Trinity College Dublin Cuts All Ties With Israel
Image Credits: Trinity News
Trinity College Dublin Cuts All Ties With Israel
Text: Izzy Copestake
Trinity has become the first university in the West to comprehensively cut ties with Israel.
Trinity College Dublin has officially voted to sever institutional ties with Israel. Effective immediately, the university will end research and academic partnerships, refuse contracts with Israeli suppliers, and fully divest from all Israeli companies. This has been hailed by BDS via their Instagram as a “historic” development, as Trinity has become the first university in the West to comprehensively cut ties with Israel.
This decision stems from a task force formed after the student-led Gaza solidarity encampment that took place in May 2024. The group, which is made up of students, staff unions, and senior leadership, and chaired by former High Court President Mary Irvine, met for a total of 14 times before issuing a clear set of recommendations. Trinity’s governing body has now adopted those recommendations in full, and will recommend that other universities and academic institutions adopt the same policies.
Current projects and contracts involving Israeli entities will be honoured, but none will be renewed once they expire. Two Erasmus+ agreements with Israeli universities are also set to be phased out, with one ending this year and the other in 2026. Since late 2023, participation in these has already been inbound-only.
Although Trinity currently has no active contracts with Israeli suppliers, it has pledged not to sign any in future. It will also complete its financial divestment from all Israeli companies, extending to not just those on the UN blacklist, but any company based in Israel.
The move has been hailed as a clear rejection of the ongoing Israeli occupation, apartheid, and violence against Palestinians. This marks a rare and bold stance from a major European university, one clearly shaped by grassroots pressure and a demand for institutional accountability. What happens next across other Irish and European universities, remains to be seen. But the message from the college is unambiguous: business as usual with Israel is no longer acceptable.
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