100 Palestinian students expelled from Israeli universities for criticizing Gaza war: Rights group

Israeli universities have permanently or temporarily expelled 100 Palestinian students for criticizing Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to a Palestinian-run rights group based in Israel.

A report by Adalah examined changes in how Israeli higher education institutions have treated Palestinian students since the Gaza war began.

It documented cases in which Israeli universities suspended Palestinian students and launched disciplinary proceedings against them, classifying some of their social media posts as “support for terrorism.”

“In more than 80 cases, institutions imposed temporary suspensions before holding any hearing and before even determining whether the alleged violation had occurred,” it said.

“In 20 cases, students were permanently expelled or suspended from their studies for periods ranging from one to five years."

Adalah said the disciplinary measures targeted a wide range of forms of expression, including criticism of government and military policies and the war on Gaza as well as expressions of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"Simply liking a post, displaying the Palestinian flag or the word Palestine on a personal account, sharing a news report, or praying for the people of Gaza” was enough to prompt a complaint or disciplinary proceedings in some cases, it added.

The group said students were summoned “to appear before disciplinary committees without being informed of the subject of the complaint,” adding that “in other cases, institutions did not verify when the content had been posted or whether the social media account belonged to the accused student.”

Adalah said that institutions “expanded the scope of their disciplinary powers beyond their legal limits, specifically against Palestinian students.”

By contrast, it said, “institutions in many cases maintained the limits of their authority when dealing with Jewish students and refrained from intervening in expressions unrelated to academic matters, even in the face of calls for the extermination of the Palestinian people and racist and inciting posts.”

The report warned that Israeli academic institutions have adopted a “two-track apartheid system” since Oct. 7, 2023, with Palestinian students facing emergency-based disciplinary measures while Jewish students enjoy greater protections for freedom of expression.

It said the policy "creates an atmosphere of intimidation among Palestinian students" and violates international law principles prohibiting racial discrimination and protecting minority rights.

Arab citizens make up roughly 21% of Israel’s population of more than 10 million.

Since the war on Gaza began, Israel has imposed tight restrictions on social media posts and arrested activists who expressed solidarity with Palestinians.

Since October 2023, Israel, with US support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000 others while destroying 90% of the infrastructure.