Universities don’t want to close the door on Israel
“We will never break ties with an entire country in any case,” rectors of Dutch universities write in the newspaper Trouw. That would only happen if the government advised or imposed it, “as was the case with Russia.”
The rectors magnifici of 15 universities (including the Open University and the University for Humanistics) explain in an opinion article why they do not want to simply break ties with Israeli universities.
The article appeared in the newspaper last Saturday following months of protests by students and faculty across the country. Activists occupied buildings, caused destruction, and accused Dutch universities of being complicit in genocide.
A legitimate question
The rectors deplore the occupations and vandalism. “Nonetheless, the question behind all these protests is legitimate: How do we relate to our sister institutions in areas of large-scale conflict?”
The rectors consider academic freedom at universities to be paramount. In academic cooperation you can enter into a dialogue about core values, they reason, even if those core values are under pressure at those other institutions.
This does require “that we address our sister institutions if core values are violated,” they write, or that they “distance themselves from it if such a conversation proves impossible.”
Open
“We fully understand that this is not the answer some of us want to hear,” they write. “But engaging in open, academic conversation and debate, especially at this difficult, polarizing time weighs very heavy on us.”
Elsewhere they write, “We feel it is important not to isolate critical Israeli scholars, just as much as we feel strongly about supporting our Palestinian colleagues.”
They briefly mention the accusation of responding differently to Russia than to Israel. Then the government imposed the response, they indicate. Outgoing Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf also pointed out that difference: There are international sanctions against Russia, but not against Israel.
Reactions
Trouw immediately polled reactions from activists and they are not enthusiastic. The letter is naive and even cowardly, says one of them. After all, how do you engage in a dialogue when there is practically no academic freedom in Israel, as a recent book by anthropologist Maya Wind argues.
Others, on the contrary, want to engage in debate about this topic, saying. “If that policy is defensible, I think board members with all their experience should be very able to have that discussion with a group of students,” says a student from Wageningen.
Last week, a right-wing majority in the House of Representatives called on universities especially not to give in to demonstrations. Activists, however, continue to increase the pressure. As of last Friday, a special website maps universities’ ties with Israel.
