Academic boycotts of Israel

Proposals for an academic boycott of Israel have been made by academics and organisations in Palestine, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries to boycott Israeli universities and academics. The goal of proposed academic boycotts is to isolate Israel in order to force a change in Israel's policies towards the Palestinians, which proponents state to be discriminatory and oppressive, including oppressing the academic freedom of Palestinians.

The ultimate goals and the mission of the academic boycott align with those of the greater BDS movement, calling for international pressure to be placed on Israeli academic institutions, which are understood by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to be implicated in the perpetuation of Israeli occupation, in order to achieve those goals.

Campaigns for academic boycott of Israel have led to significant debate and criticism. Proponents have argued that the situation, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories, constitutes an example of apartheid Opponents state that the boycotters apply "different standards" to Israel than other countries, that the boycott is "counterproductive and retrograde", a collective punishment of Israeli academia, and that the campaign is antisemitic. Despite this debate, academic boycott initiatives have been undertaken around the world, with support among academic associations and unions, but little institutional success.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was launched in Ramallah in April 2004 by a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals. According to PACBI, "all Israeli academic institutions, unless proven otherwise, are complicit in maintaining the Israeli occupation and denial of basic Palestinian rights."

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