A graduate of Trinity College Dublin claims that a decision by the university to cease all links with Israeli organisations "achieves nothing other than to pander to bigots and only promotes further hatred and division".
Michael Black, Deputy Chairman of Belfast Jewish Community, was speaking after the governing body of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) voted to cease links with Israeli organisations with immediate effect.
It means that TCD will not sign up to future exchange or research agreements with Israeli institutions, no longer use Israeli suppliers and divest from Israeli companies.
The move by TCD follows recommendations from a taskforce which was established as part of an agreement to end the student Gaza solidarity encampment on the university campus last year.
Trinity College Dublin has taken a decision to cut all ties with Israeli organisations. Pictured are protesters outside the university last May, where students created a protest encampment protest over the Gaza conflict.
TCD is part of a number of EU-funded research consortia which include Israeli partners and has two student exchange programmes with Israeli universities.
In a note to staff, Chairperson of TCD Board Paul Farrell said that "based on the strength of the evidence shared, and in line with the principles and procedures developed by the taskforce, the Board has accepted the recommendations set out in the report regarding institutional links with the State of Israel, Israeli universities and companies headquartered in Israel.
"These will be enacted for the duration of the ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law" and "will be kept under review by the Board," he said.
On 7 October 2023 Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250. Classed as a terrorist organisation by the EU, Canada, UK and US, Hamas says its subsequent war with Israel has resulted in 53,000 deaths in Gaza (out of a population of 2.1m), though it refuses to say how many of the dead were fighters.
Israel is facing intense global criticism over a blockade on food supplies to Gaza, which is causing major shortages for civilians, but which it says aims to stop supplies to Hamas.
It also faces facing widespread accusations of genocide, which it rejects; the charge has yet to be upheld in any international court.
TCD graduate Michael Black, who is Deputy Chairman of the Belfast Jewish Community, asked whether dissenting students would now feel intitimated.
He said: "Many people would dispute these accusations, much of which are based on lies, ignorance and Hamas propaganda. Cutting off ties with other academic institutions achieves nothing other than to pander to bigots and only promotes further hatred and division. This decision also ignores the welfare of those students who hold an opposing view and may now feel intimidated. What other countries are they boycotting?
"As a graduate of TCD, I and others are ashamed of this decision which only reinforces a widely held belief that Ireland is and has been one of the most antisemitic countries in Europe."
Daniel O'Dowd of the Ireland Israel Alliance questioned what impact the move would have on Jewish students and faculty members at TCD.
"Trinity’s cowardly act to sever all ties with the Jewish State, is as unsurprising as it is bigoted," he said.
"Once the colleges bent the knee to radicals, who desecrated memorial benches and held the college to ransom, it was apparent they did not have the courage to stand up for what is right."
He also claimed the move was "an assault on academic freedom and impartiality".