In recent months, we have observed with concern an increase in calls for boycotting Israeli institutions, including our own. It is important to note the following:

• Israeli academia operates independently of the Israeli government and plays a crucial role in promoting critical thinking within Israeli society. Israeli academia is the backbone of Israeli civil society.
• Calls to boycott only serve the interests of extremists who seek to perpetuate the conflict and silence moderate voices working to promote peace, co-existence and reconciliation
• Boycotts have the potential to undermine academia worldwide, obstructing the sharing of research methods and outcomes, and hindering development for the betterment of humanity. Instead of fostering a culture of cooperation, solidarity and shared humanity, they promote polarization and hostility.

HUJI Academic Freedom Initiative

HUJI taskforce team members: 

• Prof. Oron Shagrir, Rector | פרופ' אורון שגריר, רקטור

• Prof. Guy Harpaz, Faculty of Law, VP of International Affairs | פרופ' גיא הרפז
• Prof. Yuval Shany, Faculty of Law, Head of Committee | פרופ' יובל שני, הפקולטה למשפטים
• Prof. Netta Barak-Corren, Faculty of Law | פרופ' נטע ברק-קורן
• Amb. (ret.) Yossi Gal, VP for Advancement and External Relations | סגן הנשיא לקשרי חוץ ופיתוח משאבים יוסי גל
• Alma Lessing, Coordinator | רכזת הצוות אלמה לסינג

Following the October 7th terror attack launched by Hamas against Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, we have witnessed an escalation in calls to sever ties with Israeli academia. These calls, targeted at institutions and individuals based solely on their nationality, are wrong both morally and policy-wise, and are often illegal.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the flagship of higher education in Israel, has established a taskforce that exchanges views and information on academic cooperation issues and acts to prevent boycott of Hebrew University students and faculty members and other Israeli scholars and academic institutions.

Policy

We deeply mourn the loss of all innocent life in the current horrific conflict, whether they are Israeli, Palestinian, or citizens of other countries. We share in the sorrow over the tragedy occurring on both sides of the Gaza border. We firmly believe that the appropriate response to the horrors of war should not be to end academic collaborations and cut ties among researchers. Israeli scientists and students are among the leading voices who can help elucidate the situation, find solutions, and challenge the worldviews and dogmas that led the region to this crisis. Rather than cutting ties, it is imperative to reinforce academic collaborations to ensure that we live up to our shared aspirations to improve the human condition, expand knowledge, and uncover the truth.

We welcome a constructive discussion with all academic peers about the situation, and we particularly welcome initiatives to create and encourage meaningful collaborations with Israeli universities, with the aims of understanding the root causes of violent conflicts and decline of the rule of law, and overcoming present and future challenges. This, we submit,  and not an academic boycott, is the most just and productive course of action under the circumstances. What is needed is greater engagement of intellectuals from around the world with Israelis and Palestinians, a goal that can be advanced by strengthening academic cooperation with Israeli universities.

 

A few factual elements further support this policy:

• Israeli academia excels in research, ranking internationally in the top 5 per capita and in the top 15 in absolute terms. This success is primarily due to its independence from the government. Researchers make their own decisions on what research questions to study and what methods to deploy
• Israeli universities operate autonomously form the Israeli grovernment in all academic matters, from admission policies to pedagogical decisions. The universities foster free research and discourse, and scholars and students, as well as university administrations, are often harshly critical of governmental policies. During Israel’s constitutional crisis that preceded the war, faculty and students successfully protested against the government’s plan for judicial overhaul. Scholars and students are also currently engaging academically and publicly with the challenges relating to the war and many take part in anti-war protests.
• Israeli universities are actively and extensively engaged in projects aiming to promote equality between Jews and Arab-Palestinians. About 18% of the students at the Israeli universities are Arab-Palestinians, approaching their numerical proportion in Israeli society. This state of affairs is the result of extensive efforts and reflects an institutional commitment to equality, given that we consider higher education is a vehicle for social mobility.
• University campuses serve as places of open and constructive dialogue among all factions of Israeli society, primarily between Jews and Arabs. The universities are fully committed to providing extensive protection of academic freedom and freedom of speech for faculty and students.

Academic Publications on Why it is Wrong to Boycott Israeli Academia in general, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in particular

1. The Ethics of Academic Boycott, Avner de Shalit.

2. Is it Justified to Boycott Israeli Academia? 

3. Prof. Barak Medina's Review of Maya Wind's Towers of Manipulations.

4. Hamas’ Lawfare: The Plot of Accusing Israel in Genocide. 

5. The unspoken purpose of the academic boycott, Kramer, M. (2021). Israel Affairs, 27(1), 27–33. 

6. Prof. Tamir Sheafer – Why it is Morally Wrong to Boycott the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

7. Israel's Beleaguered Academics Are Fighting the Boycott - Despite the Government 
8. Raphael Cohen-Almagor -  Academic Freedom and the Anti-Israeli BDS Movement ​
9. Barak Medina - Addressing the Academic Boycott as a Wakeup Call for Israeli Academia
10. נטע ברק-קורן - החרם האקדמי הבינ"ל על ישראל מתרחב, אך עדיין ניתן לבלום אותו
11. Netta Barak-Corren - Boycotts: The Legal Remedy, Sapir, Vol.15, Autumn 2024. 

 

 

Materials on the Hebrew University

1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Building Bridges and Promoting Multiculturalism and Excellence >>

2. Haaretz article – Prof. Tamir Sheafer
3. Letter by 5 Israeli university presidents to PM Netanyahu about the current situation in Gaza, 28.7.2025
4. HUJI's Free Speech Policy
5. Declaration of the Hebrew University Senate (05.06.24)
6. Fact Sheet: The Hebrew University’s relations with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)