Across multiple Belgian campuses, students and academics staged a coordinated strike on Thursday to demand that universities sever all collaborations with Israeli institutions. Organised by groups including “ULB Palestine” and “Stop Funding Genocide,” the mobilisation brought demonstrators to Brussels’ Avenue Paul Héger, while parallel activities took place in Namur, Louvain, and Ghent, focusing on raising awareness of ongoing ties between Belgian universities and Israeli entities.

The strike organisers criticised university leadership for failing to honour previous commitments made in May 2025 to suspend academic agreements linked to Israel, despite ethical committee reviews and legal consultations. They contend that over a hundred active collaborations remain in place, undermining Belgium’s role in opposing what they describe as ongoing apartheid, colonisation, and occupation. The announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza has not diminished the students’ demands, which call for tangible action against institutions complicit in sustaining Israeli policies.

Marked as Belgium’s first-ever academic strike for Palestine, the initiative emphasised both historical and current injustices. The organisers highlighted more than 77 years of occupation and two years of genocidal warfare in Gaza, framing the strike as a necessary response to continued institutional complicity. They also urged the Belgian government to implement strict sanctions against Israel, including a full economic and military embargo, and called on the European Union to suspend the EU–Israel Association Agreement.