[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 18, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS' BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

  (Mr. WEINER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, sometimes events happen one after another 
and no one calls attention to a pattern. Today, alarm bells should be 
going off about the rising threat of anti-Semitism. When Arab countries 
practiced anti-Semitism, when textbooks made Jews out to be devils, 
commentators here said, Well, that is just the Israeli conflict; do not 
worry. When some countries voted against Israel in the United Nations 
as a matter of routine, the pundits said it is just to win favor with 
oil-rich nations: Do not worry.
  When synagogues are desecrated in France and Jews attacked in that 
country, the calm observers said: It is just peculiar to France, do not 
worry.
  On April 22, the British Association of University Teachers 
representing nearly 49,000 higher education professionals decided to 
boycott all relationship and exchanges with Bar-Ilan and Haifa 
University in Israel. Now what do the ``do not worry about anti-
Semitism'' crowd say? The very citadels of civilization are 
experiencing a rising tide of anti-Semitism. Not only Britain but the 
academics and intellectuals of Britain. We must call it out, confront 
it.
  We have learned this lesson: the answer to anti-Semitism is not 
silence; it is not acquiescence. It is to call it by its name and 
fight. I call on the Bush administration to join me.

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