University of Antwerp and Université Libre de Bruxelles suspend collaborations with Israeli institutes

Brussels – In Belgium, protests against Israel’s war in Gaza by students have brought results. The University of Antwerp and Université Libre de Bruxelles, which had long occupied parts of the campuses, have suspended collaborations with Israeli universities.

Student protests erupted in American universities have also reached Europe, and here, too, the call is for clarification of the institutions’ position regarding the Gaza invasion. After stopping collaboration with Israeli universities, the University of Antwerp and the Université Libre de Bruxelles have reassured their students that ongoing research projects will still be completed but may be subject to review by the relevant ethics committee.

The two universities have pushed for greater transparency on possible ties with Israeli institutions to meet students’ demands. At the same time, they have also communicated that they will not sign any agreements with Palestinian institutions until all hostages who have been in the hands of Hamas since the October 7 events are released.