International Sociological Association suspends Israeli membership

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
2 Jul 2025 01:26
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The International Sociological Association has suspended ties with the Israeli Sociological Society over its silence on the Gaza genocide.

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Moroccans attend a protest in support of Palestine and in condemnation of the Israeli war on Gaza, in Rabat, Morocco, on June 22, 2025. (AP)

The International Sociological Association (ISA) has officially suspended its institutional ties with the Israeli Sociological Society (ISS) over the latter’s failure to condemn the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The decision, announced by the ISA’s Executive Committee, cited “extraordinary circumstances” and underlined the Israeli association's silence in the face of mass atrocities committed against Palestinians during "Israel’s" ongoing aggression on Gaza. The suspension is expected to deal a serious blow to Israeli participation in global academic platforms, especially within the field of sociology, where the ISA is one of the most influential international bodies.

In a formal statement, the ISA confirmed that it maintains no official relationships with Israeli government-affiliated bodies, and regretted the ISS's unwillingness to adopt a clear moral stance.

“Given the extraordinary gravity of the situation, the Executive Committee of the ISA has decided to suspend the collective membership of the Israeli Sociological Society in the ISA.”

The ISA, which previously condemned Israeli and US strikes on Iran, as well as attacks on Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Ansar Allah Movement in Yemen, emphasized that its commitment to human rights requires institutional accountability, not only from governments but from academic bodies that choose to remain silent.

Boycotts ahead of Rabat Forum

The move comes as the ISA prepares to host its 5th World Forum of Sociology at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, from July 6–11. The forum is expected to bring together over 4,500 scholars from nearly 100 countries.

The suspension followed mounting calls from international and Moroccan academics to bar Israeli participation at the forum. At least 232 scholars signed a petition warning of an academic boycott if “Zionist institutions” are allowed to take part. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) urged global sociologists to pressure the ISA into holding Israeli institutions accountable for their complicity in war crimes.

Local Moroccan groups, including the Moroccan Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (MACBI), also issued statements urging authorities and university leadership to prevent the forum from becoming a platform for normalization with an occupying regime.

ISA leadership clarifies stance on individual scholars

In a separate response, ISA President Geoffrey Pleyers and Forum President Allison-Marie Loconto sought to clarify the association’s position, affirming that while institutional ties with Israeli bodies have been suspended, individual scholars—regardless of nationality—are still welcome to participate, so long as they do not represent official Israeli institutions.

Gaza: Global accountability

Since October 2023, the Israeli aggression on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 56,600 Palestinians and the displacement of nearly the entire population. Numerous international legal bodies and humanitarian organizations have warned of possible war crimes, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is still examining the case of genocide filed by South Africa.

As Israeli universities remain largely silent, or in some cases supportive, of the government’s policies, they are increasingly being viewed not as neutral academic actors but as integral parts of a system of repression. The ISA’s decision adds significant weight to global demands for academic accountability in the face of state-sponsored violence.