UAntwerp puts general collaboration agreements with Israel on hold
28 May 2024
In an interlocutory judgment, the International Court of Justice recently issued another binding ruling in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. As a result, the University of Antwerp has decided to introduce a moratorium on collaborations with Israeli partners.
‘Israeli partner establishments often have institutional collaborations with the military authorities,’ explains Rector Herman Van Goethem. ‘This is why general collaboration agreements have been put on hold. Ongoing research projects will be completed, but may be subject to additional review by the relevant ethics committee. Participation in new projects is possible only after a review by the said committee.‘
The University of Antwerp calls on its academic colleagues in Israel and Gaza to urge their governments to respect the International Court of Justice rulings on the Gaza conflict. The university also expresses the hope that all parties will abide by international law and that a period of reconciliation and peace will emerge as soon as possible, allowing Gaza to be governed freely and democratically.
The University of Antwerp is open and transparent, and communicates clearly about its activities. Rector Herman Van Goethem explains that this is why the university also shares the list of collaborations with Israeli universities and organizations.
15 May 2024
The bloody terrorist attack by Hamas on 7 October of last year and the Israeli response involving largescale destruction and a great many civilian casualties in Gaza have left no one indifferent.
Now more than ever, we need to think about how to end wars and conflicts, not just in the Near East but also in Europe, Africa and elsewhere. As I recently said: ‘Sometimes, extreme polarisation leads not only to the death of soldiers, but also to that of many innocent men, women and children. This requires us to take pause, to take a step back and to not only punish perpetrators, but also look for reconciliation and peace.’
The inconceivable suffering and violations of human rights we have witnessed also evoke intense emotions in students and staff at the University of Antwerp. No one can remain neutral with all of this going on. And those who have formed an opinion on the matter will invariably be astonished to find that others have the complete opposite one.
What kind of attitude should a university adopt in such a context? Could this be a neutral one? In our Board of Governors meeting of 14 May, it was correctly pointed out that this isn’t the right question to ask. We’re not colourless, grey or neutral. However, it’s not a university’s place to adopt a stance towards concrete conflicts that greatly divide our democratic society. Instead, it must function as an agora where opinions can float around, reverberate and clash, so everyone can determine their own views.
As a university we are not adopting a stance, but as members of the university we are not neutral. And the university does not expect us to be, on the contrary. Lecturers can share and defend their own views in classes and debates, as long as they respect academic standards. Students and staff can express their indignation, as is happening at universities all over the world, as long as they do so in a peaceful manner.
Needless to say, our university is grounded in human rights and democracy, in freedom and respect, in striving for social justice. The university has to bear out these principles, not by making symbolic statements that fuel polarisation, but by ensuring that we implement them in the way we do things. This means we reflect on our actions, as well as on our research and our collaborations with partners.
As a transparent and open university, UAntwerp wishes to communicate about its activities in a clear fashion. At the request of staff and students, as well as the media and peace organisations, we have drafted the list of all our ongoing collaborations with universities and other organisations in Israel. We have an Ethics Committee for Misuse, Human Rights & Security that evaluates the risks of our projects contributing to violations of human rights and democracy. To this end, we use a human rights assessment that was agreed upon within the Flemish Interuniversity Council. And just like other universities, our default point of departure isn’t the country or the institution but the individual project. It goes without saying that we are paying extra attention to collaborations in conflict regions where the chances of misuse are higher, but at the same time we do not want to cut off our lines of communication with local researchers, who often function as internal defenders of democracy and human rights within their institution or country.
Herman Van Goethem
Rector University of Antwerp