‘We will keep on protesting’

According to the activists, this is not merely a matter of academic position, but about policy. “How can knowledge institutions portray themselves as caring about socially responsible research and then fail so miserably to address the most serious violations of international law (genocide, apartheid, colonisation)?”

Itaï van de Wal, a student at Utrecht University who is part of the action group Utrecht in Solidarity with Palestine, signs the op-ed. He is by no means discouraged by the rectors' piece. “We will continue to protest,” he says. “In Utrecht, we have been trying for years to draw attention to Palestinians' call to boycott universities and companies that violate their fundamental rights. We will continue to do so.”

The fact that the petitions, protest marches and occupations have not changed the opinion of the universities does not change the matter, says Itaï. “We do it for the Palestinians who have been fighting for their rights for decades. The call for a boycott is now stronger because almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October and the number is rising. Various forms of resistance and demonstrations are still possible. Even if there is a ceasefire now, we will continue to stand by our demand that the university must sever ties with institutions in Israel, because that will not mean the racist-colonial system Palestinians are suffering from has disappeared.”