[press release]



Madame, Monsieur

On 16 December 2002 the Conseil d'Administration of Université Paris VI passed a motion recommending the rupture of the European Union's scientific cooperation agreement with Israel. A similar resolution is on the agenda of the meeting of the Université Paris VII Conseil d'Administration in the first week of January. We think it is indispensable to react vigorously against what is in reality, and once again, a call for boycott.

Over fifty researchers from Paris 6, Paris 7, and other universities have joined together despite the holiday break to organize this resistance against a resolution that advocates the exclusion of a category of people (academics) based solely on their nationality.

Our appeal is a reminder that a peace process between Israeli and Palestinian scientists is under construction. It denounces the call for boycott which is really a call to sabotage all peace processes, a return to obscurantism.

We thank you in advance for publishing this text.

Press contact:

Yankel FIJALKOW Maître de Conférences Paris 7
Bernard MARO Directeur de Recherche au CNRS Paris 6

To sign the petition [in French]:
contreleboycott.free.fr/
contreleboycott@wanadoo.fr




The motion, adopted by 22 votes on 16 December 2002 by the Conseil d'administration of Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), was based on a question not initially included in the order of business and debated at the end of the meeting when only 33 of the 60 members were still present. This decision by the Paris VI conseil d'administration recommending that the European Union refrain from renewing the academic cooperation agreement with Israel is profoundly unjustified and counter-productive if the real intention is to work for peace.

Why exclude Israeli scholars? Are they responsible for the situation of their Palestinian colleagues? Should scholars be banished solely on the basis of nationality?

Is it not Manichean to stigmatize them in the name of democracy and human rights?

Which democratic state or organization, recognized as such by the international community, has ever denied that the State of Israel is a democracy?

All infringement of human rights should be vigorously denounced. But the denunciation is legitimate only if applied to all parties to the conflict.

Should the humanistic academic essentials of exchanges, reception, and universality be denied to any Israeli Faculty, researchers, and students?

Since when does science have frontiers? Who in our time can accept the idea that heaping scorn on one part of the scientific community is an effective solution for helping another?

In fact the Israeli peace movement was organized around academics (faculty, researchers, students) and is still largely focused around them. Cooperative projects between Palestinian and Israeli academics exist despite the armed conflict which opposes their governments.

Which absurd logic leads to ask our Israeli colleagues to boycott themselves in order to defend ideas that for the great majority they themselves combat?

Can one encourage cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian universities by practicing Manichean ostracism?

This exclusion of Israeli academics will isolate them and weaken the peace camp.

We are firmly opposed to adoption or promotion by the University of any form of boycott of Israeli universities or academics.

FIRST SIGNATARIES

Daniel Aberdam, DR INSERM, Nice
Martine Aiach, Prof. Paris V
Stephane Angles, MC Paris VII
Michel Attal, Prof. Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
Didier Blaise, PU-PH, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille
Haim Brezis, Prof. Paris VI, membre de l'Institut Jacques Camonis, DR CNRS-Institut Curie, Paris
J.Y. Cahn, PU-PH, Besançon
Christine Chomienne, PU-PH, Paris
Evelyne Cohen, MCF, Paris VII
José L. Cohen, CR INSERM, Paris VI
Peter David, DR CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris
Anny Dayan-Rosenman, MC, Paris VII
Dominique Dunon, Prof. Paris VI
Sion Elbaz, PRAG Paris VIII
Marc Fellous, Prof. Paris VII
Jacques Fijalkow, Prof. Toulouse II
Yankel Fijalkow, MC Paris VII
Alain Fischer Prof. Paris V
Anne-Marie Fischer, Prof. Paris V
Pascale Gilardi-Hebenstreit, DR CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
Philippe Glaser, Chef de laboratoire, Institut Pasteur, Paris
Eliane Gluckman, Prof. Paris VII
Jean Claude Gluckman, Prof. Paris VI
Catherine Grandsard, MCF, Université Paris VIII
Armand Hatchuel, Ecole des Mines de Paris
Rosine Haguenauer-Tsapis, DR CNRS-Paris VII
Rémy Knafou, Prof. Paris VII
Sabine Levi, CR CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
Menahem Macina, MC (retired), CR Université Libre de Bruxelles
Arnold Munnich, Prof. Paris V
Geneviève Milon, Chef de laboratoire, Institut Pasteur, Paris VI
Bernard Maro, DR CNRS-Paris VI
Géraldine Maro, AMN, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris VI
Tobie Nathan, Prof. Paris VIII
Albert Najman, Prof. Paris VI
Izio Rosenman, DR CNRS, retraité
Michelle Rosenzwajg, MCU-PH, Paris VI
Sylvie Schneider-Maunoury, DR INSERM, Paris VI
Richard Schwartzmann, IE CNRS, Paris VI
André Sirota, Prof. Paris X
Marc Sitbon, DR INSERM, Montpellier II
André Sobel, DR INSERM, Paris VI
Jacob Szeftel, DR CEA Paris VII
Michel Taillefer, Prof. Toulouse II
Gail Taillefer, MC Toulouse I
Christiane Taligaut, AI INSERM, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
Patrick Teller, Enseignant prépa, Lycée Charlemagne, Paris
Daniel Vaiman, CR INRA, Université Saint Quentin
Nathalie Zajde, MC Paris VIII

Translation by Nidra Pol