IIT Bombay students demand end of collaboration with Israel: ‘Time for us to reflect on the relationships we maintain’

As a student and a member of this academic community, I believe it is time for us to reflect on the relationships we maintain with institutions complicit in actions that violate human rights. Israeli universities, many of which have been closely linked to state policies and actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, stand in direct opposition to the values of justice, equality, and human dignity that we hold dear. In solidarity with the Palestinian people, I urge the Institute and the student body to reconsider and divest from any collaborations or exchanges with Israeli universities. This is not only a moral obligation but also a meaningful act of support for those facing oppression,” the letter stated.

Students are calling for reconsidering and divesting from any collaborations or exchanges with Israeli universities. Especially when @IntlCrimCourt and @CIJ_ICJ have deemed Israel's warcrimes in Gaza and the West Bank illegal and genocidal. pic.twitter.com/XJnqMiK2To

— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) September 8, 2024

This letter was sent as a response to a student notice posted by IIT-Bombay about funded research opportunities in Chemistry- Masters, PhD and PostDoc at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. “We cordially invite you and your students to an exclusive webinar (free registration) tailored particularly for students keen on discovering research programs in Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University. Please share this invite with interested students!” the invite from the Israeli university had stated.

While the group believes that IIT Bombay maintaining a distance from “institutions that are implicated in these ongoing atrocities, we can take a clear stand for peace and justice.” However, some IIT-Bombay students believe that the motive behind these collaborations is different and should be separated from socio-political issues.

“These collaborations come purely from the point of academic betterment of students, there is no ill will and we should understand this. Israel is a leading country in technology and research, and these collaborations are to help us. If such a decision was needed then the government would have initiated it and IIT-Bombay would have implemented it. This is for the advancement of technology and academics,” said a final year IIT-Bombay student.

Response from authorities at IIT-B is awaited.