The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science ended its relationship with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where Nobel chemistry laureate Dan Shechtman serves on the board. The Departments of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences and Technology also suspended their partnerships under the same agreement.
The Department of Architecture severed ties with Ariel University, and the Department of Political and Social Sciences halted cooperation with Tel Aviv University’s Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center.
Despite the move against Israeli institutions, the university has upheld academic partnerships with Iranian universities, even as Iran remains under international sanctions over its treatment of women, suppression of protests, clandestine nuclear activities and support for terrorism.
Active agreements include partnerships with Shahid Beheshti University through 2028, Isfahan University through 2027, and Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. Amirkabir’s corresponding department at the University of Florence is one of those leading the Israeli boycott. The Department of Architecture also maintains a partnership with Iran’s University of Art, which last year barred 40 female students from attending classes for alleged dress code violations after they protested the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from academic and political figures who accuse the university of applying a double standard — boycotting democratic Israel while maintaining ties with regimes accused of widespread repression.