Half of faculty at Israeli universities signed petitions accusing IDF of Gaza war crimes - study

A new report by The Olam found that 50.4% of 2,844 audited faculty members across eight leading Israeli universities signed at least one petition accusing the IDF of war crimes in Gaza. The vast majority of signatures traced to a single Black Flag initiative document from May 2025. Participation varied by institution and discipline, with Technion at 77% and Bar-Ilan at 30%. Humanities faculty were 3.5 to 5 times more likely to sign than STEM colleagues.

A new report by research outlet The Olam, published August 17, audited 2,844 faculty members across eight leading Israeli universities and found that 50.4% signed at least one political petition accusing the IDF of war crimes in Gaza. The study covered the Technion, Hebrew University, Weizmann Institute, Open University, Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University, University of Haifa, and Bar-Ilan University. 96.9% of signatures traced to a single Black Flag initiative document from May 2025 titled "An Urgent Call to the Heads of Academia in Israel." Participation varied sharply: Technion had 77%, Hebrew University 67%, while Bar-Ilan had 30%. Humanities faculty were 3.5 to 5 times more likely to sign than STEM colleagues. The Olam's publisher, Ronn Torossian, framed the findings as evidence of radical viewpoints in Israeli academia, urging donors to demand answers from university leadership.