Israeli delegation talks at EUR about situation at universities after freezing cooperation

At the end of May, a delegation from Israeli universities visited EUR to discuss mutual relations. No arrangements have been made about an end to the freeze on cooperation.

The delegation also spoke about this topic at Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, among others. Newspaper NRC reported this on Tuesday.

The delegation consisted of a representative of the umbrella organisation of Israeli universities and administrators from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. The meeting was an initiative of a lecturer at LUMC in Leiden, with the aim of ‘strengthening academic cooperation and student exchanges between the Netherlands and Israel’, according to the Leiden lecturer in NRC.

‘Open conversation’

A spokesperson for EUR states that the meeting took place at the initiative of the delegation and describes the encounter as ‘an open and informative conversation’, but makes it clear that no arrangements were made.

EUR froze its cooperation with three Israeli universities exactly a year ago on the advice of the Committee on Sensitive Collaborations. One of these universities is the Hebrew University, whose representative was part of the visiting delegation.

The university froze ties after a period of intense protests on campus against the violence that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza. According to the demonstrators, Israeli universities are complicit in the violence because of close cooperation with, among others, the Israeli army. Resumption of cooperation is, according to the Executive Board, only possible if the partner universities demonstrably keep their distance from the army.

Visit declined

In total, the Israeli delegation is said to have spoken with five Dutch institutions; the article does not specify which ones these were besides EUR, VU and Leiden University. What is clear is that Radboud University Nijmegen and Utrecht University turned down the offer of a visit. At EUR, the talks were held with a small delegation on behalf of the board, according to the spokesperson.
In a response in NRC, the spokesperson for the delegation calls the talks useful. Delegation member Guy Harpaz, professor of European law at the Hebrew University, says that ‘the administrators here understand very well that freezing ties exacts a price on both sides’. “The Netherlands also has a lot to lose. They also feel uncomfortable about it, that was clear.”

‘Double standards’

The delegation members argue in NRC that, with the boycotts and the freezing of cooperation with Israeli universities, the fact is being overlooked that there is a great deal of criticism within these institutions of the actions of the Netanyahu government. And they call it ‘applying double standards’ that ties with Israeli institutions have been severed while those with universities in other countries that are subject to heavy criticism, such as the US, have not.

A spokesperson for EUR tells NRC and Erasmus Magazine about the substance of the conversation: “The conversation was not about boycotts, but about the position in which Israeli universities find themselves. Among other things, the pressure on their own academic freedom, the relationship between the universities and the Netanyahu government, the critical space they are trying to safeguard internally and the effects of international developments on their students and on education and research. We mainly listened and asked questions because we think it is important to gain more insight into the situation at the Israeli institutions.”