A key Middle East scholars' body has voted to support members' rights to take part in an academic boycott of Israel.

A Middle East Studies Association (Mesa) annual meeting in Washington voted 256-79 to send the resolution to the general membership for agreement in coming months.

The organisation resolved to remain an open forum for discussion of academic boycotts of Israel - stemming from a 2005 Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel - and deplored attempts to intimidate those taking part in such activities.

Mesa president Nathan Brown emphasised that the organisation was not backing the global campaign but viperously defended the right of his members to do so.

He said academic boycotts among its members - 2,700 scholars, more than 60 institutions worldwide and 39 affiliated organisations - were "legitimate forms of non-violent political action."

But before the vote, Hebrew University of Jerusalem spokeswoman Ofra Ash insisted that Mesa "condemned academic boycotts, which directly violate the principle of academic freedom which underpins higher education.

"Relations between academic organisations or institutions should be based on academic considerations alone," she claimed.