Norwegian Uni mulls academic boycott of Israel

NTNU institute professors call for academic boycott of Israel due to its occupation of Palestinian land.

OSLO - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology will decide next week whether to launch an academic boycott of Israel due to its occupation of the Palestinian territories, officials said Tuesday.

The NTNU institute, Norway's second biggest university located in the western town of Trondheim, said it would consider on November 12 a proposal initiated by more than 30 professors.

In an open letter, the group called for a freeze on academic and cultural cooperation with Israel "until guaranties (sic) are issued that the occupation of Palestinian land will be terminated".

"We, who have signed this letter, believe that it is time that academic institutions contributed to an international pressure against Israel so that real negotiations between Israel, democratically elected Palestinian authorities and the international society can begin," the letter said.

"Israeli universities and other institutions of higher education have played a key role in the policy of oppression," it added.

Anne Katherine Dahl, an adviser to the president of NTNU, said the university's board of directors had agreed to consider the motion.

"The board of directors thought it was legitimate to examine the issue, that does not necessarily mean it will agree with the signatories," Dahl said.

The board is composed of 11 members: four representatives of the state, four from the university staff, two student representatives and one from the temporary staff.

The Norwegian initiative follows similar campaigns launched in recent years in Britain and the United States, and is along the same lines as an academic boycott against South Africa during the apartheid era.