Your Editorial, not least in its title ('Don't boycott Israel's scientists'), misrepresents our call for a moratorium on institutional European research and academic links with Israel. Signatories do not call for a boycott of individual scientists, among whom are longstanding friends and colleagues. The call is for a suspension of institutional links only until Israel complies with UN resolutions and begins to negotiate seriously with its Arab neighbours along the lines of the Saudi and many similar peace plans. If to make this demand is to be partisan, so be it -- peace and justice demand partisanship. You argue that such sanctions are ineffective, and that Mr Sharon will lose no sleep over them. Peaceful ethical struggles waged by civil society are of their nature, slow. Nonetheless as Archbishop Desmond Tutu pointed out in his recent Boston lecture, the boycott by the world's academic and cultural communities was a key to ending apartheid.

It seems that it is unpalatable to some Israeli researchers to find themselves potentially affected by the actions of their government, but the argument that it is links with Palestinian researchers that may suffer is on shaky grounds. For while we have received numbers of letters of thanks from Palestinian academics for our call, as easing their and their students' sense of isolation, none have opposed it. Furthermore a number of distinguished Israeli academics have selflessly given their support.

Of course, as you say, scientists as well as other citizens have the right to speak out. However there is a price for both speaking out and remaining silent. Many of the signatories of our call are finding their emails spammed with a torrent of hate mail. Signatories, especially if they are Jewish, have been accused of everything from anti-semitism to support for terrorism. Such allegations conflate uncritical support for the Israeli State with Jewish identity, and are both repugnant and unjust. Hate mail writers might be surprised to learn that the one academic who wanted to support the moratorium call on the ground of his anti-semitism was crisply rejected.

Finally, can we emphasise, as our initial letter did, that all signatories have signed in their personal capacity, and that institutional affiliations were given for identification purposes only. It thus behoves Nature at least to get these affiliations right.

Professor Hilary Rose, Emerita Professor, University of Bradford, and City University

Professor Steven Rose, Open University

6 May 2002