Dear Colleagues
As of noon on Friday, more than 120 university academics and researchers from across Europe had signed a letter published in the Guardian calling for a European boycott of research and cultural links with Israel (copy of letter and signatories follow).
We are starting a similar campaign in the US. Below is a letter with similar contents directed to US academics and researchers. If you are willing to sign this letter, please send an email with your name and academic affiliation to boycotts at teacher.com
Also please forward especially to those in academic and research institutions.
Thanks,
Mazin B. Qumsiyeh Associate Professor, Yale University [for identification purposes only]
There is widespread international condemnation for its policy of violent repression against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories and its denial of basic human rights such as the right of refugees to return to their homes and lands. The Israeli government appears impervious to moral appeals from world leaders or to United Nations resolutions. The major potential source of effective criticism, the United States government, seems reluctant to act and continues to fund Israel to the tune of billions of dollars per year.
However, there are ways of exerting pressure from within the US. Support for Israel comes from many US cultural and research institutions, including those funded from the US government with our tax dollars (through NSF, NIH, the Binational Science Foundation, and others). This is done through conferences, collaborations, grants, and contracts and involve both Israeli academic institutions and individuals. This active collaboration allows "business as usual" while Israel engages in violations condemned by all human rights organizations.
Israeli academicians have been rather reluctant to exert pressure on their own government and many actually contribute actively to prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people (a recent Israeli academic conference even addressed the issue of "transfer" or expulsion of the Palestinians).
Therefore, we declare a moratorium upon any further such support and ask our colleagues to join us in suspension of such contacts and support unless and until Israel:
a) Abides by all relevant UN resolutions (UNGA 194, UNSC 242, 383, 1402 etc), and b) Complies with human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is signatory. c) Opens serious peace negotiations with the Palestinians, , along the lines proposed in many peace plans including most recently that sponsored by the Saudis and the Arab League
Signatories (alphabetically)
[Note: all signatories are signing in a personal capacity; institutional affiliations are given only for identification purposes]
Susan M. Akram Associate Professor, Boston University School of Law Ronald W. Cox, Assoc. Professor, Department of Political Science, Florida International University Zahi Damuni, Professor, Pennsylvania State University James C. Faris, University of Connecticut (Emeritus) Hani Faris , PhD, University of British Columbia , Vancouver , Canada Samih K. Farsoun, Professor, American University, Washington, DC 20016 Jess Ghannam, Professor, University of California at San Francisco Burhan Ghanayem, PhD., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, RTP, NC Peter Kallaway, Faculty of Education, University of the Western Cape, South Africa Walda Katz-Fishman, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Howard University, Washington, DC Steve Kowit, Professor of Literature, Southwestern College Andrew Main, Professor of Biology, The American University in Cairo Omar Mangoush, MD, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital, Midlesex Dr. Patrick McNally, Waseda University, Japan Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, Associate Professor, Yale University Jessi Roemer, Lecturer, SUNY at Stony Brook Cheryl A. Rubenberg, Associate Professor of Political Science, Florida Intl University, Miami, FL Amr Sabry, Associate Professor, Indiana University John Trimble, Associate Professor , Systems and computer science Department, Howard University Jonathan Walsh, French Department, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts Elise G. Young, Ph.D., Westfield State College, Westfield, MA Gail Sahar Zucker, Associate Professor, Psychology Department, Wheaton College Norton, MA Elia Zureik, Professor of Sociology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario Canada
(Updated list will be posted by the end of this week)