Students union calls for boycott of Israeli universities

Students union in Belgium calls for boycott
of Israeli universities

The Federation of French-speaking Students in Belgium  (FEF), a body boasting some 120,000 students in the country, has called for “a freezing of relations with Israeli universities.”

According to Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir, the move was initiated by the University of  Louvain (UCL).

Last December, the  2012 the General Assembly of the Louvain students voted for a motion requiring that their university take a “clear and progressive” stance by supporting “a freezing of relations between the UCL and Israeli academic establishments until they publicly recognize and denounce the violations of various international law conventions committed by Israel.”

The FEF decision, which was inspired by the UCL students motion, stresses “the “gestures already made by their institution in favor of Palestinian universities” .

The FEF, therefore, believes that “it’s now time to cut ties with Israeli places of learning, whether they be based around student exchanges or research.”

The boycott motion was approved by 85 % of those able to vote”. 6 % voted against, and 9 % abstained.

According to FEF president David Méndez Yépez, the universities members of the federation, include the UCL, the ULB [Université libre de Bruxelles], the UMons and the UNamur, have all made agreements with Israeli universities, such as Tel Aviv and the Technion, which are directly or indirectly involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in different ways.”

“They are preferred partners of the arms manufacturer Elbit. They conduct research on the development of drones responsible for causing damage and destruction in Palestine, and their programs are used by the Israeli army,” he added.

 “This army contributes, via its actions to denying Palestinians access to knowledge and the policy of occupation, the Gaza blockade and colonization hamper internal mobility and also that of the student and academic population,” he told Le Soir.

The Brussels Free University (ULB) last year recognized BDS, a group advocating a boycott of Israel.