Dutch universities seek delay on request to reveal ‘Israeli and Jewish connections’

Universities across the Netherlands have asked for more time to the consider a pro-Palestinian organisation’s request to reveal their institutional links to Israeli and Jewish groups around the world.

UNL, an umbrella body representing 14 higher education institutions in the country, said they had a statutory duty to respond under freedom of information rules, but added the request had caused “considerable unrest”.

There was an outcry in the Netherlands’ Jewish community after news of the request was made public last week.

The Rights Forum, a Palestinian advocacy group founded by former Dutch prime minister Dries van Agt, said it had made the request on behalf of university students who believed pro-Israel groups were stifling campus debates on Israel.

It said it asked the universities for information about their ties with Israeli academic institutions and companies, and other groups “known for their active and unconditional support for Israel’s domination of the Palestinians”.

According to a letter published by the Dutch weekly Jewish newspaper NIW, the Forum asked Dutch universities to reveal their links to dozens of organisations in Israel, the Netherlands and other countries including Britain.

The US-based Anti-Defamation League, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and the UK-based JNF Charitable Trust (JNF-UK) are among the organisations listed.

Binyomin Jacobs, the Dutch chief rabbi, said it “reeks of antisemitism” by inferring a “shadowy Zionist/Jewish cabal is operating in the Dutch university system”.

He said he was concerned by “the number of universities that were so compliant with such a transparently antisemitic request. It reminds us that most mayors cooperated during the occupation to pass on the names of their Jewish citizens to the Germans.”

Several universities confirmed to Jewish News this week that they had received the request, which they must answer under the Netherlands’ freedom of information laws.

But the UNL said they had asked the Rights Forum for a delay “so that they have time to process it”.

It said: “The request is for the disclosure of institutional partnerships between Dutch universities and the organisations specified in the request. It specifically excludes partnerships between individual academics.”

A statement added that there were grounds to exempt certain information, such as religious or philosophical beliefs, and that the universities would be considering these when deciding whether to publish.

The Rights Forum has been contacted for comment.