BERLIN

The Netherlands' prestigious Utrecht University has announced a boycott of Israeli institutions due to the Benjamin Netanyahu government’s genocidal policies against Palestinians.

The decision was announced by the university's rector, Wilco Hazeleger, in his speech marking the beginning of the new academic year on Monday.

"The situation in the world, and in Gaza in particular, requires us to act with a moral compass. There is great human suffering," Hazeleger said, adding that while the academy requires openness and dialogue, Israeli state authorities have crossed a line with their genocidal policies.

"The call by demonstrating students and staff has been heard by me and my colleagues. We have effectively stopped or suspended all institutional collaborations with Israeli parties and will not start any new collaborations; a boycott is in place until further notice," he said.

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, has welcomed the university's stance in a statement posted on social media.

"Utrecht University becomes the first Western academic institution to announce an academic boycott of Israel, shattering a taboo," the group said, calling on all other universities to follow this example.

"University admins have no excuses," the advocacy group said. "Basic ethical principles, and the International Court of Justice rulings, require them to act urgently in response to the Palestinian call to boycott Israel and complicit Israeli academic institutions until it ends its Gaza campaign and respects fundamental Palestinian rights."