[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 336 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 336

   Urging the international community to reject a boycott of Israeli 
                  academic and cultural institutions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 8, 2002

 Mr. Corzine submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Urging the international community to reject a boycott of Israeli 
                  academic and cultural institutions.

Whereas a campaign is underway by elements of the international academic 
        community to limit cultural and scientific collaboration between foreign 
        universities and academics and their counterparts in Israel;
Whereas a number of European academics have signed petitions calling upon the 
        national governments of Europe, the European Union, and the European 
        Science Foundation to sever contacts with Israeli academics, as well as 
        issue a moratorium on grants to Israeli research centers and cultural 
        institutions;
Whereas the Association of University Teachers and NATFHE, unions that represent 
        professors and researchers employed by research centers and universities 
        in the United Kingdom, have passed resolutions supporting academic 
        boycotts of Israel;
Whereas several institutions of higher education, such as the University of 
        Lille in France, have refused to cooperate with Israeli Universities;
Whereas invitations requesting Israeli researchers to address academic 
        assemblies have been rescinded because of anti-Israel sentiment;
Whereas Israeli scholars, including Gideon Toury and Miriam Shlesinger, have 
        been dismissed from their positions on the editorial boards of academic 
        journals solely because of their affiliation with Israeli institutions;
Whereas because of its location in Israel, the Goldyne Savad Institute in 
        Jerusalem was denied scientific materials needed to develop effective 
        treatments for anemic Palestinian children by a Norwegian school of 
        veterinary medicine;
Whereas a campaign to limit academic ties between the United States and Israel 
        is emerging, as demonstrated by a petition calling for an American 
        academic boycott of Israel circulated by Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Yale 
        University professor;
Whereas counter campaigns to oppose an academic boycott of Israel have gathered 
        significant support in several countries, including France, Poland, the 
        United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the United States;
Whereas Philippe Busquin, the Commissioner for Research for the European Union, 
        issued a statement on April 23, 2002, maintaining that ``the European 
        Commission is not in favour of a policy of sanctions against the parties 
        to the conflict but rather advocates a continuous dialogue with them 
        which is the best way to bring them back to negotiations'';
Whereas an open letter written by Paul Scham and Eva Illouz, academics 
        associated with Hebrew University in Jerusalem, asserts that ``the call 
        to boycott Israeli academics shows unpardonable ignorance of the role 
        played by scientists, intellectuals, and artists in challenging the 
        political consensus and in creating the public debate that rages in 
        Israel at all times, including now'';
Whereas an editorial in the May 2, 2002, issue of the respected British 
        scientific journal Nature states that, ``Israel is a research powerhouse 
        that, given an eventual improvement of relations with its neighbors, 
        could rejuvenate science and development in the region through 
        collaboration and training. Rather than signing boycotts, which will 
        achieve nothing, researchers worldwide can help the peace process 
        concretely by actively initiating more . . . collaborations and 
        encouraging their institutions to do the same.'';
Whereas foreign-funded research projects intended to foster cooperation between 
        Israelis, Palestinians, and Arab academics in various disciplines 
        including water resource management, desalinization, and cancer 
        treatment, have continued despite current events;
Whereas Article 19, section 2, of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and 
        Political Rights states that, ``Everyone shall have the right to . . . 
        receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of 
        frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or 
        through any other media of his choice'';
Whereas any attempts to stifle intellectual freedom through the imposition of an 
        academic boycott is counterproductive since research and academic 
        exchange provide an essential bridge between otherwise disconnected 
        cultures and countries; and
Whereas stifling scientific and cultural exchange would limit the substantial 
        contributions the international academic community makes to humanity: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the international scholarly community, the European 
        Union, and individual governments, should reject, or continue 
        to reject, calls for an academic boycott of Israel and reaffirm 
        their commitment to academic freedom and cultural and 
        scientific international exchange;
            (2) the worldwide educational establishment should reverse 
        actions taken to impede academic collaboration and free 
        intellectual expression with Israeli intellectuals and 
        institutions; and
            (3) the United States and the American scholarly community 
        should continue to actively support efforts to increase 
        academic cooperation and encourage cultural and scientific 
        exchange between the United States and Israel.
                                 <all>