Dutch universities continue facing backlash over Israeli research ties amid Gaza war
Dutch universities are under growing pressure from pro-Palestinian activists to cut research ties with Israeli institutions, but more than 140 collaborations allegedly remain in place, many supported by European Union funding, according to De Telegraaf.
The partnerships span fields such as physics, medicine, agriculture and technology, typically involving consortia of dozens of international partners. While none of the projects are explicitly military, at least 14 could lead to applications in defense, according to an investigation by De Telegraaf.
Concerns about so-called “dual-use” technologies—innovations that can serve civilian and military goals—have escalated since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began last year. Student protests have erupted at all 13 Dutch universities.
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has been singled out by demonstrators for refusing to end cooperation with Israeli partners. “WUR works on food security and flood mitigation,” a spokesperson said. “We do not collaborate on military projects with Israel.”
One WUR initiative includes more than 40 partners, among them the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority and the Reichman Institute. Activists argue that WUR should pull out because the Reichman Institute works with Elbit Systems, a defense contractor. WUR has also been criticized over its involvement in an EU-funded wildfire prevention study with Airbus, which supplies helicopters to the Israeli military.
Meanwhile, faculty at WUR have pledged not to supervise students who wish to join exchange programs with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which they accuse of housing students in occupied territories and training Israeli security forces. The university disputes that claim.
Several institutions, including universities in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Delft, Leiden, Tilburg, Radboud, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, have suspended most exchange programs with Israeli universities. Even degree programs such as Hebrew studies have been affected.
The University of Twente has reportedly taken a more cautious approach, keeping collaborations active while forming an ethics committee to review them. Ongoing Twente projects include mental health data research with Ben-Gurion University, water pollution detection with Haifa University, and elder-care innovations with Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center.
Twente is also allegedly involved with Delft University of Technology and defense firm Thales on technologies to protect vehicles from electromagnetic fields. Although Thales and Fokker are not Israeli, they reportedly supply components for F-35 jets used in Gaza.
TU Delft defends its engagement with defense industries as a "societal responsibility" to strengthen security amid geopolitical tensions. Nonetheless, it announced this summer that it would no longer start new projects with Israeli institutions over concerns about complicity in human rights abuses. Sixteen existing partnerships will continue under review, including work on hydrogen aircraft engines and drone systems for medical use. One Israeli partner, Flyvercity, develops drones for urban transport.
Dual-use potential is at the heart of the debate. One EU-backed program, worth more than 28 million euros, develops hybrid-electric aircraft materials and involves Israel Aerospace Industries, which manufactures both civilian and military systems, including the Iron Dome missile defense network.
“Almost everything is dual use,” Patrick Bolder of Dutch think tank HCSS told NOS. “Israel’s military AI is already so advanced I doubt we are contributing much.” Most Dutch research, universities note, is in early-stage development, far from deployment.
Eindhoven University of Technology has stressed that Israeli researchers do not represent the government. Even so, it suspended ties with the Technion earlier this year, citing the war’s impact on public perception. Joint research had focused on OLED screens and AI in construction.
“It’s not the science itself that changed,” Eindhoven’s board said, “but the situation in Gaza makes unrestricted cooperation morally untenable.”
