The president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, is publicly denouncing the decision by British academics to pursue a boycott against Israeli universities and scholars.

“I find this idea utterly antithetical to the fundamental values of the academy, where we will not hold intellectual exchange hostage to the political disagreements of the moment. In seeking to quarantine Israeli universities and scholars this vote threatens every university committed to fostering scholarly and cultural exchanges that lead to enlightenment, empathy, and a much-needed international marketplace of ideas,” Mr. Bollinger said.

“At Columbia I am proud to say that we embrace Israeli scholars and universities,” Mr. Bollinger said. “Boycott us, then, for we gladly stand together with our many colleagues in British, American and Israeli universities against such intellectually shoddy and politically biased attempts to hijack the central mission of higher education.”

Also yesterday, Rep. Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York, said in a letter to the secretary general of the U.N., Ban Ki-Moon, that his human rights commissioner, Louise Arbour, should be fired for calling the debate over the boycott plan “a good thing.”