Thursday 20th February 2014, Academics for Palestine in Ireland launched a campaign called Academia Against Apartheid whereby 138 Irish academics, on the back of the vote by the Teachers Union of Ireland, have signed a document pledging to boycott academic institutions and individuals who are involved actively or passively in Israel‘s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Irish signatories were joined by two scholars, Dr Ghada Karmi of the University of Exeter, a Palestinian and Professor Haim Bresheeth of the School of Oriental and African Studies London, an Israeli who both called for civil society to create awareness of the oppression of Palestinians by the state of Israel and to join the boycott until Israel observes international law in this regard.