NEHAWU CONGRATULATES THE UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG FOR TERMINATING ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BEN GURION UNIVERSITY OF ISRAELI

NEHAWU congratulates the University of Johannesburg {UJ} for terminating its relationship with the Ben Gurion University {BGU} and we call on all universities around the world to follow suit and show solidarity with the Palestinian people who are under siege. This follows a damning report that exposed the BGU's ongoing support for the Israeli military and illegal occupation, including its participation in programmes sponsored by and benefiting the Israeli Defense Force.

It has been discovered that BGU through its technology transfer company has an ongoing partnership with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd ("Rafael"). Rafael ‘develops and produces state-of-the-art armaments for the IDF and Israel's defense system. They continue to actively support attempts by the Israeli Government to curtail academic freedom and ban nonconforming voices on Israeli University campuses.

The University of Johannesburg needs to be commended for taking a bold and courageous decision and for also preserving a legacy left behind by all those who have sacrificed their lives in the fight for human rights and justice for all global citizens. We have a proud record in this country of standing up against injustice and this gesture by the university will go a long way in demonstrating our people's intolerance for oppression and injustice.

An injury to one is an injury to all!

Statement issued by NEHAWU Secretariat Office, March 24 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter