University of Haifa’s Rector Jossi Ben Artzi was recently denied an Egyptian visa. Professor Ben Artzi’s request for a visa to attend the Euro-Mediterranean University’s convention on June 11 and 12 in Alexandria was denied without any explanation. The Euro-Mediterranean University’s Rector, Professor Joseph Mifsud, reportedly sent a letter of protest to Egypt’s authorities.
This action represents part of a recent pattern of denying visas to Israeli scholars seeking to attend international conferences solely on the basis of their nationality. We recently wrote on behalf of Dr. Uri Seligsohn, professor of hematology and director of the Amalia Biron Research Institute of Thrombosis and Hemostasis at Tel Aviv University, prevented by Egyptian authorities from attending a meeting of the International Society on Thrombosis and Homeostasis in Cairo.