Academics at 11 universities call for trade freeze with Israel over 'well-televised' genocide

A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, aged 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday. Photo: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

More than 160 academics from 11 universities across the country have urged the Government to suspend trade with Israel in response to the unfolding genocide in Gaza.

In an open letter, the group, which includes professors, lecturers and researchers, describes Israel’s military response to the “terrible Hamas attack” in October 2023 as "by now a well-televised genocide”.

“We recommend an immediate halt to trade with Israel until a permanent ceasefire is established together with open access to humanitarian aid,” it said.

This is not just a “symbolic” action, the letter added, as data shows that Ireland is a significant destination for exports from Israel.

“An immediate cessation of this trade will have impact and is one way Ireland can take further action towards ending the suffering in Gaza.”

Acknowledging that the move would have short-term economic consequences, the group also argued it is “morally repugnant” to enrich ourselves as a country “by turning a blind eye to well-documented suffering in Gaza”.

The letter called on the Government to put in place “an immediate pause to trade with Israel pending a permanent ceasefire and aid delivery in accordance with international humanitarian principle”. The signatories also called on the Government to advocate for co-ordinated EU-wide action.

Trinity College Dublin

Last week, the board of Trinity College Dublin voted to cut ties with Israeli universities and fully divest from all companies based in Israel, becoming the first Irish university to do so. It will also no longer facilitate Erasmus agreements with Israeli universities, or collaborate on research. 

The move follows recommendations from a task force established as part of an agreement to end a student encampment on campus set up in solidarity with Gaza last summer.

The task force, chaired by former High Court president Mary Irvine, recommended that the university divest fully from all companies headquartered in Israel.

It also advised that Trinity should not enter into future supply contracts or new commercial relationships with Israeli firms, and should refrain from establishing new mobility agreements or institutional research collaborations with Israeli universities.

TCD students' union welcomed the move, but said it was disappointing that Trinity had not withdrawn from ongoing projects involving Israeli partners that provide military technology and training.

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Last summer, students and members of the university's Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, set up an encampment on the Trinity campus. 

It followed a wave of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States during which riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices were used to clear occupied buildings and encampments. 

The Trump administration continues to target US universities' federal funding due to the handling of these protests. In March, it pulled $400m from Columbia University, saying it failed to fight anti-semitism on campus.