Belgian University Cuts Ties with All Israeli Universities

Ghent University in Belgium has severed its ties with all Israeli universities and research institutions due to their involvement with human rights policies in Jerusalem. The decision was announced on Friday by the Belgian higher education institution.

Since May, there have been strong protests at Ghent University in response to Israeli attacks in Palestine. Some parts of the university campus have seen ongoing protests by students demanding action against Israel.

Known as UGent in Europe, the university's investigation committee found connections between Israeli educational institutions and the Israeli government, military, or security services. The university expressed concerns in a statement, referencing a ruling by the International Criminal Court (ICC) that mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza in recent months, which the university has taken into account.

Two weeks ago, UGent had already severed ties with three Israeli institutions. The university has partnerships with 18 Israeli academic institutions.

However, the university stated that it will continue research projects with six non-academic Israeli institutions, as they found no links to human rights violations with these entities.

Earlier last week, two other Belgian universities also announced changes to their policies regarding cooperation with Israeli institutions. The University of Antwerp stated that it would continue ongoing research projects with Israeli institutions but would suspend new ones.

Meanwhile, a report by the US media outlet CBS stated that Harvard University has announced it will not award degrees to 13 students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Citing a university regulation related to degree qualifications, the statement said that the students violated university policies by participating in the campus protests, and thus, their degrees cannot be awarded at this time.