Izzat Abdulhadi, head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, said yesterday he did not support a full-scale boycotts, divestment and sanctions campaign designed to isolate and delegitimise Israel, and was scathing about recent BDS-inspired protests outside the Max Brenner chain of shops, which are Israeli-owned. "BDS is a non-violent process and I don't think it's the right of anybody to use BDS as a violent action or to prevent people from buying from any place," Mr Abdulhadi said of the Max Brenner protests, which have occasionally turned violent.
"(The BDS) is also sensitive to the Jewish people (because) in 1937 their businesses in Europe were boycotted."
Mr Abdulhadi said he favoured a limited boycott of goods produced in Israeli settlements on the West Bank, because those settlements harmed the establishment of a Palestinian economy.
"Our objective is to build our own state, not to delegitimise any other state," he said.
"We recognise Israel."
Mr Abdulhadi opposed calls for the cancellation of the Israel Research Forum, due to be held at the University of Sydney next Monday, at which local experts will exchange ideas with Israeli leaders in fields including neuroscience and tissue regeneration.
He noted a similar exchange with Arab scholars was scheduled at the university for next year.
"This is Sydney University's decision and we support that position, but it should be even-handed and there is another forum next year allowing all parties to present their own views and not to be biased to one side," he said.
The Australian revealed yesterday that Jake Lynch, the head of the university's Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, had written to deputy vice-chancellor John Hearn calling for the forum to be scrapped because, he said, it was a PR exercise for Israel, did not include any Palestinian representation, included institutions linked to Israel's military and would turn off Muslim students.
Mr Abdulhadi said this was not the official Palestinian position. "We encourage professional co-operation between Palestine, Australia and Israel," he said.
"This is my message to Australians. We don't mind this close friendship with Israel. It's a plus for us Palestinians, as it means Australia can play an even-handed and balanced role between the two parties and challenge Israel on certain issues of international law."
Professor Hearn provided The Australian with a letter he had written to participants in the forum, supporting their work.
"The arguments used by Jake Lynch are, ironically, similar to the ones I have used to defend him and the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies when they have been criticised for their own choices," he wrote. "I will be speaking with Jake shortly about his similar respect for colleagues and a balanced approach."
Dr Lynch declined to comment.
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