by Stephen Lendman

Their names appeared in a full-page London Guardian ad - the accompanying text saying:

“A Commitment by UK Scholars to the Rights of Palestinians

As scholars associated with British universities (343 names listed), we are deeply disturbed by Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the intolerable human rights violations that it inflicts on all sections of the Palestinian people, and its apparent determination to resist any feasible settlement.

Responding to the appeal from Palestinian civil society, we therefore declare that we will not:

● accept invitations to visit Israeli academic institutions;

● act as referees in any of their processes;

● participate in conferences funded, organised or sponsored by them, or otherwise cooperate with them.

We will, however, continue to work with our Israeli colleagues in their individual capacities.

We will maintain this position until the State of Israel complies with international law, and respects universal principles of human rights.”

A London Guardian column accompanied the ad, explaining over 300 British scholars “pledg(ed) to boycott Israeli academic institutions,” protesting its regime’s ruthless abuse of millions of Palestinians.

London School of Economics Professor Jonathan Rosenhead was quoted saying on behalf of the boycott organizers:

Israeli universities are “at the heart of Israel’s violations of international law and oppression of the Palestinian people.”

“These signatures were all collected despite the pressures that can be put on people not to criticise the state of Israel. Now that the invitation to join the commitment is in the public domain, we anticipate many more to join us.”

Education in Israel is deplorable, from pre-school to the highest academic levels - students throughout their maturing learning years taught Jewish superiority, Arabs denigrated as inferior, hostile, violent, deviant, cruel, immoral, bloodthirsty, vengeful and other racist pejoratives.

Zionists believe Palestine belongs exclusively to Jews. Mythical notions of a land without people for a people without land, Jews made the desert bloom, and God promised Israel solely to Jews are ingrained in young minds before they’re old enough to know they were lied to.

Israel’s education ministry decides what’s taught and suppressed, one-sided views alone allowed - Arabs described as longstanding implacable enemies. Racist stereotypes are embedded in Israeli society: the noble Jew, the evil Arab, a deplorable entrenched narrative, no deviation allowed.

A society teaching hate is fundamentally evil. It plays out throughout Occupied Palestine - soldiers, police and other security forces treating Palestinians like vermin, trampling on them viciously, rewarded for extreme brutality.

It’s a short leap from demonization to calls for extermination. Some extremist rabbis with large followings endorse the highest of high crimes.

Israel’s London embassy published a duplicitous reply to UK academics for long denied Palestinian justice - absurdly saying “(b)oycott movements only aim to sow hatred and alienation between the sides, rather than promoting coexistence.”

No nation on earth more deplores Arabs and Jews living together in peace. None more viciously persecute Muslims for their religion and ethnicity. None maintained a longer illegal occupation in modern times - systematically denying Palestinians and Israeli Arab citizens their fundamental rights.

JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame disgraced herself as a signatory in a letter the Guardian published - ignoring decades of Israeli high crimes, its brutal treatment of Palestinians, deplorably renouncing boycott (the most effective anti-racist tool), calling for a “Culture of Coexistence,” impossible in an implacably racist/Arab hating Jewish state.

Freedom-loving people everywhere need to unite in solidarity with long-tormented Palestinians. Join their liberating struggle.

We’re all Palestinians now. Their struggle is ours. As a Jew, I deplore Israeli high crimes, its racist brutality, its longstanding persecution of an entire population. I proudly state I am a Palestinian, now and always.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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