Spanish universities cut ties with Israel

Dozens of Spanish universities have announced that they will cut all ties with Israeli institutions and research centers considered “complicit” in the war in Gaza.

The Conference of University Rectors in Spain (CRUE), a non-profit coalition of 76 Spanish universities, made the announcement following widespread student protests across the country.

It also follows a decision by the University Council of Barcelona to end its ties with complicit Israeli academic institutions and companies.

CRUE said it was about “suspending cooperation agreements with Israeli universities and research centers that have not expressed a firm commitment to peace and compliance with international humanitarian law.”

The move was welcomed by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), which said it was an important measure that all international universities should follow.

Haidar Eid, associate professor of postcolonial literature at Gaza’s Al-Aqsa University, said the decision was a “historic, concrete step” to hold Israel and its complicit academic institutions accountable.

Mr Eid said Israeli forces had destroyed every university in Gaza and killed some of his students and colleagues, while some universities in the country had “bragged” about offering support.

“The decision of the universities in Spain and the student uprisings that led to this decision give us hope that justice can and will prevail,” he added.

“Israeli universities have a long and well-documented history of actively supporting the Israeli regime of military occupation, settler colonialism and apartheid.”

The decision comes at a time when student camps are spreading across Spanish university campuses, reflecting calls around the world for universities to end their institutional relationships with complicit companies and Israeli universities.

Trinity College Dublin has also pledged to end financial ties with Israeli companies after students held a five-day camp at the university, while Queen’s University Belfast will divest from companies cited by the UN Human Rights Council for “carrying out listed activities in the United Nations.” “Palestine” was named in connection with…”

Meanwhile, clashes continued between students protesting at the University of Amsterdam and police.

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