By Mohamed Ghani
Rabat, Morocco – As the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology prepares to convene at Mohammed V University in Rabat from July 6 to 11, the Moroccan Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (MACBI) is intensifying its pressure on the International Sociological Association (ISA) to reconsider the participation of Israeli researchers. The renewed call comes despite the ISA freezing the Israeli Sociological Society’s (ISS) membership, arguing that the forum still provides a platform for institutions allegedly complicit in perpetuating the conflict in Gaza.
MACBI, a part of the BDS Morocco coalition, issued a written statement on Wednesday, July 2nd, asserting that the continued presence of Israeli researchers constitutes an “unacceptable form of normalization.” They argue that the ISA’s suspension of the ISS is insufficient, as it does not prevent representatives of universities they claim are complicit in “genocide” from attending.
According to MACBI, the forum’s program includes 17 presentations by researchers affiliated with Israeli institutions. The group criticizes the ISA for failing to address key demands outlined in a June 24th declaration by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), endorsed by a broad range of Arab and international scholars, including the Palestinian Sociological and Anthropological Association.
PACBI’s demands, supported by MACBI, call for the ISA to ensure that Israeli participants uphold Palestinian rights in accordance with international law, and to verify that they are not implicated in violations such as war crimes or crimes against humanity. Furthermore, they urge the ISA to adopt a “land recognition” policy for universities in settler colonial contexts, including Palestine, and to acknowledge the complicity of Israeli universities in the state’s actions against Palestinians.
This renewed call to action follows a similar appeal from the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel in Lebanon. MACBI has warned that it will continue to call for a boycott of the forum “unless the association meets ethical standards that ensure it does not harm the Palestinian cause, and instead contributes to ending the genocide and dismantling the Israeli apartheid regime.”
The ISA, however, maintains its position, citing “academic freedom” as justification for including Israeli researchers.
While the ISA officially froze ISS membership on June 29th, MACBI coordinators have stressed that institutional affiliation alone was not used as a disqualifying criterion in the selection of speakers, leading to the continued mobilization. To date, 232 researchers have publicly declared their boycott of the forum until the ISA reconsiders its stance. The pressure on the ISA continues to mount as the opening of the forum draws near.
