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A New Book Twists What Happens at Israeli Universities
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, Oct. 1, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Dr. Maya Wind is a researcher in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia and holds a PhD in Social and Cultural Analysis from New York University.
For years, she has often ignored Palestinian terrorism against Israel, spreading anti-Israel rhetoric and enthusiastically supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS, which undermines the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and calls for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state, is widely regarded as antisemitic. Like Wind’s book Towers of Ivory and Steel, BDS does not offer sustainable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Towers of Ivory and Steel is described as exposing Israeli universities as “pillars of Israel’s system of oppression against Palestinians,” and it portrays Israeli academia as an active collaborator in Israel’s “colonial-settlement project.”
Wind’s Key Claims
In Towers of Ivory and Steel, Wind presents three main arguments accusing Israeli universities of aiding apartheid and colonialism.
1. Archaeology Departments and the “Colonial Project”
Wind alleges that Israeli universities’ archaeology departments collaborate with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israel Antiquities Authority, and settlement organizations to further Israel’s colonial ambitions in Judea and Samaria.
However, Wind ignores the extensive historical and archaeological evidence of Jewish presence in the Land of Israel, documented in ancient synagogues and Hebrew writings completed thousands of years before the modern state’s establishment.
Additionally, as an anthropologist, Wind should acknowledge the ongoing destruction and looting of Jewish antiquities by Palestinians, often with the involvement of the Palestinian Authority. UNESCO considers such actions the erasure of cultural heritage and a violation of human rights.
2. Middle Eastern Studies and Military Collaboration
Wind claims that Israel’s Middle Eastern Studies departments support the IDF, citing the Havatzalot Program at Hebrew University, which provides military intelligence training alongside academic studies. She criticizes the university for allocating facilities to this program.
Yet, similar programs exist in democratic countries like the US, UK, France, and Japan, where academic institutions collaborate with military establishments to address national security needs. The Havatzalot Program helps the IDF recruit and train top talent to protect Israel, including Arab citizens. Notably, no Arab students have been displaced from dormitories or denied access to university resources because of the program.
3. Defense Industry Partnerships
Wind argues that Israeli universities collaborate with defense companies like Rafael and Elbit to develop technology and weapons that harm Palestinians.
While such collaborations exist, they aim to enhance precision and minimize civilian casualties. For example, Rafael’s Iron Dome system protects Israeli civilians — both Jews and Arabs — by intercepting rockets from Gaza, often preventing broader military conflicts. This technology has saved countless lives, reducing the need for ground invasions during operations like Pillar of Defense (2012) and Guardian of the Walls (2021).
Israel’s defense innovations address regional security threats beyond the Palestinian arena, including Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran. These technologies also enable the IDF to distinguish between combatants and civilians, using tools like precision missiles and early-warning systems to minimize collateral damage.
The Reality on the Ground
Despite Wind’s portrayal, the IDF’s military ethos prioritizes minimizing civilian harm. In the first year of the recent Iron Swords War, approximately 40,000 targets in Gaza were struck. Even if we would accept Hamas’ heavily manipulated casualty figures for this period (and it has since been proven those figures are inaccurate and manipulated, that indicates an average of one casualty per strike — an unprecedented ratio for a conflict of this scale.
Furthermore, the civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio is one of the most favorable in modern warfare history. This ratio stands out given Hamas’ practice of embedding terrorists within civilian populations.
Notably, independent analysts have raised concerns about the reliability of casualty reports from Hamas. And this report, for example, “reveals how Hamas distorted fatality statistics to shape international opinion and legal narratives against Israel.”
Ignoring Terrorism in Palestinian Universities
While Wind focuses solely on alleged Israeli transgressions, she overlooks the role of Palestinian universities in fostering terrorism. After Hamas took control of Gaza, universities there were used as hubs for weapons research, intelligence gathering, and terrorist training.
A striking example is the Islamic University of Gaza, which has long served as a center for Hamas’ military operations. The university, established in 1978, has trained operatives in weapons development and intelligence. It also hosts conferences to raise funds for terrorism and disseminates anti-Israel propaganda.
The university’s ties to senior Hamas officials, such as Jamal Zabda — who was killed in Operation Guardian of the Walls — underscore its role in supporting terrorism. Zabda, a former head of Hamas’ research and development division, held a prominent position at the Islamic University, illustrating the direct link between academic institutions and militant activities.
Conclusion
Maya Wind’s Towers of Ivory and Steel presents a distorted, one-sided narrative that ignores key facts and realities. Israeli universities are not pillars of oppression, but essential contributors to national security, scientific advancement, and the protection of civilians — both Jewish and Arab.
By turning a blind eye to Palestinian terrorism and the militarization of Gaza’s universities, Wind fails to offer a balanced perspective. Instead of fostering understanding or proposing viable solutions, her work perpetuates divisive rhetoric that undermines efforts toward peace and coexistence.
Tom Yohay is the campus advisor in Israel for CAMERA on Campus.
The post A New Book Twists What Happens at Israeli Universities first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Norwegian Hotel Refuses Israeli Traveler Amid Boycott Against Israel
A demonstration of the group Europe Palestine to demand the boycott of Israel, in Paris, France on May 15, 2022. Photo: Xose Bouzas / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect
A Norwegian hotel has refused to accommodate an Israeli traveler, citing a nationwide boycott against the Jewish state launched last week by the country’s powerful trade union, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO).
Upon receiving the request, the hotel — located in the village of Geiranger in western Norway, one of Scandinavia’s top tourist destinations — indicated it would need to consult with the trade union to determine whether hosting the Israeli traveler would be permitted under the new boycott guidelines.
“The Norwegian Labor Organization (LO) will soon enforce a boycott that will affect Israeli tourists and Israeli goods due to the catastrophic situation in Gaza,” read the response to the Israeli traveler’s booking request.
“We need to inform you that our staff is organized in LO unions, and they will not break the boycott. I will need to consult with the employers’ organization as I see this as a force majeure situation,” the hotel told the Israeli traveler.
BREAKING:
Norwegian hotels to boycott Israeli tourists.Source: @StoppNRK
See: https://t.co/0tr55jwvFl pic.twitter.com/Mhy2pICn1n— On Elpeleg
(@onelpeleg) May 12, 2025
According to the hotel management, the organization’s boycott qualifies as a “force majeure” event, an unforeseen circumstance that prevents parties from meeting their contractual obligations and shields them from liability when exceptional situations disrupt normal expectations.
The hotel’s response was shared in a Facebook group, sparking outrage and widespread condemnation among its members.
“As a Jew who has been fighting antisemitism for 40 years, I have never experienced something so shocking. It’s like traveling back in time 85 years to 1940, to the period when Norway sent its Jews to Auschwitz,” one of the group’s members wrote in a comment.
“I am simply in shock – Norway was the last country in Europe to allow Jews to enter, and now it’s closing its doors again,” he continued.
Last week, Norway’s LO trade union voted in favor of a full economic boycott of Israel, while also urging the government to direct the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) to divest from Israeli companies, similar to how it mandated the divestment from Russian companies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The GPFG, also known as the Norwegian Oil Fund, is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Norwegian government and managed by its central bank, created to manage surplus revenue from oil and gas exports, with investments in a diverse array of global assets and companies.
Despite its close ties to the LO union, Norway’s Labour-led government said it would not push for divestment from Israeli companies, arguing that it is best to allow the fund’s ethics watchdog, the Council on Ethics, to operate in accordance with the ethical guidelines approved by parliament.
“We don’t plan to change our strategy,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told Reuters on Friday after the LO vote.
“But I hope Israel is reading that this [the boycott] is an expression of a significant part of public opinion,” the Norwegian leader said.
Based on government guidelines, the GPFG follows an ethical investment strategy that includes avoiding companies involved in human rights violations, environmental harm, or other unethical practices, and has the authority to divest from such companies or sectors when necessary.
The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas praised the LO’s decision to boycott “the Zionist occupation and ban trade and investment with its companies,” calling the move “a courageous step that embodies a clear alignment with truth and justice, and advocates for the rights of the Palestinian people.”
On Sunday, the GPFG — which is one of the largest funds in the world — announced that it had divested from Israel’s Paz Oil Company, citing its ownership and operation of infrastructure that supplies fuel to “Israeli settlements in the West Bank.”
“By operating infrastructure for the supply of fuel to the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Paz is contributing to their perpetuation,” the fund’s Council on Ethics watchdog said in its recommendation to divest. “The settlements have been established in violation of international law, and their perpetuation constitutes an ongoing violation thereof.”
This is the latest move by a European financial entity to sever ties with Israeli companies, amid growing pressure in Norway for the GPFG to fully divest from Israeli businesses following the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Overall, the Council on Ethics reviewed approximately 65 companies in the fund’s holdings across sectors such as energy supply, infrastructure, travel and tourism, and banking, but has not yet disclosed whether it made additional recommendations for divestment.
The post Norwegian Hotel Refuses Israeli Traveler Amid Boycott Against Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel’s Eurovision Participation Under Scrutiny as Singer Yuval Raphael Faces Threats
Yuval Raphael in the music video for her new song “New Day Will Rise.” Photo: YouTube screenshot
Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have agreed to have a broader discussion about Israel’s participation in the contest after receiving a formal request by Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTÉ, and following threats made to Israeli singer Yuval Raphael for competing in the competition.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, has been facing growing pressure from former contestants and public broadcasters around the world to ban Israel from this year’s competition. Critics are citing opposition to Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, during its war against Hamas-led terrorists from Gaza who orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. Following Monday’s release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, Hamas is still holding 58 Israeli hostages in Gaza whom they abducted during the Oct. 7 attack.
The EBU has repeatedly insisted that despite criticism against Israel, the Israeli public broadcaster Kan meets all criteria to participate in the 2025 Eurovision contest, held this year in Basel, Switzerland. Yuval Raphael — a survivor of the Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel — will represent the Jewish state in this year’s competition.
Most recently, RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst called for the EBU to review Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision. Bakhurst confirmed that he, along with RTÉ’s Director of Video Steve Carson, had a meeting on Friday with the EBU about the Irish broadcaster’s concerns. In response, the EBU committed to having “a wider discussion amongst members in due course” about Israel’s participation, RTE said in a released statement on Friday.
“I am appalled by the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages,” Bakhurst said last week. “Notwithstanding the fact that the criterion for participating in the Eurovision Song Contest is membership of the European Broadcasting Union, RTÉ has nonetheless asked the EBU for a discussion on Israel’s inclusion in the contest. In doing this, we are mindful of RTÉ’s obligations as an independent, impartial public service news and current affairs provider, and of the need to maintain RTÉ’s objectivity in covering the war in Gaza. We are also very mindful of the severe political pressure on Israel’s public service broadcaster, Kan, from the Israeli government.”
Public broadcasters in Iceland, Slovenia, and Spain have also raised concerns about Israel’s inclusion in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.
On Sunday, the Israeli delegation to the Eurovision was participating in a parade in Basel for the competition when a man made a threatening hand gesture toward the delegation, including Raphael, that showed him slitting a throat, the Israeli publication Ynet reported. The man was also carrying a Palestinian flag and wore a black T-shirt that called for a boycott of Israel, as seen in footage shared by Ynet from the incident. Kan said it made a complaint to local police about the threatening gesture, and members of the Israeli delegation told Ynet the gesture was a clear indication of a threat to commit murder and should be taken seriously.
Several anti-Israel protesters attended Sunday’s parade carrying Palestinians flags, as well as signs that accused Israel of apartheid and criticized its participation in the 2025 Eurovision amid the war in Gaza. Raphael appeared in the parade waving an Israeli flag as her Eurovision song, “New Day Will Rise,” played in the background. She walked on stage during a segment of the event and was accompanied by a bodyguard who kept an eye on the crowd, as part of increased security measures for the Israeli delegation due to criticism surrounding Israel’s participation in the contest.
“New Day Will Rise” is a ballad written by singer and songwriter Keren Peles. The song is mostly in English but features some French and Hebrew lyrics. Raphael will perform the song in the second semi-final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest on May 15 and if she advances, she will compete in the grand final two days later on May 17.
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Flemish Culture Minister Assembles Expert Committee to Help Tackle Claims of Nazi-Looted Art
Flemish Minister for Welfare and Culture Caroline Gennez pictured during a plenary session of the Flemish Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday 02 April 2025. Photo: BELGA via Reuters Connect
Caroline Gennez — the Flemish minister of welfare and poverty reduction, culture, and equal opportunities — is assembling a group of experts who will develop the framework for a permanent committee that will settle claims related to artwork stolen by Nazis from Jews during the Holocaust.
The six-person expert group will include specialists in law, history, and art history. It will be chaired by Bruno De Wever, a historian and emeritus professor of history specializing in World War II who is also the brother of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. The group will focus on establishing a permanent restitution commission to advise on claims.
The move marks the first official step by the Flemish government, which governs the northern region of Belgium, to tackle claims of Nazi-looted art from World War II. “Unlike other occupied countries such as the Netherlands or France, we have remained passive for too long,” Gennez said. “We have to catch up. Art that has been stolen or sold under duress must be returned to its rightful owners.”
The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), which addresses the restitution of Jewish property stolen during World War II, welcomed Gennez’s announcement. “This is a long-overdue and meaningful step toward justice for victims of the Holocaust and their families,” said WJRP President Gideon Taylor and WJRO COO Mark Weitzman in a joint statement on Sunday. “We commend Minister Gennez for her leadership and call on Belgium’s federal and regional governments to work together to ensure that looted cultural property is returned, and history is acknowledged. Justice delayed must not be justice denied.”
Roughly 66,000 Jews lived in Belgium before the Holocaust, but the Jewish community in the country now stands at around 29,000, with most Jews living in Brussels and Antwerp, according to the WJRO.
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