Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

Who? Why? How?

Jim BowenMarch 2014

Israeli universities

(1) Ariel University(2) Bar Ilan University(3) Ben-Gurion University(4) Hebrew University (5) Technion , Haifa(6) Tel Aviv University(7) University of Haifa

Israeli 3rd-level institutions(1) Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering(2) Ariel University(3) Ashkelon Academic College(4) Bar Ilan University(5) Ben-Gurion University(6) Bezalel Academy of Art and Design(7) College of Management(8) Emeq Yizrael College(9) Galillee College(A) Hebrew University of Jerusalem(B) Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya(C) Jerusalem University College(D) Open University of Israel(E) Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute(F) Safed Academic College(G) Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, Ashdod campus(H) Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, Beer Sheba campus(I) Shenkar School of Engineering and Design(J) Technion , Haifa(K) Tel Aviv University(L) Tel-Hai Academic College(M) University of Haifa(N) Weizmann Institute(O) Western Galilee College

Why should we boycott Israeli universities?

• Their complicity with the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza

• Their involvement in discrimination against non-Jewish citizens of Israel

• Their theft of property belonging to Palestinian refugees

• Their doing nothing to stop Israeli attacks on Palestinian academic freedom

Israeli University complicity with occupation

1. Some Israeli universities are physically part of the occupation of the West Bank• Ariel University• Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University

Ariel University• Ariel settlement almost splits

West Bank• Ariel University is tip of dagger• Note the Apartheid Wall around

three sides of the campus

Hebrew University,Mount Scopus Campus

• Core is on former Mount Scopus exclave

• But it has expanded into occupied East Jerusalem

University complicity with occupation (contd)1. Some Israeli universities are physically part of the occupation of the West Bank2. Israeli universities support the Israeli Occupation Forces

• Israel has been described as an army with a state: • all Israeli universities are run by high-ranking IOF retired or reserve officers• IOF permission was required for creation of Ariel University

• Most Israeli academics serve in the reserves; hence some man checkpoints, while others kill Palestinians, and everything in between (h/t Haim Bresheeth)

• IOF outsources much of its training to Israeli universities• IOF is largest investor in R&D in Israeli univ., and is crucial for most R&D

– TAU: project on ‘sweating during interrogation’ (h/t Haim Bresheeth)– Technion: development of drones and defence satellites– BGU: Robotics for military applications– HUJ: Intelligence services training programmes– HUJ: Biometric identification for the IDF– BIU: Chaotic micro-laser for military communication– BIU: Cipher-systems for military communication– BIU: Remote camera technologies for military uses

• Israeli universities teach the architects and engineers who design and build the settlements

• Israeli universities teach the lawyers and judges who administer the apartheid legal system in the occupied territories – one law for the settlers, another for the Palestinians

University complicity with occupation (contd)

1. Some Israeli universities are physically part of the occupation of the West Bank

2. Israeli universities support the occupation forces3. Israeli universities engage in propaganda to promote

the occupation • TAU: special courses for schoolchildren about security and arms

development• TAU and Haifa: special courses in hasbara to students

Israeli University discrimination against non-Jewish citizens of Israel

• Israeli universities practice discrimination, by techniques which include:a. using culturally-specific entrance tests designed to reduce intake

of non-Jewish citizens (eg, the Einstein question, with intended answer being Arik not Albert)

b. providing preferential treatment to (ex-)soldiers, since most non-Jewish citizens do not join the army (eg, discriminatory accommodation provision at Univ. of Haifa)

c. restricting ability of non-Jewish students to express their culture on campus (eg, ban on Xmas trees at Univ. of Haifa)

• The institutional racism is clear from the fact that the proportion of non-Jewish students and staff is only a fraction of the proportion of non-Jewish citizens of the state

Israeli Universities’ theft of refugee property

• Most land in Israel belongs to the refugees who were expelled in 1948-50 and never allowed to return

• In 1948, there were only two universities in the area that became Israel, the Technion and Hebrew University

• So, Israeli universities occupy refugee property– for example, Tel Aviv University is built on the lands of the

Palestinian village of Shaykh Muwannis• the staff club in Tel Aviv University, officially called the Marcel

Gordon University Club, unofficially called the Green House ( הבית Habayit Hayorik), is actually the home of Ibrahim Abu , הירוקKheel, the mukhtar of the village, who was expelled in 1948

Israeli universities do nothing to stop Israeli attacks on Palestinian academic freedom

• Israeli universities are part of the apparatus of a state which attacks Palestinian academic freedom– Israel collects taxes from the occupied territories but provides

no support to Palestinian universities– Israel arbitrarily prevents foreign staff and students from visiting

Palestinian universities and often deports Palestinian academics with foreign citizenship

– Israel prevents Palestinian students from accepting scholarships to foreign universities

– Israel prevents Gaza students from studying in the West Bank – Israeli air force bombs Palestinian universities– Israeli apartheid wall steals land from West Bank universities– ...

• No Israeli university tries to stop any of this

What does it mean for us?• PACBI call will be summarized on final slide• Basically, PACBI asks us to boycott institutions,

not individuals– the boycott applies to individuals only when

they represent their universities or other institutions

• When in doubt, ask PACBI for advicepacbi@pacbi.org

• Typical boycott actions are shown on next slide

Typical boycott actions• avoid organizing joint activities, directly or indirectly, with Israeli institutions,

regardless of pretext or sponsors• avoid speaking at Israeli universities or visiting them• do not attend conferences co-sponsored by Israeli authorities or academic

institutions, or held at Israeli universities• avoid collaboration with Israeli institutions on EU-funded projects• do not submit articles to, or referee articles for, journals based at Israeli

academic institutions• do not accept either visiting lecturers or student exchange programmes that

are sponsored by Israeli universities or by the Israeli state• object to proposals for holding international conferences in Israel• object to proposals for conferences which include participation by Israeli

institutions

Summary of PACBI call for boycott

• The Palestinian campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) asks us to

1. Refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration

or joint projects with Israeli institutions;

2. Advocate a comprehensive boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels, including suspension of all forms of funding and subsidies to these institutions;

3. Promote divestment and disinvestment from Israel by international academic institutions;

4. Work toward the condemnation of Israeli policies by pressing for resolutions to be adopted by academic, professional and cultural associations and organizations;

5. Support Palestinian academic and cultural institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as an explicit or implicit condition for such support.