Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A Google Maps view of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of the Israeli institutions affected by international academic boycotts. Courtesy Google Maps

Universities around the world are severing or suspending collaborations with Israeli institutions in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where more than 63,000 people have reportedly been killed.

Academic partnerships are being affected across multiple continents, with institutions citing concerns that Israeli universities are complicit in government policies toward Palestinians.

In Brazil, the Federal University of Ceará canceled an innovation summit planned with an Israeli university. Universities in Norway, Belgium, Spain, and Ireland have halted joint research projects, while Trinity College Dublin ended its collaborations with Israeli schools earlier this year. In the Netherlands, the University of Amsterdam suspended a student exchange program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The European Association of Social Anthropologists endorsed these actions, reflecting a broader movement within the academic community.

While some universities in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany oppose such boycotts, citing academic freedom, grassroots pressures have led individual researchers to independently end collaborations.

The impact on research funding is also evident. Israel's participation in European Union Horizon Europe grants has decreased significantly, prompting the Israeli government to allocate additional resources to counter the effects of the boycott. Experts warn that continued disengagement could contribute to a "brain drain" that undermines Israel's science and technology sectors.