Adalah Report Alleges Israeli Universities Enforce Apartheid Against Palestinian Students

The Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel has released a new report detailing what it describes as a "transformation in the treatment of Palestinian students by Israeli higher education institutions since October 7, 2023." The report, authored by attorneys Louna Touma, Adi Mansour, and Mai Diab, and edited by Dr. Fadi Khoury, analyzes disciplinary actions taken against Palestinian students, primarily from within Israel, following social media posts and expressions of opinion.

Adalah concludes that these institutions have established an "apartheid system" applied differently to Palestinian and Jewish students based on the content of their expression. The report documents how, from the early days after October 7, universities began suspending Palestinian students and initiating disciplinary proceedings, often classifying their posts as "support for terrorism." This occurred amid political pressure, including demands from Education Minister Yoav Kisch for immediate action against students. In some cases, institutions reported students to the police, leading to arrests.

The report details 132 cases of Palestinian students from approximately 40 academic institutions seeking Adalah's assistance, with women constituting over 76.5% of those who reached out. In more than 80 instances, students faced temporary suspension before any hearing. Twenty students received permanent expulsion or suspensions ranging from one to five years. Adalah's legal team successfully appealed some of these decisions, leading to acquittals or reduced penalties.

According to the report, disciplinary actions were taken for a wide range of expressions, including criticism of government and military policies, solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, references to the October 7 events, and the sharing of religious texts or symbols of Palestinian identity. Even liking a post, displaying the Palestinian flag, sharing a news report, or praying for Gazans were sufficient grounds for complaints or disciplinary action. The report also highlights procedural violations, such as students being summoned without knowing the specific post in question, institutions failing to verify post dates or account ownership, and reliance on machine translation of Arabic posts, leading to errors.

Adalah asserts that institutions have expanded their disciplinary authority beyond legal limits, exclusively targeting Palestinian students. While academic regulations typically pertain to conduct within the institution, universities have used private online posts as grounds for discipline. Conversely, the report claims, institutions often refrained from intervening in the expressions of Jewish students, even in cases of calls for the extermination of Palestinians or racist and inciting content. The report argues that this creates a climate of intimidation, self-censorship, and diminished feelings of safety and belonging for Palestinian students, violating international law principles against racial discrimination, women's rights, and minority rights. Adalah calls on Israeli higher education institutions to reinstate legal limits on disciplinary powers, uphold the rule of law and equality, and establish freedom of expression as a fundamental principle, especially for views not aligned with the Jewish majority.