Growing Isolation: Impact of Academic Boycotts on ‘Israel’

“Israel” has been enduring waves of international boycott for years, but recent developments following its brutal aggression against Gaza on October 7, 2023, indicate a significant shift in this campaign.

European universities, academic institutions, and prominent global figures have begun taking decisive steps to halt cooperation with the Israeli Occupation, posing a substantial threat to its research objectives.

Herzog's Shock

On July 10, 2024, The Wall Street Journal published a report discussing the boycott against “Israel” and its expansion into new areas.

The newspaper noted that the boycott campaign has grown stronger within academic circles, endangering the Israeli scientific research sector.

Israeli leaders have long criticized boycott efforts. President Isaac Herzog told an economic conference in May that Israel’s enemies “are trying to isolate us in order to harm us.”

“The enemy, the evil empire of Iran and its proxies, along with various promoters of boycotts, are attempting in every way to damage [commercial] connections through an aggressive, cynical international campaign against us,” he said.

The newspaper highlighted that Israelis are no longer welcomed at many European universities, and their participation in cultural institutions and defense exhibitions is now subject to increased restrictions.

The academic boycott of “Israel” is part of a broader campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), which began many years ago, specifically in 2005, and targets not only individual Israelis but also government and private institutions.

The Marker, an Israeli newspaper specializing in economic issues, published a report on December 19, 2023, about the academic boycott of “Israel” and its effects.

The report quoted an Israeli researcher, described as having extensive academic connections abroad, who said the academic and scientific world has turned against Israelis.

The researcher added that there have been instances where Israeli researchers were informed by foreign colleagues of the end of the collaboration, and others had their papers rejected without explanation.

The report warned that the consequences would be severe, and that “the situation poses a strong threat of Israeli research falling behind global standards.”

The report also included testimony from Professor Rivka Carmi, head of the organization Science Abroad, which assists Israeli scientists worldwide.

Carmi acknowledged the existence of a covert boycott, including the refusal to accept or review Israeli researchers' publications, declining invitations to conferences in “Israel,” or halting invitations for Israeli researchers to conferences and research meetings.

A Source of Concern

The Marker provided an overview of the global higher education system, noting that it relies entirely on collaboration among colleagues from various countries.

If there is a large group of researchers with an anti-”Israel” agenda and another group fearful of expressing support for “Israel,” this impacts the entire Israeli academic community.

The paper highlighted that the covert boycott is a major concern for thousands of Israeli researchers abroad.

Researchers within the occupied territories also face professional damage, including difficulty finding research institutions abroad willing to accept them for internships, publishing joint articles with foreign researchers, writing for leading journals, applying for grants from major universities, and even having their colleagues evaluated for academic promotions.

Professor Rachel Alterman, a lecturer in urban planning and law at Technion (in Haifa) and a member of the Israeli National Academy of Sciences, reported that opportunities for Israeli researchers to secure doctoral positions abroad have decreased by 10% since the onset of the assault on Gaza.

Alterman noted that Israeli researchers or prominent Jews supporting “Israel” working abroad feel threatened and fear speaking out and expressing support for “Israel.”

This situation has left senior Israeli academics in a state of constant concern, as mentioned by Professor Itai Halevi of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at the Weizmann Institute and current president of The Israel Youth Academy, who reported a growing sense of isolation, along with criticism and lack of empathy towards “Israel.”

In this context, Colonel Pnina Sharvit Baruch, head of the Law and National Security Program at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, warned that “Israel” is facing an unprecedented peak in political, media, and public attacks, surpassing all previous political and media campaigns.

She pointed out that “Israel” is on the verge of becoming an internationally isolated state due to the phenomenon of demonization, leading to a decline in its international standing.

Baruch warned that “Israel's” failure to successfully manage this campaign could impact its economy and national security, hinder the achievement of its military objectives in Gaza, and lead to setbacks on all fronts.

Criminal Institutions

The question arises in light of the escalating conflict between the Israeli Occupation and the academic world opposing its practices: Why does the academic community support the idea of an academic boycott of “Israel”? On what basis have they taken this stance, especially when some are not part of the Arab or Islamic world?

A report published by the Turkish Anadolu Agency on March 5, 2024, addressed this by stating that Israeli universities are complicit in crimes against the Palestinian people.

These universities play a crucial role in developing Israeli military and security knowledge and are an integral part of the settler-colonialism and apartheid system within the occupied territories.

As a result, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia announced the cancellation of its contract with the Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.

This decision followed a campaign of pressure led by the Palestinian Federation of Unions of Professors and Employees.

Similarly, four Norwegian universities recently ended their collaboration with Israeli universities. The University of Oslo suspended student and academic exchange agreements with the University of Haifa and decided not to sign any future cooperation agreements with Israeli universities.

In line with this, the Norwegian University of Bergen's School of Architecture canceled two collaboration agreements with the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design due to its ties with the Israeli military and its role in designing military uniforms and equipment.

The University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) also terminated cooperation agreements with the University of Haifa and Hadassah Academic College in “Israel,” citing Israeli attacks on Gaza, the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli Occupation's disregard for the International Court of Justice orders.

On April 22, 2024, the Italian cultural and academic community responded to boycott calls, with over 1,700 Italian academics and researchers raising this issue at the national level.

Through an open letter to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this document called for the cessation of industrial, scientific, and technological cooperation with “Israel.”

The signatories argued that such cooperation could support the development of dual-use technologies, including optical combat technologies.

They also emphasized that without explicit clauses preventing the military use of joint research, these agreements risk violating international and humanitarian laws by “Israel,” potentially aiding the Israeli Occupation in committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.