Academics from British universities have urged a controversial boycott of Israeli academic institutions in protest at what they claim is their complicity with Israeli violations of international law.

The 343 professors and lecturers took out a full-page advertisement carried in Tuesday's Guardian newspaper.

It said that they will not visit Israel's universities, act as academic referees or participate in conferences organised by them. However, it says that the signatories will continue to work with Israeli colleagues in their individual capacities.

Professor Jonathan Rosenhead of the London School of Economics said: "Israeli universities are at the heart of Israel's violations of international law and oppression of the Palestinian people. These signatures were all collected despite the pressures that can be put on people not to criticise the state of Israel. Now that the invitation to join the Commitment is in the public domain, we anticipate many more to join us."

He told Christian Today that the boycott movement came after the failure of other tactics. "We have had a stalled peace agreement for 20 years and [US Secretary of State] John Kerry has blamed the Israelis for not negotiating. Business as usual is not worth having," he said. "We cannot continue to work with academic institutions, but we are not going to stop communicating with individuals. This is about how Israel can be a member of the family of nations."

The 'Academic Commitment' reflects widespread international unease about Israel's treatment of Palestinians. However, the move to boycott Israeli institutions and produce, and the academic boycott in particular, is controversial. The Israeli Embassy in London responded to the Guardian ad with a statement saying: "Boycott movements only aim to sow hatred and alienation between the sides, rather than promoting coexistence." It called for negotiation and referred to the recent wave of stabbing attacks in Israel.

The advert came on the heels of a Guardian letter signed by public figures including author JK Rowling and historian Simon Schama. The letter was itself responding to a boycott announcement by UK artists, and said: "We do not believe cultural boycotts are acceptable or that the letter you published accurately represents opinion in the cultural world in the UK."

Their letter continued: "Cultural boycotts singling out Israel are divisive and discriminatory, and will not further peace. Open dialogue and interaction promote greater understanding and mutual acceptance, and it is through such understanding and acceptance that movement can be made towards a resolution of the conflict."

Israeli reaction to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement has included a far-reaching measure proposed by Yinon Magal, a member of the Knesset for the right-wing Jewish Home party, and endorsed by ministers. It would grant the Israeli authorities the right to withhold a visa or residency permit from anyone who is not a citizen or a permanent resident and who calls for or encourages boycotts of Israel or belongs to an organisation that does so.

The bill could hit Christian Aid and Quakers in Britain, who have called for the UK government to ban the import of products from Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. It could also affect signatories of the 2009 Kairos document, who included the heads of Church in Jerusalem, which called for boycotts.