The recent “Statement on Academic Freedom” by the rectors of Dutch universities is rich in principle but disturbingly hollow in practice. Their lofty rhetoric about freedom of thought, open dialogue, and the rejection of dogma rings painfully ironic to those of us who have spent the last two years watching these same institutions stand by, or actively participate, as Jewish and Israeli academics were marginalized, silenced, harassed, and excluded.
This silence, and often complicity, came as universities boycotted Israeli institutions, banned Jewish speakers, and appeased aggressors who made Jewish students and staff feel so unwelcome, many are now considering leaving their universities, or even the Netherlands.
Now They Care About Academic Freedom?
Now, as campus protests escalate and university leadership faces challenges to its authority, the same institutions suddenly rediscover the language of pluralism and academic openness.
But where was this moral clarity when Israeli guest lecturers were uninvited for no reason other than their nationality? When a student film screening was blocked because “now is a sensitive time”, as if being Israeli disqualifies you from artistic expression?
Where was the defense of nuance when Jewish students were vilified for refusing to disavow Israel? Where was the commitment to “respectful disagreement” when Zionist perspectives were shouted down, research collaborations severed, and Jewish voices pushed out of campus discourse?
Where was the institutional response when private university property was taken over by protestors who proudly declared it “Zionist-free”, a chilling euphemism to, if we are honest, Judenfrei?
Not Just Neglect, Collusion
This isn’t just a failure to defend academic freedom. It’s evidence of universities actively enabling, and in some cases legitimizing, the violation of those freedoms when the targets are Jews and Israelis.
Take Wageningen University. In May 2025, hundreds of staff members publicly pledged not to supervise students from Israeli institutions. This was not a protest; it was a direct commitment to discriminate based on nationality. Academic apartheid, plain and simple. And what did university leadership say? Nothing.
Or consider TU Delft, where a university course described Israel as a colonial project, branding Israelis collectively as colonizers. The course was led by instructors with documented records of supporting Hamas, trivializing the Holocaust, and promoting extremist narratives. This wasn’t just tolerated, it was officially part of the university curriculum.
Then there’s Maastricht University. While talks by Jewish speakers were blocked or cancelled under vague “security concerns,” Palestinian speakers were welcomed with open arms. Worse, the university officially recognized and provided an office to Free Palestine Maastricht, an organization known for a long history of intimidation, antisemitic rhetoric, and incitement to violence.
When Hate Is Rewarded, and Dialogue Is Silenced
What does it say about Dutch academia when those inciting hatred are rewarded, while those seeking dialogue are suppressed?
Now that the ideological radicalism they tolerated has begun to shake the foundations of their own institutions, with campus occupations, polarized classrooms, mounting Dutch political scrutiny, and a slipping global academic reputation, the rectors have rediscovered the importance of academic freedom. But this is no awakening of conscience; it is a strategic response to a crisis they helped create. When Jews and Israelis were systematically excluded, when dialogue was abandoned for dogma, they said little. Now that they fear losing control of the academy itself, they suddenly find their voice.
Let’s be honest: this is not a principled stand. It’s damage control by institutions that have selectively applied their own values for years. If academic freedom is to mean anything, it must be universal. It must apply to the controversial, the unpopular, and yes, to the Israeli and the Jewish.
The Moral Collapse of Dutch Academia
What we are witnessing is not just a policy failure, but a moral collapse.
The rectors now lament polarization, but they helped manufacture it by treating one group, Jews, as expendable. By letting ideology override principle. By allowing fear and populism to dictate policy.
If the academy is to be a true sanctuary for critical thought, it must reject the reduction of complex conflicts into slogans. It must protect the right of Israelis to speak without being vilified. It must allow Jewish students to exist without being interrogated. And it must ensure that calls for “justice” do not become justifications for exclusion.
Academic Freedom Starts With Consistency
The universities now say they want dialogue. That’s welcome. But let it begin with honesty. Let it begin with an admission of the hypocrisy that brought us here.
Until Dutch universities are prepared to apply their principles consistently, to Jews and Israelis, to unpopular views, and to those genuinely facing intimidation, their declarations on academic freedom will remain exactly what they are: not acts of courage, but belated attempts to salvage legitimacy after years of moral abdication.
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