7 June 2025
Students supported by members of the faculty have scored another victory, this time at Queen’s University Belfast where the management has agreed to divest from all investments in Israel, according to this report in The Irish News online.
Queen’s University confirms end to Israeli investments
Move follows decision from Trinity College Dublin that it will divest from any new arrangements with Israeli universities
June 06, 2025 at 6:00am BST
QUEEN’S University Belfast has confirmed it is no longer investing in Israeli companies.
It follows an announcement by Trinity College Dublin, which said it will divest from any new arrangements with Israeli universities, firms and institutions.
Pro-Palestinians activists have since called on other Irish universities to do the same in protest against the war in Gaza.
Last May, students at Trinity were fined €214,285 after a series of demonstrations against fees and rent as well as the university’s ties to Israel.
Trinity later dropped the fine, and said it would complete a divestment from Israeli companies with activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and which appear on the UN blacklist.
A Queen’s spokesperson told the Irish News they were no longer investing in Israeli companies as of Thursday.
“In June last year, Queen’s announced it was progressing its divestment from companies blacklisted by the UN Human Rights Council,” they said.
“We can confirm as of today, the University has no direct investment in any Israeli companies. From an academic standpoint, we currently have no institutional research MoUs with Israeli-based partners, there are no direct research partnerships with Queen’s and any institution in Israel, and we have no student exchange programmes with Israel.”
In March, a collective of students and staff from Queen’s organised a march to the US Consulate in Belfast over the United States’ “complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza”.
Last November, three students were also arrested during pro-Palestinian protests at Queen’s as the former US first lady Hilary Clinton was visiting.
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International, welcomed the announcement and praised student activists and staff “who have made this happen in response to the unfolding genocide in Gaza.”
“We call on all institutions, including Stormont government departments and local councils in Northern Ireland, to cut ties with any entity that profits from or perpetuates war crimes.
“That includes divesting from companies that profit from illegal Israeli settlements and military occupation and ending arms sales to Israel. Human rights are not negotiable.”
Earlier this week, Zoe Lawlor who chairs the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, called the announcement from Trinity a“landmark step in academic rejection of apartheid Israel’s regime”.
“Trinity will now stand on the right side of history, as it did with South African apartheid in the past, but it is nevertheless disappointing that it took so long to get to this position,” she said.
