An Israeli academic boycott is intensifying, forcing researchers to conceal or omit their institutional ties in order to take part in international events. The warning emerged at the second International Conference on Archaeology, organized by the Civil Administration’s archaeology staff office together with the Heritage Ministry and the Council for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel.
About 400 researchers, academics and professionals from Israel and abroad attended the conference, where participants described a sharp deterioration in how Western scientific bodies treat Israeli scholars. One example came from this year’s ASOR conference in the United States, where Dr. Aaron Tavger of the archaeology staff office said he had to leave out his official workplace and not list his affiliation so he could present his research.
A similar pattern was reported among lecturers from Ariel University, who were also forced to hide their institution. The issue was said to extend to Europe as well, with reports from the European Association of Archaeologists conference, where Israeli researchers faced the risk that revealing their affiliation could lead to disqualification or de facto exclusion.
Deputy archaeology officer Eyal Freiman warned against complacency in Israeli academia, saying, “We are witnessing a boycott that is growing, and it has long since ceased to be a localized problem.” He added that a council in Europe is currently working to expand the boycott against Israelis and argued that the trend will soon affect every Israeli lecturer and researcher, regardless of workplace or geography. The Thursday conference at the Orient Hotel, originally intended to showcase excavations, discoveries and scientific cooperation, became a front line in the effort to resist the boycott, with participants calling for joint action by government ministries, the Council for Higher Education and local institutions.
