First Western University Boycotts “Israel”

By Staff, Agencies

The Netherlands’ Utrecht University has become the first Western academic institution to fully boycott "Israel" over its genocide in Gaza, marking a historic break with a long-standing taboo in Western academia.

The decision, confirmed in a statement from Rector Wilco Hazeleger, comes after sustained pressure from “demonstrating students and staff.”

The university has “effectively stopped or suspended all institutional collaborations with 'Israeli' parties and will not start any new collaborations,” establishing a boycott that will remain “until further notice,” the statement said.

In his statement, Hazeleger described the move as a moral necessity. “The situation in the world, and in Gaza in particular, requires us to act with a moral compass. There is great human suffering,” he said.

While emphasizing the academy’s duty to foster open dialogue and research for peace, Hazeleger stated a clear red line had been crossed. “It is also clear when there is genocidal violence and a line has been crossed.”

The move aligns with the goals of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of "Israel" [PACBI], which considers it the result of strategic, principled work by students and university staff.

The boycott comes amid increasing international condemnation of "Israel’s" genocidal war on Gaza and its decades-long occupation of Palestinian lands.

Across the world, academic communities and students have intensified their demands for institutions to divest and boycott all entities complicit in apartheid and war crimes.

Academic institutions have come under significant pressure from professors and students to sever ties with "Israeli" entities that play direct or indirect roles in normalizing apartheid, research for military purposes, or sustaining the occupation.