Israeli Universities Implement Discriminatory Policies Against Palestinian Students Post-Oct. 7, Report Claims

A new report by the legal advocacy group "Adalah" alleges that Israeli universities and colleges have systematically expanded disciplinary actions against Palestinian students since October 7, 2023, primarily based on social media posts. The report, titled "Racism in Israeli Universities and Colleges After October 7, 2023," claims that academic institutions have developed a surveillance and punishment system disproportionately targeting Palestinian students for expressing religious, political, and national sentiments, as well as for posts discussing the Gaza war and the October 7th attacks.

The first documented case occurred on October 8, 2023, when Haifa University suspended Palestinian students without preliminary procedures or hearings, citing their social media activity. This was followed by other institutions, establishing a pattern of immediate suspension, disciplinary proceedings, and accusations of supporting terrorism or identifying with Hamas's attack. Between October 7 and the report's compilation, Adalah received 132 complaints from students, 131 of whom were Palestinian, facing disciplinary action at approximately 40 out of 61 Israeli academic institutions. The report notes a significant gender disparity, with 101 of the affected students being female.

Common disciplinary measures included temporary suspension from studies, which was used in over 61% of the cases. In 20 instances, police intervention, including arrests, occurred based on social media posts. These actions were reportedly influenced by official directives, including a letter from Education Minister Yoav Kisch on October 12, 2023, urging immediate suspension and reporting of suspicious cases to the Higher Education Council and police. While university presidents reportedly expressed reservations about creating an atmosphere of mutual reporting, the report states their opposition did not translate into a systematic refusal to implement the measures.

The content of the posts leading to disciplinary actions varied, with approximately 24% criticizing Israel and its military actions in Gaza, using terms like occupation and genocide. Another 23% addressed the October 7th events, and 22% focused on the situation in Gaza, including documenting destruction and expressing solidarity. Around 21% of posts had religious content, such as prayers or Quranic verses, while 16% used visual symbols like the Palestinian flag or maps. The report highlights that many posts were in Arabic, often with religious or cultural significance, and did not explicitly call for terrorism or directly support the October 7th attack. Some posts predated the war or were from private accounts.

Adalah's legal team provided support or representation in 100 cases. Out of 78 cases that went before disciplinary committees, 52 resulted in convictions, while 14 led to acquittals. Punishments ranged from single-semester suspensions to permanent expulsion, with 11 students facing permanent dismissal. The report criticizes procedural flaws, including students being summoned without being informed of the specific complaint, inaccurate attribution of posts, and reliance on machine translation from Arabic to Hebrew, which sometimes distorted meanings. The report concludes that these practices create a discriminatory system, akin to apartheid, by treating Palestinian students as a separate and unequal category, restricting their expression while not applying similar restrictions to Jewish students, fostering fear and self-censorship.

Adalah argues that these practices violate principles of free speech, the right to education, and non-discrimination, as well as Israel's international legal obligations. The report urges Israeli higher education institutions to reconsider the use of disciplinary committees for political expression and to redefine their powers to protect freedom of speech, even for views that conflict with the majority, thereby preserving academia as a space for pluralism and free debate.