Erasmus University in Rotterdam is ending its alliances with three Israeli universities: Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the University of Haifa.

The university has now frozen exchange programmes and said it will not start any new joint research projects.

The decision was taken on the advice of an independent committee which last week highlighted ties between the three universities and the Israeli army, as well as involvement in research projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In particular, “there are significant risks that Bar-Ilan is involved in human rights violations,” the university said. The other two universities’ relationships with the Israeli army also mean that the risk of involvement in human rights violations is too high.

University president Annelien Bredenoord said in a statement that academic freedom “has limits when fundamental human rights are at stake”.

“As long as we lack confidence that collaboration would not indirectly involve EUR in human rights violations, institutional collaborations and existing exchange programmes will remain frozen, and no new collaborations will be initiated,” she said.

Several other Dutch universities have already suspended their alliances with Israeli institutions.

Last month Tilburg University halted its alliance with Bar-Ilan and Reichman universities near Tel Aviv because there was an “inseparable link” between them and the Israeli army.

Also in May, Radboud University in Nijmegen broke its ties with the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University saying “human rights violations by Israel in the Palestinian territories are serious and systematic, and that in some cases, the universities in question contribute to direct and specific human rights violations.”

Amsterdam University earlier stopped its exchange student programme with the Hebrew University, but does still work with other Israeli institutions.

Continuing research

According to research by investigative website Follow the Money, eight Dutch universities are still involved in 28 research projects funded by European subsidies which “could end up with the Israeli army”.

Twelve of these projects, which have both civilian and military uses, began after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, FTM said.

Weapons experts told FTM that Delft is working on seven dual use projects with Israeli partners, while Eindhoven is involved in eight.