MADRID, (PIC)
The Confederation of Spanish Universities (CRUE) announced on Thursday that it will cut ties with Israeli universities and research centers “that have not expressed a firm commitment to peace and compliance with international humanitarian law.”
The decision came as students across Spain began camping out on university campuses this week, as part of a wider global wave of pro-Palestine student protests.
In a nod to the protests, CRUE also vowed to intensify cooperation with Palestinian research and higher learning institutions and expand cooperation, volunteerism, and refugee aid programs.
CRUE, which represents 76 private and public universities in Spain, also vowed to take action against antisemitic or Islamophobic conduct within the universities.
The announcement comes a day after the University of Barcelona voted to cut all ties with Israel and the University of the Basque Country made a similar move in April.
On Wednesday, Ireland’s Trinity College agreed to divest from Israel after student protests.
The wave of student protests kicked off at Columbia University in New York, where police cleared buildings and arrested around 300 students.
