According to the data, Belgium recorded the highest number of boycotts, reaching more than 40, followed by the United States with more than 35.
Israeli universities and academics have faced an unprecedented global boycott since Tel Aviv launched its genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip, Israel’s Channel 12 news outlet reported, according to the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).
Citing data from the Association of Israeli University Heads, the channel said more than 300 cases of academic boycott of Israeli universities and academics have been recorded since October last year, MEMO reported.
Palestinian academic unions thank dozens of global universities that have taken steps to end ties with Israeli universities complicit in Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and #GazaGenocide.
They urge all global universities to do the same.https://t.co/mrTLHGGjMP pic.twitter.com/AY2nzjoYrd
— PACBI – BDS movement (@PACBI) September 24, 2024
According to the data, Belgium recorded the highest number of boycotts, reaching more than 40, followed by the United States with more than 35, Britain with more than 20 and the Netherlands with more than 15, the report said. Meanwhile, Italy recorded more than ten cases of boycotts, following an initiative launched by the Union of Academics there.
Canceled Lectures, Rejections
The global boycott of Israeli academia is expressed in various forms, including 50 cases in which scientific articles written by Israeli scholars were rejected, 30 canceled lectures by Israeli academics, and 30 cases in which foreign academics refused to give lectures at scientific conferences and study days organized by Israeli universities.
‘Our Universities are Complicit’ – Pro-Palestine Students Detained in Minnesota
The data shows that in 30 cases research cooperation between Israel and foreign universities and student exchange programs have been suspended.
The global boycott of Israeli universities encompassed many disciplines including history, law, archaeology, Jewish studies, cultures, natural sciences, and engineering.
The data indicated that “the situation is particularly serious” in Belgium, where about 15 academic scholarships have been canceled in addition to the refusal to issue recommendations and reports to Israeli researchers and ignoring written or verbal messages from them.
Long-Term Effects
Former Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Emmanuel Nahshon, who is in charge of combating academic boycott on behalf of the Association of Israeli Universities said that “academic boycott is one of the central challenges facing Israeli universities, since October 7, in the international arena.”
Nahson reportedly added that the academic boycott has significantly escalated following the war which threatens to target the status of Israeli academia.
📍Stanford University, California
Over 400 students walked out to honor the innocent victims of Israel's genocidal war, highlighting the scholasticide that has left Gaza without functioning universities.🎓🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/dVJD2unOTN
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) June 17, 2024
He noted that the association has formed a working group that will use legal, international and other tools to “downsize” as much as possible the impact of the global boycott campaign facing Israeli institutions and researchers.
“Unfortunately, we estimate that this struggle will be long-term, and we are preparing for it through coordinated work among Israeli universities and with the help of our friends around the world,” he added.
Universities across the world, particularly in the US, have faced pressure from student activities to divest and boycott Israeli institutions.
(MEMO, PC)
“Israeli universities and academics have faced an unprecedented global boycott since Tel Aviv launched its genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip ….”
This is not solely a collection of Israeli crimes, this is equally a collection of Washington’s crimes. These crimes against humanity absolutely *must* be faced by Israel …. and Washington.
Slowly it’s unravelling worldwide for the inbred colonial settlers. For a ‘society’ (calling it that is stretching it well beyond its’ meaning) capable of organizing an excursion for so called “school children” to mount an observation platform 600 meters from the Gaza death zone, and encourage them to scream and punch the air in celebration into what they’re up to there, is truly beyond comprehension for any normal human. For many decades, this indoctrination has been state and social policy here. A truly evil place.