Dear colleagues,

As members of the Israeli academic community in Israel and internationally, we are increasingly alarmed by the recent institutional attempts to boycott Israeli academics and implement bans within organizations and institutions on collaborating with Israelis. This includes attempts to exclude Israeli colleagues from existing grant projects; the cancellation of student exchange programs involving Israeli partners; and the cancellation of lectures by Israeli faculty. We are also witnessing attempts to eject Israelis from academic forums and working groups and a range of other actions by international colleagues to diminish the visibility of lectures by Israeli faculty and otherwise air-brushing out references to their home institutions’ location in Israel.

To date, all of Israel’s institutions of higher education are reporting numerous cases. Most of these cases have originated in Europe, but we are witnessing a growing number in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

First and foremost, institutionally imposed boycotts as imposed for example by Ghent University break the clear boundaries safeguarding the academic freedom of the faculty within these institutions. We find it unacceptable for a university to ban its faculty from pursuing their research based on the political decisions of its management. We call on our colleagues within these universities to uphold their own academic freedom and resist calls to break ties with their colleagues.

We further call on all academic colleagues of all nationalities to join us in calling for the cessation of boycott attempts against Israeli academics, on both legal and ethical grounds, and thus uphold the fundamental principles of professional conduct and academic freedom. Moreover, we strenuously call for the global research community to enhance communication, dialogue, and collaboration as a powerful tool that can foster peaceful resolution of conflicts and improve the lives of all.

We are heartened by the European Commission’s stance that the termination of grants within the Horizon Europe Programme with Israeli researchers on the basis of their nationality “would be improper and would amount to discrimination prohibited under the Association agreement” of Horizon Europe.[1] The letter’s author, EU research and innovation commissioner Dr. Iliana Ivanova, made this statement in a reply to a letter by Flemish universities. Dr. Ivanova’s letter comes in the wake of decisions by a series of these universities to suspend research ties with Israel.

We appreciate the clear voices of objection to boycott, to discrimination against Israeli researchers[2]. The collective will of all members of academia who care about academic freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom from discrimination is critical, particularly in the face of crisis. 

The global academic research community, which engages in the overall pursuit of knowledge for the betterment of humanity, is a critical player in the pursuit of solutions to conflict. Both the bonds brokered in the research process (the means to the end) and the insights and discoveries that emanate from it (the end itself) are essential in the common mission to advance and improve the state of humanity, in all countries and territories, and for all peoples.

Signed,

Oct7-Academic

Further reading: Horizon Europe Association Agreement

[1] https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:082a53b7-587d-488f-852d-a0ad5df5ded0

[2] German alliance: https://www.allianz-der-wissenschaftsorganisationen.de/en/topics-statements/gegen-einen-boykott-der-israelischen-wissenschaft/

Dutch rectors: https://dub.uu.nl/nl/nieuws/universiteiten-verbreken-banden-met-israelische-universiteiten-niet