Dutch university freezes collaborations with 3 Israeli universities

ISTANBUL

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) in the Netherlands announced Thursday that it froze institution-wide collaborations with three Israeli universities.

"Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is immediately freezing its collaborations with Bar-Ilan University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Haifa," it said in a statement.

Depending on the advice of the independent Advisory Committee on Sensitive Collaborations (ACGS), the decision will suspend existing programs and will not allow new research collaborations to be initiated.

"Our international collaborations are based on academic freedom and scientific diplomacy. But that freedom has limits when fundamental human rights are at stake. Based on the committee’s investigation, we consider the risk of indirect involvement in human rights violations too high," Annelien Bredenoord, president of the executive board noted.

The collaborations with the three universities were suspended due to Bar-Ilan's "significant risk" of being involved in human rights violations and the other two school’s relationships with the Israeli military (IDF), based on the committee's investigation.

"To consider future institutional collaboration with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Haifa, the Executive Board requires these universities to demonstrably distance themselves from involvement in human rights violations, particularly regarding research activities in occupied territories and cooperation with the IDF," it said.

Acknowledging that the decision would provoke diverse reactions, the executive board expressed solidarity with those affected by the war in the Gaza Strip.

"We see that students and staff, both with Jewish/Israeli backgrounds and from the pro-Palestinian movement, sometimes no longer feel safe to speak out. That affects us deeply. We remain committed to a safe and respectful campus where there is room for dialogue, differing opinions, and mutual respect, recognizing that perceived insecurity cannot always be fully controlled," it added.