Adalah Report Details Widespread Discrimination Against Palestinian Students in Israeli Academia

A new report by the human rights organization Adalah details a significant shift in how Israeli higher education institutions have treated Palestinian students since October 7, 2023. Based on hundreds of legal cases and inquiries received by the organization, the report concludes there is an institutional pattern of handling Palestinian students' political expression differently from Jewish students, amounting to a system of apartheid within academic institutions.

Adalah lawyer Lubna Toma stated that the organization has provided legal representation or consultation to over 100 Palestinian students since the Hamas attacks. The majority of these students are Palestinian citizens of Israel, with a smaller number being West Bank residents studying in Israel. The report, compiled after two and a half years of legal work, analyzes the disciplinary measures and severe penalties imposed by academic institutions.

Toma highlighted that Adalah compared actions taken against Palestinian students for their political views with the handling of posts by Jewish students that allegedly included incitement against Palestinians and calls for genocide in Gaza. The report found that academic institutions have expanded their disciplinary powers concerning Palestinian students while often refraining from similar actions against Jewish students, even when their speech involved incitement.

The report covers over 40 academic institutions, indicating a widespread pattern rather than isolated incidents. Haifa University was noted as one of the first institutions to immediately suspend Palestinian students starting October 8, 2023. Other institutions mentioned include the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and Safed College.

Some universities have justified expanding their disciplinary authority. The Hebrew University reportedly views Palestinian students as adversaries, while Tel Aviv University has deemed criticism of Israeli policy in Gaza outside the academic sphere, yet considers any Palestinian expression regarding October 7 to be within its disciplinary purview. Adalah argues this differential definition of academic relevance reflects a biased approach to free expression based on student identity and content.

Notably, art colleges, traditionally seen as bastions of liberal thought and free expression, were among those initiating numerous disciplinary proceedings against Palestinian students. These actions were not solely from administrations but also involved organized efforts by Israeli student groups. Toma emphasized that these measures are ongoing, with Adalah handling appeals into 2026, suggesting this is not a temporary response but a potentially new framework for academic institutions' treatment of Palestinian students.