The proposed UK academic boycott of Israel was rejected Friday when the University and College Union (UCU) announced that, after seeking legal advice, a boycott would be unlawful and could not be implemented. "The legal advice makes it clear that making a call to boycott Israeli institutions would run a serious risk of infringing discrimination legislation," the UCU said in a statement. "While UCU is at liberty to debate the pros and cons of Israeli policies, it cannot spend members' resources on seeking to test opinion on something which is in itself unlawful and cannot be implemented."
The union had passed a motion at its congress in May calling for a consideration of the boycott proposal.
The legal advice stated: "It would be beyond the union's powers and unlawful for the union, directly or indirectly, to call for, or to implement, a boycott by the union and its members of any kind of Israeli universities and other academic institutions; and that the use of union funds directly or indirectly to further such a boycott would also be unlawful." The advice also said that "to ensure that the union acts lawfully, meetings should not be used to ascertain the level of support for such a boycott."
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: "Since congress our first priority has always been to keep the union, and its members, safe during what has been a very difficult time. I hope this decision will allow all to move forwards and focus on what is our primary objective, the representation of our members. "I believe if we do this we may also, where possible, play a positive role in supporting Palestinian and Israeli educators and in promoting a just peace in the Middle East."
...since paying a negative role would send us to gaol. |