Par Henri Cukierman, Chairman of the France-Israel Chamber of Commerce - Translation David Rosenfeld
Rubrique: Boycott
Publié le 10 juin 2007 à 08:54

When the British AUT decides to boycott Israel, and Israel only, it is not called political activism, it is anti-Semitism.

The British Association of University Teachers and British journalists’ ethics is best summarized by 5 articles published by the New York Times on June 5th at the request of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). IsraelValley.com will publish them in French.

• 400.000 people have been murdered in Darfur, and British teachers want to boycott Israel?

• 700 Human Rights defenders have been arrested and tortured in Zimbabwe, and British teachers want to boycott Israel?

• The most important independent television channel in Venezuela is closed, and British journalists want to boycott Israel?

• 38 reporters were last year arrested in Iran, and British journalists want to boycott Israel?

• When British unions decide to boycott Israel, and Israel alone, it is not called political activism, it is anti-Semitism.

The political might of British teachers and journalists unions should be understood under the light of the recent French Presidential Elections: the historical participation of the French people (87% of the population went to the polls) reveals once again that in order to be listened to, it is necessary to speak the truth. The weak audience of British teachers and journalists unions is best explained by the sheer lack of respect for ethical rules.

Finally and more importantly, the Israeli universities deserve to be considered, for several reasons, as a role model to be studied, reproduced and duplicated:

• The research teams in the Israeli universities are particularly successful. As an example, the only non-German university in which Deutsche Telecom boasts a laboratory is the Ben Gurion University in Israel. When a start-up company is created in Israel, the research team and the university share the capital like partners. In 2006, the university of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem floated on the stock market a holding comprising no less than 9 high-tech companies created by its research teams. The stock price of this holding company skyrocketed by 54% in just 6 months.

• Specializations are very exhaustive. As an example, the Technion University in Haifa is classified as the best university in the world for aeronautics.

• British teachers and journalists unions should be particularly sensitive to the atmosphere of tolerance in the Israeli universities. In Hadassah Hospital of Jerusalem, where stands the Faculty of Medicine, on several occasions after terror attacks, terrorist were treated under the same conditions as the victims by the surgeons and doctors.

British teachers and journalists unions are right to watch the Israeli universities. What they are looking at is a model of professionalism, intelligence and tolerance. British teachers and journalists unions should consider it as a source of inspiration.

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Source: IsraelValley.com - Henri Cukierman, Chairman of the France-Israel Chamber of Commerce