Louise Arbour on U.K. academic union's boycott of Israel

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour welcomes debate on the U.K. academic union's selective boycott of Israel as a "good thing." (May 31, 2007.)By contrast, other UN officials unequivocally condemned it. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura of Japan criticized the British University and College Union's planned boycott of Israeli academics. "If we are serious about the need to promote sustained peace, democracy and development, I believe that we have the moral responsibility to share knowledge and promote understanding," he said. Also taking a principled stance was noted Canadian jurist Stephen J. Toope, member of the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances. In his capacity as president of the University of British Columbia, Professor Toope admonished "those British professors who have brought forward this shameful scheme" for the "intolerance they are communicating to their students." http://www.president.ubc.ca/news/british_boycott.html

"Applying boycotts with an evil eye -- by singling out Jews only -- is not only rank discrimination, but eerily reminiscent of a dark period we assumed was behind us," said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.

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