British boycotters unmoved by Israelis

Four Israeli academics sought to sway a group of their British counterparts away from their support of a proposed boycott of Israeli academics. The British academicians reportedly were unconvinced by the Israelis’ arguments at the meeting, held in Brighton.The proposal will be put to a vote at the first annual meeting of the University and College Union on May 30 and June 1. The 120,000-member British group, the largest union of its kind in the world, was formed from last year’s merger of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education and the Association of University Teachers. Those two unions passed the boycott last year but were dissolved. The UCU must pass the motion for it to become effective. The Israeli academics were to meet with undecided voters in Birmingham and Manchester, as well as British parliamentarians.