The Netherlands University of Erasmus Rotterdam (EUR) has announced it is freeze-frozen facility-wide cooperation with three Israeli universities, Middle East Monitor reports.
“Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is quickly frozen in collaboration with Bah Iran University, Hebrew University Jerusalem University and Haifa University,” the statement said.
In response to advice from the Independent Advisory Committee on Delicate Collaboration (ACGS), this decision suspends existing programs and does not allow new research collaborations to begin.
“Our international cooperation is based on academic freedom and scientific diplomacy. However, if fundamental human rights are at stake, there are restrictions on that freedom. Based on the committee’s investigation, we believe that the risk of indirect involvement in human rights violations is too high.
The cooperation with the three universities was stopped based on the committee’s investigation, due to Bar-Ilan’s “significant risk” of involvement in human rights abuses and its relationship with the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) with two other schools.