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Date:	18 July 2005
Case Number:	pa0509_nus
Victim:	Sari Nusseibeh
Country:	Palestinian Authority
Subject:	Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh under attack by Palestinian teachers union
Issue:	Academic and scientific freedom
Type of alert:	New

FACTS OF THE CASE:

On May 20, 2005, the Palestinian Union of University Teachers and Employees (PUUTE) published an article attacking Al-Quds University President Dr. Sari Nusseibeh and calling for him to be fired. The article by PUUTE, a sister union to Britain's Association of University Teachers (AUT), came after Dr. Nusseibeh criticized AUT's boycott of two Israeli Universities as "wrong and unjustified." In his comments, he insisted that "problems should be resolved through dialogue, not through sanctions." In a trip to London two days before the AUT was scheduled to discuss a repeal of their boycott, Dr. Nusseibeh also signed a cooperation agreement with Hebrew University, which the PUUTE also denounced as "a strong blow to the Palestinian national consensus against normalization with Israel."

The AUT voted in April 2005 to impose a boycott on two Israeli universities, the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University, after a hearing in which two lecturers at Birmingham University accused Israeli universities of repressing academic freedom and participating in the occupation of Palestinian territory. Haifa University was targeted for the boycott after reports that one of its professors faced professional reprisals from the university after he defended a graduate student's controversial thesis on an alleged massacre of Palestinian by Israeli forces during the 1948 war of independence. There appear to be questions about the validity of the student's research. Bar-Ilan University was accused of giving legitimacy to the 'College of Judea and Samaria', a settler college in the West Bank. Critics of the boycott have assailed the timing of the vote, which took place on the eve of the Sabbath and thus ensured diminished participation of Jewish colleagues. They also noted that the chairperson ended debate, due to lack of time, before any opposition speakers could voice their arguments.

The AUT boycott caused controversy and provoked a critical response not only in England and Israel, but all over the world. Organizations protesting the boycott include the American Association of University Professors, the American Sociological Association, and the American Political Science Association On May 23rd, the AAAS Board of Directors joined in the calls for a repeal of the boycott with a statement that "stressed the importance of safeguarding free and open communication among scientists" and "condemned this boycott as counter to the positive role of free scientific inquiry in improving the lives of all citizens of the world." The statement also stated that "free scientific inquiry and associated international collaborations should not be compromised in order to advance a political agenda unrelated to scientific matters."

The boycott was repealed by AUT on May 26th by a two-thirds majority.

In criticizing the boycott, Dr. Nusseibeh has said "We are informed by the principle that we should seek to win Israelis over to our side, not to win against them...Therefore...we believe it is in our interest to build bridges, not walls, to reach out to the Israeli academic institutions, not to impose another restriction or dialogue-block on ourselves." Following Dr. Nusseibeh's most recent remarks, PUUTE called on "all concerned parties within the Palestinian Authority, including President Mahmoud Abbas and the Higher Education Council, to take the necessary measures to put an end to this behaviour, which doesn't represent the position of the Palestinian university teachers and employees, and dismiss the president of Al-Quds University."

Though no administrative action has been taken at this time against Dr. Nusseibeh at this time, there are concerns that he is being targeted for his support of the principles of free and open communications among institutions of higher learning.

(Sources of information for this case include: Jerusalem Post, al-Jazeera, Mail and Guardian, BBC, AAAS Eurekalert)

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send faxes, letters, or emails to Sari Nusseibeh, supporting his stance against the British AUT boycott, and affirming his commitment to academic freedom.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

Sari Nusseibeh
President of Al-Quds University
8 Nur Ed-Din Street, P.O. Box 51000
Jerusalem, Palestine

Fax: +972-2-6277166
wdu@admin.alquds.edu
Salutation: Dear President Nusseibeh

COPIES SENT TO:

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
scholarsforpeace@aol.com

Please send copies of your appeals, and any responses you may receive, or direct any questions you may have to Victoria Baxter, AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, 1200 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20005; tel. 202-326-6797; email vbaxter@aaas.org; or fax 202-289-4950.

The keys to effective appeals are to be courteous and respectful, accurate and precise, impartial in approach, and as specific as possible regarding the alleged violation and the international human rights standards and instruments that apply to the situation. Reference to your scientific organization and professional affiliation is always helpful.

To ensure that appeals are current and credible, please do not continue to write appeals on this case after 90 days from the date of the posting unless an update has been issued.

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