Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
7 May
TOP WORLD SCIENTIST BOYCOTTS ISRAEL
On this day in
2013, Stephen Hawking backed the academic boycott of Israel by pulling out of a conference hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres. The world's most famous scientist took the step in protest at Israel's treatment of Palestinians. A figure of Hawking’s stature boycotting an event hosted by the Israeli President is a blow to Israel’s effort to appear invulnerable to BDS pressure. Israel tried to spin the cancellation as due to ill health but Hawking publicly rebutted this.
عالم من الدرجة الأولى في العالم يقاطع اسرائيل
7 مايو
في مثل هذا اليوم من عام 2013 ، أيد ستيفن هوكينغ المقاطعة الأكاديمية لإسرائيل بالانسحاب من مؤتمر استضافه الرئيس الإسرائيلي شيمون بيريز. اتخذ أشهر عالم في العالم هذه الخطوة احتجاجًا على معاملة إسرائيل للفلسطينيين. إن شخصية هوكينج التي تقاطع أحد الأحداث التي استضافها الرئيس الإسرائيلي هي بمثابة ضربة لجهود إسرائيل لتبدو غير معرضة لضغط حركة المقاطعة. حاولت إسرائيل تلفيق سبب الإلغاء على أنه لاسباب وعكة صحية ولكن هوكينغ نفى ذلك علنًا.
Stephen Hawking's boycott hits Israel where it hurts: science
What really winds up Israel is that this rejection comes from a famous scientist, and it is science that drives its economy, prestige and military strength
Hawking's refusal was made because of requests from Palestinian academics. The pro-Israel lobby seized on Cambridge University's initial false claim that he had withdrawn on health grounds to denounce the boycott movement, and their embarrassment when within a few hours the university shamefacedly corrected itself...the conference organisers were "outraged" by Hawking's decision.
Stephen Hawking repeatedly stood up for Palestine
Hawking had initially accepted the invitation to the conference, which was sponsored by Israel's then-president Shimon Peres, to express his opinion on the prospects for a peace settlement and seize the opportunity to lecture in the West Bank.After several emails from Palestinian academics, Hawking decided to withdraw his acceptance and boycott the conference altogether. "Had I attended, I would have stated my opinion that the policy of the present Israeli government is likely to lead to disaster," Hawking said at the time.
Stephen Hawking – the Death of a True Friend of Palestine
Hawking was the greatest theoretical physicist since Einstein and like him a political radical. He was not only a brilliant mathematician and scientist but he also applied the scientific principle to the chaotic and unfair society we live in. Politically he saw the State of Israel as a political black hole, nothing good could ever escape from it.Supporters of Israeli crimes responded to a supporter of Palestinian rights in the way we have long experienced on social media sites. “The anti-Semite Stephen Hawking can’t even wipe his own a**." / “He should die already!" / Hawking – widely considered one of the most intelligent men in the world today – is “also crippled in the head.” / “Someone should release the hand brake when he’s on a hill."
7-minute video on Hawking's support for BDS