The following is the letter and connection to the leadership of NATFHE and AUT regarding the proposed resolutions to blacklist and boycott Israeli Scholars. It is signed by nearly 4900 academics, students and community members.

May 24, 2006

NATFHE Leadership

27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
Telephone 020 7837 3636 / Fax 020 7837 4403
Minicom 020 7278 0470

Dear NATFHE Leadership:

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and the International Advisory Board on Academic Freedom at Bar-Ilan University are pleased to deliver this web-based petition containing nearly 4900 signatures of college and university professors from around the world, along side of many community supporters.

The petition calls for NATFHE and its members to not allow itself to be separated from the academic community by the actions of a few who believe that blacklisting Israeli academics will increase conditions for achieving peace in Middle East. I and my colleagues who signed this petition agree that not only will an academic boycott serve no useful purpose, but it will hinder the good-faith efforts of those of us seeking a just and permanent peace in the region.

The petition can be viewed at spme.org at https://spme.org/cgi-bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=2 . You may view the signatures at https://spme.org/cgi-bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=2&Action=View Each one of the signatures on this petition has been confirmed.

What is extraordinarily gratifying is that it has been signed and advanced by scholars who might have some political agreements with those who would seek to blacklist and boycott Israeli scholars, but have the good sense to know that an academic boycott is a breach of the principles of academic freedom and an impediment to creating peace.

You should be getting a hard copy of this petition under separate cover presented by Ronnie Fraser a NATFHE delegate and possibly others, but we wanted you to have access to this at the web as the petition attracts possibly 5000 signatures or more before the start of your meetings.

We would appreciate a response and a positive outcome to this most unfortunate prospect. We look forward to your response.

Thank you on behalf of the SPME Board of Directors and the International Advisory Board on Academic Freedom at Bar-Ilan University.

Please reply to and yeshurun@mail.biu.ac.il

Edward S. Beck, Ed.D., CCMHC, NCC, LPC, President
Walden University, Alvernia College, Susquehanna Institute

Board of Directors

Jonathan Adelman, Ph.D., University of Denver
Steven Albert, Ph.D., MPH, University of Pittsburgh
Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., City U. of New York
John R. Cohn, MD, Thomas Jefferson University
Donna Robinson Divine, Ph.D., Smith College
Stanley Dubinsky, Ph.D., U. of South Carolina
Rev. India E. Garnett, M.Div. Treasurer, Harrisburg PA Chapter, United Church of Christ
Rabbi Peter Haas, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve U.
Judith Jacobson, Dr. P.H., Vice President, Columbia U.
Efraim Karsh, Kings College U. of London
Richard Landes,Ph.D. Boston U.
Ruth Lichtenberg-Contreras, Ph.D., Secretary, U. of Vienna and Natural History Museum of Vienna
Allan Lipton, MD, Penn State College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Robert S. Mirin, Esq., Harrisburg, PA
G.S. Don Morris, Ph.D.,California Polytechnic U./Wingate Institute IL
Nidra Poller, Novelist, Paris, France
Philip Carl Salzman,Ph.D. McGill U.
Gerald Steinberg, Ph.D., Bar Ilan U.

Prof. Yosef Yeshurun (Chair) yeshurun@mail.biu.ac.il

Prof. Joshua Schwartz

Prof. Gerald Steinberg

Prof. Eitan Gilboa

Dr. Jonathan Rynhold;

Cc: Ronnie Fraser, NATFHE Delegate

AUT Leadership

IAB Executive Committee

SPME Board of Directors