Growing backlash over the Gaza war is fueling both open and silent boycotts of Israeli scientific research. Grants are drying up, emails go unanswered, and once-regular collaborations are unraveling. ‘The only way to deal with the boycott is to stop the war … and the terrible things we’ve been perpetrating in Gaza’
At a conference in Singapore about a year ago, Prof. Yehu Moran, an evolutionary biologist from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, met a prominent researcher from KU Leuven in Belgium. Moran proposed a research idea and suggested a collaboration. The Belgian scientist was enthusiastic, and the two began preparing a joint application to the European Research Council (ERC), from which Moran had already received two grants.
But when the Belgian colleague presented the plan to his department, he received a letter from his superiors warning against cooperation with Israeli researchers, citing “crimes perpetrated by Israel.” Though no official ban was issued, the project was quietly shelved.
This is just one example of what Israeli academics are facing since the outbreak of the war in Gaza following the October 7 massacre – and more sharply in recent months. The Israel Association of University Heads (VERA) has established an anti-boycott task force that has already logged over 750 documented cases of academic boycotts. Some are “small,” specific incidents: a paper pulled from a planned anthology, or a canceled sabbatical. Others are institutional: entire universities or professional associations have cut all ties with Israeli researchers or institutions.
In recent months, dozens of European universities have declared they are cutting ties.
“Almost all Belgian universities are boycotting Israel,” says Emmanuel Nahshon, head of VERA’S anti-boycott task force. He adds that in the Netherlands, around 80% of academic institutions have followed suit. In Spain and Norway, many universities have declared a boycott as well, with some severances also occurring in Italy, Ireland and Switzerland.
“It’s like a virus that has been spreading in Western Europe over the last six months,” says Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, VERA chairperson and president of Ben-Gurion University. “The big wave started when fighting in Gaza resumed after the last cease-fire.”
Countless Shades of Grey
Alongside official boycotts, a harder-to-detect phenomenon has emerged: “grey boycotts.” These are informal or undeclared acts of exclusion – emails that go unanswered, collaborations that quietly vanish, contracts left unrenewed. The task force finds this especially troubling because it’s difficult to measure, and harder to fight.
A worrying signal came just a week ago, when only 9 out of 100 Israeli applicants were awarded ERC Horizon grants. Over the past five years, Israel had consistently submitted a similar number of applications (98–109 annually), with an average success rate of 29%. The drop to 9% is dramatic.
The cause remains unclear. One explanation is that the quality of applications declined, as researchers in Israel continue working under wartime stress. Another possibility is the return of strong competitors – the U.K. and Switzerland – which recently rejoined the Horizon program after several years of absence.
Still, Prof. Noam Sobel from the Weizmann Institute, a member of ERC review committees, says he is in no doubt that this is a silent boycott. He stresses that conversations with his colleagues abroad confirm this.
“Israeli proposals haven’t gotten worse,” he says. “In fact, the past year has seen bursts of creativity. The return of the U.K. and Switzerland might account for a drop of one or two grants – not 20. Right now, we’re a red rag. People in Europe and the U.S. are seeing completely different news coverage than what’s shown here. They see horrific images, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it might affect them.”
“It’s not that they reject a great Israeli proposal and choose a bad Greek one. The Greek one is excellent, and so is the Israeli. But where one might have scored 96 and the other 94, after seeing news footage of dead Gazan children, those scores can flip. Sometimes this happens consciously, sometimes unconsciously.
“There’s no other explanation for such a steep drop. And the impact will be enormous. These grants are essential to the very survival of Israeli science.”
The ERC is by far the most significant funding source for Israeli researchers. The next in line – the Israel Science Foundation – offers annual grants of up to $100,000.
“For comparison,” says Sobel, “my lab has a €13.4 million grant from Horizon to digitize the sense of smell. It’s a different league. We are almost entirely dependent on the ERC. You won’t see the consequences right away. ERC grants usually last five-six years. The drop in Israeli publications will become visible in about three years. That’s unavoidable.”
Sobel holds out a narrow hope: “If the situation changes soon, this will show as a single-year dip in the data – not a long-term decline.”
“We have an outstanding status at the ERC, Israel in general and the Weitzmann Institute in particular,” continues Sobel. “In fact, we have the highest ratio of grants awarded in the entire European Union, relative to the number of scientists. The Israeli labs that have earned ERC funding are the vanguard of Israeli science. If you blunt that edge, it will ripple through the entire scientific community.”
No Funds, No Partners
In June 2024, Tel Aviv University began collecting data from faculty on instances of international academic boycotts.
“At first, it was mostly in the U.S.,” says Prof. Milette Shamir, Vice President for Academic International Affairs at the university. “But in March, after the cease-fire ended and the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened, there was a significant shift. Since then, most boycotts are coming from Europe. We now receive between seven and ten reports a week – about three times the number we saw a year ago.”
According to Shamir, much of Israel’s academic funding comes through Horizon Europe, either via individual ERC (European Research Council) grants or through multi-institutional research consortiums.
“A most troubling development is that Israeli faculty are being excluded from consortiums,” she says. “Or when a consortium already includes Israeli researchers, there are efforts to dismantle it or remove them.”
At first, it was mostly in the U.S. But in March, after the cease-fire ended and the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened, there was a significant shift. Since then, most boycotts are coming from Europe. – Prof. Milette Shamir, VP for Academic International Affairs at TAU
Although the EU officially opposes academic boycotts of Israel, this policy has only helped the anti-boycott task force in legal efforts to block removals from existing consortiums. The issue now is more insidious:
“We’re simply not being invited to begin with,” says Shamir. “And it’s not just about funding. This is about knowledge-sharing, publications, and training graduate students. The danger is hard to quantify – because when an invitation never arrives, you don’t know why. Meanwhile, people are talking about missiles striking the Weizmann Institute and destroying decades of research. That is tragic – but so is the slow unraveling of research ties across all Israeli universities. Building a strategic partnership with a major foreign institution takes years. And I don’t know when – or if – we’ll be able to rebuild them.”
According to Shamir, efforts to boycott Israeli academia have existed for at least 25 years.
“Academic boycott is controversial because academia is based on freedom and cooperation,” she says. “But now, people who would never have supported a boycott are doing it. When they see the disturbing images coming out of Gaza in recent months – especially the carnage near the aid centers – people are more easily swayed. It’s spreading.”
At one point, Tel Aviv University had to publicly respond to false allegations, including claims that the university has a soldier training camp.
“That’s just not true,” says Shamir. “The soldiers who study here usually major in the humanities. But no one’s listening to our explanations anymore. It doesn’t matter.”
“This Isn’t Just About Gaza”
Nahshon, the current head of the anti-boycott task force and a former senior Foreign Ministry official, believes some of the boycotts aren’t only about the war in Gaza.
“Some of the rhetoric is clearly Israel-annihilationist,” he says. “October 7 accelerated something deeper – a longstanding undercurrent that’s been weakening the fabric of Western democracy, driven by both the far left and far right. This, to the great joy of China, Russia, Turkey and the Qataris. It’s being pushed and financed.”
“If Qatar is investing billions in Middle East Studies departments, it is swaying the mood against Israel. On October 8, this blew up in our face,” he notes. “There is a very dangerous enemy here.
Without ongoing ties with the developed world and with the world’s best academic institutions, the uniqueness and added value of Israel may disappear.- Emmanuel Nahshon, head of VERA’S anti-boycott task force
“The government does not realize the size of the challenge and does not realize it jeopardizes Israel itself. Universities are the most important element of the Israeli economy. Without ongoing ties with the developed world and with the world’s best academic institutions, the uniqueness and added value of Israel may disappear. Israel will lose its unique advantages and will cease to be a leading startup in the most competitive fields.”
“You Brought This on Yourselves”
Tel Aviv University President, Prof. Ariel Porat, says the prevailing feeling among him and his colleagues is that universities have no support or backing on this issue from the state.
“We’ve had talks with very senior government and foreign ministry officials, and what they told us was, ‘Criticism over Israel’s policy that was generated by your people contributed to BDS. You brought this on yourselves.’ With the exception of Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, the sense is that the academic boycott is of no interest to the government – despite the tremendous importance of science to defense, the economy, and society.”
Porat is particularly concerned about the upcoming Horizon Europe framework, which will come into effect in 2028 with a €175 billion budget over six years. A recent proposal to revoke Israel’s participation in the agreement has raised alarm within the academic community.
“This would be a tremendous blow to Israeli science, both in terms of cooperation and research funding. Science in Israel will no longer be what it was,” Porat says.
This concern is echoed by Prof. David Harel, President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He says the review of trade relations between Israel and Europe, including Israel’s participation in the next Horizon program, is already causing great damage to Israeli science.
“The only argument between me and other key figures in academia is whether this will be an absolute death blow or just a near-death blow,” he says with a sad smile. “I don’t think we’ll be kicked out, but we’re feeling a cold shoulder in everything – recently even from Germany, our closest friend.”
The European Commission’s proposal to suspend funding for Israeli startups did not pass a vote in the EU Council on Tuesday. The proposal would have excluded Israeli companies from the Horizon Europe program, particularly those whose technologies might have military applications. However, the language of the proposal suggests that if approved, it could extend to companies across all sectors.
According to a source familiar with the discussions, the proposal failed to reach the required threshold – a majority of 55% of member states representing 65% of the EU population – due to opposition or hesitation among some countries. Notably, Germany and Italy declined to support the decision, requesting a delay in order to evaluate whether the humanitarian situation in Gaza has improved before considering a partial suspension of cooperation with Israel.
The only way to deal with the boycott is to stop the war, to bring back the hostages, and to stop the terrible things we’ve been perpetrating in Gaza. – Prof. David Harel, President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Moreover, Harel sees no way for academics to change the situation: “You might be able to convince someone here or there that a science boycott doesn’t solve the problem, but the only way to deal with the boycott is to stop the war, to bring back the hostages, and to stop the terrible things we’ve been perpetrating in Gaza.”
Prof. Boaz Golani, of the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences at the Technion in Haifa, agrees that there has clearly been a significant deterioration in Israel’s academic ties with the world – but he believes that the depiction of Israel as a global academic pariah is an overstatement.
“In the U.S., academic BDS has pretty much failed,” he says. “Even when Biden was president, there were no institutions that cut ties with Israel. And with Trump’s election, the trend of anti-Israel protests on campuses was pretty much halted.”
A team from the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research recently submitted a report to the Knesset on the academic boycott against Israel. Golani, who led the team, agrees that the situation in Europe is troubling and says the boycott is, in part, antisemitically motivated.
“Of course, the war adds a lot of weight to the phenomenon, but its roots go way back. The University of Florence, for example, has cut ties with Israel, yet maintains ties with universities in Iran and Afghanistan,” he says.
We’ve had talks with very senior government and foreign ministry officials, and what they told us was, ‘Criticism over Israel’s policy that was generated by your people contributed to BDS. You brought this on yourselves.’
Prof. Ariel Porat, Tel Aviv University President
Golani also points to acts of solidarity and counter-response. Among them, he points to the MIT-Kalaniyot program, initiated by two Jewish faculty members and since expanded to four additional universities. The program provides post-doctoral funding to dozens of Israeli researchers, financed by millions of dollars in donations.
“The picture is complicated,” says Golani. “Things have certainly taken a turn for the worse in recent months, but the situation is not desperate or hopeless.”
“Cooperation has Become a Political Act”
One European country where research institutes have not officially cut ties with Israel is Sweden. However, many researchers there – critical of their right-wing government’s pro-Israel stance – have launched an independent boycott of cooperation with Israeli institutions.
So far, around 2,200 lecturers, including hundreds of professors, have signed the boycott declaration.
One of its authors is Dr. Peter Hellström from Uppsala University.
“We realized we wouldn’t be able to persuade academic leadership to act officially, so we turned to grassroots activity. This is a grey boycott,” he told Haaretz.
Hellström estimates that Israeli research will become increasingly isolated in Europe.
“Many people who have never before been critical of Israel now want nothing to do with it. Cooperation with Israel has become a political act in itself in Europe, and many are avoiding it. The neutral position today is simply not to work with Israel. The mainstream is shifting, and Israel is losing everyone in it.”
He acknowledges that many Israeli researchers oppose their government’s policies, but criticizes the academic institutions for staying silent:
“No Israeli university has condemned the genocide. And there is cooperation between Israeli academia and the military. Defense research done in Israeli universities has, de facto, supported the occupation and the oppression of millions for decades. I’d be happy to work with Israelis again – in a situation where their universities are in no way partners in Palestinian oppression. But I’m not willing to legitimize the State of Israel as it behaves today.”
The impression from speaking with Hellström is that he holds no personal hostility toward Israelis or Jews. Rather, he is motivated by a desire to change the situation for Palestinians.
“If an Israeli came to me looking for a job, I’d help them,” he says. “This is not a boycott of Israelis – it’s a boycott of the State of Israel, which is involved in serious crimes. Everyone does what they can. And right now, there’s a lot of pressure to reduce EU funding for Israeli researchers. Israel must choose: apartheid and genocide, or being part of the global research community.”
Porat sees things somewhat differently. “If anyone believes that hurting academia will change Israeli government policy – they’re wrong. The boycott only strengthens the government, which in many cases sees universities as the enemy.
“The Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Education have done nothing to help us deal with the boycott. Academia is the strongest opposition to this government. And, if you want to weaken the government, you need to strengthen the opposition.”