Italy University of Palermo suspends Erasmus exchange agreements with Israel universities

Protesters hold a banner in Italian reading ‘Memory respects every age’ as pro-Palestinian protesters gather to show solidarity with Palestinians and protest against Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza, despite a ban on marches in Rome, Italy on January 27, 2024 [Riccardo De Luca – Anadolu Agency]

Italy’s University of Palermo has suspended Erasmus exchange agreements with Israeli universities, state news agency, ANSA, reported on Tuesday.

The University’s academic senate cited “the lack of essential security guarantees to which those involved in the cooperation partnerships would be exposed in this particular and delicate moment of international crisis.”

The Board also announced that measures aiming to support Palestinian education system will be taken.

“I consider it a wrong choice, especially at a time when the political-diplomatic process of peace, of the search for peace, is intensifying,” said University and Research Minister, Anna Maria Bernini, commenting on the move.

In recent weeks, college campuses around the world have seen protests by pro-Palestine students and faculty members against Israel’s war on Gaza, in which more than 36,000 people have been killed. Demonstrators have demanded that their schools sever any financial and academic links with Israel.

READ: Experts warn of consequences of American universities divesting from Israeli companies

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