In the UK, the two main academic unions---AUT and NAFTE---have recently merged into one larger entity, the University & College Union. The AUT had voted to sever links with Israeli academics. This was quickly overturned in an emergency meeting a month or so afterwards. Now NAFTA members have been trying to clear a similar boycott.

The reasons for the boycott centre on Israel's many well-documented violations of human rights of Palestinians and others (e.g., the 1982 siege of Beirut). Some of the violations pro-boycotter's (a word?) state are not always these better known cases. The new security wall is a new source of great unease for this pro-group as well. The thought is that pressure by academics---not least in the UK---might influence government policy. The pressure necessary is a refusal to referee for Israeli journals or act as referees for Israeli professors/lecturers. Some journal editors have refused to review work by Israelis.

I am horrified by all of this. It has nothing to do with my personal beliefs----I have none----or background----I'm the son of Puritan immigrants to the US in the 17th century. But this is immaterial. My problems with these actions take two forms.

First and foremost, the academic unions job should surely be to further benefit the academic community it represents. Matters of foreign policy (such as the Israel-Palestine conflict) are simply not part of this. Members who move to get the unions to support these boycotts damage the names and purposes of their union. Boycotting academics from elsewhere because of a political view on Israel is no reason to boycott Israeli academics.

This is not to say that unions/associations should be silent on issues of the day. My view supports sending statements to government. For example, I supported the American Philosophical Association-Eastern Division's vote declaring the Iraq war an illegal war. Who better than international political theorists to weigh in on matters of just war theory...? This declaration did not ban relations with Iraqi academics, however. It took a stand on a political issue, but only as a matter of informing government. Unions should represent their members' professional interests, not their petty, individual political projects.

Second, I am troubled by the singling out of Israel. I do not think that those in favour of the boycott are anti-Semitic. We hear news about violence in Israel more often than we hear about it in China or North Korea. In this sense, Israel's woes are more immediate to us through the media than woes elsewhere. In this sense, Israel pops up in our minds as a trouble-spot quicker than other places....perhaps. But this is not a good reason for singling it out.

If we're worried about human rights abuses, then maybe the union should boycott countries that violate human rights. This could easily begin with boycotting themselves. The British government certainly violated human rights in its dealing with sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. Why not boycott the UK, UK union...? The USA for "Gitmo" might be a second place. The more obvious (perhaps) are China and North Korea.

The problem is that if none of these other places that violate human rights on a large scale (I have China in mind, particularly) are part of this boycott, singling out Israel looks suspicious. It makes one wonder that there must be a second factor beyond violating human rights of a minority group that single it out above the rest of a crowd that seems to have much worse states. A further problem is that we in the West did not boycott Soviet academics, it seems madness to think the Soviet Union was fine but not Israel. I say this as a former communist supporter as well.

None of what I say should be taken to mean that I think Israel has done no wrong. I am as distressed by its reckless use of violence and wanton breaking of international law as anyone else. I just think that boycotting their academics is ridiculous. The UK exerts little 'pressure' that would influence Israeli politics and gives every indication that British academics have something against Israel beyond human rights abuse charges (as otherwise it would boycott North Korean academics, etc.).

Bans are bad for academic business. Not least so with Israel. If anyone knows of a list I can join of those academics asking the union to boycott them, please let me know.