A senior delegation of University Vice Chancellors from the UK came to Israel to learn more about potential areas of enhancing academic cooperation. The visit was organized by the British Embassy, the British Council in Israel and the International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom (IAB) and included a meeting with Minster of Education Yuli Tamir and the new Israeli Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Ron Prosor, at a dinner hosted by the British Ambassador to Israel, Tom Philips. Much of heir time was taken up with visits to a number of Israeli and Palestinian universities to explore the possibility of joint research projects.
In Israel, the delegation visited Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, and Haifa University. They also met with Presidents and rectors of other universities, including a meeting with the Head of the Israel Academy of Sciences, professor Menachem Yaari, and the head of the Higher Education Council, Professor Itzak Galnoor.
Led by Prof. Rick Trainor, President of University UK (the umbrella organization of the UKs 140 universities) and Vice-Chancellor of King’s College London, the group included Prof. Paul O’Prey, Vice Chancellor of Roehampton University, London; Prof. Anthony Chapman Vice Chancellor of the University of Wales; Prof. Anthony Muscatelli, principal of Heriot-Watt University, and Amerjit Basi, Policy Advisor from the Department of Innovations, Universities and Science in the British Government.
“The willingness of the British academics to come to Israel and the Palestinian Authority and to see for themselves the cooperative work being done here is very reassuring,” said Prof. Arie Moran, BGU’s Deputy Vice-President and Dean for R&D who hosted the group at Ben Gurion University. “Because of our location and proximity to the desert, researchers at BGU are involved in a number of different collaborations with their Palestinian and Jordanian counterparts – in fields such as health care, genetics, environment and water management.”
“I am struck by the tremendous academic strength of Israeli universities,” said Trainor “which is something we want to interact with.” Participants agreed that the next step is to encourage the creation of joint research groups from the UK with their Israeli counterparts and a joint research funding organization that would facilitate cooperative projects.
They were accompanied throughout their visit by Prof. David Newman, from the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University, who is the IAB representative for al Israeli universities in the UK, and is currently a visiting fellow at Queen Mary College, University of London. The position was created following the resolution last May of Britain’s University and College Union (UCU) to boycott Israeli universities. Newman’s role is aimed at creating a new set of binational scientific projects which will bring together researchers from both countries and will help facilitate joint conferences and workshops.
The possibility that British universities could make their own contribution to dialogue and peace building in this region, by providing neutral spaces for Israeli-Palestinian-British seminars, was also discussed at great length by the participants.
While on sabbatical in the U.K. last year, Newman was active in the academic debate surrounding the attempted boycott. “It’s the union that has made all the fuss, not the universities who were against the idea,” explained Newman “The boycott debate has, paradoxically, opened a window of opportunity for Israeli and British universities to develop new research links and collaborations.”
Commenting on the proposed academic boycott, which has now been withdrawn by the UCU Executive, both Trainor noted that such activities were in direct contradiction to the principles of academic freedom for which universities pride themselves. Newman further stated that: “Academic freedom must be applied across the board and it is imperative that all those who oppose the boycott also stand up firmly for the rights of Palestinian academics who have problems in traveling outside the West Bank and Gaza. Those who would desire to see peace in the region, should assist in the facilitation of even greater Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and joint research, rather than try to implement a boycott which will only bring an ed to such relations as do exist”.
