The Israeli government recently allotted nearly $26 million in this
year’s budget to combat what it sees as worldwide efforts to “delegitimize”
the Jewish state’s right to exist. Some of the funds are earmarked for
Israeli tech companies, many of them headed by former military intelligence
officers, for digital initiatives aimed at gathering intelligence on
activist groups and countering their efforts.

Vaknin-Gil, the director general of Israel’s Ministry for Strategic
Affairs and Public Diplomacy [hasbara] said her ministry is encouraging
initiatives to expose the funding and curb the activities of anti-Israel
activists, as well as campaigns to “flood the Internet” with
content that puts a positive face on Israel. She said some of these
actions will not be publicly identified with the government.

Read
full report on Yahoo News


We will not work with Israel’s
universities” say 343 UK academics

Academic Commitment launched in Guardian Advertisement

500 more signatures by end of first day Add
your name

The call received worldwide coverage. You can follow links to
the items we have come across.

  • In an unprecedented statement university teachers say they
    will not do business with Israel’s university institutions
    and system.
  • Professors and lecturers, Fellows of the Royal Society and
    Fellows of the British Academy say they will not visit Israel’s
    universities.
  • Academics from across 72 different institutions have made
    the Commitment, more expected to follow as campaign grows.
  • Full page advertisement in The Guardian newspaper
    on 26 October announces launch of the Commitment.
  • Israeli universities are “deeply complicit” with
    Israeli violations of international law.

A commitment signed by 343 academics across UK’s higher
education system says they will not accept invitations for academic
visits to Israel. They will not act as referees in activities
related to Israel academic institutions, or cooperate in any other
way with Israeli universities

This Academic Commitment is a response to the appeal for such
action by Palestinian academics and civil society due to the deep
complicity of Israeli academic institutions in Israeli violations
of international law. Signatories have pledged to continue their
commitment until Israel complies with international law, and respects
Palestinian human rights.

View a copy of
the Guardian advertisement
Read the press release from
the commitment organisers

What you can do

We invite all UK based academics to sign this commitment and
we invite academics world wide to initiate similar commitments
in their own countries

  • Go to the Commitment
    website    , and add your name;
  • Argue for the importance of using this commitment
    to show our solidarity with Palestinian academics, and all Palestinians,
    under occupation and siege
  • Forward the link to the Commitment website
    to all academic members of your department, and to all your
    academic lists;
  • Circulate the Commitment, and the invitation
    to add names, as widely as you can in your university;
  • Ask your UCU Branch Committee to circulate
    the statement and the invitation to all members – this is within
    current UCU policy;
  • Organise a campus meeting
    on the Commitment later this term or in the spring, contact
    BRICUP
    or the Commitment
    organisers     to request a speaker.