'Extremely disappointing decision': Israeli student's sadness after Queen's University, Belfast, 'rolls over to pressure' and cuts links with Israel

​Ethan Godsi was speaking after Queen's University Belfast (QUB) said late last week that it had finished divesting itself of Israeli linked investments.

It came only days after Trinity College Dublin (TCD) made a similar announcement.

In May last year the QUB Palestine Assembly staged a sit-in at the university and demanded that Queen’s sever all ties with Israeli companies and universities.

QUB said that it now has no links with any Israeli universities – but when the News Letter asked if it had actually cut ties with any such universities also as part of the process, it declined to say and merely used the present tense, saying that it did not have such links.

Mr Godsi said: “Though not unexpected, this is an extremely disappointing decision from the university leadership who have rolled over to pressure when they should be standing their ground, and focusing on practical issues and challenges affecting students like the cost of living and mental health crisis, alongside Queen's own financial troubles.”

Mr Godsi, 23, is from London, and his family is from Israel. He holds an Israeli passport, having visited dozens of times.

He is doing Masters at QUB in violence, terrorism and security.

He said: "Just last month Queen's published a joint letter with all NI universities highlighting the financial pressure they are under, so diverting time to cutting small indirect links to companies from a liberal democracy, which is an ally and key strategic partner of the UK, represents a clear distortion of priorities, given the scale of challenges Queen's faces locally.”

Mr Godsi says that his sister's family repeatedly came under Hezbollah rocket attack in Haifa, which has caused significant disruption to their lives.

Queen’s has come under fire from a range of voices.

Former first minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster took to the social media platform, X, to repost an editorial from this newspaper that appeared in our weekend edition on Saturday.

She said: “The editorial this morning from ⁦@News_Letter ⁩ is spot on. Thank you for speaking up for ⁦ @QUBelfast -⁩ graduates like myself who are ashamed at the actions of our Alma mater.”

In the editorial, the newspaper accused Queen’s of following Trinity Dublin making a cowardly and despicable decision.

“​The headline decision by Queen’s has been made to look reasonable,” said the Morning View column. “[A QUB statement] said that the university had already announced last year that it would divest ‘from companies blacklisted by the UN Human Rights Council’. The implication was that this was a rational decision based on international norms, but gave no hint of how that same council has been disgraced by the way in which it has admitted countries with appalling records on human rights.

"These are often nations that traditionally gang up on Israel, yet they have nothing like the advanced democracy, legal system or other aspects of civilised governance that the Jewish state has had since its inception.”

The editorial also said: “Queen’s and Trinity are traditionally Ireland’s best universities, but it’s not as if either institution is as high as they might be on international tables. Yet they spurn academic links with one of the most dynamic and technologically advanced nations on earth, one that is surrounded by failed or semi failed, hostile states.”

Among other criticism, QUB was also asked if now plans sever ties with its own Chancellor Hillary Clinton, the pro Israel American politician.

Daniel O'Dowd of the Ireland Israel Alliance raised the question about Mrs Clinton, a “staunch ally” of Israel. He said: “A big question now for QUB is about its Chancellor Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State for the United States, a staunch ally of Israel and a participant in the Israeli Palestinian peace process of the 1990s. Are we going to see her resign or QUB calling upon her to resign due to her being a long standing friend of Israel?"

In November police officers were injured when pro-Palestinian supporters protested against Hillary Clinton's visit to QUB.