More than 4,500 students and academics call for academic boycott of Israel
More than 4,500 students and university staff, including 1,100 professors, have called on Belgian universities and colleges to sever academic ties with Israel. The demand was made in an open letter published on Wednesday and signed by academics, students and public figures, including philosopher Slavoj Žižek, journalist Rudi Vranckx and author Ish Ait Hamou.
The appeal follows the decision by the University of Antwerp, Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel to award honorary doctorates in April to Francesca Albanese and Professor Noura Erakat.
“With this, the universities signal their commitment to international law, human rights, and institutional responsibility in the face of occupation, apartheid, mass violence, and genocide,” the letter states. “But history is not written with ceremonies alone. Now that the applause has faded, the implications of the tribute to Albanese and Erakat can no longer be ignored.”
The signatories argue that the situation in Palestine “is only getting worse”. They also refer to Israel's actions elsewhere in the region, citing “an illegal war against Iran”, repeated violations of ceasefires in Lebanon and the expansion of what they describe as the “Gaza Doctrine” to Lebanon.
Calls for ending collaborations
The group demands the immediate termination of all academic collaborations with Israel and an “immediate moratorium on new collaborations”. They also call for the termination of contracts with companies including Dell, Teva and Microsoft.
In addition, the signatories advocate a coordinated European approach. “We call upon the rectors to also actively urge the Belgian government to take all measures to ensure compliance with international law – including, where necessary, unilateral measures in accordance with binding legal obligations as formulated by the International Court of Justice. This is particularly urgent in light of the negotiations on the next Horizon Europe framework (2028–2034).”
The letter also calls on Belgian universities to contribute actively to the reconstruction of Palestinian knowledge and higher education institutions.
Earlier appeal
The signatories note that similar demands have already been made. In January 2025, more than 7,000 academics in Belgium, including over 1,200 professors and 40 honorary doctorate holders, called on universities to fulfil what they described as their legal obligations.
“These demands are not new,” the students and staff write. “The urgency has only increased. We must heed the calls for solidarity and justice from our Palestinian colleagues and put an end to Israel's impunity.”
Pro-Palestinian activists are occupying the UGent university rectorate. © BELGA PHOTO JONAS D'HOLLANDER
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