The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities is obliged by law to advise the government on matters relating to science and scholarship in the broadest sense. We, the members of the Academy’s Council and its emeritus Presidents, wish to express our deep and acute concern over the actions of the current government and to warn of unprecedented damage to scientific research, higher education, and the worlds of science, intellectual activity, and culture in Israel.
Since the present government was established, we have witnessed its repeated attempts to interfere in the work of research and higher education organizations and of intellectual and cultural institutions, including ones that are national symbols, in a manner that compromises their independence. This aggressive interference, rooted in extraneous and non-professional motives with distinct political overtones, is aimed at exerting control over organizations and institutions that must be administered independently, according to statute, and solely on the basis of professional criteria.
There are abundant examples of this, including the efforts of the Minister of Education and others to compromise the independence of the National Library; to interfere coercively in the appointment procedures of the Council for Higher Education; to cancel, in one fell swoop, this year’s Israel Prizes in all of the traditional categories, including in the fields of scientific research, creativity and the arts, and lifetime achievement; and to cut the budgets of research institutions of the greatest national importance, such as the Volcani Institute for agricultural research. The context of these actions includes the disparaging and ill-omened remarks of the Finance Minister regarding science and support for research.
Science, research, and creativity are a central and vital pillar of the existence, security, and dynamism of the State of Israel. They form the spiritual and intellectual infrastructure upon which an advanced and vigorous society must rest, and they are a necessary condition of that society’s strength and its economic and defensive stability. The government’s actions threaten Israel’s ability to maintain its status as a world leader in research and development.
We call upon the government and the decision-makers to abandon this destructive approach immediately and acknowledge the vital roles of research and independent thought as engines of growth and sources of creative solutions to the problems we face. Especially at this difficult time, and for the sake of future generations, we must invest in our country’s refurbishment and provide for its future. We demand that the independence of science and higher education be maintained, with expanded budgets and full backing for researchers, artists, intellectuals, and cultural figures.
Prof. David Harel, President of the Academy
Prof. Margalit Finkelberg, Vice President of the Academy
Prof. Sergiu Hart, Chairperson, Humanities Division
Prof. Yadin Dudai, Chairperson, Sciences Division
Prof. Nili Cohen, Past President of the Academy
Prof. Ruth Arnon, Past President of the Academy
Prof. Joshua Jortner, Past President of the Academy
Prof. Menahem Yaari, Past President of the Academy
Ms. Galia Finzi, Director-General