We, the undersigned scholars from around the world, endorse this statement on the restoration of relations between the University of Johannesburg and Ben Gurion University.

SCHOLARS FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST STATEMENT ON RESTORATION OF UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG RELATIONS WITH BEN GURION UNIVERSITY

In a most welcome development, following a vote earlier this year by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Faculty Senate to boycott Ben Gurion University (BGU), UJ's administration announced that the original water-research contract which was terminated as a result of the Senate Action has now been reinstated. It was announced that the two universities signed a contract to continue their joint research on water purification and the conversion of algae into energy with the cooperation of scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Ghent (UG).

The Board of Directors of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the leaders and members of the SPME Chapter at the University of Johannesburg hail the courageous decision by those UJ Faculty members and administrators to continue to pursue their individual, departmental and institutional contractual relations. This development signals the official University of Johannesburg rejection of the Senate Resolution and we applaud the University for resuming institutional relations in support of scientific collaboration and academic freedom with Israeli universities.

The world academic community frowns upon academic boycotts which it regards as antithetical to the fundamental principles of academic freedom. Whatever their feelings, academics cannot say they support academic freedom and exchange if they boycott, censor or otherwise interrupt the exchange of ideas, research and information. Credible academic institutions must be clear in supporting basic principles of academic freedom with statements and policies rejecting such campaigns and actions.

Adopted by the SPME Board of Directors and SPME University of Johannesburg Leadership, July 11, 2011

Representing the SPME University of Johannesburg Leadership:

Elli Kriel, Department of Sociology;
Meir Perez, Department of Engineering

SPME Officers and Board of Directors

Peter J. Haas, President, SPME; Case Western Reserve University
Stanley Dubinsky, Vice President External Relations, SPME; University of South Carolina
Judith Jacobson, Vice President Internal Relations, SPME; Columbia University
Ruth Contreras, Secretary SPME; University of Vienna and Vienna Natural History Museum (ret.)
Shlomo Dubnov, University of California-San Diego
Edward S. Beck President Emeritus, SPME; Walden University

Steven Albert, University of Pittsburgh
Leila Beckwith, UCLA
John Cohn, Thomas Jefferson University
Samuel Edelman, SPME Executive Director (ex-officio), University of California- Chico
Awi Federgruen, Columbia University
Joel Fishman, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Rev. India E. Garnett, United Church of Christ, Central Pennsylvania Synod
Richard Landes, Boston University
Kenneth L. Marcus, Institute for Jewish and Community Research
David Menashri, Tel Aviv University
G.S. Don Morris, California Poly Tech Institute and Wingate Institute, IL
Donna Robinson-Divine, Smith College
Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, University of California-Santa Cruz
Philip Carl Salzman, McGill University
Ralf Schumann, Charité, Berlin
Ernest Sternberg, University of Buffalo

Sincerely,

The Undersigned