The University of East Anglia (UEA) has confirmed that it has launched a formal investigation after a senior academic refused to consider a research application from an Arab-Israeli scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,  following UK Lawyers for Israel’s (UKLFI) intervention.

The UEA professor rejected the application on the basis that “Palestinian colleagues have asked us not to work with Israeli universities at this time”. The professor acknowledged that this stance was a personal position rather than one held by their university.

UKLFI’s initial letter had made clear that refusing to engage with an applicant because of their affiliation with an Israeli institution is likely to be unlawful under the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of nationality. Such conduct also conflicts with fundamental academic norms and violates UEA’s obligations under its own Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and its commitments regarding freedom of speech.

In response to UKLFI’s complaint, UEA has made a statement to the Telegraph newspaper saying

“The University of East Anglia has received a letter from UK Lawyers for Israel alleging an incident of unlawful discrimination. We will be investigating the allegations seriously in line with the relevant policies.

“UEA has a clear commitment to not adopt an official institutional position on political, social, or international issues, unless there is a direct, demonstrable impact on the university’s operations or legal duties. 

“This means UEA does not have an academic boycott on any countries. This is based on the principle that the role of a university is not to prescribe what should be thought, but to create space for robust, evidence-based exploration of complex and contested issues.

“Our code of practice on freedom of speech outlines our commitment to freedom of speech and our equality, diversity and inclusion policy sets out our commitment to prevent discrimination on the basis of the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010.”

A UKLFI spokesperson said:

“Discriminating against a researcher because of their affiliation with an Israeli university is both unlawful and profoundly damaging to the principles that underpin higher education. We welcome UEA’s decision to investigate this incident and expect the university to ensure that such discriminatory boycotts have no place within its institutions. Academic freedom cannot coexist with practices that deny scholars fair consideration because of nationality.”