The movement to Boycott, Divest From and Sanction Israel (BDS) just suffered a severe setback as ten chancellors of the University of California unequivocally condemned it in a statement that did not leave much to the imagination. “As chancellors of the University of California campuses, we write to reaffirm our longstanding opposition to an academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions and/or individual scholars,” they stated. “Our commitment to continued engagement and partnership with Israeli, as well as Palestinian colleagues, colleges, and universities is unwavering.”
“We believe a boycott of this sort poses a direct and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, as well as the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campuses, including debate and discourse regarding conflicts in the Middle East.”
Accuracy in Academia, which has long felt pretty much the same way, joined 100 other groups in thanking the chancellors. In a letter assembled by the AMCHA Initiative, we proclaimed, “Our 101 organizations applaud you for issuing a strong and unwavering statement condemning the implementation of an academic boycott of Israel on UC campuses, in response to our request. We especially appreciate your unequivocal declaration that an academic boycott of Israel ‘poses a direct and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, as well the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campuses, including debate and discourse regarding conflicts in the Middle East..”
