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| Recently a group of scientists, the majority
of them mathematicians, declared a boycott of Israeli universities (see
below, and also the website www.pjpo.org)
Though we have diverse opinions about the Middle East situation, we strongly oppose this unprecedented discriminatory act. It exposes the failure of the authors to appreciate the complexity of the problem. Such a boycott will only harm individual scientists whose views of the Middle East crises vary and who do not participate in political decisions. Targeting innocent fellow scientists is unacceptable. We strongly support cooperation among scientists of all countries and believe attempts to turn the scientific community into a political battlefield are irresponsible and counterproductive. We urge the authors of the declaration to reconsider their position. Signatures (as of now):
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On April 30 many of those who signed the statement at www.pjpo.org,
whose text is reproduced below, received from Pavel Etingof a letter, signed
by numerous mathematicians, apparently in opposition to our initiative.
A careful reading of the two texts, however, shows that they are only tenuously
related. The letter from Etingof states that "Targeting innocent
fellow scientists is unacceptable." We agree. The final sentence
of our statement affirms our intention to continue collaborating with,
and hosting, Israeli scientists, and it goes without saying that this intention
applies to all Israeli colleagues, regardless of their political perspectives.
In particular we are aware of the "harm", in our opinion limited, our initiative
may cause individual Israeli scientists, and are determined to do everything
in our power to avoid doing harm, especially to younger colleagues whose
resources are limited.
Etingof's letter continues: "We strongly support cooperation among scientists of all countries and believe attempts to turn the scientific community into a political battlefield are irresponsible and counterproductive." Again, we agree wholeheartedly. It is by no means our intention to use the scientific community as a backdrop for playing out our political differences. The statement at www.pjpo.org is a declaration of our intention, collectively
and as individuals, in view of current circumstances, to suspend our cooperation
with official Israeli government institutions, including universities.
We feel that in good conscience we cannot do otherwise, and we encourage
colleagues to follow our example, but we pass no judgment on those who
do not. Read literally alongside our statement, the letter we have received
from Pavel Etingof urges us to override our individual consciences.
Such a call is, we believe, unprecedented, not to say bizarre. Rather than
ask us to continue to attend conferences in Israel, for example, the signatories
of the letter might consider asking us why we would feel strongly uncomfortable
doing so at the present time. Some of us find it intolerable to visit
Israeli scientists when, only a few kilometers away, Palestinian scientists
are denied freedom of movement. Others are appalled by human rights
violations affecting the Palestinian population at large. Still others,
echoing the resolution voted by the European Parliament on April 10, 2002,
"consider() the offensive treatment of the EU delegation to be a turning
point in EU-Israel relations" and no longer wish to participate in scientific
cooperation in the context of the EU-Israel Euro-Mediterranean Association
Agreement, which the European Parliament resolution proposes to suspend.
The reasons are as varied as the individuals who signed our statement,
which is hardly surprising in view of "the complexity of the problem."
But we are all outraged by the military campaign in the Palestinian territories.
Our response was to draft and sign the statement below.
Signed by Ahmed Abbes, Mikhael Balabane, Viviane Baladi, Pierre
Berthelot, Michael Harris, Vincent Maillot,
Fabien Morel, Joseph Oesterle, Raphael Rouquier, Pierre Schapira, Lionel
Schwartz .
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The campaign against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority launched at the end of March 2002 by the government headed by Ariel Sharon, in defiance of United Nations Resolutions and the Geneva Conventions, has led to a military reoccupation of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and to a dramatic increase in human rights violations. Under these circumstances, I can no longer in good conscience continue to cooperate with official Israeli institutions, including universities. I will attend no scientific conferences in Israel, and I will not participate as referee in hiring or promotion decisions by Israeli universities, or in the decisions of Israeli funding agencies. I will continue to collaborate with, and host, Israeli scientific colleagues on an individual basis. |