Israeli University Presidents Warn Against Expanding Gender Segregation Law in Academia

The Council of University Presidents in Israel issued an urgent letter to the Knesset opposing the proposed expansion of the gender segregation law within academic institutions. They expressed concern that extending the law to include undergraduate degrees and public campus spaces such as laboratories, libraries, and cafeterias would create "second-class degrees for women" and impose a significant financial burden. The letter emphasized that such segregation would deepen academic disparities, severely harm research quality, and degrade professional training in therapeutic fields across Israel. The university leaders called for a special parliamentary discussion to address these last-minute legislative changes and prevent the negative consequences on academic standards and campus life.