The association adopted three new proposals on the matter. Two-thirds of those at the meeting voted to revoke all existing boycotts of Israeli institutions.
Sally Hunt, AUT general secretary, said afterwards, "It is now time to build bridges between those with opposing views here in the UK and to commit to supporting trade unionists in Israel and Palestine working for peace."
Jewish organizations and opponents of the boycott have been campaigning for an end to the boycott since its declaration.
The professors union had decided in April to boycott the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan for what it termed "participation in the occupation." Haifa University, the statement said, would be boycotted until it "committed itself to support academic freedom, and in particular to stop harassing academic staff and students who want to research and discuss the history of the establishment of the State of Israel."
Bar-Ilan was included because it maintains relations with the College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel. In a move some say was a response to the boycott, the government declared its intention last month to grant university status to the college in Ariel.
Sue Blackwell, an lecturer at Birmingham University and a leading pro-boycott activist, told BBC News before the vote that she feared a "stitch-up" at the reconvened council and was expecting to lose. She called the decision "undemocratic," saying it had been influenced by "outsiders."
Jon Pike, a senior philosophy lecturer at the Open University, said that pressure to end the sanctions had come "from below," with 80% of AUT members nationwide against them.
Bar-Ilan University welcomed the AUT vote to rescind its boycott of Israeli universities, saying it was “a model of how democratic organizations can overcome anti-democratic manipulation by listening to their members, and reviewing and repealing mistaken decisions.”
”The AUT’s vote is a triumph for democracy and academic freedom worldwide, and a victory for the universal principle of academic freedom, “ said Prof. Yosef Yeshurun, Rector of Bar-Ilan University. “We take our cue from the prophet Isaiah’s injunction to ‘Come and let us reason together’ as the only way to resolve the problems dividing societies and provide hope for a more peaceful and prosperous future.”
Sally Hunt, AUT general secretary, said afterwards, "It is now time to build bridges between those with opposing views here in the UK and to commit to supporting trade unionists in Israel and Palestine working for peace."
Jewish organizations and opponents of the boycott have been campaigning for an end to the boycott since its declaration.
The professors union had decided in April to boycott the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan for what it termed "participation in the occupation." Haifa University, the statement said, would be boycotted until it "committed itself to support academic freedom, and in particular to stop harassing academic staff and students who want to research and discuss the history of the establishment of the State of Israel."
Bar-Ilan was included because it maintains relations with the College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel. In a move some say was a response to the boycott, the government declared its intention last month to grant university status to the college in Ariel.
Sue Blackwell, an lecturer at Birmingham University and a leading pro-boycott activist, told BBC News before the vote that she feared a "stitch-up" at the reconvened council and was expecting to lose. She called the decision "undemocratic," saying it had been influenced by "outsiders."
Jon Pike, a senior philosophy lecturer at the Open University, said that pressure to end the sanctions had come "from below," with 80% of AUT members nationwide against them.
Bar-Ilan University welcomed the AUT vote to rescind its boycott of Israeli universities, saying it was “a model of how democratic organizations can overcome anti-democratic manipulation by listening to their members, and reviewing and repealing mistaken decisions.”
”The AUT’s vote is a triumph for democracy and academic freedom worldwide, and a victory for the universal principle of academic freedom, “ said Prof. Yosef Yeshurun, Rector of Bar-Ilan University. “We take our cue from the prophet Isaiah’s injunction to ‘Come and let us reason together’ as the only way to resolve the problems dividing societies and provide hope for a more peaceful and prosperous future.”