Some 45 lecturers at the Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba signed a petition initiated by the ‘Im Tirzu’ movement condemning an article written by Dr. Neve Gordon, who teaches political science at the university, in which he called on the world to boycott Israel, Army Radio reported on Wednesday night.

Gordon betrayed his position as an academic whose work is funded by tax money, the petition redportedly states, adding that the op-ed, which was published in the Los Angeles Times in August, made cynical use of academic freedom and freedom of speech.

The university’s administration has harshly criticized Gordon’s position.