UvA halts exchange with Israeli and Hungarian institutions

The University of Amsterdam is temporarily ceasing student exchanges with the Hebrew University in Israel. The university also intends to take a new direction regarding its collaborations with Chinese and Hungarian institutions.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in 2023, the University of Amsterdam has been under scrutiny. Initially by demonstrators demanding that the UvA sever ties with Israel. However, as protests escalated into violence and destruction, politicians also began to look closely at the UvA’s policies.

A special committee of the university was tasked with examining ‘sensitive collaborations’. On Thursday, three recommendations were made public, one concerning the Israeli Hebrew University. According to the advice, the UvA should discontinue student exchanges with this institution. The Executive Board states that it will follow this recommendation.

The Hebrew University is too closely linked to the Israeli military, the recommendation states. Additionally, the university in Jerusalem does not distance itself from the human rights violations that, according to the UN, the country is committing in Gaza. Israeli students already in Amsterdam may complete their studies. Conversely, since the outbreak of the war, no students have travelled to Israel.

China

The UvA also asked the committee to examine its collaboration with China. Many PhD candidates come from that country with a so-called CSC scholarship to the Netherlands. However, these students sometimes have to share information with their government, which, the committee notes, poses a risk to knowledge security.

A new agreement with the Chinese CSC must include better guarantees ‘for academic freedom, knowledge security, data privacy, and the safety of PhD candidates’. The UvA is negotiating a new contract with China.

Hongarije

In Hungary, sanctions from the European Commission pose obstacles to collaboration with 26 universities. These institutions are seen as being too closely controlled by the repressive Hungarian regime, according to the UvA committee. This presents a problem for academic freedom.