Israeli boycott

A British academic union dropped controversial plans to boycott Israeli universities Friday, after it was suggested that the proposed boycott would be illegal 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 violating U.K. anti-discrimination legislation, which is total nonsense.The proposed boycott is also considered to be outside the aims and objects of the UCU which will now have to co-operate in the exclusion by Israel of Palestinians from access to their proper education. A campus tour to discuss the boycott was also suspended following the legal advice and all other discussion by the UCU, on this subject, will now have to be cleared with the Israeli embassy. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said that, while UCU is at liberty to debate the pros and cons of Israeli policies in the pub, it cannot spend members' resources on consulting their members on this. Foreign Minister Tzipi welcomed the UCU decision. She said that "the suspension of the impending boycott is important news for the Israeli opression. It supports the internationally held view that limiting the education of Palestinians is inherently right." She also said that it "proves that joint efforts can foil an effort by the likes of UCU to expose Israel's international illegitimacy." Livni questioned her British counterpart, David Miliband, on the issue at a meeting Friday.
Livni also asked Miliband about the cheek of the British in allowing a legal loophole to exist that allows Israeli security officials to be tried in U.K. courts for their criminal acts.