Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Statement on Restoration of University of Johannesburg Relations With Ben Gurion University

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, July 21, 2011 -

In a most welcome development, following a vote earlier this
year by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Faculty Senate to
boycott Ben Gurion University (BGU), UJ’s administration announced
that the original water-research contract which was terminated as a
result of the Senate Action has now been reinstated. It was
announced that the two universities signed a contract to continue
their joint research on water purification and the conversion of
algae into energy with the cooperation of scientists from the
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University
of Ghent (UG).

The Board of Directors of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
(SPME) and the leaders and members of the SPME Chapter at the
University of Johannesburg hail the courageous decision by those UJ
Faculty members and administrators to continue to pursue their
individual, departmental and institutional contractual relations.
This development signals the official University of Johannesburg
rejection of the Senate Resolution and we applaud the University
for resuming institutional relations in support of scientific
collaboration and academic freedom with Israeli universities.

The world academic community frowns upon academic boycotts which
it regards as antithetical to the fundamental principles of
academic freedom. Whatever their feelings, academics cannot say
they support academic freedom and exchange if they boycott, censor
or otherwise interrupt the exchange of ideas, research and
information. Credible academic institutions must be clear in
supporting basic principles of academic freedom with statements and
policies rejecting such campaigns and actions.

Adopted by the SPME Board of Directors
and SPME University of Johannesburg Leadership, July 11, 2011

Representing the SPME University of
Johannesburg Leadership:

• Elli Kriel, Department of Sociology;
• Meir Perez, Department of Engineering

SPME Officers and Board of
Directors

• Peter J. Haas, President, SPME; Case Western Reserve
  University
• Stanley Dubinsky, Vice President External Relations, SPME;
  University of South Carolina
• Judith Jacobson, Vice President Internal Relations, SPME;
  Columbia University
• Ruth Contreras, Secretary SPME; University of Vienna and Vienna
  Natural History Museum (ret.)
• Shlomo Dubnov, University of California-San Diego
• Edward S. Beck President Emeritus, SPME; Walden University
• Steven Albert, University of Pittsburgh
• Leila Beckwith, UCLA
• John Cohn, Thomas Jefferson University
• Samuel Edelman, SPME Executive Director (ex-officio),
  University of California- Chico
• Awi Federgruen, Columbia University
• Joel Fishman, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
• Rev. India E. Garnett, United Church of Christ, Central
  Pennsylvania Synod
• Richard Landes, Boston University
• Kenneth L. Marcus, Institute for Jewish and Community
  Research
• David Menashri, Tel Aviv University
• G.S. Don Morris, California Poly Tech Institute and Wingate
  Institute, IL
• Donna Robinson-Divine, Smith College
• Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, University of California-Santa
  Cruz
• Philip Carl Salzman, McGill University
• Ralf Schumann, MD., Charite Berlin
• Ernest Sternberg, University of Buffalo

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed
expert(s), click appropriate link.

Sam Edelman

href="www.profnetconnect.com/sam-edelman">www.profnetconnect.com/sam-edelman

For Immediate Release: For Further
Information Contact Edward S. Beck, SPME President Emeritus and BDS
Task Force Chair, ScholarsforPeace@aol.com or +1-717-576-5038

.