Arabs Against Discrimination[Dr. Ilan Pappe to the British: If you lift the boycott of Israel, you will lose your place in history]

Dr. Ilan Pappe to the British: If you lift the boycott of Israel , you will lose your place in history

Source: www.nfc.co.il, May 24, 2005

By:Omer Carmon

Pappe: Join the struggle against apartheid

Historian Ilan Pappe, a professor at Haifa University , continues his efforts to influence the British Association of University Teachers (AUT) and convince them not to lift the academic boycott imposed on Haifa University and Bar-Ilan University .

Pappe wrote in an article in The Guardian , published on Tuesday, May 24, “If you once more approve the decision, history will remember you along with other non-governmental organizations that boycotted the apartheid regime in South Africa .”

Today the Israeli academic met the resistance of 21 Nobel Prize recipients who signed a petition calling on the AUT to rescind its decision. “This is a completely erroneous step,” they wrote. “And we strongly oppose it.”

The two sides are preparing for the next meeting of the AUT, scheduled for Thursday, May 26. Petitions signed by tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of the boycott are expected to be released within the next 24 hours.

The discussion will be held in a closed session. Six AUT members are considering turning to the courts to ask for an order for the cancellation of the meeting. They claim that a decision taken only about 45 days ago cannot be legally rescinded, but it is predicted that the academic boycott on Haifa and Bar-Ilan Universities will soon be lifted.

Dr. Pappe claimed that Haifa University tried to fire him because he approved a pro-Palestinian academic thesis. He also accused university leaders of harassing Palestinian students in conjunction with Israeli security agencies.

Haifa University said it was shocked that it was not allowed to present its case before the AUT, and it threatened to file a libel suit.

The Jerusalem-based al-Quds University , headed by Sari Nusseibeh, issued a statement shortly before the vote condemning the boycott proposal. “We need to look for methods of rapprochement and ways to build bridges,” sources in Ramallah said. A few days ago, Sari Nusseibeh and Menachem Magidor, president of the Hebrew University , issued a joint appeal to lift the boycott.

Union of Palestinian Teachers calls for the dismissal of Sari Nusseibeh

On Monday, May 23, the Union of Palestinian Teachers published an ad in the Palestinian al-Ayyam calling for the dismissal of Sari Nusseibeh, head of al-Quds University , because of his appeal to lift the boycott.

“Nusseibeh is attempting to normalize relations with the Sharon government despite its policy of stealing Palestinian lands,” the statement said. “Nusseibeh's activities are a lethal blow to the Palestinian national consensus.

“We call on all Palestinian Authority institutions, including President Mahmoud Abbas, to take all necessary measures to end such conduct, which does not represent the Union of Palestinian Teachers.”

The ad also stated, “The President of al-Quds University must be dismissed because he serves the Israeli propaganda machine.”