Britannia Radio

No regrets for UK Jewish academic who lost landmark anti-Zionism case

By Miriam Shaviv, TOI

LONDON – The UK is already known as a hub for the delegitimization of Israel, but the situation is about to worsen. According to Ronnie Fraser, there is likely to be an upturn in anti-Israel activity on university campuses and among trade union activists

The reason is a landmark legal case, launched by Fraser himself, which he just lost. A freelance mathematics lecturer, Fraser took the University and College Union (UCU) to an employment tribunal for harassment, alleging that its anti-Zionist activity – including several votes on an academic boycott – crossed the line into anti-Semitism to the extent that the academics’ trade union was “institutionally anti-Semitic.” In a mammoth case heard over 20 days in late 2012, 10,000 documents were presented and 29 witnesses testified on Fraser’s behalf, including two members of Parliament. Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson also submitted written evidence.

The stakes were clear: win, and anti-Israel activists would have to be much more careful about the language and tactics they used. Lose, and they would gain some legal protection.
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The coming canard: ‘Constructive unilateralism’  

Ted Belman says:

The Blue & White Future just did a poll of how Israelis look at Constructive Unilateralism. 972+ wrote it up.

Survey finds that majority of Jewish Israelis think the country should unilaterally determine its borders along the route of the West Bank separation barrier. One-third support either annexing the West Bank without giving Palestinians civil rights, or perpetuating the status quo

This article refers to this as apartheid. Don’t you believe it.

In my article Better to be hung for a pound than a penny, I favoured Bennett’s plan to annex Area C rather than annex to the route of the fence.

There is no need to unilaterally withdraw to the fence as Yadlin proposed. We should unilaterally annex Area C and negotiate from there. Part of this territory could be given to the Arabs later for a peace agreement. And if there is no peace agreement, so be it. Keep in mind that this is no panacea. We annexed east Jerusalem but the world doesn’t recognize the annexation and screams blue murder when we build there. The annexation will give them more to scream about.


Whether Israel withdraws unilaterally to the fence or annexes Area C, she will be attacked. If Israel is going to make a move which upsets the world better to make it a worthwhile move.

Sherman posits that we should not withdraw from any territory but should financially induce Arabs to leave. In this article he was silent on annexation so I assume he intends to maintain the status quo. Where I differ is that I believe there is more good than harm resulting from annexing Area C and leaving A and B as presently covered by Oslo, as Sherman proposes. Thus we would not be changing the status quo of A and B as the B&WF proposes but we would be changing the status quo of C. And we would be free to still offer compensation to the Arabs to leave as Sherman proposes.

Into the Fray: Does Aussie philanthropist Frank Lowy realize he is helping promote a South Lebanon-like reality on the fringes of Greater Tel Aviv?

By Dr Martin Sherman, JPOST

Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim. – George Santayana

I realize some might find the tone of this article overly acerbic – even abrasive.

But I make little apology for this.

I was compelled to write it by a profound sense of exasperation.

It articulates a feeling of deep despair, and reflects a sentiment of disbelief, disillusionment and disappointment at the conduct of prominent public figures, which is difficult to characterize, without recourse to epithets such as “moronic” and “myopic” – while less charitable souls might venture the use of “maniacal” or “malevolent.”
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Ted Belman
Jerusalem, Israel