A growing number of universities and scholarly bodies worldwide are severing ties with Israeli academic institutions, citing complicity in the government’s actions against Palestinians.
Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 63,000 deaths, mostly civilians, with the United Nations confirming parts of the enclave are now in a “man-made” famine, reported The Guardian.
Boycott actions spread
Institutions in Brazil, Norway, Belgium, Spain, and Ireland have taken steps to cut collaborations. The University of Amsterdam has ended its exchange with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, while the European Association of Social Anthropologists has pledged not to partner with Israeli academia.
Palestinian campaigners argue universities are part of what they call Israel’s “decades-long regime of military occupation, settler colonial apartheid and now genocide.”
In contrast, few universities in the UK, France, and Germany have backed boycotts. Universities in the UK said they oppose blanket academic boycotts, citing academic freedom.
Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan said he had “mixed feelings,” noting that while many Israeli academics often oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they could still end up being penalised by boycotts.
Impact and funding concerns
The European Commission has proposed partially suspending Israel’s access to the Horizon Europe research programme, though a full ban appears unlikely. Still, Israel’s share of European Union (EU) research funding has declined, and concerns of a “brain drain” loom if collaborations and funding continue to fall.
