UK minister asked to help curb academic boycott moves

Middle East Monitor 06 December 2013

In a meeting this week with UK Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts, Israeli Science Minister Yaakov Peri slammed the academic boycott campaign and urged Willetts "to try and put some more influence on vice-chancellors to see who are the speakers, who are the leaders for the movement", reports Ben White for Middle East Monitor.

An Israeli media report of Peri's meeting with Willetts quotes the Israeli minister as asking the British government to "eliminate" the effects of the ‘boycott, divestment sanctions’ – or BDS – campaign on UK campuses. Peri also expressed concern, says The Times, "about invited speakers to certain universities expressing anti-Semitic views", and said that "he had instructed the Israeli Ambassador in London to inform Willetts if such an event was about to take place".

According to the Israeli media, Willetts responded to Peri's concerns by outlining the ways in which the British government is seeking to "curb these activities", and also by referencing recently published Universities UK guidelines on guest speakers.
Full report on the Middle East Monitor site

Receive email updates from UWN

Global newsletters    Africa newsletters    Other
    (other includes related events and webinars)

Data will be processed according to our standard terms & conditions.

Research focuses on production of jet fuel from halophytes

UAE University staff

With an eye to developing a clean, alternative aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions, researchers at the United Arab Emirates University have been focusing on the production of jet fuel from sustainable resources such as halophytes, which are salt-tolerant plants that could be cultivated on a wider scale in the region’s coastal areas.

The value of being human: How teachers can work alongside AI

Michael Milligan

Artificial intelligence is now a part of our evolution in technology and teachers need to be encouraged to find ways to bring AI into the classroom and have students use it in a way that is beneficial to them in the long term.

Ground-breaking research on seawater biodesalination

UAE University staff

As water scarcity reaches critical levels globally, a research team at the United Arab Emirates University seeks to revolutionise seawater desalination practices, offering a path to mitigate water scarcity while championing environmental preservation.