Adalah Report Accuses Israeli Academia of Discriminatory Policies Against Arab Students
A new report by the Adalah Legal Center accuses Israeli academic institutions of implementing discriminatory disciplinary policies against Arab students following the October 7 attacks, a claim strongly rejected by the University of Haifa.
The Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel has published a highly critical report titled "Apartheid in Israeli Academia: Arab Students After October 7, 2023." The report alleges that since the outbreak of the war, higher education institutions in Israel have implemented discriminatory disciplinary policies. According to Adalah, this has effectively created two separate tracks: a strict, punitive track for Arab students (referred to as "Palestinians" in the report), most of whom are Israeli citizens, and a significantly more lenient track for Jewish students.
The report was authored by Adalah attorneys Lubna Toma, Adi Mansour, and Mai Diab, and edited by Dr. Fadi Khoury, with assistance from Tom Mehager and Dr. Hassan Jabareen. It reviews disciplinary proceedings against Arab students across approximately 40 academic institutions, primarily initiated due to posts on their private social media accounts.
Adalah noted that international donors contributed nearly 1 million NIS to fund the legal representation and support of dozens of students during these proceedings. The Galilee Foundation provided the financial support that enabled the writing and publication of the report.
Over 80 Suspensions Prior to Hearings
According to the report, on October 8, 2023—less than 24 hours after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel and the launch of what the report terms "the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip"—the University of Haifa issued its first decision to suspend Arab students.
Adalah claims this decision was made by the university's rector at the time without any prior proceedings or hearings, based solely on posts the students had uploaded to their private social media accounts in the preceding hours. Within days, other academic institutions followed suit.
"By mid-October 2023, a broad pattern was already identifiable: immediate suspensions of Palestinian students from their studies, the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against them, and the classification of their posts as supporting terrorism or identifying with the Hamas attack."
The organization stated it received 132 inquiries from students across nearly 40 institutions, describing what it calls "a large-scale suppression of freedom of expression for Palestinian students in Israel." According to the data, 76% of the students facing disciplinary action were young Palestinian women.
Adalah provided legal representation or counsel to 100 of these applicants. In more than 80 cases, temporary suspensions were reportedly imposed before any hearing took place. In 20 cases, students were permanently expelled or suspended for periods ranging from one to five years. In some appeals handled by the organization, decisions were overturned or penalties were significantly reduced.
The report also links these academic measures to political pressure from state officials, including the Minister of Education, who called for immediate suspensions and expedited proceedings. According to Adalah, in several instances, institutions reported students to the Israel Police, leading to arrests.
From Likes to Palestinian Flags: The Triggers for Action
The range of content that led to complaints or proceedings was broad, according to the organization. It included criticism of government policy, the IDF, or the war in Gaza; references to the October 7 attack; sharing news about the humanitarian situation in the Strip; Quranic verses and prayers; and symbols of Palestinian identity. The report claims that in some cases, a simple "like," displaying a Palestinian flag or the word "Palestine" on a profile, sharing a news item, or posting a prayer for the residents of Gaza was sufficient to trigger disciplinary action.
At the core of Adalah's argument is the claim that the burden of proof was reversed: instead of the institution proving that a post constituted a disciplinary offense, students were required to prove that their words did not support terrorism. Adalah alleges that institutions expanded their jurisdiction to private posts unrelated to academic life, almost exclusively targeting Arab students, while failing to take similar action against Jewish students who posted racist or inciting content.
Consequently, Adalah concludes that Israeli academia has shifted from regulating campus-related conduct to policing private expression, deciding which expressions of Palestinian identity, religion, solidarity, or political criticism are legitimate.
University of Haifa Rejects Allegations
The University of Haifa strongly rejected the report's findings, calling them highly inaccurate and biased.
In an official response, the University of Haifa stated:
"The Adalah report presents a partial, biased, and highly inaccurate picture. The true picture is as follows: the proceedings against the students suspended following the October 7 posts were conducted in accordance with disciplinary regulations, and the students were represented by attorneys."
The university further explained that, based on the recommendation of the disciplinary panel, the parties agreed to enter mediation before a retired judge (the former deputy president of the Nazareth District Court), where the students were also represented by counsel.
Following the mediation, agreements were reached: two students were expelled from the university, five apologized and agreed to perform community service at non-profit organizations for a set number of hours, and two were fully acquitted.
The Ministry of Education did not comment on the allegations and referred inquiries to the Council for Higher Education (CHE). The Council for Higher Education chose not to comment on the report.
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