Daniel Amit, an Israeli physicist, won a French scientific
prize, but the French government refused to award it to him
due to his Israeli origin and Arab opposition. The affair has
aroused a scandal in French scientific circles.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry pressured the French
Association of Physics to deny Dr. Amit the prize named after
a Lebanese scientist, out of fear of the antagonism it might
arouse against France in the Arab world. Amit has been active
for many years on behalf of the Palestinians, and was even
imprisoned in Israel due to his refusal to serve in the
territories in the Israel Defense Forces. This is the Arab
response to an Israeli who exploited his international fame
as a physicist in service of Arab propaganda.
After Dr. Amit was chosen as winner of the prize established
in memory of the Lebanese scientist, Shi'i Ramel, the French
Foreign Affairs Ministry asked Lebanon whether awarding the
prize to an Israeli might arouse anger among the Arabs. The
Lebanese opposed awarding the prize to Amit, and the Foreign
Affairs Ministry managed by devious means to cancel the
awarding of the prize. The Lebanese press aroused incitement
against Amit and denounced the awarding of the prize to an
Israeli. Aspir described the cancellation as a
victory.
"A disgraceful affair," said the French scientist Gerard
Toulouse, the head of the Awards Committee in Ecole Normalle
Soufrir in Paris. In his opinion, "this will strengthen the
hawks in Israel."
