Recently, Israeli microbiologists Omry Koren and Moran Yassour were in talks with a Belgian scientist to form a research partnership. They were eager to collaborate and even discussed a memorandum of understanding to govern their joint efforts. However, their plans were abruptly halted when an email arrived from their colleague at the University of Antwerp citing the current geopolitical conflict in the region as a barrier to initiating the MOU.
This incident is just one example of a growing academic boycott that Israeli scientists believe is a result of the country’s war with Hamas in Gaza. This boycott is not only damaging to Israel but also to the field of science, which heavily relies on global collaboration for advancements and breakthroughs.
In the aftermath of Israel’s retaliatory actions following the Oct. 7 attack, numerous researchers in Israel have experienced invitations being rescinded, papers being removed from review, funding being suspended, and requests for usual academic evaluations being ignored or rejected. The University of Ghent in Belgium has instructed its researchers to drop projects involving Israeli partners or remove Israelis from consortia altogether.
These directives have put an end to collaborative efforts on various important topics such as water purification, Alzheimer’s disease, particle physics, and obesity. Additionally, Israeli researchers have been met with hostility and prejudice when attempting to engage in collaborations or apply for shared grants.
For instance, Nir Davidson from the Weizmann Institute of Science faced rejection from an Italian colleague due to the actions of his country, and an Israeli professor giving a talk at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas was disrupted by protesters who accused him of supporting genocide. These instances highlight the adverse effects of the academic boycott on Israeli scientists and their ability to contribute to global scientific endeavors.
The academic boycott against Israel has resulted in severe consequences for both Israeli scientists and global scientific progress. It is crucial that governments and institutions recognize this issue and take action to prevent it from spreading further into other fields