Flemish universities to limit cooperation with Israeli partners.
Flemish universities will no longer initiate new partnerships with Israeli entities involved in serious human rights violations, the Flemish Inter-University Council (VLIR) announced on Friday. Several pro-palestine students have argued that VLIR’s approach is not strict enough.
The announcement follows the publication of an open letter in mid-January, signed by nearly 6,700 students and staff members. The letter urged universities to sever academic ties with Israel due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian territories.
Flemish universities have now resolved not to establish new academic collaborations with Israeli partners involved in serious human rights abuses.
The VLIR’s human rights review, developed by experts in 2019, is being applied. This includes scrutinising collaborations with Israeli research partners. “Ongoing projects have undergone additional in-depth scrutiny, on a case-by-case basis, at all universities, particularly in light of the severity of the conflict,” the VLIR assured.
However, several pro-palestine students and activists who occupied the University of Ghent last year have criticised the lack of transparency on the details of the project assessments. Moreover, they argue that the human rights test of VLIR’s is not struct enough, and questioned the definition of a “serious” human rights violation. According to the students, each violation should carry the same weight.
On Wednesday, some 50 students and professors also demonstrated at the headquarters of the VLIR in Ravenstein Gallery in Brussels to reiterate their demands for a boycott of academic institutions in Israel.
Among the signatories of the open letter were 32 deans, 1,279 professors, 1,574 researchers, 657 administrative and technical staff members, and 3,343 students. Several honorary doctorate holders also supported the boycott call.
Notable signatories included television producer and war journalist Rudi Vranckx, climate activist Greta Thunberg, musician Brian Eno, and director Ish Ait Hamou.
