Last Wednesday, the British University and College Union (UCU) recommended a vote on an "intellectual boycott of Israel". Supporters of the motion explained their reasoning to the BBC, saying that "Israeli academic freedom comes at the cost of the denial of the most basic of academic freedoms of Palestinian students."
The proposed boycott, which urges UCU members to avoid attending events at universities in Israel, would still need to be ratified at the UCU's national conference next year. Yet the idea has already stirred heated debate in Britain, with British government authorities rushing to publicly condemn the initiative. Many British academics have distanced themselves from it, and the Research Council of the UK made clear on Friday that British research funders will disregard any boycott.
And in Israel, some have already responded in true Middle East fashion: eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. A member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's party proposed labeling imports from any country that boycotts Israel with a tag reading, "This country is involved in an anti-Israel boycott." Haaretz's Bradley Burston struck back at "a uniquely far-left British brand of moral masturbation," noting bitterly that British intellectuals have singled out the "one group within Israeli society which has consistently, vigorously and courageously campaigned against the occupation since its inception."
Burston misses the point. Liberal or conservative, mainstream or extremist, universities should never be the target of a boycott. They're supposed to be the greenhouse of new and revolutionary ideas, not political footballs. If UK academics feel the urge to do something for the Palestinians, they should engage with their Israeli counterparts. Boycotting the schools completely will shut off that dialogue and accomplish nothing.
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