Universities in Service of Apartheid

Israeli universities maintain very close ties with the regime’s military institutions and weapons manufacturers. Interestingly, through these connections, they participate in violating Palestinian rights and committing the crime of apartheid. Services provided by Israeli universities to apartheid include:

  • Participation in Colonizing Palestinian Land and Forced Displacement of Residents: For instance, Tel Aviv University was built atop the depopulated Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwannis, where commemorations of the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestinians are suppressed. Additionally, the Hebrew University, located in occupied East Jerusalem, collaborates with Israeli police in monitoring and harassing Palestinian residents of the Issawiya neighborhood. Moreover, Ariel University is built in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel in the West Bank.
  • Hosting Propaganda Programs for the Israeli Regime and Suppressing Critical Programs Against It: Haifa University revoked the degree of a master’s student researching the 1948 massacre of Palestinians in Tantura, thereby establishing itself as a symbol of widespread suppression of academic freedom and critical research in Israeli universities. The university also hosts an online ambassador program that trains students to become “digital advocates for Israel.” The Association of University Heads in Israel leads and coordinates this program against the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” (BDS) movement.
  • Developing Military Theory for the Israeli Regime and Advancing Its Intelligence and Arms Industries: Tel Aviv University develops and promotes military strategies, including the “Dahiya Doctrine,” which targets civilian infrastructure to impose long and costly reconstruction processes. Additionally, the Technion University supports a venture fund in collaboration with Israel’s intelligence service (Shin Bet) to develop startups and specialized companies in information technology and artificial intelligence, focusing on branding and commercializing Israel’s military industry in other countries.
  • Profiting from Close Ties with the Israeli Army and Multinational Arms Companies : Bar-Ilan and Technion Universities collaborate with the Israeli army in developing driverless war machines and heavy equipment used for war crimes, such as home demolitions. Additionally, Ben-Gurion University, along with the aforementioned universities, participates in a robotics project funded by the Israeli and U.S. Defense Ministries, exemplifying the imposition of military priorities on academic research.
  • Recruitment and Training of Soldiers for the Israeli Army: Tel Aviv, Hebrew, Haifa, and Ben-Gurion Universities granted special benefits and scholarships to student-soldiers who participated in the 2014 military assault on Gaza. Haifa University hosts three military training colleges, enrolls the highest number of Israeli military and security personnel, and offers a tailored undergraduate program with the Israeli Navy. The Hebrew University hosts elite military programs like “Talpiot” and “Havatzalot,” recruiting students into elite military and intelligence units.
  • Racism and Discrimination Against Palestinian-Origin Students, Faculty, Professors, and Staff at Israeli Universities: Despite Palestinians constituting one-fifth of the population in occupied territories, discriminatory policies of the Israeli regime have limited their representation among faculty members at Israeli universities to less than 4% in 2020.
استعمار سرزمین فلسطین
آموزش سربازان برای ارتش رژيم اسرائیل

Racism in the academic environment of Zionist universities is so severe that in 2016, Tel Aviv University banned its staff from speaking Arabic during phone conversations at the university’s call center. Additionally, in 2022, Palestinian students at the Hebrew University were arrested by police for singing Arabic folk songs on campus outside working hours. In total, 40% of Palestinian students surveyed reported experiencing racism from fellow students. 1

They are also denied access to scholarships or university dormitories due to not serving in the Israeli army.

دست‌درازی به کشورهای همسایه و غارت سرزمین اشغالی در مدت زمان نه‌چندان طولانی توسط اسرائیل…

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