Cutting ties with European universities: Israel’s maneuvers

After a six-month investigation, Investigate Europe and Reporters United reveal Israel’s attempts to prevent European universities from severing their academic ties with Israeli institutions.

At the heart of this network, the Association of Israeli University Presidents (VERA) spent more than $800,000 on legal fees over two years to maintain partnerships with European universities.

The Kesher firm has thus worked with 27 universities in 9 countries, with one main goal: to maintain Israel’s presence in Horizon Europe, the EU’s €95 billion research program, with which Israel has been associated since 2021.

The European Commission has so far backed Israeli participation, arguing that exclusion on grounds of nationality would be discriminatory. No Israeli institution has been suspended for breaching Article 14 of the Horizon grant agreement, which requires the highest ethical standards; a stance critics contrast with the treatment of Russia, where payments on 29 projects worth €12.6m were frozen within days of the invasion of Ukraine.

Case #2 : The Sorbonne

A student body repeatedly put a motion to the board of trustees to end partnerships with Israeli universities. Internal Kesher documents claim credit for derailing it, describing close cooperation with Israel's ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka.

The actors

• VERA, an association of presidents, rectors and directors of Israel's nine main research universities. Since 2023 it has led the anti-boycott campaign, treating it as a threat to Israeli science and to Israel's ability to shape Europe's research agenda from inside.
• Kesher, a Brussels law firm specialising in EU law, acting for institutions including Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute. Its January 2025 interim report for VERA flags "coordinated attacks" by groups of universities and suggests countermeasures.
• ACOM, a non-governmental organization and an pro-Israel lobby group based in Madrid.
• The Israeli Council for Higher Education is opening a dedicated anti-boycott office in 2026, funded with 1.7m shekels, with a stated focus on Western Europe and a shift from reacting to campaigning.