BRICUP Newsletter 98 April 2016
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BRICUP Newsletter 98 April 2016 www.bricup.org.uk [email protected] CONTENTS boycotting investment in companies complicit in Israeli human rights abuses. It was also P 1. Billionaire donor using British discovered that Nathan Kirsh, a billionaire Council to combat Israel boycott businessman profiting directly from Israel’s wall in the occupied West Bank, is a donor to the Hilary Aked British Council’s little-known anti-boycott P 3. BDS Activism under Attack in Italy project, the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX). Nicola Pratt and Paola Rivetti The British Council is a quasi-governmental body P 4. Is Empathy the Answer to the that describes itself as making an important Palestinian Problem? “contribution to UK soft power.” It gets Jonathan Rosenhead approximately 20 percent of its funding from the UK Foreign Office and administers educational P 7. New Israeli law would further and “cultural relations” projects in more than 100 isolate Palestinian academics countries around the world. In 2008 its Israel office instigated BIRAX jointly with the British Mike Cushman Embassy in Israel and private pro-Israel donors. P 7. York University and “Seven Jewish As the original proposal, published by Electronic Children” – an update Intifada, states explicitly, BIRAX sought to offer “a practical response to recent calls in the UK for Monica Wusteman an academic boycott of Israel” — a reference P 8. Notices to one of the first major boycott victories in a British trade union, the 2007 vote by the **** University and College Union which caused international alarm in the Zionist camp. In Billionaire donor using British Council response, BIRAX was launched by the prime ministers of Israel and the UK with the aim to to combat Israel boycott “deepen institutional links” between British and Hilary Aked Israeli universities. Only later, in 2011, was it decided that BIRAX should focus on regenerative New documents obtained by the author under the medicine, a scientific emphasis which played Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and published neatly into Israel’s public relations strategy to by Electronic Intifada (14 March 2016) show that promote itself as a hub of technological the British Council has been quietly working to innovation. thwart the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement in support of Through BIRAX, the British Council has so far Palestinian rights. The revelations about the arranged 15 research collaborations between government-funded program come as the UK Israeli and UK universities. With a total value of attempts to ban local government from at least £7 million ($9.9 million), these function 1 as facts on the ground, undermining the campaign “Anti-BDS activities” to boycott Israeli academic institutions by their The British Council has also been explicit about very existence. The third round of calls its counter-boycott goals when courting donors is currently open, offering £3 million ($4.2 for the BIRAX project. In one internal email (sent million) of additional research funding. on 17 June 2015; see EI), a staff member suggests Non-political? a “possible patron” for BIRAX, and shares with a colleague “some recent info about his interest in In 2012, the Palestine Festival of Literature spoke out in favour of BDS. Its dismayed financial supporting anti-BDS activities.” Indeed, a specific under the subhead “BIRAX / sponsor, the British Council, justified its own emailed pitch — BDS appeal” — was even penned to appeal to this position in a statement opposing the boycott, funder. Although the funder’s name was redacted, ironically describing itself as a “non-political organization.” Yet internal correspondence the identity of many of the donors behind the obtained, through a FOI request (some of which is project is known. published by Electronic Intifada) shows that A few established medical research organizations, behind the scenes the British Council has been like the British Heart Foundation, have recently making strenuous efforts to track and oppose the donated to BIRAX. However, the evidence boycott. In an October 2015 email, (see Electronic suggests that most of its benefactors are more Intifada) British Council staff asked the pro- interested in combatting the boycott than Israel Union of Jewish Students to keep them furthering scientific progress. The earliest abreast of “what’s happening re the boycott on confirmed backers of BIRAX were the United campuses.” In a 12 June 2015 email (published in Jewish Israel Appeal — Britain’s “major full by Electronic Intifada) an employee of the fundraising organization for Israel” — and the British Council’s Israel office offered assistance Pears Foundation. The latter, also the chief to the Union of Jewish Students, saying the financier of Israel Studies programs at UK organization was considering ways “to support universities, has given £1 million ($1.4 million) to combatting the calls for BDS on UK universities.” the British Council for the BIRAX project. Its That message was sent soon after the National executive chair, Trevor Pears, is a millionaire Union of Students (NUS), which represents 7 property magnate, Conservative Party donor and million university pupils in the UK, had voted to formerly sat on the boards of both Conservative support BDS on 2 June 2015. Just a day after that Friends of Israel and BICOM, a heavyweight vote, British Council employees, apparently Israel lobby group in the UK. monitoring developments with a sense of urgency, Meanwhile, millionaire Tory peer Lord Stanley sent emails with the subject “BDS” outlining a Fink, one of the private donors who financed the range of possible actions in response (see short-lived pro-Israel propaganda Electronic Intifada). organization Just Journalism and is also vice While paying lip service to “the right of the Union president of the pro-Israel Jewish Leadership to hold and to publicize this position,” in practice, Council, has given £100,000 to BIRAX, British Council staff – whose names have been according to figures released by the British redacted – sought to undermine the democratic Council under a FOI request. The Atkin decision of the NUS. They enlisted the help of Foundation, whose founders Celia and Edward academics, “BIS” (the Department for Business Atkin have also supported BICOM, gave an Innovation and Skills) and “Number 10 contacts,” undisclosed amount to BIRAX. A 2012 letter to i.e. the prime minister’s office, in the counter- the British Council from Yad Hanadiv which campaign. The British Council saw fit to coordinates philanthropic donations for the intervene yet again when in October 2015, 300 Rothschild family (a historically important UK-based academics pledged to boycott Israel in dynasty in the Zionist movement) also donated an a statement published in The Guardian. In an unknown amount, In both of these cases, the email seen by Electronic Intifada, an opposing donations were subject to a confidentiality clause. anti-boycott statement was quickly compiled and The British Council said that this is why the circulated by the British Council. An academic amounts were redacted from the documents from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel released under the FOI. (name redacted) replied complimenting the swift Although the name Nathan Kirsh had not UK response. previously been publicized in connection with the project, unlike other donors, according to a 2012 2 grant letter from Yad Hanadiv, (seen by EI), the some of the original documents obtained through billionaire South African businessman is also a FOI can be read. BIRAX donor. The world’s 435th wealthiest person, according to the 2015 Forbes list, Kirsh **** is the biggest shareholder in Magal Security BDS Activism under Attack in Italy Systems, a company that won 80 percent of the original contracts for Israel’s wall in the West Nicola Pratt and Paola Rivetti Bank in 2002 and has also made millions from There has been a worrying trend of increasing building the Israeli fence around Gaza. In an efforts by university authorities to censor BDS emailed response the British Council confirmed activism on campuses and prevent criticisms of that the Kirsh Foundation gave £176,000 Israel. Last year, a conference hosting the world- ($250,000) to Israel’s Hebrew University through renowned historian Ilan Pappe was moved to a BIRAX. This begs the question whether the new venue at the last minute after the Rector of project may even be partially funded with profits Roma Tre University withdrew permission for the from Israel’s wall, which the International Court organizers to use university facilities. As of Justice said violates international law in an highlighted by the Electronic Intifada, this was advisory opinion issued in 2004. In addition, part of a wider trend to close down discussion of Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology has Palestinian rights in several universities in Italy in invested at least £250,000 ($350,000) in the 2015. BIRAX project, according to a 2012 letter. Since the launch of the “Stop Technion” Apartheid South Africa Campaign in February, this suppression and The taxpayer-funded British Council is trying to demonization of Palestine solidarity activism has quash a grassroots movement for Palestinian dramatically escalated. Some of the signatories of rights supported by an increasing proportion of the campaign, which calls for the suspension of the British public. But it is also channeling research collaboration between Italian universities donations from the Israeli government and elite and the Israeli research centre Technion on the Zionist donors with direct links to Israel’s illegal basis of the latter’s complicity with the Israeli wall. The British Council is at least consistent. occupation, have been targeted, and Italian In an interview with the Tel Aviv authorities, from the mayors of some small towns newspaper Haaretz during a visit to Israel, its to Prime Minister Renzi, have condemned the chair Sir Vernon Ellis noted a historical precedent campaign.