Stephen Hawking's boycott hits Israel where it hurts: science | Hilary Rose and Steven Rose

What really winds up Israel is that this rejection comes from a famous scientist, and it is science that drives its economy, prestige and military strengthStephen Hawking's decision to boycott the Israeli president's conference has gone viral. Over 100,000 Facebook shares ofthe Guardian report at last count. Whateverthe subsequent fuss, Hawking's letter is unequivocal. His refusal was made because of requests from Palestinian academics.Witness the speed with which the pro-Israel lobby seized on Cambridge University's initial false claim that he had withdrawn on health grounds to denounce the boycott movement, and their embarrassment when within a few hours the university shamefacedly corrected itself. Hawking also made it clear that if he had gone he would have used the occasion to criticise Israel's policies towards the Palestinians.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Stephen Hawking Science policy Israel Palestinian territories Source Type: news