Dear faculty members,

Please see the joint statement from the presidents and rectors of public universities, regarding the legislative changes planned in the legal arena. The statement was delivered to the media a short while ago and is agreed upon by the presidents and rectors of the following universities: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Bar Ilan, Weizmann, Ben Gurion, and Ariel.

From our points of view (Asher and Tamir) there were two critical issues: the first is that it should be a statement expressing a clear position as much as possible. The second is for the declaration to be agreed upon by all public universities. We consider a consensus to be of utmost importance.

Below is the statement:

We, the presidents and rectors of the research universities in Israel, express deep concern about the division and polarization in Israeli society and processes that could lead to real damage to the national strength and stability of the State of Israel.

We call upon the government and the Knesset to preserve the basic values of the Declaration of Independence, and in particular to preserve the rights of minorities, and the dignity of all persons.

As those who are entrusted with the research and education of the future generations of the State of Israel, we caution you that the proposed reform of the legal system could result in fatal damage to Israeli academia. This may manifest itself in brain drain and in the fact that faculty members will hesitate to join our ranks; that students, research students, post-doctoral students and international colleagues will not come to Israel; that our access to international research funds will be limited; that foreign industries will withdraw from cooperation with Israeli academia; And that we would be excluded from international research and the education community. All of these are expected to have far-reaching and long-term impact on the security, prosperity and social resilience of the State of Israel.

We call on the government and the Knesset to avoid rapid constitutional changes without a sincere and meaningful parliamentary and public discourse on the controversial issues and their impact on security, the economy and society in Israel. We caution against an uncontrolled procedure and call for a gradual implementation of changes, if it is decided to make them, in stages, to ensure results that will benefit the State of Israel and its citizens.

Best regards,

Asher and Tamir