Trinity College Dublin announces a complete severing of institutional ties with Israel, citing “ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law.” The decision includes divesting from Israeli companies and ending academic collaborations.
Trinity College Dublin announced on Wednesday its decision to sever all institutional links with Israel, citing “ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law”, AFP reported.
The move follows a five-day student blockade of the campus last year protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The university’s board informed students via email that it had accepted a taskforce’s recommendations to cut ties with “the State of Israel, Israeli universities and companies headquartered in Israel.”
These measures will remain “enacted for the duration of the ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law,” according to the email from board chairman Paul Farrell.
Among the approved recommendations are pledges to divest “from all companies headquartered in Israel,” avoid future supply contracts and commercial relationships with Israeli firms, and cease new mobility agreements with Israeli universities.
Trinity currently holds Erasmus+ exchange agreements with Bar Ilan University (ending July 2026) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (ending July 2025). The university will also not participate in new institutional research agreements involving Israeli entities and aims to influence EU policy concerning Israel’s participation in collaborations.
Ireland has been a vocal critic of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza. In April of last year, then-Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris failed to mention the hostages being held by Hamas during his first speech after being elected leader, resulting in criticism from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
Later, Harris criticized Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, accusing Israel of a “pattern of flouting international law and disregard for rules of engagement”.
A month later, Ireland joined Spain, Norway, and subsequently Slovenia in officially recognizing a Palestinian state.
In December, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that the Israeli embassy in Ireland will be closed, accusing Ireland of delegitimizing and dehumanizing Israel as well as applying double standards in its approach to Israel’s conflict with Hamas.
In response, Irish President Michael Higgins lashed out at Israel, and said that its accusations that the Irish people are antisemitic are a “gross defamation” and “deep slander”, while claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is in breach of so many bits of international law and has breached the sovereignty of Lebanon, Syria and would like to have settlement in Egypt.”
Sa’ar responded to Higgins and said, “Once an antisemitic liar – always an antisemitic liar.”
In January, Higgins took advantage of his speech at an event in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day to criticize Israel.
In his remarks, Higgins discussed the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and appeared to draw a line between the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust and the war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.
Sa’ar said in response, “Even on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Irish President Michael Higgins couldn’t help himself and resorted to a cheap, despicable provocation.”
“The biggest murderous attack against Jews since the Holocaust was perpetrated from Jihadist Gaza. Nonetheless, he echoed Hamas’ antisemitic lies and propaganda at a Holocaust memorial ceremony, leading to the removal of Jews, descendants of Holocaust survivors, from the event,” he added.
“What a despicable person. What a distorted policy. Shame!” stated Sa’ar.
