Israeli universities threaten legal action over boycott

The Hebrew University has criticised the Dutch research institute NIAS for its decision to cease collaboration with Israel. “Discrimination”, says the rector of the Hebrew University.

The academic world is grappling with the question of whether it is still appropriate to collaborate with Israeli institutions in light of the war in Gaza. NIAS (Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, KNAW) believes it is not. Although the institute already had no direct ties with the country, it wants to send a message: it does not wish to engage with this Israeli government.

That constitutes discrimination, says the rector of the Hebrew University in the newspaper NRC. The Israeli association of universities agrees and has hired a lawyer in Brussels to challenge the decision.

Individual scholars welcome

NIAS staff have not travelled to Israel since last year. However, individual Israeli researchers remain welcome, according to NIAS. In fact, this year it is hosting a scholar from the Hebrew University in Amsterdam, a spokesperson said. NIAS also continues its collaboration within an international alliance with the IIAS, its Israeli counterpart. The IIAS was, incidentally, founded by the same Hebrew University.

The Hebrew University is one of the oldest universities in Israel. According to activists, almost all Dutch universities maintain ties with it. Tilburg University, which is still deciding on a recommendation to end such collaborations, also runs exchange programmes with the university, according to its website.

French boycott not allowed

The lawyer for the Israeli association of universities referred to a 2009 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights. In that case, a French mayor was reprimanded for calling for a boycott of Israeli products.

However, NIAS director Jan Willem Duyvendak argues that the 2009 ruling is irrelevant to the current situation. “We oppose violations of academic freedom by Israel, just as we do when other countries trample on it.” He described the legal threat as a form of “intimidation”.

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, which oversees several research institutes, supports NIAS and considers it logical for researchers to critically evaluate their collaborations.