Galway students protest university’s ties to Israeli military-linked institution

A protest took place at the University of Galway on Wednesday a research project which is in collaboration with the Israeli institute, Technion. File photo

More than 100 students have staged a protest at the University of Galway against its links with an Israeli research institution with ties to the Israeli military.

The demonstration took place outside the offices of interim president, Professor Peter McHugh, where students highlighted ties with Technion which, they said, has helped to create the AI technology used by the Israeli military in its campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Occupied Territories.

The University of Galway is coordinating a €1.5m EU-funded research project on integrating seawater and green hydrogen production in which Technion is a participant.

The university was the first Irish third-level institution to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza publicly. In a statement to staff and students last year, then university president Prof Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said that “as a community of scholars and students, the destruction of universities in Gaza and the consequent killing of so many students and academics by Israeli forces is particularly grievous to us".

“As a university community, we have a particular responsibility to oppose the deliberate destruction of facilities of higher learning and the targeting of academics and we do so here. We call for accountability for such crimes, and an end to the killing.” 

This prompted an internal review of the university’s relationship with Israeli institutions.

Students Union President Faye Ní Dhomhnaill said: “Our university was happy to say that it was ending its ties with Israel when it suited its press releases. When it suited it to portray an image of being leaders for Palestinian justice. However, underneath our noses, our university was choosing to coordinate a project involving Technion.

“Our university prides itself on being ranked number one in Ireland for its sustainable development. However, at the very same time, our university is facilitating the ecocide of Palestinians. Sustainable Development Goals #1 and #2 are No Poverty and Zero Hunger. In all, 4.1 million people are now considered impoverished across the Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, with 2.61 million added in the last year alone, according to reports.

"Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza.” 

 Technion has strong ties with leading Israel weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, which describes itself as “the primary provider of the Israeli military’s land-based equipment and unarmed aerial vehicles". Elbit has previously funded a research laboratory in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Technion, as well as sponsoring numerous research grants.

A subsidiary of Elbit, Electro-Optics Research & Development (EORD), manufactured the “Scream,” an acoustic “crowd control” system that “creates sound levels that are unbearable to humans at distances up to 100 metres” which has received criticism from within Israel by medical experts who warn it can lead to irreversible hearing loss, and even harm foetuses and cause miscarriages.

Aside from its connections to Elbit, Technion modified the armoured, remote-controlled D9 bulldozer, extensively used by the Israeli military for warfare, including to dig trenches, build bridges and clear sites including the demolition of Palestinian homes.

The University of Galway stands to receive over € 700,000 from the EU for the collaboration, with Technion due a sum of more than €360,000.