Tilburg University suspends collaborations with two Israeli institutions

Tilburg University will no longer be working together with two universities in Israel. This means that no students or staff members will be going from Tilburg to Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv and the Reichman University in Herzliya.

The university in Brabant wanted to speak with both institutions about the collaboration, but "it proved impossible to conduct a dialogue on the risks of our cooperation for systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The collaboration with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem will continue for the time being. The institutions are in dialogue with each other, and in those talks, the Israeli university has given the impression that they are willing to be critical of themselves, Tilburg University stated.

With this, the university is deviating from the advice given by a special committee, which had advised the end of collaborations with all Israeli universities.

The suspension does not apply to collaborations between individual scientists from Tilburg and Israel. Their studies into aging and colon cancer do not lead to human rights abuses, according to the university.

They also added that collaborations with scientists from other countries are essential for “an academic society in which all freedom is open to discussion.”

The University of Amsterdam decided months ago to stop student exchanges with the Hebrew University. The Radboud University in Nijmegen will make a decision regarding their collaboration with Israeli universities next week after they were advised to suspend all ties with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

Protesting students and teachers feel these measures are not enough. They want all Dutch universities to break all ties with all institutions in Israel due to the war in the Gaza Strip.