UK historian declines Israeli prize, citing conflict with Palestinians
Prof. Catherine Hall of UCL says she doesn’t wish to accept award after discussions on regional situation

A British historian rejected a prestigious Israeli prize due to be awarded this week, saying her decision came after “many discussions” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Haaretz reported Sunday that Prof. Catherine Hall of University College London declined the Dan David Prize, along with its monetary reward of hundreds of thousands of dollars, ahead of the Tel Aviv ceremony.
The British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) posted on Facebook a comment by Hall in which she said that, “This was an independent political choice, undertaken after many discussions with those who are deeply involved with the politics of Israel-Palestine, but with differing views as to how best to act.”
Hall was due to receive the prize for her “impact on social history, as a pioneer in gender history, race and slavery. While active in the women’s liberation movement, her work focused on women’s history in the 1970s,” Haaretz said.
BRICUP, which supports a boycott of Israel, described Hall’s move as “a significant endorsement of the campaign to end ties with Israeli institutions,” adding that her renouncing of the $1 million prize was Hall “placing principle above financial gain.”
In a significant endorsement of the campaign to end ties with Israeli institutions, Professor Catherine Hall of…
Posted by British Committee for the Universities of Palestine on Tuesday, May 10, 2016
The pro-Palestinian group said that Hall’s stance was reinforced by a decision from Hebrew University professor David Shulman, who last week chose to donate the NIS 75,000 ($20,000) he won for the Israel Prize to Ta’ayush, an Israeli NGO that works with Palestinians in the West Bank. He was awarded the prize for his work on Indian languages and culture.
Late entrepreneur and philanthropist Dan David created the eponymous prize in 2002 to recognize and encourage “innovative and interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms,” according to the foundation website.
The prize is a joint international enterprise, endowed by the foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University.
Every year, winners of the prize are determined for each of the three time dimensions — past, present and future — with $1 million awarded to each.