A Wave of Palestinian Solidarity at German Universities: Students Call for Academic Ties with Israel to Be Cut
The movement in support of Palestine is growing across university campuses in Germany. In response to the situation in Gaza, calls to end academic cooperation with Israeli institutions have been brought onto the agenda of student councils at several universities across the country. In Germany, where BDS, a movement supporting Palestine, is viewed as “extreme,” this development is seen as a striking and controversial turning point in higher education.
Last month, nearly 700 students gathered in a square near Leipzig University and voted in favor of ending cooperation with institutions in Israel. In the vote, the overwhelming majority of students argued that some universities are connected to Israel’s military and security structures, claiming that these partnerships play a “normalizing” role and demanding that they be ended immediately.
The decision in Leipzig is seen as the latest link in the growing wave of Palestinian solidarity in Germany. Since March, similar motions have also come onto the agenda at some universities in Berlin and Düsseldorf. At the Hertie School in Berlin, the student council became the first in Germany to adopt a BDS-backed resolution calling for ties with Israeli institutions to be cut. The decision drew strong reactions from the university administration and several institutions.
Students say university administrations have rejected their demands on the grounds of academic freedom. In response, they argue that opposing cooperation with institutions associated with human rights violations is a democratic stance.