Dissatisfaction over suspension of Israeli ties: ‘It’s not even a decision, nothing actually changes’

Disappointed reactions abound after Tilburg University decided to suspend its cooperation with two Israeli universities. Although critics have been calling for the termination of ties for months, the ‘suspension’ carries little weight in their eyes. ‘The university treats its students like fools.’

Demonstrators Palestine Solidarity on campus. Image: Jack Tummers

Yesterday, the university announced in a press release that it is suspending cooperation with two Israeli universities. ‘Misleading,’ says Panka Toma, lead candidate for the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA). ‘It’s too little, too late,’ says Rami Fransawi from Palestine Solidarity Tilburg (PST). Professor Michiel Bot agrees: ‘The press release is confusing and completely disregards the recommendations of the Advisory Committee.’

Exchange Cancelled

Students from Tilburg University will no longer be able to participate in exchange programs with two Israeli institutions: Bar-Ilan University and Reichman University. These institutions refused to engage in dialogue about the risk that academic cooperation contributes to violations of Palestinian human rights. Joint research will continue as usual.

Discussions are still ongoing with the Hebrew University, which is willing to engage in dialogue with Tilburg University. ‘Absurd,’ says Fransawi. ‘We are talking about a university partly built on illegally occupied land, that hosts military programs on campus and actively suppresses academic freedom.’

No Real Change

The university’s decision follows a report from the Tilburg Advisory Committee on Partnerships. At the end of last year, the committee advised suspending collaboration with Israeli academic partners.

‘In terms of student exchanges, nothing changes. We’re not sending students to Israel anyway due to the negative travel advice from the Dutch government,’ says Bot. ‘This decision changes only the optics, not the situation,’ Fransawi adds.

Israeli students are still welcome in Tilburg. The decision also leaves room for individual academic cooperation.

No Institutional Suspension

‘A suspension sounds promising, but nothing really changes,’ says Toma from PSA. ‘That’s incredibly frustrating, especially since the Executive Board took so long to come to a decision.’

Bot also calls the move insufficient: ‘The university refuses to implement the recommendation to suspend research cooperation with Israeli universities and uses misleading language by ignoring the institutional nature of those research projects.’

Fransawi notes that the university’s press release makes no mention of ongoing collaborations with Tel Aviv University, Technion, and the University of Haifa. ‘These are incorrectly presented as individual-level partnerships, while in fact, they are formal research projects between Tilburg University and these institutions, often funded through EU programs.’

According to Fransawi, the university acts as if it has taken a major step, while the opposite is true: ‘The university treats its students like fools.’

Critical Voices in the University Council

Last week, PSA celebrated a significant win, securing two seats in the university council. Toma: ‘I think PSA’s success shows that students are unhappy with the Executive Board. Unfortunately, they’ve made yet another disappointing decision.’

PST is protesting today with flags and signs at the library bridge. Their demand remains unchanged: sever all ties with Israeli partners.