A new Channel 14 investigation has uncovered a funding network that it says channels Qatari-linked money through London into Arab organizations, students, researchers and academic institutions in Israel, raising concerns over whether the funding is being used to influence discourse on Israeli campuses.
According to the investigation, the funding route centers around brothers Azmi and Marwan Bishara, who are linked to the London-based Galilee Foundation. Significant sums have reportedly been transferred through the foundation to Arab organizations and institutions in Israel, with the amount increasing sharply over the past two years.
Channel 14 reports that the Association for Arab Culture in Haifa received approximately 18 million shekels over a five-year period, while additional funding went to organizations including Mada al-Carmel and Baladna.
A significant portion of the funding is also directed toward scholarships for Arab students and researchers. The Galilee Foundation reportedly maintains ongoing relationships with recipients, with some of its activities emphasizing Palestinian identity and affiliation.
The investigation raises questions over whether the money is simply providing financial assistance or is helping build a longer-term network of ideological influence inside Israeli academia.
Senior lecturers and professors who spoke with Channel 14 described what they said was an environment in which researchers learn which subjects and positions are more likely to receive funding and which views could damage their ability to secure grants, publish research or advance professionally.
Some academics told the outlet that the result is self-censorship, with researchers allegedly avoiding certain questions, softening positions or adjusting conclusions out of concern that expressing unpopular views could carry professional consequences.
The investigation places the funding within Qatar’s broader international influence efforts, pointing to Doha’s extensive investments in media organizations, research institutions, foundations, universities and scholarship programs around the world.
Channel 14 said the findings raise a broader question over whether foreign funding is influencing which ideas, narratives and research receive prominence inside Israeli academia — and whether universities can preserve their intellectual independence when researchers believe their funding or careers may depend on conforming to particular positions.
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