 The worldwide network of academics and scientists was founded in 2003 by Dr. Andrew Marks, Chairman and Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, and editor in chief of the "Journal of Clinical Investigation", as a result of proposals raised within most prominent academic communities, notably in England, South Africa, United States, Canada, Australia, and even Israel to boycott Israeli academics; proposals that supporters and opponents maintain are either a legitimate response to the Israeli-Arab conflict or an example of what some have described as "new anti-Semitism.