Oded Goldreich, a professor at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science who is set to receive the Israel Prize in mathematics and computer science on Israel's Independence Day, allegedly signed a petition on March 23 calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in Judea and Samaria, the right-wing watchdog group Im Tirtzu claimed on Tuesday.
Earlier in March, Education Minister Yoav Gallant demanded that the Israel Prize selection committee rescind its decision to award Goldreich with the prestigious prize due to his support for boycott divestment and sanctions movement, which Goldreich denied.
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But eight days later, his name was linked to a petition advocating the boycott of Israeli academic institutions in Judea and Samaria, notably Ariel University.
The petition, signed by 522 academics in Israel and abroad, called on the European Union to "ensure that its taxpayer-funded research program is not used to legitimize or otherwise sustain the establishment and the activities of Israeli academic institutions in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory."
"The BDS movement and other anti-Israel movements are bolstered by Goldreich's actions and by the actions of other Israeli academics who similarly sign slanderous petitions and support boycotts," Im Tirtzu said.
Im Tirtzu added that "Goldreich's desire to receive the prize is embarrassing given how negatively he views the country. If he was truly a man of principles he would boycott the prize as well. Either way, it is a shame that Israel is considering giving a prize to someone who slanders it and works to undermine its legitimacy."
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