02.04.25
Editorial Note
On March 13, 2025, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) announced that the Executive Board of the UvA decided to follow the advice of the “Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties” concerning three international collaborations – China, Israel and Hungary.
Regarding the UvA student exchange with the Hebrew University, “The committee offered a negative advice on the continuation of this collaboration. If risk-reducing measures can be implemented, the committee is prepared to re-examine the issue. The Executive Board will follow this advice. In the upcoming period, whether a renewed agreement will be designed – and with which risk-reducing measures – will be explored. Any new agreement will be submitted to the Committee again for advice.”
The announcement featured the words of Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek, who stated, “As a university, we stand for open collaborations and exchanges, and we want to shape them in a responsible manner. At the moment, these three specific collaborations have problematic aspects, which the assessment committee has pointed out to us. That is why we will not be continuing them in their current form for the time being. We want to protect knowledge security and not run the risk of contributing to human rights violations, but also ensure we do not exclude entire countries. That requires a tailor-made approach, and that is why collaborations are always assessed individually. It is important that we complete our new assessment guidelines – which are now with the participation body for advice – as soon as possible.”
The UvA committee dealing with “Third party collaborations: Conflict zones and human rights violations” published its report on the Hebrew University, stating, “the Committee believes that entering or renewing a university-wide collaboration with HUJI would constitute an unwarranted stamp of approval of an institution that is implicated in gross and systematic violation of human rights in the region. The Committee noted that HUJI offers a number of research and training programs (Talpiot, Havatzalot, and Tzameret), which involve collaboration with the Israeli Defense Industry and the Israeli army, the latter has been accused of involvement in gross and systematic human rights violations. The Committee has indications that, under the current circumstances, there may be limitations to academic freedom at HUJI, which may have a negative impact on the freedom of the UvA exchange student to ask critical questions and otherwise exercise their freedom of expression. Finally, the Committee is concerned about the safety of students traveling to Israel to participate in the exchange program.”
The Committee then stated, “The Committee has various indications (for example the case of prof. , who resigned, following internal discussions regarding support for a petition calling for a cease-fire in Gaza) that, under the current circumstances, the academic freedom and the freedom of expression of academic staff and students at HUJI cannot be guaranteed for all members of the academic community.”
The scathing report and the UvA decision caused an uproar. On March 28, approximately forty UvA alumni with a Jewish background returned their diplomas to Edith Hooge, the Board President, explaining that it was “out of anger over the cancellation of the student exchange program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.” The alumni group no longer wished to be associated “with a university that is selling out its core values,” according to a statement by UvA alumnus Ronny Naftaniel, former director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) and former chairman of the Central Jewish Board. According to Naftaniel, they are “a diverse group of academics with a broad record of service.” The alumni group also includes former Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal, former vice-president of the Supreme Court Ernst Numann and writer and freethinker of the year 2024 Keyvan Shahbazi.
The Jewish alumni group spoke of “false accusations made under pressure from activists.” They also “strongly criticize” the UvA for taking this step without informing the Hebrew University. They argued, “Proper academic relationships should be based on the exchange of information and finding the truth. The Hebrew University is held in very high academic regard; you should be proud of a collaboration such as this. The UvA’s demand that the Hebrew University distances itself from the Gaza war is not made of any other university in a war zone. We see this as discrimination. The degree certificate is no longer a symbol of pride. That is why we are renouncing it.” The alumni group was received by the chair of the board, Edith Hooge, on Friday, where they ‘handed in’ their diplomas.
Interestingly, UvA is the home of an activist group named “uva.intifada” which staged a protest on campus last week, filmed and posted online, stating, “This action marked the start to the ‘Israeli’ apartheid week, a week filled with actions on campus that highlight the UvA’s complicity in genocide. Through chalked slogans and statistics, the bridge at REC became a canvas for calls of accountability, action, anger, and mourning. An ode to the children of Palestine whose childhoods are taken away by the genocidal campaign, to all our fellow Palestinian students whose educational institutions lay under the rubble, to all the parents who have dreams for themselves and their families that are taken away by bombs, and to all the martyrs who’s lives have been taken all too soon. The UvA stays silent, refuses to call the atrocities a genocide and collaborates with settler colonial institutions that uphold the reality of many Palestinians, in Gaza and the West Bank, today. May this week be one of many, a constant reminder that as long as our tuition enables collaboration/ties with “israeli” institutions, there will be a voice for Palestine on campus. From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.”
UvA is also the home of anti-Israel Israeli academics that IAM had previously reported on. Dr. Hilla Dayan was interviewed by The New Arab, an anti-Israel Qatari publication based in London, on December 31, 2024. Titled “Over one month on, Jewish and Muslim communities reflect on the aftermath of Amsterdam clashes,” it discussed the clashes that erupted in Amsterdam in November 2024 when hooligans attacked Maccabi fans.
Dayan, a Dutch-Israeli activist and political sociologist at the University of Amsterdam, said, “Amsterdam is calm again, even though we are still reeling from what happened.” The same evening, Dayan attended the 1938 Kristallnacht commemoration. She said, “Almost every speech focused on fighting anti-Semitism in the Netherlands. It felt like Israel and the events of October 7 had completely overshadowed the memory of the Holocaust of Dutch Jews. There was no room for reflection about what is happening in Gaza, not even a simple call for peace or the end of the war.” The city council of Amsterdam condemned the violence against Maccabi fans as “anti-Semitic behavior.” However, Dayan condemns such comparisons. “Before we even knew what happened, people spoke of Maccabi fans being lynched on the street. Events were interpreted as October 7,” Dayan said. “The spread of misinformation and the weaponization of anti-Semitism to suppress opposition to the war in Gaza is an attack on the rule of law in the Netherlands,” she warns. Cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests is a “slippery slope of censorship,” Dayan added while re-affirming, “Protest isn’t just a right — it’s essential for democracy.”
Dayan said, “In the Dutch Jewish community, many have demanded a strong response to those who attacked Maccabi fans.” Labeling the fear within Jewish communities as “extreme,” Dayan noted, “Most are influenced by Israeli propaganda, which inflates the threats of anti-Semitism.” Dayan finds Israel’s right-wing government “exploits this fear, framing any criticism as anti-Semitic. Unfortunately, there are few progressive voices within the Jewish community to challenge this narrative.” Dayan believes the Dutch government also “weaponizes anti-Semitism to marginalize Muslim minorities” in the Netherlands. “Anti-Semitism is being used to paint an entire minority as violent,” she explains. “While it does exist, it is never something that people bring from their migration background,” Dayan said.
Dayan believes that in order to challenge the war in Gaza citizens need to continue to claim their right to protest, “As a lecturer at an Amsterdam Univesity, I’m pleased to see students claim their basic right to protest. I stand with them. We need to stop this genocide, and we must act now.” After the fall of Assad’s regime, Dayan felt a strong sense of connection to Syrians celebrating the end of an era of a cruel oppressor. “I hope the Israeli regime will fall in my lifetime. That’s how I see it. It’s a cruel regime of occupation, oppression, and denial of fundamental rights,” she said. As a political sociologist, her goal in life is to “end the Israeli regime and the creation of a new political order of equality for all.” She said, “Anything the international community can do to bring this about is positive.”
Dayan is not alone. Two more anti-Israel Israeli academics, Noa Roei, an associate professor of literary studies and cultural analysis, and Erella Grassiani, an associate professor of anthropology, published an article last week. Titled “The symbolic return of diplomas is an act of provocation,” they respond to the 40 Jewish-Dutch public figures who returned their UvA diplomas.
They wrote that “the decision by the executive board to discontinue the student exchange program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) has nothing to do with antisemitism. It has nothing to do with Judaism. As critical Israeli and Jewish scholars, we find ourselves repeatedly appalled and concerned by actions taken in our name and the narratives promoted through our identity… This provocative gesture distorts the meaning of the UvA’s recent decision to scale back its ties with HUJI. This decision comes at the end of a prolonged investigation and is supported by thorough research into the HUJI’s longstanding structural ties with the Israeli military and occupation regime. Many in our academic community see this decision as long overdue and too limited in scope, but it is nonetheless a crucial first step toward severing ties with complicit institutions.”
For Roei and Grassiani, the Jewish alumni protestors “clearly ignore the voices of critical Israeli and Palestinian scholars in Israel who urge us, their colleagues abroad, to take action. Framing this decision as an attack on Jewish identity only serves to erode the true meaning of antisemitism. Enough words have been written about how the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism is being weaponized to suppress legitimate dissent. Enough careers have been jeopardized, enough projects canceled in the name of the ‘protection of Jews from hate’ at the expense of other marginalized groups,” they wrote. “The fundamental issue at stake is that members of the UvA academic community have the right to refuse complicity in grave injustices.”
Roei and Grassiani even stated, “The advisory committee’s report also highlights the shrinking academic freedom within HUJI and the silencing of critical voices among its Jewish and Palestinian members.”
Roei and Grassiani ended by arguing, “Let’s be clear: this symbolic diploma return is not an invitation to a meaningful discussion. It is an act of provocation, distraction, and polarization meant to pressure the university to back track its decision. The focus must remain on our duty as citizens to do everything in our power to stop genocide—and on our right, as an academic community, to refuse complicity in crimes against humanity. It is further our obligation towards our students to carefully scrutinize exchange destinations and avoid ensnaring them in such complicity. We encourage everyone to read the report, inform themselves, and—if they wish—engage in an open and substantive conversation.”
However, in an update from March 26, a UvA spokesperson announced that the UvA intends to enter into a new partnership with the Hebrew University. “The UvA will therefore continue to discuss how we can do this, taking into account the advice of our third-party cooperation committee.”
It will be interesting to see if and when the UvA resumes the exchange program with the Hebrew University.
REFERENCES:
UvA follows committee’s advice on three international collaborations
13 March 2025
The Executive Board of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) has decided to follow the advice of the Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties regarding three international collaborations. The three projects – with partners from China, Israel and Hungary – will therefore not be continued or renewed in their current form or without additional risk-reducing measures.
Since last year, the UvA has been working on new guidelines allowing for external collaborations to be more extensively assessed. The specific aim of the new guidelines is to prevent the UvA from contributing to violations of human rights, misuse of knowledge for undesirable military purposes or serious damage to the environment through educational or research collaborations. Parallel to that process, the permanent Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties has issued advice on three specific cases.
Only individual collaborations assessed
According to the new guidelines, the assessment of collaborations is never aimed at an entire country or institution: only individual collaborations are assessed. The decision-making on the three cases in question therefore only applies to these three specific collaborations.
1. PhDs from the China Scholarship Council (CSC)
The committee had no objection to the extension of this collaboration but advised that risk-mitigating measures be taken. These measures must guarantee academic freedom, knowledge security, data privacy and the safety of PhD candidates. The Executive Board will follow this advice and, taking these measures into account, will work towards a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the CSC.
2. Student exchange with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The committee offered a negative advice on the continuation of this collaboration. If risk-reducing measures can be implemented, the committee is prepared to re-examine the issue. The Executive Board will follow this advice. In the upcoming period, whether a renewed agreement will be designed – and with which risk-reducing measures – will be explored. Any new agreement will be submitted to the Committee again for advice.
3. Collaboration with Hungarian institutions on the EU sanctions list
The committee advised that collaborations with Hungarian institutions that have been excluded by the EU from participating in Erasmus and HorizonEurope, such as Pannonia and HU-rizon, should not be entered into. The Executive Board will follow this advice and will not enter into any collaborations with these institutions. Any future collaborations remain subject to the sanctions policy of the European Commission and will be reassessed by the advisory committee.
Peter-Paul Verbeek: ‘New guidelines essential’
Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek: ‘As a university, we stand for open collaborations and exchanges, and we want to shape them in a responsible manner. At the moment, these three specific collaborations have problematic aspects, which the assessment committee has pointed out to us. That is why we will not be continuing them in their current form for the time being.’
‘We want to protect knowledge security and not run the risk of contributing to human rights violations, but also ensure we do not exclude entire countries. That requires a tailor-made approach, and that is why collaborations are always assessed individually. It is important that we complete our new assessment guidelines – which are now with the participation body for advice – as soon as possible.’
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Academische Zaken
Spui 21
1012 WX Amsterdam
Advice by the Advisory Committee on Third Party Collaborations
Case identifier 2025-E001
Date 19/02/2025
Contact person Secretary to the Committee
I. Overview of the advice request
a. Project description
The collaboration between UvA and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) dates back to 1986, when a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Student Exchange Agreement were first signed. Ever since, the MoU has been (automatically) extended for 5-year periods. The formal duration of the Student Exchange Agreement, which was signed in August 2019, ended in August 2024. In line with the standard UvA policy for student exchange, the outbound student exchange was put on hold as of 7 October 2023, due to the start of the conflict in Israel and Gaza and the negative travel advice imposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands (colour code “red”). Following internal consultations as well as consultations with the partner university, inbound student exchanges have been continued. Given that inbound students had already been nominated for a semester abroad at the UvA prior to the intense discussions within the UvA academic community on collaboration with partners from Israel, both universities decided to maintain the duration of the agreement for the Fall semester of the academic year 2024-2025, to provide a legal ground for this exchange to be executed. Meanwhile, HUJI has been informed that the UvA Executive Board is awaiting the outcome of the internal consultation process, including the advice from the Advisory Committee before any decisions on a possible extension can be made and communicated.
b. Type of request
☒ Existing collaboration – Changes in geopolitical situation
☒ Existing collaboration – Changes in partner profile
☐ Existing collaboration – Other
c. Reason for reassessment
Due to the emergence of the armed conflict in Gaza and campus protests leading to requests from various members from within the UvA academic community for reassessment of existing collaboration with partners based in Israel, the Executive Board decided to submit a request for advice to the Committee on (temporary) (dis)continuation of the aforementioned Student Exchange Agreement (see section I. a.). The United Nations, amongst others, documented gross and systematic violations of human rights in the 6 monthly update reports on the human rights situation in Gaza and this was re-stated by the International Court of Justice in its document Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem: Conclusions of the Public Hearing dated 19 July 2024. There are indications that the HUJI may be implicated in this situation (see under IV). Israel was labelled as a high-risk area by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of 7 October 2023, when a negative travel advice was issued for outbound travel to Israel. There are indications that (organizational units of) HUJI may have close ties through research and training programmes with the Israeli defence Industry and Israeli army.
II. Process
a. UvA policy framework
In accordance with the UvA internal policy and guidelines stipulated by the Policy Framework for Collaboration with Third Parties and draft Assessment Guidelines, the Executive Board undertook an internal reflection and reassessment on the existing collaboration in the context of the student exchange agreement. The outcome of the internal reflection resulted in the submission of a request for advice to the UvA Advisory Committee for Collaboration with Third Parties. The Committee received the advice request and undertook the assessment on the basis of the draft assessment guidelines. The committee will inform the Executive Board of the outcome of its advice.
b. Grant type and legal framework
A Memorandum of Understanding including a Student Exchange Agreement at university-wide level, signed by the Presidents of both universities. In line with the UvA overall policy for maintaining and executing exchange agreements catering for student exchanges of several UvA faculties, the mandate for signing the MoU and Student Exchange Agreement lies with the Executive Board. The Committee will submit its final advice to the Executive Board. The Executive Board will take a final decision on (dis)continuation the Student Exchange Agreement.
To date, the UvA adheres to the national policy regarding bilateral relations with the State of Israel, stipulated in recent Letters of the government to Parliament (including the Kabinetsreactie AIV briefadvies ‘Naar een nieuwe koers in het Israelisch-Palestijnse conflict’ dated 9 December 2024 and Kamerbrief naar aanleiding van verzoeken vanuit de Tweede Kamer over het Genocideverdrag en appreciatie rapporten NGO’s dated 21 January 2025). In addition, the UvA standing policy on student exchanges stipulates that no outbound exchange can take place to countries for which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a negative travel advice (colour code “orange” or “red”). Since 7 October 2023, this is effective for outbound exchange to HUJI.
d. Assessment process by the Committee
The Committee reviewed extensive background materials that are available in the public sphere. Some references are included via weblinks in the relevant sections of this advice and the Committee is willing to provide the Executive Board with background information if requested.
The Committee conducted interviews with two experts by experience on study abroad or staff visits to Israel during its meeting on 25 November 2024.
III. Reassessment
a. Key considerations
The Committee acknowledges the value of student exchanges. Such programmes provide a valuable experience for students. Student exchanges help students broaden their horizons, gain intercultural competence, enhance their interest in global issues, and thus prepare them in the best possible way for a successful career in a dynamic, changing global society and labour market. There are, however, a number of aspects of the student exchange programme with HUJI that warrant further scrutiny, such as indications of collaboration between HUJI and the Israeli defence industry, as elaborated upon in section III. c.
b. Developments in the geopolitical context in which (a) collaboration partner(s) operates
Since 7 October 2023, there is an escalating armed conflict, with gross and systematic violations of human rights by the state of Israel (documented by the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, see references under section I. c.).
While there are no sanctions issued by the Dutch government, the European Commission or other international bodies, several organisations, including, among others, the United Nations and International Court of Justice expressed serious concerns about the human rights violations occurring in Israel since the start of the armed conflict in October 2023.
c. Changes in the profile/status of (a) collaboration partner(s)
| The Committee has no indications that the university distances itself from the abovementioned gross and systematic human rights violations. The Committee has indications that (organizational units of) HUJI may have close ties through research and training programmes including Talpiot, Havatzalot, and Tzameret with the Israeli Defence Industry and Israeli army, which is involved in the abovementioned gross and systematic human rights violations: • The Talpiot programme is a Bachelor programme of military-academic excellence for training security-technological leadership for the research and development and weapons systems of the Security System. • Havatzalot is a three-year double Bachelor degree programme, offered by HUJI in collaboration with the Israeli Military Defence Division. • The Tzameret track is a military medicine track. The selective track has been offered since 2010 and has 70 participants per class. In addition to medical studies, students participate in courses in military medicine such as aviation medicine, marine medicine, military psychiatry, and more. At the end of the program, the students receive a medical degree from the Hebrew University. During the program, they also complete basic training, a paramedics course, and an officers’ course. The medical officer’s course is completed with an internship. Further information is detailed here. The Committee has various indications (for example the case of prof. , who resigned, following internal discussions regarding support for a petition calling for a cease-fire in Gaza) that, under the current circumstances, the academic freedom and the freedom of expression of academic staff and students at HUJI cannot be guaranteed for all members of the academic community. |
IV. Conclusion and advice
a. Considerations by the Committee
Given the institutional nature of the Memorandum of Understanding and Student Exchange Agreement involving participation of students from several faculties, elaborated upon in sections I.
a. and II. b., the Committee assessed the student exchange agreement between the UvA and HUJI at the institutional level. The Committee acknowledges the value of student exchanges. That said, the Committee believes that entering or renewing a university-wide collaboration with HUJI would constitute an unwarranted stamp of approval of an institution that is implicated in gross and systematic violation of human rights in the region. The Committee noted that HUJI offers a number of research and training programmes (Talpiot, Havatzalot, and Tzameret), which involve collaboration with the Israeli Defence Industry and the Israeli army, the latter has been accused of involvement in gross and systematic human rights violations. The Committee has indications that, under the current circumstances, there may be limitations to academic freedom at HUJI, which may have a negative impact on the freedom of the UvA exchange student to ask critical questions and otherwise exercise their freedom of expression. Finally, the Committee is concerned about the safety of students traveling to Israel to participate in the exchange programme.
b. Advice
Based on the information available to the Committee at the time of discussion and upon deliberation on the aforementioned considerations, the Committee, in consensus, has come to the following conclusion:
| ☐ | The Committee does not have objections against the continuation of the collaboration. |
| ☐ | The Committee does not have objections against the continuation of the collaboration; however, it advises the mitigation strategies under section IV. c. |
| ☒ | The Committee advises negatively about the continuation of the collaboration. If the mitigations strategies under section IV. c. are implemented, the Committee is willing to reconsider. |
| ☐ | The Committee advises negatively about the continuation of the |
collaboration.
c. Mitigation strategies
Upon a request of a relevant UvA stakeholder, the Committee may reconsider its advice in the future, providing that the situation regarding the abovementioned objections to entering or renewing a student exchange programme with HUJI has significantly changed.
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opinie
The symbolic return of diplomas is an act of provocation
27 maart 2025 – 12:34
Noa Roei
Erella Grassiani
Did the 50 Jewish-Dutch public figures returning their UvA diplomas on Friday read the report of the committee that recommended severing ties with Hebrew University? UvA scholars Erella Grassiani and Noa Roei question this. “It is an act of provocation, distraction, and polarization meant to pressure the university to back track its decision.”
It should go without saying, but unfortunately, it must be stated again: the decision by the executive board to discontinue the student exchange program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) has nothing to do with antisemitism. It has nothing to do with Judaism. As critical Israeli and Jewish scholars, we find ourselves repeatedly appalled and concerned by actions taken in our name and the narratives promoted through our identity.
On March 28th, a group of 50 Jewish-Dutch public figures plans to symbolically return their diplomas to the University of Amsterdam. This provocative gesture distorts the meaning of the UvA’s recent decision to scale back its ties with HUJI. This decision comes at the end of a prolonged investigation and is supported by thorough research into the HUJI’s longstanding structural ties with the Israeli military and occupation regime. Many in our academic community see this decision as long overdue and too limited in scope, but it is nonetheless a crucial first step toward severing ties with complicit institutions.
Ignoring voices
We seriously doubt whether these alumni, who invoke their Jewish identity and public standing, have taken the time to read the advisory committee’s report. We doubt they have consulted Israeli and Jewish scholars within our institution—academics who may disagree with the decision but recognize the process as thorough and cautious. Moreover, the protestors clearly ignore the voices of critical Israeli and Palestinian scholars in Israel who urge us, their colleagues abroad, to take action.
Framing this decision as an attack on Jewish identity only serves to erode the true meaning of antisemitism. Enough words have been written about how the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism is being weaponized to suppress legitimate dissent. Enough careers have been jeopardized, enough projects canceled in the name of the “protection of Jews from hate” at the expense of other marginalized groups. The fundamental issue at stake is that members of the UvA academic community have the right to refuse complicity in grave injustices.
Grave irony
The advisory committee’s report also highlights the shrinking academic freedom within HUJI and the silencing of critical voices among its Jewish and Palestinian members. It is of grave irony that members of the Jewish community in the Netherlands—who have historically faced silencing and exclusion, even within this university—are now using their social standing to distort a decision that aims to disengage from similar oppressive practices elsewhere.
Let’s be clear: this symbolic diploma return is not an invitation to a meaningful discussion. It is an act of provocation, distraction, and polarization meant to pressure the university to back track its decision. The focus must remain on our duty as citizens to do everything in our power to stop genocide—and on our right, as an academic community, to refuse complicity in crimes against humanity. It is further our obligation towards our students to carefully scrutinize exchange destinations and avoid ensnaring them in such complicity.
We encourage everyone to read the report, inform themselves, and—if they wish—engage in an open and substantive conversation.
Erella Grassiani is associate professor of anthropology and Noa Roei is associate professor of literary studies and cultural analysis.
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Forty UvA alumni have returned their diplomas in anger over the UvA’s Israel policy
Sija van den Beukel,28 maart 2025 – 15:34
This afternoon, some forty predominantly Jewish UvA alumni handed in their UvA diplomas to the president of the board, Edith Hooge, in protest against the non-renewal of the UvA’s student exchange programme with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “The UvA based its decision on a confusing report written by an anonymous committee.”
Some forty UvA alumni, predominantly of Jewish background, stood on the doorstep of the Roeterseiland campus on Friday morning with their original UvA diplomas. Among them was Frits van Coevoorden, who graduated from the University of Amsterdam in the 1970s. He came tot he UvA because he believes the university has been “hijacked by a bunch of activists who don’t belong here”, ruining “a valuable collaboration with another university”. “I think that’s a disgrace. I have no choice but to return my degree to the University of Amsterdam.”
Two weeks ago, the University of Amsterdam decided not to renew the student exchange programme with Hebrew University when it expires. A committee has investigated the HU’s possible involvement in the Gaza war. According to the committee’s report, there is evidence of “involvement in human rights violations” and “restriction of academic freedom”. The UvA alumni are particularly angry because they believe the UvA based its decision on a “confusing” report written by an “anonymous committee”.
Led by Ronny Naftaniel, former director of the Dutch Jewish Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) and former chairman of the Central Jewish Board (CJO) and Uri Rosenthal, former minister of Foreign Affairs, the group went to building E where university president Edith Hooge received them. Hooge said it was “unfortunate” that the UvA alumni were “no longer proud” of the university and was visibly moved. “The door is always open if you want to come and collect your degree certificate again.”
Good conversation
That does not seem to be the case for the time being, not even after a closed-door conversation between some of the alumni and Hooge and vice-chairman Jan Lintsen. According to Rosenthal, the UvA did not come through. “The UvA is missing out on an opportunity for students from Israel, of various backgrounds, Arab-Israeli, Jewish-Israeli, Palestinians, to participate in an exchange programme with Amsterdam to study, discuss and do research.”
The spokesperson for the University of Amsterdam said afterwards that the conversation had been “good and enlightening”. “It is always good to listen to the concerns and questions of this group and to explain why the decision was made the way it was”. So the Executive Board will not change its decision. “That was not the purpose of the conversation,” said the spokesperson. “However, we are looking at how we can re-enter into a partnership with Hebrew University – under certain conditions, which was already our intention. The new assessment framework for partnerships with third parties is still in development. The reason we have already made a decision about Hebrew University is because the student exchange contract had expired and we had to make a decision about it.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstration
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also turned out for the handover. As a precaution, the entrance to REC-ABC had been closed since 11 a.m., as had the main entrance to building E. Fifteen or so demonstrators chanted slogans and held up signs saying “Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism” as the group of alumni entered. The demonstrators were kept out by police and security guards.
On Thursday, a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators also showed their dissatisfaction by placing blue containers in the hall of REC-ABC with A4 sheets of paper with the text: “genocide deniers, please hand in your diplomas here”. There were also printed memes on the stairs and on the windows.
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Fifty Jewish alumni return their diplomas to the UvA this Friday
Dirk Wolthekker, 25 maart 2025 – 11:55
This Friday, fifty very angry UvA alumni with a Jewish background will hand their diplomas back to Board president Edith Hooge, out of anger over the cancellation of the student exchange programme with Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The fifty alumni no longer wish to be associated “with a university that is selling out its core values,” according to a statement by UvA alumnus Ronny Naftaniel, former director of CIDI and former chairman of the Central Jewish Board. According to Naftaniel, they are “a diverse group of academics with a broad record of service”. The alumni include, in addition to Naftaniel himself, former Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal, former vice-president of the Supreme Court Ernst Numann and writer and freethinker of the year 2024 Keyvan Shahbazi.
Two weeks ago, the UvA announced that it would not be renewing the student exchange agreement with Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as a result of which no more student exchanges can take place. Rector magnificus Peter Paul Verbeek said that with this exchange there is a “risk” that UvA students who would participate in the exchange would come into contact with human rights violations “or end up in an environment where academic freedom is insufficiently honoured”.
“The UvA’s demand that the Hebrew University distances itself from the Gaza war is not made of any other university in a war zone.”
Discrimination
The Jewish alumni find this a ridiculous argument and speak of “false accusations made under pressure from activists”. They also “strongly criticise” the UvA for taking this step without informing the Hebrew University. “Proper academic relationships should be based on the exchange of information and finding the truth. The Hebrew University is held in very high academic regard; you should be proud of a collaboration such as this. The UvA’s demand that the Hebrew University distances itself from the Gaza war is not made of any other university in a war zone. We see this as discrimination. The degree certificate is no longer a symbol of pride. That is why we are renouncing it.”
According to a spokesperson of the UvA, the alumni will be received by the chair of the board, Edith Hooge, at 12 noon on Friday in the hall of building A of the REC, where they will ‘hand in’ their diplomas. To be clear: this does not mean that the alumni will also be handing in their academic titles. After the reception, a smaller delegation of the group of alumni will have a private meeting with Hooge.
The pro-Palestinian demonstrators have announced through Martijn Dekker that they do not foresee a demonstration for the time being. “But maybe we can still make our voice heard in a fun way.” He calls the alumni action “a pathetic” display.
Update 26 March: A spokesperson of the UvA has announced that the UvA intends to enter into a new partnership with Hebrew University. ‘The UvA will therefore continue to discuss how we can do this, taking into account the advice of our third-party cooperation committee.’
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actueel
UvA: no renewal of exchange with Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Irene Schoenmacker,13 maart 2025 – 16:14
The UvA will stop student exchange with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for now due to the risk of human rights violations by the Israeli university. The UvA came to this decision after a recommendation from a special, independent committee.
The exchange of UvA students with the Israeli Hebrew University of Jerusalem will be halted because of alleged “human rights violations” and “restriction of academic freedom”.
Rector magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek said this on Thursday afternoon. “There is a risk that students will come into contact with these violations or end up in an environment where academic freedom is not sufficiently honoured,” Verbeek said. The exchange cooperation had been running since the 1980s.
Protesters at the UvA have long been demanding that the UvA sever ties with Israel. The UvA specifically says it does not want to end cooperation with any country. “That is something the government can do, but not us as a university,” Verbeek said. “We look at collaborations and whether we are involved in unethical things based on them.”
“Collaboration is stopped because of Hungary’s restriction on academic freedom, that goes very far”
The committee reviews university-wide collaborations or exchanges. There are also collaborations at faculty level, on which the committee also issues advice. These are not public, due to the sensitivity of their content. For example, they include names of researchers.
There are currently eight collaborations with Israel at faculty level, says a UvA spokesperson. Two have been submitted to the committee and were given the green light this year.
Hungary and China
Two more collaborations were reviewed by the special advisory committee: PhD training with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and cooperation with Hungarian institutions on the EU sanctions list.
The latter will now also be discontinued. “This is because of the restriction of academic freedom in Hungary, which goes very far,” Verbeek said. “It would also be very crazy if we as UvA pass the EU’s decisions and do continue to collaborate with these institutions ourselves.”
The paused PhD training with China Scholarship Council is because of a mix of issues: human rights violations, data privacy and the safety of people themselves. In addition, the committee writes reasons to believe that “some returning CSC-funded PhD students who conducted their PhD research in the Netherlands may be forced to provide their state inside information, including data obtained through academic research.” However, according to the committee, it is not clear whether this is already happening to UvA PhD students.
This cooperation with China can be extended, however, is the advice, provided “risk mitigating measures” are taken. These measures include, for example, that each individual PhD project of a Chinese student must be submitted to the committee. According to the UvA, this would involve “dozens” per year.
New review framework
The decision follows the UvA’s new guidelines for assessing collaborations with other parties more comprehensively, the so-called assessment framework for external collaborations. Education and research collaborations must not contribute to human rights violations, misuse of knowledge for undesirable military purposes or serious damage to the environment.
Until now, the assessment framework only covered cooperation with fossil industry and knowledge security. The UvA decided to revise it after the demonstrations and occupations in spring 2024, during which students protested against the universities’ cooperation with Israeli institutions.
The new framework is still formally before the co-decision board for advice. The three cases around Israel, Hungary and China were already subjected to the review framework because the collaborations were expiring and a decision had to be made on their continuation. Should the participation council advise to adjust certain matters, this will be taken into account in subsequent cases, the UvA said.
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Over one month on, Jewish and Muslim communities reflect on the aftermath of Amsterdam clashes
In November, clashes erupted in Amsterdam after Israeli football fans tore down Palestinian flags. We spoke with Jewish and Muslim groups about the aftermath
31 December, 2024
“Amsterdam is calm again, even though we are still reeling from what happened,” says Hilla Dayan, a Dutch-Israeli activist and political sociologist, reflecting upon the violent clashes that shook her city one month ago and made headlines worldwide.
The violent outburst was triggered by fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, who had travelled to the capital of the Netherlands to support the Israeli team playing Amsterdam’s team Ajax on November 7.
Before the match, Amsterdam Maccabi hooligans had torn down Palestinian flags, attacked taxis, and chanted dehumanising racist chants, including phrases such as “dead to all Arabs.” As a response, the Maccabi thugs were targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
That same evening, Hilla attended the official Kristallnacht commemoration. The ceremony commemorated the night in 1938 when mass attacks took place across Nazi Germany, where Jewish communities were targeted and even murdered.
“In the background, you could hear the sirens from the protests,” she recalls. “Almost every speech focused on fighting anti-Semitism in the Netherlands. It felt like Israel and the events of October 7 had completely overshadowed the memory of the Holocaust of Dutch Jews. There was no room for reflection about what is happening in Gaza, not even a simple call for peace or the end of the war.”
The city council of Amsterdam condemned the violence against Maccabi fans as “anti-Semitic behaviour.” Outgoing president Joe Biden took to X (formerly Twitter) and spoke of the violence in Amsterdam, drawing a parallel to “dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted.”
However, Hilla condemns such comparisons. “Before we even knew what happened [five Maccabi fans were hospitalised, and others suffered minor injuries due to the violence], people spoke of Maccabi fans being lynched on the street. Events were interpreted as October 7.”
But Amsterdam councilman Jazie Veldhuyzen had confirmed to Al Jazeera that it was the Israeli fans who began the violence.
“They began attacking houses of people in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags, so that’s actually where the violence started,” Veldhuyzen said.
“As a reaction, Amsterdammers mobilised themselves and countered the attacks that started by the Maccabi hooligans.”
In November 2023, the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, won the Dutch elections. A vocal supporter of Israel, Wilders has called for the deportation of pro-Palestinian protesters and recently visited Israel and the occupied West Bank. He has demanded a hardline response to the violence against Maccabi fans.
For Hilla Wilders, the rhetoric is deeply concerning: “The spread of misinformation and the weaponisation of anti-Semitism to suppress opposition to the war in Gaza is an attack on the rule of law in the Netherlands,” she warns.
Cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests is a “slippery slope of censorship,” Hilla added while re-affirming, “Protest isn’t just a right — it’s essential for democracy.”
Weaponising anti-Semitism
The first five people went on trial during the week of December 11 in Amsterdam following the clashes. The young men, mostly from migrant backgrounds, face charges of public violence, attempted manslaughter, and group insult.
Lawyers have criticised the trial and its procedures, arguing that the cases have not been thoroughly investigated and rushed due to political pressure from politicians like Wilders.
“In the Dutch Jewish community, many have demanded a strong response to those who attacked Maccabi fans,” says Hilla.
Labelling the fear within Jewish communities as “extreme,” Hilla noted, “Most are influenced by Israeli propaganda, which inflates the threats of anti-Semitism.”
In addition, the activist finds Israel’s right-wing government “exploits this fear, framing any criticism as anti-Semitic. Unfortunately, there are few progressive voices within the Jewish community to challenge this narrative.”
Hilla believes the Dutch government also weaponises anti-Semitism to marginalise Muslim minorities in the Netherlands.
“Anti-Semitism is being used to paint an entire minority as violent,” she explains. “While it does exist, it is never something that people bring from their migration background.”
The activist’s grandfather and Moroccan Muslims fought against Franco’s dictatorship. “Many of them gave their lives in this liberation struggle, and some are even buried here in the Netherlands,” she said.
Marginalisation of Muslim minorities
Waleed, born in Morocco, moved with his family to France at age four. Later in life, he met his Dutch wife and relocated to the Netherlands. “The violence against Maccabi fans has nothing to do with Muslims being against Jews. Everyone is watching Gaza with a strange feeling — that’s the work of the Israeli Zionist government of Israel. But Muslims, in principle, have nothing against Jews,” he explains.
Talking about the recent events, Waleed stressed, “However, when hooligans tear down flags and shout ‘death to Arabs,’ a part of the youth will respond violently. Especially those with a migration background. They are marginalised, ignored by society, and that breeds anger and aggression.”
Like Hilla, Waleed emphasises the historical connections between Jews and Muslims in his personal history. “I was born in Oujda, a city near the Algerian border. My parents grew up in small villages with Jews. They were their brothers. During World War II, the Moroccan King responded to the French government’s request to point out where the Jews were living ‘If you take them, take me.’”
Waleed, 63, who prefers not to share his full name to remain anonymous, explains how racism has been a red line in his life. “What I’m experiencing now in the Netherlands is something I already went through in France,” he reflects.
Waleed grew up in a neighbourhood with HLMs (social housing). “When I was around 10 or 11, a neighbour opened his window, grabbed a hunting rifle, and started shouting and swearing. Fortunately, he didn’t shoot. We called the police, but they did nothing. They would often target young boys like me, using violence. Thankfully, I’ve never experienced that in the Netherlands. Until now, policing here is still okay,” Waleed said.
For over 32 years, Waleed has held a senior position in a chemical multinational company based in a rural Dutch town. Despite his success, he faces daily racism in his workplace. “It’s become worse in recent years. The only thing I can do is swallow the racist remarks. I can’t afford to leave my job. I no longer have lunch with my colleagues because of it and don’t participate in any social activities for the past 25 years.”
Two years ago, Waleed spent the past six months at home with a burn-out because of racism at work, he says. He is deeply concerned by the rise of far-right politics in the Netherlands.
“When Wilders was elected, it was just fear — fear of what might happen. Unfortunately, racism has always existed, whether it’s against Jewish people, sub-Saharan Africans in Morocco, or now Muslim minorities in the Netherlands. But it becomes dangerous when politicians fuel it. I fear mass violence, like what happened in England.”
End to genocide
Sobhi Khatib, a Palestinian activist in Amsterdam, has also felt less welcome since Wilders rose to power, especially as he has been outspoken about Palestine.
“When I first arrived in the Netherlands, it felt like you were judged by what you could bring. Now, it feels like you’re judged by your background. Realising that so many in the Netherlands voted for our current government makes me afraid.” the 39-year-old said.
The Palestinian activist strongly condemns the Dutch government’s stance on Israel. “How can the Netherlands continue to claim to support international law and justice when its politicians meet with war criminals? On top of that, the government continues to export weapons, even after the International Court of Justice [ICJ] rules there is a plausible genocide taking place by Israel.”
Activist Hilla believes that a crucial effort to challenge the war in Gaza is for citizens to continue to claim their right to protest: “As a lecturer at an Amsterdam Univesity, I’m pleased to see students claim their basic right to protest. I stand with them. We need to stop this genocide, and we must act now.”
This month, as the world witnessed the fall of Assad’s regime, Hilla felt a strong sense of connection to Syrians celebrating the end of an era of a cruel oppressor.
“I hope the Israeli regime will fall in my lifetime. That’s how I see it. It’s a cruel regime of occupation, oppression, and denial of fundamental rights,” she said.
The political sociologist’s life goal is to end the Israeli regime and the creation of a new political order of equality for all. “Anything the international community can do to bring this about is positive,” she concluded.
Renée Boskaljon is a freelance journalist and migration researcher based in Morocco.
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and
This action marked the start to the “israeli” apartheid week, a week filled with actions on campus that highlight the UvA’s complicity in genocide.
Through chalked slogans and statistics, the bridge at REC became a canvas for calls of accountability, action, anger, and mourning. An ode to the children of Palestine whose childhoods are taken away by the genocidal campaign, to all our fellow Palestinian students whose educational institutions lay under the rubble, to all the parents who have dreams for themselves and their families that are taken away by bombs, and to all the martyrs who’s lives have been taken all too soon.
The UvA stays silent, refuses to call the atrocities a genocide and collaborates with settler colonial institutions that uphold the reality of many Palestinians, in Gaza and the West Bank, today.
May this week be one of many, a constant reminder that as long as our tuition enables collaboration/ties with “israeli” institutions, there will be a voice for Palestine on campus.
From the River to the Sea,
Palestine will be free 
27 March 2025
israel-academia-monitor.com 