The University of Amsterdam (UvA) has ended its long-standing student exchange program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, citing concerns over the Israeli university’s connections to
alleged human rights violations in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
For nearly four decades, the exchange program saw around 10 students from each institution participating annually. However, the Dutch university recently announced the suspension following a review by an internal advisory committee. The committee was tasked with evaluating UvA’s collaborations with institutions in Israel, China, and Hungary, especially in light of pro-Palestinian protests that swept through its campus last year.
The review led to several decisions:
UvA will halt cooperation with over 20 Hungarian universities deemed too tightly controlled by the Hungarian government and sanctioned by the European Union.
Chinese doctoral students from the China Scholarship Council program may continue their studies, but UvA will introduce new protections to safeguard their academic freedom from Chinese government influence.
These actions are part of a broader effort by UvA to ensure its partnerships do not contribute to human rights abuses, military purposes, or environmental harm, the university said in a statement.
The move places UvA among a growing number of European universities that are distancing themselves from Israeli academic institutions and companies, often in response to student activism. This stands in contrast to the United States, where most universities have rejected calls to sever ties with Israeli institutions, citing academic freedom. The new Trump administration has since taken punitive action against some of these student activists and universities.
Hebrew University criticized UvA’s decision, calling it “fundamentally wrong” and based on “fragmented and unreliable arguments of the BDS movement.” The Israeli university said it was not consulted prior to the suspension and argued that academia should foster dialogue, not division. It urged UvA to reverse the decision.
Dutch students have not participated in the exchange since October 7, 2023, due to a travel advisory issued by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although Israeli students completed their semester in Amsterdam last fall, no new exchange students were accepted.
UvA’s advisory committee cited investigations by international bodies like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court into possible Israeli war crimes in Gaza. It concluded that Hebrew University failed to adequately distance itself from these allegations.
Additionally, the committee highlighted the university’s involvement in programs connected to Israel’s defense and intelligence sectors, such as the Talpiot, Havatzalot, and Tzameret programs, which train elite recruits for military and security roles.
The committee also raised concerns about academic freedom at Hebrew University. One notable case involved Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a Palestinian legal scholar who was suspended after signing a letter accusing Israel of genocide and calling for the abolition of Zionism. She was detained and investigated by Israeli police for alleged incitement to terrorism — a move the university condemned. She reportedly resigned in 2023. Photo by C messier, Wikimedia commons.