Statement against the Boycott of Israeli Academics

June 7, 2024

This website is the home of the Statement against the Boycott of Israeli Academics .

The Statement

The movement to boycott Israeli institutions has been present in academic life for some time but has so far played a rather marginal role. Recently, this has changed dramatically. As initiators of the Statement against the Boycott of Israeli Academics , we urge the academic community to uphold fundamental principles of professional conduct and academic freedom. Regardless of our position on the current Israel-Hamas war, we are deeply concerned about the violation of academic freedom and fairness that the boycott entails.

The Statement and the complete list of signatories can be found here .

Written by Anne Rethmann, Daniel Siemens, and Helmut Walser Smith, the Statement was distributed to friends and colleagues on Tuesday evening, May 14, 2024. Shortly thereafter, on May 17, we posted it on social media.

Overwhelmed by the response, we had to close the list of signatories on May 25. By then, the list had over 8,000 signatures, with the vast majority of signers scholars at colleges and universities in North America, Europe, and South America.

To all those who have signed the Statement: We are extremely grateful for your overwhelming support and deeply appreciate it.

The Statement authors:

Anne Rethmann (FU Berlin/Hebrew University of Jerusalem): https://robinson.huji.ac.il/people/anne-rethmann

Daniel Siemens (Newcastle University): https://www.ncl.ac.uk/hca/people/profile/danielsiemens.html

Helmut Walser Smith (Vanderbilt University/CJH, New York 2023/4): https://as.vanderbilt.edu/history/bio/helmut-smith/

Media

Since its appearance, the Statement has received significant media attention. This site attempts to gather some of the articles and other media that address the Statement, including articles that reproduced or translated it. The articles will be posted with the most recent at the top.

Dec 18, 2024

Nueva Sion, Leonardo Senkman, El boicot académico global: ¿solidaridad con Palestina o estigma para Israel?

July 3, 2024

FAZ, Anna Nowaczyk, Brodelnder Boykott

June 18, 2024

Forschung und Lehre, Katharina Finke, Boykott israelischer Wissenschaft

June 13, 2024

Berliner Zeitung, Susanne Lenz, Eva Illouz zur deutschen Israel-Debatte: Die Linke im Westen ist Verantwortungslos

June 6, 2024

Kooperation International, Ausgrenzung israelischer Wissenschaft entgegentreten: Forschende weltweit und Hochschulrektorenkonferenz stehen für Fortführung der Zusammenarbeit ein.

June 4, 2024

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Ronen Steinke, „Ich schätze dich sehr, aber…“