to Israel’s racist, human-rights abusing Apartheid policies with SANCTIONS and BOYCOTTS. However Israeli universities should be exempt from such blanket boycotts because the academic ethos is about truth, reason and dialogue - indeed such dialogue might well help to bring an end to gross, proto-Nazi ultrazionist violations of the Geneva, Human Rights and Rights of the Child Conventions.

The recent academic boycott resolutions of the Canadian CUPE and the British NATFHE teachers against Israel’s racist Apartheid policies have sparked debate around the world (e.g. see: http://keld.newsvine.com/_news/2006... and http://www.newsvine.com/boycott ). Many academics strongly oppose academic boycotts of universities because academic scholars and such institutions are fundamentally all about DIALOGUE and DISCOURSE.

Everyone should read the shocking Counterpunch article by Lauro Ribeiro entitled "Can the anti-boycotters stand up? The Israeli boycott of Palestinian education" (see:
http://www.counterpunch.org/ribeiro... ). The article confirms
weighty evidence that Israeli is continuing a policy of ETHNIC CLEANSING - and the horrendous Israeli abuse of Palestinian children (including the SHELLING OF SCHOOLS, shooting at schools, and other violence to children and teachers) is a significant part of that evil, racist policy.

After 4 decades of association with universities, I believe that the scholarly ethos fundamentally involves commitment to truth, reason and dialogue - and a blanket boycott of Israeli universities would violate that ethos.

Nevertheless, all decent people - and particularly educated and articulate teachers and students - have an obligation to (a) INFORM others about gross abuses of humanity and (b) behave ethically in all their dealings with countries, institutions and people complicit in such abuses. Indeed the recent British NATFHE academics’ motion about Israel merely said (a) consider possible boycotts and (b) consider personal dealings with Israeli academics and universities.

I repeat that for the simple DIALOGUE reason given above I am opposed to blanket boycotts of ANY universities (whether in war criminal Israel or in the war criminal UK, the war criminal US, or in war criminal Coalition countries such as racist White Australia.

Indeed, who SHOULD be boycotted? The "annual under-5 year old infant death rate" in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, among Indigenous Australians (Australian Aboriginals), in UK-US-occupied Iraq and UK-US-occupied Afghanistan are 0.51%, over 0.33%, 2.7% and 5.7%, respectively - as compared to values of 0.11% (White Australia), 0.12% (Israel), 0.15% (UK) and 0.17% (US). ALL of these war criminal, racist countries deserve international sanctions and boycotts.

With the exception of its universities (for the reasons given above), Israel should certainly be subject to international SANCTIONS and BOYCOTTS for its gross, racist and continuing violations of the Geneva, Universal Human Rights and Rights of the Child Conventions. Thus the post-invasion excess deaths (avoidable deaths) and under-5 year old infant deaths in the Occupied Palestinian Territories total 0.3 million and 0.2 million, respectively (see: http://globalavoidablemortality.blo... ). Indeed, I would argue that such a boycott would be in the BEST interests of Israel because it might eventually force Israel back into the community of decent countries.

Israel stands condemned for gross violation of the Geneva, Universal Human Rights and Rights of the Child Conventions. Anyone doubting the comprehensiveness of their crimes should read the Lauro Ribeiro article and then read the following documents to which all DECENT countries adhere:

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2005), Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1950) (see: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/92.htm ).

UN (1948), Universal Declaration of Human Rights (see: http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html).

UNICEF (2006), Convention on the Rights of the Child (see: http://www.unicef.org/crc/ and http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/pd...).

PALESTINIAN PARENTS are being forced to emigrate so that their children will not be deprived, traumatized, shot at, beaten, imprisoned or killed - Israel’s violent and racist, Apartheid policies amount to ethnic cleansing. The world should respond NOW with sanctions and boycotts - but excusing Israeli universities in the hope of rational dialogue and an eventual return of Israel to the community of civilized nations that respect international human rights conventions.

Forum posts

  • Israel has been excused for all time. But they can accuse others even if they attack them first or steal their land. This is an apartheid system like in South Africa or Amerikan till 1967.
    Oh, and don’t critizise this, you might be seen as anti semitic.

    • And the US is nothing but the State of Israel’s favorite attack dog.

    • Israel is the U.S.A.s favorite welfare case......13billion a year makes it so that the small population does not even have to have employment....60 years later we are still building their houses, roads, walls, etc.....fighting their wars...like Sharon said "We own the U.S. and they know it"....

    • $13 billion! Are you sure about this number? Can you provide a credible link to back it up?

    • Google it.....