Executive Board adopts committee’s recommendations on Israel-Palestine
The Executive Board proposes to take the decision to suspend the existing institutional student exchange programmes with two Israeli universities, and until further notice not to engage in any new exchange programmes with Israeli universities that have comparable links with the Israeli military (the Israel Defence Forces).
In taking this decision, the Executive Board adopts the two recommendations of the Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights. In the coming period the committee will prepare an advisory document on research partnerships with Israeli universities. As decided earlier, pending that advice, the university will not enter into any new institutional research collaborations.
Background
The war in Gaza and the protracted conflict between Israel and Palestine are inciting worldwide horror, sorrow, anger and division. These heartrending developments have also caused much unrest and concern among our students and staff. The university shares these concerns and wishes to offer a safe environment to exchange views with one another, the Executive Board comments. ‘In the past two years we have spoken with many students and staff about the war and the crisis in Gaza. The University Council has asked questions about the university’s links with Israeli universities, and we have received a number of petitions from students and staff on this issue. There have also been a number of protests, demonstrations and occupations of premises. At the same time, there are colleagues, students and alumni who advocate maintaining the links with Israeli universities.’
Meticulous process
Given the complexity and sensitivities surrounding this issue, the Executive Board chose to take a meticulous and stepwise approach. ‘We first had a working method developed that would help us to clearly define our norms and frameworks, and to conduct an expert evaluation of questions about the conduct of our partners and the subject matter of research projects. This working method is described in this advisory document and was adopted by the Executive Board on 27 May 2025 following consultation with the University Council and the Board of Governors. The crux of this working method is to look at three levels of internal collaboration: a combination of partner, activity and context.’
On 27 May 2025, the Executive Board established the Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights. This committee applied the newly developed working method to produce an initial advisory document about student exchange agreements with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. These exchanges were already put on hold in May 2024 pending the publication of the advisory report.
The committee’s advice
The committee forwarded its advice to the Executive Board on 11 July 2025. The committee made two recommendations:
- to suspend the existing student exchange programmes with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University until further notice, i.e. until the Executive Board sees fit to request a fresh advice from the Committee;
- not to enter into any new student exchanges with academic institutions in Israel that have comparable close relations with the Israeli military until further notice, i.e. until the Executive Board sees fit to submit new agreements to the Committee for consideration.
Read the full report (in Dutch).
The Executive Board wishes to adopt both recommendations. This would mean that the existing student exchange programmes with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University will be suspended until further notice. Should there be any future developments that appear to make it desirable to lift this suspension, this will first be submitted to the Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights for further advice.
Secondly, this would mean that until further notice there will be no new student exchange programmes with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. Any initiative to enter into a new student exchange programme with a different Israeli academic institution will first be submitted to the Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights for advice.
The Executive Board stresses – in line with the advice of the Committee on External Collaborations - Conflict Areas and Human Rights – that the suspension only applies to exchange programmes that have been agreed at institutional level. It does not have any effect on the admission of individual students or on academic contacts between individual members of staff. Individual students and researchers from Israel continue to be welcome on our campus.
Considerations of the Executive Board
A series of rulings by the International Court of Justice on the current situation in Gaza weighs heavily for the Executive Board in its assessment of the context in which exchange programmes with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University would now take place. ‘In addition, the committee also cites statements by the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, experts from the United Nations, the Court of Justice in The Hague and the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs. The committee in all instances substantiates these statements with reliable sources,’ the Executive Board comments (also see the box ‘The Committee’s advice: context’).
The Executive Board further considers that the United Nations Genocide Convention ascribes to all contracting parties the responsibility to take all possible actions to prevent genocide, and where necessary to take diplomatic, political or legal steps. Although the university itself is not a party to the convention, nor can it be, the Executive Board has taken this perspective into consideration in its decision. Suspension of the exchange agreements can potentially contribute to the broader objectives on which the Genocide Convention is founded.
Collaboration with the military
The Executive Board further considers that, with the sources cited, the Committee on Human Rights has convincingly substantiated that the two Israeli universities collaborate closely with the Israeli military (the Israel Defence Forces, IDF). The Executive Board endorses the committee’s comment on these relations: ‘Many universities throughout the world have collaborations with military institutions and the defence industry. In the case of the relations between, on the one hand, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, and, on the other hand, the Israeli military, it should be mentioned that internationally recognised legal institutions – including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – have determined that the current situation constitutes a plausible case of serious and systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms committed by the Israel Defence Forces, including the risk of genocide.
In conclusion
The Executive Board is aware that not everyone will consider the intended decision to be the desired outcome of this initial advisory process of the Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights. For some staff members and students this intended decision goes too far, and for others it does not go far enough. ‘As the Executive Board, we have conducted a meticulous evaluation before taking this intended decision. We will discuss this intended decision with the University Council, the deans of the faculties and the Board of Governors. We will also contact the rectors of Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.
The Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights is already working on the next part of the assignment, namely formulating advice on our research collaborations with Israeli universities. When the committee was established, the decision was taken not to enter into any new research partnerships until the decision-making process was completed. Naturally, as the Executive Board, we are also constantly in discussion with the university community and alumni of Leiden University.’
‘We very much want the dialogue with students and staff at our university to continue in a safe environment. Students and staff indicate that they would like to continue the dialogue with one another about their concerns regarding the war and the developments in the Middle East. To facilitate this, the university organises meetings where experts explain the situation and there is room for debate. Keep an eye on the university calendar for information about these meetings.’
The advice of the committee: context
The request to the Committee on External Collaborations – Conflict Areas and Human Rights to examine the student exchange agreements with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University should be regarded against the background of the current Israeli-Palestine conflict. The committee writes in its advisory report: ‘Information about the conflict is readily available and does not need to be repeated here in full. Suffice to recall that the current phase of the conflict started with the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023, when more than 1,100 people were killed. Wide-scale gender-related violence was also committed and at least 247 people were taken hostage. Israel retaliated with extensive military operations, notably in Gaza and the West Bank and in other areas. It is estimated that well over 50,000 people were killed, serious damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and universities, and the already extremely vulnerable Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip faced large-scale displacement. As early as January 2024, the situation in Gaza was already described as ‘catastrophic’, and the situation has since deteriorated further.’
The committee wrote in its advisory report: ‘In a series of interim rulings, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has considered it plausible that the right of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to protection from genocide and related prohibited acts as defined in Article III of the Genocide Convention was at stake, and that there was a real and immediate risk of irreparable harm. The ICJ ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive and all other actions in the Rafah Governate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza living conditions that could bring about its total or partial physical destruction.” To date, Israel has not complied with this order. It should be noted here that the ICJ has not yet delivered its opinion on the merits of the dispute; it may take years before a final judgement is reached.’ The Executive Board further recognises that there is increasing agreement among researchers that the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza meet the definition of genocide, as established in the United Nations Convention on Genocide.