Boycotts of Israeli universities undermine the fundamental values of academia

As president of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, I am inspired by the resilience and determination of Israeli students, faculty, and staff who continue their academic pursuits under the current difficult circumstances. at the same time, I am troubled by the escalating violence, antisemitism, and anti-israel sentiment observed at prominent universities in north america, europe, and australia, as well as by the calls for academic boycotts of Israeli universities. These calls fuel a vicious circle of incitement, hatred, and violence faced by Jewish students and faculty around the world.

I fear that academic boycotts will not only harm Israeli institutions but also undermine the fundamental values of academia and threaten the future of global research and innovation. The repercussions could be long-lasting, impacting academia’s collective ability to advance knowledge, address global challenges, and promote shared democratic values for the betterment of humanity.

Some facts about Israeli academia: our universities have consistently upheld democracy, safeguarding liberal values and human rights for all students. Israeli arabs make up 18 percent of university students, a proportion roughly mirroring Israel’s national demographic. Universities play a pivotal role in fostering the inclusion of Israeli arabs in Israeli society, and this proportion reflects decadeslong consistent efforts to increase their presence in academia and in the high-tech sector.

our universities uphold a longstanding tradition of living in a multicultural society. arab students share dormitories with Jewish students and enjoy equal rights and responsibilities. Despite the circumstances and in contrast with many universities outside of Israel, I am proud to report that as the academic year approaches its end, there have been very few, if any, incidents between Jewish and arab students at Israeli research universities.

Israeli universities are independent of the government and operate autonomously in all academic matters. They have expressed steadfast support for the independence of the judiciary system in the face of ongoing government attempts to weaken it. They defend freedom of speech during these turbulent times and fight against both expressions of support for terrorist organizations and incitement against sectors of Israeli society. Boycotting Israeli universities, therefore, undermines the independent, liberal voice in Israel at a critical juncture for democracy, while also siding — intentionally or not — with the ideology of vicious terrorist organizations and countries such as Iran, which promote instability and openly call for the eradication of the State of Israel.

Israel’s contribution to addressing global challenges and advancing human knowledge is facilitated largely by the high-level education and innovation provided by its research universities. Inventions such as drip irrigation, which feeds over a billion people in dry areas, advancements in water desalination, data compression algorithms that drive all digital communication, the USB flash drive, the Pentium and other processor architectures, and the anti-parkinson’s drug azilect, to name a few, come from the Technion and its alumni with other seminal contributions coming from other Israeli universities.

These achievements would not have been possible without international collaboration and free intellectual exchanges. according to a recent study from Stanford, 5 out of the 7 nonus universities with the highest likelihood of producing a US unicorn founder are Israeli, with the Technion leading the list. This is yet another example of the importance of international synergy.

The world is confronted with significant societal challenges, and academia bears the responsibility of addressing them. It is our duty to educate the next generation of leaders, instilling in them moral values and upholding principles of ethics, human rights, freedom of speech, integrity, inclusion, and equity. as academic institutions, it goes without saying that we should adhere to these same values. academic boycotts stand in stark opposition to these principles. They are divisive and promote exclusion and hatred.

In an interconnected world where knowledge transcends borders, Israeli science stands at the vanguard of innovation and discovery, embodying democratic and inclusive values. We take great pride in our contributions to the global scientific community. our doors remain open to all scholars committed to advancing shared knowledge and values, and we urge institutions worldwide to uphold the principles of academic freedom and collaboration.

The world is confronted with significant societal challenges, and academia bears the responsibility of addressing them.

Uri Sivan is the 17th president of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.