Students at Belgian university protest presence of ex-Israeli diplomat at conference

BRUSSELS

Around 500 students at Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) staged a protest Monday over the presence of historian and former Israeli ambassador to France Elie Barnavi at a conference organized by the university.

Recalling Barnavi’s remarks attempting to legitimize Israel’s attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 last year by saying they were “rightful and necessary,” they chanted that Israel is a terrorist state and ULB is complicit.

The students also stressed that such academic events aim to normalize what is actually abnormal.

Last week, ULB and the University of Antwerp announced that they had suspended relations with Israel, pledging to maintain this stance until Israel complies with rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Netherlands.

Their decision came amid pro-Palestine student protests.

Demonstrations which began at the start of the month are continuing at universities in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Liege, demanding that academic institutions cut ties with Israel.