'Don't boycott Israel' plea (From Oxford Mail)

'Don't boycott Israel' plea

11:32am Monday 17th September 2007

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An Oxford academic has spoken out against moves to cut ties with Israel over the country's military attacks.

Liberal Democrat Steve Goddard, a French lecturer at Oxford University, backed a motion at the party's conference in Brighton which condemned a proposed boycott of Israeli academics.

Dr Goddard, who plans to challenge Labour MP Andrew Smith for the Oxford East seat at the next General Election, said he had opposed Israeli military action in southern Lebanon last year.

But he added that a boycott promoted by the University and College Union (UCU), which represents 120,000 academics across the UK, was "illiberal" and would be unlikely to have any effect on the policies of the Israeli government.

Dr Goddard said: "There are many legitimate ways to oppose the policies of the Israeli government - but an academic boycott is the wrong approach, and there is good evidence that the membership of UCU in Oxford believes that.

"It can't be right to discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of their race or nationality.

"It's perverse to target a group of individuals - in this case academics - who are often in the forefront of opposition to illiberal or repressive regimes, and it seems unlikely that a boycott would succeed in having any effect on the policies of the Israeli government."

On Sunday Liberal Democrat delegates passed a motion condemning UCU's call for an academic boycott of Israel and urging members to "engage in the fullest possible dialogue with their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts".

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