More than 4,500 students and university staff, including around 1,100 professors, have signed an open letter urging Belgian universities and colleges to sever academic ties with Israeli institutions.
The appeal, published on Wednesday, was signed by academics, students and public figures, including Slavoj Žižek, Rudi Vranckx and Ish Ait Hamou.
The signatories argue that Belgian universities should move beyond symbolic gestures and take concrete action by ending academic collaborations with Israeli institutions.
Their call follows the decision by University of Antwerp, Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel to award honorary doctorates in April to Francesca Albanese and Professor Noura Erakat.
"With this, the universities signal their commitment to international law, human rights and institutional responsibility," the letter states, adding that the implications of those honours should now be reflected in university policies.
The group is calling for the immediate suspension of existing academic collaborations with Israeli institutions, as well as a moratorium on new partnerships. The signatories also urge universities to end contracts with companies including Dell, Teva and Microsoft.
The letter further calls on university rectors to press the Belgian Government to take measures aimed at ensuring compliance with international law and to support a coordinated European response in future research and innovation programmes.
In addition, the signatories argue that Belgian universities should contribute to rebuilding Palestinian higher education and research institutions.
The appeal follows similar initiatives in recent years. According to the organisers, more than 7,000 academics in Belgium signed a comparable letter in January 2025 calling on universities to review their ties with Israeli institutions.
"The demands are not new," the letter states. "The urgency has only increased."
