At the start of the academic year last September, the rector of the University of Granada sent a message to students and faculty members.
Professor Pedro Mercado Pacheco stressed that the university must continue to be “a space for dialogue, critical reflection… the defence of human rights and the building of peace.”
While attacks on Gaza raged, the university was engaged in its own battle in the courts over its decision to suspend collaboration with Israeli entities involved in multi-million-euro European Union research projects.
The high-profile case has now reached Spain’s Supreme Court, following a lengthy battle with ACOM (Action and Communication in the Middle East), a pro-Israel advocacy group, attempting to block the decision.
A verdict is not expected until next year. The outcome could set a precedent on whether Spanish universities can use the defence of international law in such instances.
