Last week, Israel was in an uproar following Ben & Jerry's decision not to renew its contract with the Israeli franchisee at the end of 2022 over the latter's refusal to stop selling the company's products in Judea and Samaria. The prime minister spoke passionately against the boycott; the foreign minister declared Israel would turn to states in the US that already have anti-BDS laws on their books to sanction the parent company; Israel's ambassador to the UN raised the issue with 35 US governors; and Ben & Jerry's Israeli franchisee asked the public for its support. We must bear in mind that this entire response is over a contract decision that could ultimately be reversed and, at least as of now, hasn't caused any damage.
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In contrast, the attorney general's decision to force the education minister to grant the Israel Prize for Mathematics and Computer Science to Prof. Oded Goldreich, who has supported the BDS movement for years and just recently called for the boycott of Ariel University, has been met with thundering silence. The prime minister hasn't said a word. The foreign minister hasn't issued any declarations on the matter. No one has called for sanctions. It is, simply, political grandstanding of the highest order.
Goldreich, as a reminder, is an esteemed professor of computer sciences at the Weizmann Institute and a prominent member of organizations that believe the correct way to "teach" the Israeli public, which repeatedly votes for right-wing parties, is through international sanctions. Alongside the blunt remarks Goldreich has made for years against IDF soldiers and officers, the IDF's legal system and more, he has consistently supported calls for the imposition of international sanctions against Israel. In 2005, for example, Goldreich signed a letter to the editor of the British Guardian newspaper justifying the boycott of Israeli academic institutions; in 2011, Goldreich signed a petition calling for the boycott of goods manufactured in Judea and Samaria; in 2019, he signed a petition to the German parliament to prevent it from outlawing a German BDS group; and in 2021, Goldreich signed a petition calling for the boycott of Ariel University. It should be noted that these instances represent just a tiny portion of his robust and consistent anti-Israel activities over the years.
Contrary to Ben & Jerry's, which announced a future intention and was met (justifiably) with vehement responses from the Israeli government, Goldreich has already caused real damage to Israeli academia. Conversations I've had with the senior officials from Ariel University have shed light on the immense harm Goldreich's actions have caused the university, its researchers and students. Researchers from other universities, who overcame their concerns over their colleagues' reactions, told me personally that Goldreich's actions have damaged Israeli academia.
Israel cannot seriously ask its friends around the globe to act tenaciously against boycotts while bestowing this prestigious honor on Goldreich in the same breath. This is flagrant hypocrisy and diplomatic idiocy. The amount of pressure I received following my decision not to give Goldreich the prize, including from within the State Attorney's Office, indicates, sadly, that there are those who believe we can ask of our friends what we don't ask of ourselves. This is a bitter mistake. My hope is for good judges with the courage and integrity to prevent turning the Israel Prize into a prize for boycotters of Israel.
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