Secretary Rice Urged By Congressman Waxman To Sever Ties With Boycotters

May 12, 2005

U.S. Congressman Henry Waxman Urges Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice To Sever Ties With British Teacher's Union Boycott

The Wiesenthal Center praised U.S. Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) for urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to sever all ties with those who signed a British Teacher's Union Boycott against Israeli Institutions of higher learning.

"We are grateful for the Congressman's initiative and hope the Administration will directly add its voice in practical protest," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center’s Associate Dean. Wiesenthal Center officials also confirmed that another Congressional office has asked the General Accounting Office to investigate if any of the boycotters are currently recipients of US-funded grants or programs.

In a statement released by Waxman's office, the Congressman stated, "This boycott is the worst form of censorship. It is a blatant assault on academic freedom that goes against everything the United States stands for."

In his letter to Secretary Rice, Rep. Waxman calls on the State Department to take decisive measures to disassociate itself from the AUT boycott by making all professors and institutions that abide by this or other academic boycotts ineligible for U.S. funded grants and exchanges.

The AUT campaign, spearheaded by the organization's Executive Committee, was launched on April 22. The boycott calls for AUT members to "refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration, or joint projects" with Haifa University and Bar Ilan University in Israel.

Use this link to read more about the Wiesenthal Center's petition.

 
See Rep. Waxman's letter below: