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Universities demand staff disclose ties to Jewish, Israeli groups – reports — Analysis

The demand follows a freedom of information request filed with a dozen of Dutch universities by a group Jewish media called ‘anti-Israeli’

According to reports, about 12 Dutch universities’ administrations demanded that their staff provide information regarding their 10 year-old relationships with an extensive list of Jewish or Israeli institutions. This was in response to a request from the Rights Forum, a Netherlands-based NGO. On Thursday, the Dutch-Jewish media outlet NIW reported on this news. 

According to the request, the paper asked the academic institutions if they were willing to share information and documents about their contacts and dealings with different Jewish entities. This includes Israeli universities, companies and institutions as well as contact with them. “organizations promoting support for the State of Israel,”NIW reports. 

While the Rights Forum was particularly concerned about student exchanges that Dutch universities have with Israeli institutions of higher education, it did not end there. It also included the US-based Anti-Defamation League, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and even the Dutch government’s office of the National Coordinator for Fighting Antisemitism. 

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All collected information (including email correspondence) should be then handed to the Rights Forum. NIW described the Rights Forum as a “pro-Palestinian” “anti-Israel”Group that was previously “accused of anti-Semitism.” 

According to the outlet, it’s not clear if universities have complied or not. “in full.”However, it did state that directors “a number of universities”They forwarded the request without any review from the legal department to their employees, asserting that they were “obliged”It is required by law. Some universities were unwilling to talk with their employees about the subject. 

According to a Dutch 1991 law, any person can make a Freedom of Information Request for information about any topic. “administrative matter” public. Dutch universities are covered by the law. 

Many Jewish organizations in the Netherlands and elsewhere were shocked by this request. “This reeks of antisemitism, but it comes as no surprise to me given this group’s reputation,” Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs said. 

“What really concerns me is 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,”He concluded. 

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The NIW was the first to report the developments. “frightening”It pointed out the fact that organisations “fighting anti-Semitism”wurden in the Request as being in the “systematic oppression, discrimination, dispossession and exclusion of Palestinians.” 

There has been no mention of the request on the Rights Forum’s website, nor has the group commented on the reports. Dries van AGt, the ex-prime minister of Holland, founded it back in 2009 and calls itself a “resourceful forum.” “knowledge center on the Palestine/Israel issue,”This is “committed to a just and sustainable Dutch and European policy with regard to the Palestine/Israel issue.”

The report also states that there has not been an international effort to provide the conditions necessary for this. “just peace”The group adds that it seeks to “change that.” 

The Jerusalem Post described van Agt in a controversial role. He compared Israel with Nazi Germany, and claimed that Jews ought to have had a right to be granted a passport. “piece of land”Germany is the only country that has this distinction, not Palestine.

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