Advisory committee delayed: opinion on cooperation with Israel delayed
-
Pro-Palestinaprotest op de Heyendaalseweg. Foto: Johannes Fiebig
The advisory committee will review Radboud University’s international partnerships in a few weeks. Last summer, talks were held between the board and administrators of two Israeli partner universities.
The executive board promised the pro-Palestine demonstrators who camped in the encampment next to the Maria Montessori building for four weeks last spring. Before the start of this academic year, an advisory committee would be formed with the task of studying and weighing Radboud University’s international partnerships.
That deadline has not been met. ‘We appear to need a little more time to set this up properly,’ said a spokesperson from the university. ‘We want to do this carefully.’
Experts
The committee should be formed in a few weeks though. The spokesperson stressed that the forerunners have completed their work, after which the college can get to work on forming the committee. ‘We have come a long way by doing this now.’
The advisory committee will start by assessing cooperation with universities in large-scale conflict areas, rector magnificus José Sanders told Vox last June. herefore, the committee will first study cooperation with organisations in Israel and the Palestinian territories. For that study, the committee will also consult experts to share their knowledge. Who these experts will be is not yet known.
The committee must then make a recommendation to the college board. A decision on whether to end a partnership with Israeli partner universities, as demanded by the pro-Palestine protesters, lies with the college.
Hebrew University
In the meantime, talks did take place between the Nijmegen Executive Board and administrators of Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, two partner institutions of Radboud University. ‘During these conversations, major concerns were shared regarding human rights violations and there were probing and open discussions about the core values of academic freedom,’ says the university spokesperson.
The spokesperson would not comment further or on the content of the talks and any implications for partnerships between Radboud University and these institutions. The responses will be shared with the advisory committee to be set up. It will then be up to the committee to formulate a recommendation to the college.
Rules of conduct for demonstrations of campus
The Executive Board of Radboud University plans to draw up a rule of conduct for future gatherings on campus, with a separate focus on gatherings with potential risk. This includes protests. This is what a spokesperson told Vox editors. He did not want to rush disclosing the content of the criteria.
Whether the plans are a consequence of the pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus last spring is not clear. In those demonstrations, vans from the mobile unit appeared on campus twice. Their first appearance was after the occupation of the Erasmus building, the second appearance was after the occupation of TvA1, during which protesters also used vandalism, and after which mayor Hubert Bruls announced strict measures.
For several weeks, protesting was only possible in a car park next to the Elinor Ostrom building. A sharp curtailment of the right to demonstrate, which was strongly criticised by several Nijmegen councillors. After a few weeks, the mayor lifted the measure again.
The executive board’s proposal will be discussed at the first Joint Assembly of the new academic year, on October 7th. The participation council has the right of consent to the proposal.
Translated by Lieke Stevens
