Editor's Added Remark:

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A growing number of Israelis from academia oppose their Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on his policy towards Palestinians and many hold similar views with the one expressed by Dr. Wilkie! In fact, the Israeli mathematics professor Emanuel Farjoun of Hebrew University with other 10 most prominent scholars from Israel circulated a Petition in Israel asking to boycott (yes, boycott) all Israeli scientists in Europe for as long as Sharon remains in power and the policy towards Palestinians will stay the same. As Dr. Farjoun put it, "I think international pressure should be put on Israel to respect the rights of Palestinians."

Notwithstanding the pleas coming from the Israeli Minister of Education, Limor Livnat, to squash that Petition of the Israeli scholars asking for the stated boycott, that Petition reached Europe. Israeli boycotters argued that it was morally wrong to sit on the sidelines. Opponents from Israel noted that science should sit above politics.

From all European countries, it was England that stood out to oppose with most vehemence that Petition coming from Israel. In response to that Israeli petition, Dr. Susan Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain noted to her credit: "Any boycott that impedes the open flow of information is akin to book burning." It is paradoxical, is it not, that England remembers better the lessons of the Holocaust than the intellectuals from Israel!  

For more on this complex issue, please see
"Mixing Science and Politics" from The Scientist of June 16, 2003, and
"A Petition Against Anti-Israeli Boycott Calls" from Israel.
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