Unprecedented rise in academic boycott of Israel 2 years after Gaza war

Students of Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, VUB) attend a sit-in protest demanding the severing of all academic ties with Israel in Brussels, Belgium on May 13, 2024. [Dursun Aydemir – Anadolu Agency]

The academic boycott of Israeli researchers and institutions has seen an unprecedented rise over the past two years, with cases of rejection and suspension of academic cooperation tripling compared with the previous year. This sharp increase comes in response to the continuing crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

According to a report published on Monday by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, nearly one thousand instances of academic boycott have been recorded against Israelis since the war began in October 2023. These included research institutions, professional associations, and members of the international academic community.

The newspaper reported that the number of boycott cases has tripled compared with a year earlier.

Senior academics in Israel have reportedly expressed deep concern over the growing impact of this academic isolation, particularly in the absence of any effective government action, the paper added.

One Israeli researcher, who spoke to Haaretz on condition of anonymity, said that scientific research in Israel “is on the verge of collapse” due to increasing international isolation.

Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University, said that academic institutions are going through “the worst period in their history in terms of boycott,” adding that expectations for improvement after the war remain “far from reach,” as hostility towards Israel continues to grow deeper.

Haaretz also reported that around 40 foreign universities have ended, either fully or partially, their academic cooperation with Israeli counterparts over the past two years. This, it said, reflects a clear decline in Israel’s global academic standing.