From academia to defense, 'Israel' growing more and more isolated

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The wall Street Journal
10 Jul 2024 14:10
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Recent developments highlight a significant shift in global attitudes toward "Israel", spurred by global pro-Palestine campaigns advocating for boycotts.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters gather with placards and flags, including a banner urging "Resist! Return!", at a "National March For Palestine" in central London on November 11, 2023. (AFP)

Pro-Palestine campaigns advocating for a global boycott of "Israel" previously garnered limited backing; however, since the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza, support for the isolation of "Israel" has significantly increased and extended beyond just its military actions, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The growing BDS movement threatens to impact Israeli careers, damage businesses, and strain the economy of an entity that relies heavily on international collaboration in defense, commerce, and scientific research, the report contended.

'Israel', a 'pariah' entity

In late May, an ethics committee at Ghent University in Belgium recommended ending all research collaborations with Israeli institutions.

The committee also advocated for a Europe-wide suspension of Israeli involvement in research and education programs, which frequently rely on European Union funding.

On this issue, Israeli computational biologist Eran Segal said, as quoted by the WSJ, that should European partners comply with this call, “this would be a tremendous blow to our ability to do academic scientific research.”

Eran Shamir-Borer, the former head of the international law department in the Israeli military, noted that the current wave of political and legal actions against "Israel" is unprecedented. These actions include initiatives targeting "Israel" and its figures at the United Nations' top court and the International Criminal Court.

“I think there is definitely reason for concern for Israel,” said Shamir-Borer, as quoted by WSJ, now a fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute.

“Becoming a pariah state means that even if things don’t happen formally, less companies feel that they want to invest in Israel in the first place, less universities want to collaborate with Israeli institutions,” he added.

Israelis are discovering that they are no longer welcome at numerous European universities, including in scientific collaborations, and that their involvement in cultural institutions and defense trade shows is increasingly being deemed taboo, the report concluded.