Palestinian Students After 7 October 2023
Since October 2023, Palestinian students at Israeli universities and colleges have faced a disciplinary system that, according to Adalah’s research, operates on two separate tracks. In its new report, Apartheid in Israeli Academia: Palestinian Students After 7 October 2023, the legal centre documents how an “administrative track” was applied only to Palestinian students, most of them citizens of Israel. Criticism of Israeli military actions in Gaza, accusations of war crimes, prayers, Qur’anic verses, and expressions of grief or solidarity with Gaza’s population were treated as grounds for suspension and expulsion.
A “constitutional track” applied to Jewish-Israeli students, whose freedom of expression was protected even in cases of genocidal or racist speech. The report finds that no Jewish-Israeli student faced disciplinary action for social media posts supporting genocide, the “flattening” of Gaza, or racist statements against Palestinian citizens of Israel. This two-track system emerged in early October 2023 and continued through 2024 and 2025.
The event asks what this means for academic freedom, equality in education and the responsibilities of universities, including our own and those of our partner institutions.
Programme
- 16:00-16:05 Welcome and introduction by Roschanack Shaery-Yazdi
- 16:05-16:50 Presentation of the report by Adi Mansour and Miriam Azem (Adalah)
- 16:50-17:50 Panel discussion and Q&A with the audience
- Adi Mansour, affiliate attorney at Adalah and report co-author
- Miriam Azem, International Advocacy Coordinator at Adalah
- Nathalie Dens, Vice-rector for Societal Engagement and International Policy
- 17:50-18:00 Closing remarks
Venue
Meerminne, M. 005, City Campus, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, University of Antwerp
Organised by
- Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
- Broederlijk Delen
- University of Antwerp
- Global Engagement
- Faculty of Arts
Language
English
Entry
The event is free upon registration. Students and staff of 91Թ can . External participants can register by emailing globalengagement@uantwerpen.be