While British colleagues prepare to discuss the Palestinian boycott call and consider the implications of normal academic links with the Israeli academy during the coming academic year, a disturbing development has been noted in the United States and Canada. No sooner had the UCU motion been passed than dozens of American and Canadian university presidents and
rectors rushed to condemn the Union, basing their attacks on mostly false or inaccurate data.

Upholding Debate as a Necessary Component of Academic Freedom

The Right to Education (R2E) Student Committee in Birzeit University welcomes the motion passed by UNISON, the biggest trade union of public workers in the UK, and calls for student-wide mobilisation on boycotting Israel as a means to defend the right to education of Palestinians and end the occupation.

To read the full text and for links to relevant UNISON webpages, click here.

“that the United Nations, and especially the General Assembly and the Security Council, should consider what further action is required to bring to an end the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the Wall and the associated régime, taking due account of the present advisory opinion.”

Far from complying with the advisory opinion, over the past three years the construction of the Wall has continued unremittingly, as has the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the associated violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

The opening of "Israel Week" at the Galeria Kaufhof department store in Berlin spurred a demonstration Saturday against Israeli food products originating in the territories. Protesters held signs reading "No to settlement products" and "Stop the Israel-EU Association Agreement." Groups protesting included The Jewish Voice, a Jewish-German organization opposed to the occupation, and Solidarity with Palestine, German teenagers affiliated with the radical left.

Germans protest sale of food from West Bank settlements

Ratcheting up the simmering debate over how Protestant denominations should express their concern about Israel, the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church is advising congregations and individuals to divest their holdings from a wide variety of American corporations that the United Methodists believe support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

"We congratulate UNISON on their courageous move to speak out against the Israeli policy of tyranny and isolation of Palestine, especially at a time when the international community is silent and vicious witch-hunts were carried out against those who dared speak up.

As Palestinian students we are suffering from the economic blockade which has impoverished our communities, checkpoints which humiliate us and steal our time, pass-systems which prevent us from seeing our families and immigration controls which stops many of us from leaving and prevents international students from accessing our un