Jewish groups have lashed Australia’s academic union for “promoting hatred’’ in universities, demanding it rescind an “anti-Semitic’’ resolution against Israel.
Australian Jewish Association president David Adler described a National Tertiary Education Union council motion as “an attack on every Jew in Australia’’.
“Along with falsely accusing the only Jewish state of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, the motion calls for members to boycott the Jewish state and even refuse to take part in trips organised by Australian Jewish organisations,’’ he said. “Those promoting such hatred should have no place in Australian universities.’’
The AJA’s condemnation follows an NTEU council vote to ban its 27,000 university staff and academic members from accepting expenses-paid tours to Israel sponsored by “pro-Israel organisations’’.
In a motion passed at its national council meeting last week, the NTEU said Israeli academic institutions were “complicit in the violation of Palestinian rights through financial ties and collaboration with the Israeli army and arms manufacturers’’.
Citing Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the NTEU said “Israel is committing the crime of apartheid’’.
“The NTEU stands against settler-colonial violence and land theft in Australia, Palestine and everywhere,’’ the motion states. “Palestinian access to education, free expression and academic participation is severely restricted by apartheid, colonialism and ongoing violence against Palestinian students, academics and institutions.
Read the article by Natasha Bita in The Australian.