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Introduction
Introduction
Israeli universities contribute to the illegal occupation of Palestine and the apartheid regime through partnerships with the military-industrial complex and military-funded research supporting operations in the oPt. The methods they use to support the occupation are multifaceted: including their physical presence [1] or involvement in projects [2] in the oPt in violation of international law [3,4]; active participation in the violence of the Israeli state by maintaining exceptionally close ties with the Israeli military-industrial complex [5–8]; conducting research [1] in areas of weapons development [1,9,10], surveillance, and cybersecurity [11–13], contributing to operational and technological support [14] for the continued occupation of Palestine; and offering programs to IDF personnel [15–17]. They also provide the Israeli state with moral and legal justifications by forming military doctrines [18] and codes of ethics [19] that are shaped specifically in order to cover for past, present, and future violations of international law. Additionally, they reinforce the apartheid regime with ideological narratives that support occupation and lay biased historical claims over contested land and legitimize sovereignty over occupied areas [1]. Israeli universities have consistently silenced critical voices, criminalized students and staff, and directly attacked academic freedom [20–26].
In these articles we document the research that DTU has produced in collaboration with Israeli counterparts. We also highlight specific projects or publications where dual-use concerns are relevant or where the research partner is particularly problematic. If you are interested in seeing concrete examples of the research efforts DTU engages in with Israeli universities, click on the links below:
Demands
Demands
DTU’s current partnerships include Israeli universities and companies that have supported the Israeli apartheid regime, the unlawful occupation and settler violence in the oPt. Guided by a commitment to human rights and international law, DTU should:
Conduct an investigation and legal review of existing collaborations covering: research and other activities with ties to current violations of international law and war crimes as well as active participation in the occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories and DTU’s possible contributions to the violations
Begin the termination/suspension of existing partnerships with such entities
Develop robust procedures for vetting future partners (particularly those with military-civil fusion practices)
Publish detailed annual reports on industry and institutional collaborations
Establish a due diligence committee tasked with reviewing partnerships for ethical and legal risks (particularly for dual-use technologies)
Commit to a policy of non-engagement with companies and institutions contributing to the occupation or apartheid
Share information about problematic industry/academic partners across institutions, fostering collective accountability
Citations
Citations
[1] M. Wind. Towers of Ivory and Steel: How Israeli Universities Deny Palestinian Freedom. Verso, 2024. isbn: 978-1-80429-176-4
[2] Psagot Alumni. Psagot is the elite IDF academic reserve program. 2024. url: https://www.psagotalumni.com/
[3] Cour Internationale de Justice. Conséquences juridiques de l’édification d’un mur dans le territoire palestinien occupé, avis consultatif. 2004. url: https://www.icjcij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/131/131-20040709-ADV-01-00-EN.pdf
[4] United Nations Security Council. Resolution 2334. Dec. 2016. url: https://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/SRES2334-2016.pdf
[5] U. Bachrach. The Power of Knowledge - HEMED: The Israeli Science Corps. Samuel Wachtman’s Sons, Inc., 2024. isbn: 978-1-88882-097-3
[6] A. Lowenstein. The Palestine Laboratory - How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World. Verso, 2023. isbn: 978-1-83976-208-6
[7] Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Engineering. The Faculty of Engineering’s Annual Hackathon is Almost Here! May 2023. url: https://engineering.biu.ac.il/en/node/11822
[8] S. Lee. “Top Israeli university marketing country’s arms industry to the world”. In: +972 Magazine (Mar. 2017). url: https://www.972mag.com/top-israeliuniversity-marketing-countys-arms-industry-to-the-world/
[9] E. Weizman. The Least of All Possible Evils: A Short History of Humanitarian Violence. Verso, 2017. isbn: 978-1-78663-273-9
[10] L. Gravé-Lazi. “Lockheed Martin and Yissum sign research collaboration agreement”. In: The Jerusalem Post (Oct. 2014). url: https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Lockheed-Martin-and-Yissum-sign-research-collaborationagreement-378151
[11] Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. BGU and Rafael Sign Strategic Research Collaboration. Jan. 2019. url: https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/bgn/Pages/news/bgu_rafael.aspx
[12] Startup Nation Central. Cybersecurity in Israel: Leading the World to a Safer Digital Future. May 2024. url: https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/bgn/Pages/news/bgu_rafael.aspx
[13] S. Solomon. “IDF sees move south as way to rebrand as tech giant”. In: The Times of Israel (Jan. 2018). url: https://www.timesofisrael.com/army-touts-itsbig-move-to-beersheba-as-boon-for-the-area/
[14] Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Support & Assistance during Operation Iron Swords. Oct. 2023. url: https://en.huji.ac.il/news/support-assistance-duringoperation-iron-swords
[15] University of Haifa. University of Haifa to Lead Israel’s Military Colleges. 2018. url: https://magazine.haifa.ac.il/index.php/winter-2018/113-university-ofhaifa-to-lead-israel4
[16] M. Rapoport. “‘It’ll turn campus into an army base’: Tel Aviv University to host soldiers’ program”. In: +972 Magazine (Oct. 2023). url: https://www.972mag.com/tau-army-militarization-palestinian-students/
[17] Y. Lappin. “Elite Military Intelligence cadets complete training”. In: The Jerusalem Post (Nov. 2013). url: https://www.jpost.com/Defense/Elite-Military-Intelligence-cadets-complete-training-331197
[18] P. Rogers. “Israel’s use of disproportionate force is a long-established tactic – with a clear aim”. In: The Guardian (Dec. 2023). url: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/05/israel-disproportionate-force-tacticinfrastructure-economy-civilian-casualties
[19] M. A. Khalidi. “’The Most Moral Army in the World’: The New ’Ethical Code’ of the Israeli Military and the War on Gaza”. In: Institute for Palestine Studies (2010). url: https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/42332
[20] Adalah: The Legal Center for Minority Rights in Israel. Repression of Palestinian Students in Israeli Universities and Colleges. May 2024. url: https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/11116
[21] N. Gordon and P. Green. “Israel’s Universities: The Crackdown”. In: The New York Review (June 2024). url: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/06/05/israel-universities-the-crackdown/
[22] Middle East Monitor. Haifa University prevents Nakba commemoration. May 2014. url: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20140515-haifa-university-prevents-nakba-commemoration/
[23] The New Arab. Israel’s Haifa University expels five Palestinian students over social media posts. Oct. 2023. url: https://ww.newarab.com/news/haifa-universityexpels-palestinians-over-social-media-posts
[24] Adalah: The Legal Center for Minority Rights in Israel. Israeli Academic Institutions Sanction Palestinian Students for Social Media Posts since 7 October, violating their Rights to Free Expression and Education. Feb. 2024. url: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/education/cfis/cfi-expression/subm-academic-freedom-cso-adalah-i-israel-rael-input-2.pdf
[25] M. Farah. “Israeli academia joins the crackdown on dissent”. In: +972 Magazine (Dec. 2023). url: https://www.972mag.com/israeli-academia-crackdown-palestinian-students/
[26] British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. Letter to David Yellin College Regarding Suspension of Professor Nurit Peled Elhanan. Oct. 2023. url: https://www.brismes.ac.uk/news/letter-to-david-yellin-college-regarding-suspensionof-professor-nurit-peled-elhanan
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