According to a report published on Monday by Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Israeli universities have implemented discriminatory disciplinary policies against Arab students since the start of the war on October 7, 2023. The report, titled “Apartheid in Israeli Academia: Arab Students After October 7, 2023,” alleges that higher education institutions created a stricter administrative track for Arab students—referred to as Palestinian students in the text, most of whom are Israeli citizens—and a more lenient constitutional track for Jewish students.
Adalah Report Findings and Disciplinary Proceedings
The report was authored by Adalah attorneys Lubna Touma, Adi Mansour, and Mai Diab, and edited by Dr. Fadi Khoury with assistance from Tom Mahager and Dr. Hassan Jabareen. It reviews proceedings against Arab students at approximately 40 academic institutions, primarily concerning posts published on private social media accounts. According to Adalah, international supporters contributed nearly NIS 1 million to provide legal representation and assistance to dozens of students, with the Galilee Foundation supporting the report’s writing and publication.
The organization stated it received 132 complaints from male and female students across nearly 40 institutions. Data presented in the report indicates that 76% of students facing disciplinary proceedings were young Palestinian women. Adalah provided legal representation or advice to 100 of those who contacted the center. In more than 80 cases, the report claims temporary suspensions were imposed prior to any hearing, while 20 cases resulted in permanent expulsion or suspensions ranging from one to five years. Adalah noted that some appeals handled by the organization successfully overturned decisions or significantly reduced punishments.
Timeline of University Actions and Triggering Content
According to the report, the University of Haifa issued its first decision to suspend Arab students on October 8, 2023—less than 24 hours after the massacre carried out by Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza border communities and the start of what the report calls the “war of extermination of the nation over the Gaza Strip.” Adalah claims the university’s then rector made the decision without prior proceedings or a hearing, based on social media posts uploaded in the hours before the ruling. By mid-October 2023, the report states, a broad pattern emerged involving immediate suspensions, disciplinary proceedings, and the classification of student posts as expressions of support for terrorism or identification with Hamas’s attack.
The content prompting complaints or proceedings covered a broad spectrum, including criticism of government policy, the IDF, or the war in Gaza, as well as references to the October 7 attack, reports on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Quranic verses, prayers, and symbols of Palestinian identity. Adalah claims that in some instances, simply liking a post, displaying a Palestinian flag or the word “Palestine” on a profile, sharing a news report, or praying for Gaza residents triggered institutional action. The organization also links these measures to political pressure from state officials, such as the education minister, who called for student suspensions and expedited disciplinary procedures. In several cases, institutions reportedly reported students to police, resulting in arrests.
University of Haifa Response and Institutional Rebuttal
Responding to the allegations, the University of Haifa rejected the findings. “The Adalah report presents a partial, biased, and highly inaccurate picture,” the university said in a statement. “The correct picture is this: the proceedings against students who were suspended following October 7 publications were conducted in accordance with disciplinary regulations, and the students were represented by attorneys.”
The university added that following recommendations from the disciplinary panel, the parties pursued mediation before a retired judge, a former vice president of the Nazareth District Court. During this process, students were also represented by legal counsel. The university reported that the mediation concluded with two student expulsions, five apologies carried out and community service at nonprofit organizations according to an agreed number of hours, and two acquittals. Meanwhile, the Education Ministry did not respond to the allegations and referred inquiries to the Council for Higher Education (CHE), which declined to comment.
Potential Future Implications for Israeli Academia
As academic institutions and legal advocacy groups address the fallout from the report, several outcomes may unfold across Israeli campuses.