Students and staff who have been calling for severing ties with Israeli universities for more than a year now see confirmation of their demands in the Advisory Committee's report. ‘It should have happened already, let us hope it will not be put it off for weeks still.’

‘This report confirms the arguments and facts that have been heard on campus for over a year now,’ says Assistant Professor of Political History Adriejan van Veen, who previously called for severing ties between Radboud University and Israeli institutions.

Van Veen is pleasantly surprised by the degree of autonomy claimed by the International Partnerships Committee. In a report published last night, the Committee advises the Executive Board of Radboud University to suspend cooperation with two Israeli universities.

‘I found the assignment of the Executive Board, to assess collaboration in relation to the University’s vision and mission, somewhat vague. So it is a good thing that the Committee recommends freezing cooperation based on moral and legal considerations.’

Unambiguous advice

A spokesperson for Nijmegen Student Encampment, the organisation behind Pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus, also notes that the report states what the movement has been claiming since first setting up a tent camp on campus. ‘The recommendation unambiguously confirms what we have been saying for over a year now,’ says the spokesperson, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Despite being positive about the conclusions, Van Veen is critical of some aspects of the Advisory Committee’s report. ‘Some facts are not included, such as the quota that is in place at the Israeli universities in question for students from an Israeli-Palestinian background. Or take radical right-wing campus organisations like Im Tirtzu, that harass critical staff members, or the study credits given by Hebrew University to students who collaborate with these organisations.’

Military and arms industry

Van Veen also wonders why the Committee recommends only freezing ties with Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, when Radboud University is also collaborating with other institutions, such as the Technion and Weizmann Institute of Science. ‘These institutions are also intertwined with the military and the arms industry,’ says Van Veen.

The Nijmegen Encampment spokesperson feels strongly that the report calls for a freeze not only on university-wide collaborations, but also on other academic collaborations with Israeli universities and institutions. ‘That was not the case in the reports of Tilburg and Amsterdam.’

‘History will not be lenient in judging boards that ignore such advice’

According to Van Veen, the recommendation does not lie. ‘It now remains to be seen what the Executive Board will do with it. It is to be hoped that the same will not happen as in Tilburg.’

The board in Tilburg received a similar recommendation in January, but has so far failed to sever any ties. Van Veen: ‘That is outrageous; it is a delaying tactic that is sending everyone into a frenzy. I hope the same does not happen in Nijmegen. History will not be lenient in judging boards that ignore such advice’

Absurd

The Nijmegen Encampment spokesperson finds it absurd that the Executive Board still wants to seek advice from staff and students. ‘So basically, they are now going to ask for our opinion on the recommendation put forward by an advisory committee that they themselves established. We are only going to confirm what has already been written. Break ties and end our complicity in this genocide and colonial oppression, that is our minimum demand.’

In the conversation about the report that the Executive Board plans to have with staff and students on Monday, Adriejan van Veen will be among those calling for an immediate severance of ties. ‘It should have happened already, let us hope it will not be put off for weeks still. The message is clear now.’