More than 1,300 Israeli academics demand end to Gaza war, warn of “moral collapse”

06/02/2025 / By Laura Harris

Over 1,300 Israeli academics signed an open letter on May 27 demanding an immediate end to the war in Gaza, accusing the state of war crimes and warning of a “moral collapse” in society.
The initiative was led by the Black Flag Action Group, invoking a legal concept that deems immoral orders illegal to follow and urging academia to take a public stand against the war.
The letter acknowledges the complicity of Israeli academia, criticizing its silence and inaction as enabling crimes against humanity.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joined the criticism, saying he can no longer defend Israel’s conduct, calling it “indiscriminate, cruel and criminal.”
Olmert directly blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right ministers for the devastation in Gaza, calling for their removal and saying their actions have harmed Israel’s moral integrity.

A powerful wave of dissent has emerged from within Israel’s academic community, as more than 1,300 professors, researchers and lecturers from across its universities and colleges signed an open letter demanding an immediate end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The letter, sent to the heads of Israel’s academic institutions on May 27, accuses the state of committing war crimes and warns of a looming “moral collapse” in Israeli society. It calls on the entire higher education system to take a firm stance and “mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza.”

“This is a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing,” the letter read. “We cannot claim that we did not know. We have been silent for too long. For the sake of the lives of innocents and the safety of all the people of this land … if we do not call to halt the war immediately, history will not forgive us.”

The letter was organized by a collective calling itself the Black Flag Action Group. The group’s name references a principle in Israeli legal tradition that a “black flag” hangs over orders that are so manifestly immoral they are illegal to follow.

“As academics, we recognize our own role in these crimes. It is human societies, not governments alone, that commit crimes against humanity,” the letter continued. “Some do so by means of direct violence. Others do so by sanctioning the crimes and justifying them, before and after the fact, and by keeping quiet and silencing voices in the halls of learning. It is this bond of silence that allows clearly evident crimes to continue unabated without penetrating the barriers of recognition.”

The letter represents one of the most forceful and coordinated public condemnations of the war from within Israeli civil society, particularly from a traditionally cautious academic sector. Signatories include prominent figures from major institutions, such as Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University and the Technion.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joins the public in criticizing Israel and its war crimes against Gaza

Their plea comes amid growing public criticism in Israel over the ongoing military operation in Gaza.

Even former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he can no longer defend the country from mounting international accusations of war crimes. Olmert, who governed Israel from 2006 to 2009, denounced the “indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians” in Gaza. He then said the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies amount to war crimes. (Related: War on Gaza: Israeli ‘massacre’ kills over 100 Palestinians seeking food in Gaza City.)

Once a vocal defender of Israel on the international stage, Olmert said he has reached a moral breaking point. He criticized the unjustified continuation of military operations in Gaza, saying they serve no strategic interest and are damaging Israel’s standing and moral integrity.

“I think that we have to make sure that no uninvolved people in Gaza are hurt because of the expansion of these military operations, which is entirely unjustified and doesn’t serve any important interests of the state of Israel at this point,” Olmert said.

The former prime minister reserved his most direct criticism for Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

“I hope that this government will disappear as soon as possible. I believe that the majority of Israelis are sick and tired of these policies, of these statements, of what the terrible damage that was caused by this government to the moral integrity of the state of Israel and the people of Israel,” he said.

Visit WWIII.news for more stories about the consequences of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Watch this clip about how children in Gaza are “paralyzed with fear” and many are lacking access to basic necessities.

This video is from the Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.