South African academics pledge support for academic boycott of Israel

17 December 2015

Over 200 South African academics have signed a declaration committing themselves to supporting the rights of the Palestinian people. Expressing concern with “Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land” and “the intolerable human rights violations that it inflicts on all sections of the Palestinian people”, the academics pledge not to accept invitations to visit Israeli academic institutions; not to act as referees for Israeli institutions; and not to participate in conferences organised or funded by Israeli institutions.

Signatories include professors from universities across the country, as well as academics from South African research institutes and think tanks. Their declaration follows a similar commitment by 600 academics in the UK which was issued in October.

The human rights and Palestine solidarity organization BDS South Africa commends the South African academics who initiated the statement and all those who have undertaken this commitment to the academic boycott of Israel.

Issued by Kwara Kekana on behalf of BDS South Africa, 17 December 2015