Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch has issued a stark warning to university administrators, demanding they eliminate political activities from their campuses or risk losing government funding through new legislation.
In a Wednesday announcement, Kisch outlined his expectations for university leadership to follow “three clear principles,” which include avoiding political position statements, maintaining continuous campus operations, and “clarifying that there is no place for strikes motivated by political reasons.”
The minister’s directive also seeks to ban political disruptions, campus shutdowns, and work stoppages at higher education institutions.
The Education Ministry defended the initiative, stating “the move is intended to prevent division, preserve the proper functioning of the institutions, and allow all faculty members and students to study, teach, research, and express opinions freely and responsibly.”
Kisch emphasized that higher education institutions should not function as venues for political activism and cautioned that lawmakers might pursue legislation against schools that refuse his demands.
“We are putting an end to the politicization of university presidents,” Kisch declared. “If they wish to promote a political agenda, they are welcome to resign from their positions and run in elections.”
“Academic institutions that enter the political arena — we will advance legislation that will deny them funding,” he continued.
The minister has gained backing from several legislators, including Avichay Buaron.
However, the Association of Heads of Research Universities has firmly rejected Kisch’s demands and criticized him for exploiting academic institutions for political gain.
“We will not allow the Education Minister to drag academia into his political survival battles,” the organization stated.
“It is deeply regrettable that at a time when higher education is fighting international boycotts, the minister chooses to weaken it from within in order to scrounge for votes in the primaries,” the association continued.
The university leaders’ group expressed shock at the minister’s statements, noting that Kisch “never approached us and no discussions were held with him on the matter.”
“To remove any doubt, the heads of higher education have never agreed to any harm to the independence of institutions of higher education,” their statement concluded.
