Reward Offered by Anti-Israel Group for Killing Scholar
A website associated with an anti-Israel organization is allegedly offering a reward of up to $100,000 for the assassination of an Israeli academic. The group, known as Justice for Punishment, has laid out explicit goals and compensation, which includes not only the large bounty but also lesser amounts for other violent acts, such as $50,000 for killing other targets and $20,000 for arson.
The information comes from reports by The Jerusalem Post, which also states that personal details like home addresses and phone numbers of the targeted scholars—many affiliated with institutions like Ben-Gurion University, Harvard, and Oxford—were disclosed. The group’s website, created last summer and believed to be based in the Netherlands, briefly went offline recently but was back up by the next day.
This English-language site points to the recent Gaza conflict and refers to the targets as “criminals and collaborators.” It makes serious accusations, claiming they are involved in distributing weapons to the Israeli military and have a role in the deaths of Palestinian children.
Interestingly, while the group claims it had warned these individuals to cease their activities with the Israeli Defense Forces, two of the targeted academics asserted they hadn’t received any such notifications. Some, particularly those from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, indicated they had no involvement in military projects, casting doubt on the group’s understanding of their work.
One of the targeted professors expressed concern over the lack of comprehensive measures to protect those threatened, stating, “Simply taking down the website doesn’t ensure safety for us or our families.” This sentiment echoes a broader anxiety regarding personal safety amid such violent rhetoric.
On a somewhat lighter note, Michael Bronstein, a professor of computer science at Oxford, seemed unfazed by the bounty, remarking that he finds it “crazy” and expressing disappointment over the low monetary value placed on his life. “I was shocked my head was valued so cheaply,” he noted, humorously adding that anything less than seven figures feels offensive.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League has been contacted for a response to this alarming situation.
