Stephen Hawking joins academic boycott of Israel

Robert

Robert

Active Member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 1, 2005
Messages
10,805
Reaction score
6,529
Professor Stephen Hawking is backing the academic boycott of Israel by pulling out of a conference hosted by Israeli president Shimon Peres in Jerusalem as a protest at Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Hawking, 71, the world-renowned theoretical physicist and former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, had accepted an invitation to headline the fifth annual president's conference, Facing Tomorrow, in June, which features major international personalities, attracts thousands of participants and this year will celebrate Peres's 90th birthday.
Hawking is in very poor health, but last week he wrote a brief letter to the Israeli president to say he had changed his mind. He has not announced his decision publicly, but a statement published by the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine with Hawking's approval described it as "his independent decision to respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine, and on the unanimous advice of his own academic contacts there".
Click to expand...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/08/stephen-hawking-israel-academic-boycott
 
I think he did the right thing. Especially now that Israel has approved more settlements.

Stephen Hawking: Furore deepens over Israel boycott

The full text of the letter, dated 3 May, said: "I accepted the invitation to the Presidential Conference with the intention that this would not only allow me to express my opinion on the prospects for a peace settlement but also because it would allow me to lecture on the West Bank. However, I have received a number of emails from Palestinian academics. They are unanimous that I should respect the boycott. In view of this, I must withdraw from the conference. Had I attended, I would have stated my opinion that the policy of the present Israeli government is likely to lead to disaster."
Click to expand...
When one of the smartest people on earth says you're on a course to disaster, you might wanna stop and listen.

And who knows, this might become a growing trend:
But Palestinians welcomed Hawking's decision. "Palestinians deeply appreciate Stephen Hawking's support for an academic boycott of Israel," said Omar Barghouti, a founding member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. "We think this will rekindle the kind of interest among international academics in academic boycotts that was present in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa."
Click to expand...
The comparison to South Africa is a good one. Israel needs that kind of pressure, including sanctions.
 
Glaucus said:
I think he did the right thing. Especially now that Israel has approved more settlements.
Click to expand...

I prefer these "personality" boycotts over the financial ones simply because they are less likely to cause suffering to the bottom classes of society, who are often the very people you want to help, and because when a personality boycotts in this way they get to say why they do it. As a nobody it doesn't really matter what I choose to buy or not buy, no-one is going to ask me why I'm making that choice and then write stories in the media about it.
 
Christian 'logic' is always interesting. Jews have to own Israel so they can rebuild the Temple Mount. Doing so will be one of the stating points to the end of the world. Now this is seen as a good thing because it'll usher in God's promises here on Earth. However, suicide is evil because it users in God's promises on your schedule instead of his. HUH?

Christianity go back to school, you're drunk!
 
Cecilia's article said:
Hawking's decision to join the boycott of Israel is quite hypocritical for an individual who prides himself on his whole intellectual accomplishment. His whole computer-based communications system runs on a chip designed by Israel's Intel team. I suggest if he truly wants to pull out of Israel he should also pull out his Intel Core i7 from his tablet," said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Shurat HaDin.
Click to expand...
Logic fail!
 
FluffyMcDeath said:
I prefer these "personality" boycotts over the financial ones simply because they are less likely to cause suffering to the bottom classes of society, who are often the very people you want to help, and because when a personality boycotts in this way they get to say why they do it. As a nobody it doesn't really matter what I choose to buy or not buy, no-one is going to ask me why I'm making that choice and then write stories in the media about it.
Click to expand...
Ya, I tend to agree. Sanctions rarely work, but they did in South Africa. I have a feeling they'd work best in a nation like Israel, which is democratic and also very divided. Sanctions probably wouldn't last more than 1 election cycle.
 
Glaucus said:
Ya, I tend to agree. Sanctions rarely work, but they did in South Africa.
Click to expand...

South Africa was also subject to "personality" boycotts.

"Nah-nah-nah-na-na-nah, I ain't gonna play Sun City.." etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top