Israeli Universities Fight Back Against Academic Boycotts
Israeli Universities Fight Back Against Academic Boycotts
March 6, 2025
A protest on a university campus in the UK in February 2024.
The Times of Israel – Academic boycotts against Israeli institutions continue to gain momentum with no signs of slowing down, according to a recent report.
According to the report, academic boycotts of Israel are being used to harm collaborations for both institutions and individual figures, as well as preventing Israeli researchers from participating in academic conferences and lectures. There is a decline in overseas participation in academic conferences held in Israel, and Israeli researchers report difficulties publishing articles abroad, the report said.
“Academic boycotts violate the basic principles of academic freedom and freedom of scientific research,” said Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, who is also chairman of the University Presidents’ Committee. “Science and academic research should bridge cultural and political gaps, not deepen them.”
About 500 incidents of academic boycotts were reported during the last half-year through February 2025, 66 percent more than in the six months following the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, according to the Association of University Heads’ Task Force to Combat Academic Boycotts.
Among other things, the task force works to monitor the social media activity of pro-Palestinian organizations on campuses to gather information and prepare for upcoming boycott events. The Association of University Heads is already using its relationships with large Jewish organizations abroad to fight back, and there are efforts to get assistance from the Israeli government, but it will take time.
Read more on The Times of Israel>>
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