A little-noted resolution in the House of Representatives was passed July 11, remarkably, by a vote of 414-0, with a few members, including Dennis Kucinich, not voting, and two Republican members voting only "present."
Now placed on the record is 414 Congress members' condemnation of the University and College Union of the United Kingdom's (UCU's) support for an international boycott of Israel academics until it halts its systematic oppression of the Palestinian people.
The targets of the condemnation are two resolutions adopted by the UCU in May.
In the first resolution, the union gives its rationale for supporting a boycott ["Congress" below refers to the assembled members of the union at their meeting]:
Congress notes that Israel's 40-year occupation has seriously damaged the fabric of Palestinian society through annexation, illegal settlement, collective punishment and restriction of movement.
Congress deplores the denial of educational rights for Palestinians by invasions, closures, checkpoints, curfews, and shootings and arrests of teachers, lecturers and students.
Congress condemns the complicity of Israeli academia in the occupation, which has provoked a call from Palestinian trade unions for a comprehensive and consistent international boycott of all Israeli academic institutions.
Congress believes that in these circumstances passivity or neutrality is unacceptable and criticism of Israel cannot be construed as anti-semitic.
In the second resolution, the union outlines how it plans to support an international greylist or boycott of Israeli academic institutions "to make either those institutions’ managements or the government of the country concerned think again about their policies in relation to academic issues and human rights."
It is somewhat unclear that the U.S. House resolution (posted in full below* because I have not been able to find a permanent link) is actually referring to the British union's adopted statement, since there is no defense in the resolution itself against the charges——only claims that the boycott is motivated by anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel.
In fact, not once does House resolution mention the words Palestinians, the International Court, or the Geneva Conventions, or the United Nations resolutions against Israel's occupations in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, or its policies of collective punishment, annexation, and illegal settlements. It appears to suggest that the boycott movement has spontaneously combusted in a complete, anti-Semitic vacuum.
The boycott movement emerged "because they hate Israel," possibly in the same way that the Iraqis fight us "because they hate our freedoms."
Much of the world outside the United States now understands that only economic and political pressure on Israel will make it halt its oppression of the Palestinians and theft of Palestinian land–just as only international boycotts, led as in this case by trade unions, ended South African apartheid.
As an Irish citizen, I wish to note that in the last few weeks, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Northern Ireland Public Sector Association have taken strong pro-boycott and divestment positions. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, the British union of public workers, UNISON, and COSATU, the union federation of South Africa, are also supporting Palestinian workers by calling for a boycott of Israeli goods.
As an American citizen, I take strong exception to 414 congressional members' statement expressing unquestioning support for Israel at a time when Israel is engaging in an all-stops-out public relations campaigninside the U.S. for war against Iran.
In the week before its August recesss, the House has appeared to give its implied consent as our unhinged leaders prepare another unprovoked war in the Middle East based on fabrications and lies.
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For regular postings of articles on all sides that we do not routinely have access to in this country, the Ireland-Palestinian Solidarity Campaign site at www.ipsc.org is helpful
*Below is U.S. House Resolution 467
HRES 467 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 467
Condemning the decision by the University and College Union of the United Kingdom to support a boycott of Israeli academia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 6, 2007
Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. HALL of New York, Mr. WEINER, Mr. KIRK, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. KLEIN of Florida, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. COHEN, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SIRES, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, and Mr. BACA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Condemning the decision by the University and College Union of the United Kingdom to support a boycott of Israeli academia.
Whereas on May 30, 2007, the University and College Union of the United Kingdom voted in favor of a motion to boycott Israeli faculty and academic institutions;
Whereas the UCU was created in 2006 out of a merger of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE). Both AUT (in 2005) and NATFHE (in 2006) have passed resolutions supporting a boycott of Israeli academics and academic institutions;
Whereas Britain's National Union of Journalists called for a boycott of Israeli goods in April 2007;
Whereas these unions have a hypocritical double standard in condemning Israel, a free and democratic state, while completely ignoring gross human rights abuses occurring around the world in nations such as Sudan, Zimbabwe, Iran, and Venezuela;
Whereas a totally unjustified campaign is underway by elements of the international academic community to limit cultural and scientific collaboration between foreign universities and academics and their counterparts in Israel;
Whereas Article 19, section 2, of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that, `Everyone shall have the right to . . . receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice';
Whereas these and any other attempts to stifle intellectual freedom through the imposition of an academic boycott are counterproductive since research and academic exchange provide an essential bridge between otherwise disconnected cultures and countries;
Whereas such boycotts represent a dangerous assault on the principles of academic freedom and open exchange;
Whereas the UCU boycott motion appears to have spawned similar movements in Britain to boycott Israel economically and culturally, as the country's largest labor union, UNISON, said it would follow the union of university instructors in weighing punitive measures against Israel;
Whereas Nobel laureate Prof. Steven Weinberg, who refused to participate in a British academic conference due to the National Union of Journalist's boycott, stated that he perceived `a widespread anti-Israel and anti-Semitic current in British opinion'; and
Whereas the senseless boycotting of Israeli academics contributes to the delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the vote by the University and College Union of May 30, 2007, to boycott Israeli academics and academic institutions;
(2) urges the international scholarly community, the European Union, and individual governments, to reject, or continue to reject, calls for an academic boycott of Israel and reaffirm their commitment to academic freedom and cultural and scientific international exchange;
(3) urges governments and educators throughout the world to reaffirm the importance of academic freedom and open dialogue and to condemn measures that would prevent the production, sharing, and exchange of knowledge;
(4) urges other unions and organizations to reject the troubling and disturbing actions of the UCU; and
(5) urges the general members of the UCU to reject the call of the union's leadership to boycott Israel.