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Stephen Hawking joins academic boycott of Israel

Friday May 10, 2013 11:18:35 AM, Agencies

London:/Jerusalem: The campaign for an academic boycott of Israel in protest against its treatment of Palestinians got a boost on Wednesday after Stephen Hawking withdrew from a high-profile conference to be hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem next month.

 

The wheelchair-bound Hawking, who has won international recognition for his work on black holes, had been due to speak at a prestigious conference in June organised by Israeli President Shimon Peres that draws hundreds of leading world figures.

 

However, his name was quietly dropped from the list of participants earlier this week, giving a major boost to supporters of pro-Palestinian groups that want to isolate Israel on the international stage over the continued occupation.

"This is his independent decision to respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine, and on the unanimous advice of his own academic contacts there," the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine said on its website, news agency Reuters reported.

 

By snubbing the annual president's conference, which is due to be addressed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Hawking has become one of the prominent scientists to join the boycott movement.

Numerous figures from the world of art and entertainment have also refused to perform in Israel in recent years as part of an effort to promote the Palestinian cause, including British singer Elvis Costello and U.S. indie rock band the Pixies.

Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2010 over the issue of continued Jewish settlement building on land seized in the 1967 war. Palestinians want to create an independent state on the captured territories.

 

Conference organisers called the decision “outrageous”.

“The academic boycott against Israel is in our view outrageous and improper, certainly for someone for whom the spirit of liberty lies at the basis of his human and academic mission,” said Israel Maimon, chair of the conference.



 

 

 





 

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