taz: Joel Ben-Joseph, at the weekend the participants of a conference in Berlin want to discuss how they Boycott Israeli universities and exclude them from international cooperation can. What do you think of the conference as a university group critical of anti-Semitism?
Joel Ben-Joseph: The intention is very clear. The organizers want to convey the core messages of BDS…
taz: … the movement that wants to isolate the state of Israel economically, culturally and politically…
campaign The so-called BDS campaign calls for boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel worldwide. The campaign was triggered by a call from 170 Palestinian organizations in 2005, including trade unions, academic institutions, political parties, cultural groups and civil society organizations. They took the boycott calls against South Africa during the apartheid era as a model. BDS is not a fixed organization; groups in numerous countries around the world support the initiative.
Goals According to the BDS campaign, the goal is to get Israel to protect the human rights of the Palestinians. According to BDS, the boycott should end as soon as three goals have been achieved: the occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights is ended and the barriers along the border with the West Bank are dismantled, discrimination against Arab-Palestinian citizens in Israel is ended and the return of Palestinian refugees is possible.
controversy The BDS campaign has repeatedly been criticized for spreading anti-Semitic hate speech. It wants to isolate Israel economically, culturally and politically – so much so, say critics of the initiative, that it will cause lasting damage to Israel. Critics also see the initiative’s demands as a threat to Israel’s right to exist. In addition, the activists fueled the conflict and hardened the fronts.
Bundestag resolution In 2019, the Bundestag passed the resolution “Resolutely oppose the BDS movement and combat anti-Semitism”. Organizations that make anti-Semitic statements or question Israel’s right to exist should not be provided with any rooms or facilities by the Bundestag administration, and corresponding projects should not be funded. The Bundestag called on the federal government as well as states, cities and municipalities to follow this decision against BDS efforts. (epd, taz)
Ben-Joseph: … make it socially acceptable and spread it at universities, i.e. a movement that is committed to boycotting Israel, excluding it from investments and sanctioning it. The demands of this conference are not productive and do not promote discourse. We see the conference as a vehicle for anti-Semitic world views and narratives. This is not apparent at first glance at the program. But if you look at the speakers and their comments, they show a political practice that legitimizes violence against Jews and celebrates violence as resistance.
taz: The conference will also focus on the role of Israeli and German science and discuss their involvement in politics in Israel/Palestine. Isn’t it the responsibility of universities to critically question what research and science is happening there, especially in times of conflict?
Action against anti-Semitism at universities in November 2025 at the TU Berlin
Photo:
Uta Schleiermacher
Ben-Joseph: All universities in all countries also meet state interests. This is probably the case in Israel too. But calling for a boycott of Israeli universities is disproportionate. If you think it through, you would have to boycott yourself because of the activities of universities in Germany. It would make more sense to maintain contacts and keep channels open, for example to peace initiatives or to left-wing actors. Universities should take the opportunity to have peace-promoting discussions instead of cutting ties.
Im Interview: Joel Ben-Joseph
Joel Ben-Joseph studies philosophy and is involved in the anti-Semitism university group “Tacheles” at Humboldt University.
taz: The organizers emphasize that their call for a boycott against institutions directed, not against individuals.
Ben-Joseph: The fact that the boycott is not directed against people is a bogus argument. These groups only talk to Jews if they are anti-Zionist, so they demand certain distances. One can assume that such thoughts will ultimately lead to an exchange student from Israel or a Jewish student being excluded from a seminar simply because he or she is Jewish or Israeli.
taz: The student parliament of the HUmboldt University (HU) hat in November a Decision von 2018 lifted. He had BDS-affiliated groups excluded from any support. How do you view this decision?
Ben-Joseph: This repeal is completely nonsensical. This is purely symbolic and should only lead to being able to legitimize BDS again and to support BDS-affiliated groups again, also through financial means, for example through money from Asta, which it can then grant to corresponding university groups. There has been a BDS university group at the FU for a year. It simply has nothing to do with productive discussion and work in the Middle East context.
taz: What kind of exchange do you want?
Ben-Joseph: The conference openly pursues primarily political-activist goals. It’s all about Palestine, which is clear from the symbolism on the flyers and the website, which only refers to Palestine. If it is to be a productive, academic debate that enables open discourse, it must also address peace for both sides. It is not appropriate to just push a single activism. What happens at the conference is just preaching to the believers.
taz: What does that mean?
Ben-Joseph: Nobody comes along who doesn’t already think that. It is similar at times at events critical of anti-Semitism, where only those who already think that way come. But in order to bring points of view together and eliminate polarization, you would have to have an exchange and talk to both sides.