The Power of Academia
As I prepare for this year’s Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem (IEJ) Academic Symposium, I’m reminded again why this work is so important. Earlier this week the International Association for Genocide Scholars, touted by media as ‘The world’s leading genocide scholars’ association’, passed a resolution stating that the legal criteria had been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This statement duly headlined in major news outlets locally and internationally.
However, upon closer examination, the IAGS statement quickly crumbled. It was discovered that the IAGS pushed through the resolution without the standard procedure of holding a debate. The group’s leadership refused to have a transparent, critical discussion. Dissenters were deliberately silenced. The resolution cites organisations that have reinterpreted the definition of genocide to force it to apply to Israel.
This is not the first time that academics have issued statements accusing Israel of one crime or another.
The group’s spokesperson, Melanie O’Brien, claimed that the resolution passed with nearly 90% support. However, investigation revealed that in fact the resolution was passed by just over 20% of the organisation’s approximately 500 members. Further it was discovered that the IAGS is open to anyone who pays a membership fee. Bogus memberships were found, such as ‘Adolf Hitler,’ listed as a Gaza City–based ‘genocide scholar’. It turns out that the IAGS is not an exclusive body of scholars but a group susceptible to manipulation by activists. The whole exercise turned out to be an act of academic fraud.
This is not the first time that academics have issued statements accusing Israel of one crime or another. Indeed various declarations, public letters and statements have been issued by academic institutions in New Zealand and beyond accusing Israel of various crimes, which later prove to be libels.
Greg Bouwer notes that, “This is not just a problem of political imbalance. It is a collapse of academic integrity. Universities are no longer demanding intellectual rigour from their staff or students when it comes to the Middle East—especially when Israel is the subject. Allegations of apartheid are made without legal grounding. Historical claims are flattened into slogans. International law is cited only when it serves the predetermined conclusion. Critical scrutiny disappears, and with it, the university’s role as a place of learning”.
We are witnessing a phenomenon whereby academic bodies and individuals can throw libelous claims at Israel whilst hiding behind a facade of legitimacy. They bend practices and definitions to promote the libel. Academic papers are produced in volume, drawing on one-sided biased reports. These are quoted repeatedly, further adding to the veneer of legitimacy. By the time truth surfaces, the libel has taken hold and captured the public imagination. The academy has fallen prey to the age-old propaganda technique and structural antisemitism posing as anti-Zionism.
So, it is as important as ever to push back with solid scholarship and to keep raising the banner of truth, for those willing to hear it. With that in mind, I am thrilled to be gathering another world class cohort of international academics to address the theme of ‘Zionism and Indigeneity versus Settler Colonialism and Historical Revisionism’ at this year’s symposium. If you’re in Israel, please join us on 4 November 2025 at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem.
