Academic boycott exercises Israeli TV

A current affairs programme on Israeli television is planning a report on reactions towards Israel’s policy in Gaza ‘taking place outside Israel, mainly in the UK’, and in particular, the call for an academic boycott. How I know is that I’m one of the people they’ve got in touch with to ask for my opinion. The email from the producer says ‘We’re trying to understand the intensity of this, the meaning of this, are there any concrete levels for that or [if] it’s a “silence boycott”, are there a group of academics organized acting together for this goal, or each one is protesting alone?’

This is my reply:

Activists return; Osama tells his story

Report on return of British members of Gaza aid flotilla attacked in international waters by Israeli commandos on 31 May 2010. Osama Qashoo recounts his experience.

A message from Osama

June 3rd
Dear All
Your love and energy kept us strong all the way through to face the ugly face of hate, death and injustice

I am back again and tonight I saw the story for the first time on TV. I was not aware that you could see us as we did not know that people were watching us live and we are sooooooooo glad that our media strategy worked to reveal the true ugly face of Israel

Release Osama Qashoo & the Gaza Flotilla activists

The figure in this grab from C4 news on Monday evening of the scene aboard the Mavi Marmara at the moment of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, is Osama Qashoo, an award-winning documentary film-maker, a Palestinian peace activist from the West Bank, and a member of the Free Gaza Movement. He arrived in England in 2003 as a political refugee, gained a place at the National Film School, and now holds British nationality.