Wednesday, May 30, 2007

FIGHTING BRITISH HOSTILITY TOWARD ISRAEL

Battle for Britain - Editorial
Britain has become in recent years the battlefield in Israel's fight for its existence as a Jewish state. The number of British organizations calling for the boycott of Israel, their public campaigns, and their constant comparisons between Israel and the apartheid regime of South Africa have made the battle for British public opinion particularly significant. In the face of boycott proposals by Britain's National Union of Journalists, by a group of British doctors and a group of architects, and in the wake of the Anglican Church's decision to divest from companies cooperating with Israel, even the Israeli left has no choice but to fight back.

Taking off the gloves in this debate involves knowingly foregoing the kudos that British academia lavishes on all who are willing to express anti-Israel stands. The British University and College Union has even had the temerity to proclaim that Israeli lecturers who disown the policies of the Israeli government will not be boycotted. It is British academics who should lose sleep over this McCarthyistic demand. Academic freedom means first of all an open exchange of opinions, without coercion, and not shutting people's mouths. (Ha'aretz)

See also British Academic Union Set to Vote on Boycotting Israel - Jon Boone (Financial Times-UK)

See also Israeli Foreign Minister Meets with British Ambassador Over UK Boycotts - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Knowing how cunning and devious the Brits are, I think there is another thing going on here with regard to British Jew-hating. The Brits are trying to supplant New York with London as the financial capital of the world. By condemning Israel, they indirectly condemn and seek to undermine the economic power of those who support, i.e., Jews in the United States, particularly those Jews in New York who proudly and generously support Israel. Powerful forces are at work in the UK to bring this shift about. Time for us to cancel trips to the UK and stop buying the few English goods that are of quality.