French-Israeli academic Eva Illouz denied top prize over ‘anti-Israel ideology’

Last Monday, Yoav Kisch, the Israeli Minister of Education, sent a letter to the members of the commission in charge of the prize to instruct them to reconsider their selection.

French-Israeli academic Eva Illouz denied top prize over ‘anti-Israel ideology’

Renowned sociologist Eva Illouz has been disqualified from receiving the Israel Prize, the country’s top cultural award, over her past support for a petition asking the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes in Gaza, in a move critics say is indicative of the government’s efforts to muzzle academia and silence dissent.

Eva Illouz is one of the most renowned and popular world sociologists, mainly for her exploration of emotions within the framework of the society of capitalist consumption. With French and Israeli nationality, she has written 12 essays translated into 23 languages, she teaches at universities in Princeton, Paris and Jerusalem, she has the Legion of Honor (the highest award of the French State), she was the first president of the Bezalel Academy …

Why the education minister is blocking Israel Prize for scholar who urged war crimes probe

Despite her outstanding achievements and criticism of antisemitism on the pro-Palestinian left, renowned sociologist Eva Illouz will not be receiving Israel's top prize because of a petition she signed in 2021 asking the ICC to investigate war crimes in Gaza

The Israeli Minister of Education blames the director of studies at the EHESS for an "anti-Israeli ideology".The scientific community is concerned about a drift targeting science, under the influence of the American example.

If Eva Illouz withdraws her signature under a 2021 petition to the ICC in The Hague, she would still be awarded Israel's highest cultural prize, according to protests Minister of Education Yoav Kisch announced.