Response to the committee's advice
On Monday 14 July, the Leiden University’s Committee on External Collaborations – Human Rights and Conflict Zones issued its advice on Leiden University’s student exchange programs with Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University. Leiden Scholars for Palestine (LSP) welcomes the advice to suspend the student exchange programs, because of these institutions’ complicity in Israel’s Apartheid regime, human rights violations, and current genocide in Gaza.
We see this as an important first step towards severing all ties with complicit institutions. It is also a confirmation that mobilisation and pressure works. Indeed, this decision—unthinkable even just a year ago—has been made possible by the hundreds of students and staff members who have marched, occupied, signed petitions and pledges, and demanded that the University take action.
At the same time, we also want to underscore that this advice can only be a first step. First of all, the Executive Board (CvB) has yet to make a decision. Second, the committee advises to suspend the exchange program ‘until further notice’, without specifying what ethical conditions Israeli institutions should meet in order to resume the exchange programs. Finally, the advice does not extend to all other ties between Leiden and Israeli institutions, including research collaborations and shared EU Horizon projects.The inconsistency in such a decision will need to be resolved as quickly as possible
LSP continues to demand the suspension of all ties with all Israeli academic institutions, in line with the call made in 2004 by our Palestinian colleagues, and we call on all students and staff members of conscience to join us in taking action and demanding Leiden ends its complicity with Israeli crimes. Only mobilisation got us this far. Only mobilisation will take us further.
