David Landy, a Trinity lecturer who sits on Trinity’s Taskforce on Academic and Institutional Links and Related Matters, has stated he believes Trinity is “seeking to maintain ties with Israeli universities”, despite Trinity’s agreement last May to work towards total divestment from Israeli institutions.
Landy made the comment in a speech given last week at an Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest outside the Central Bank. The Central Bank facilitates the sale of what Landy referred to as Israeli “war bonds”.
Speaking to The University Times, Landy said that the comments made during his speech expressed his “view that Trinity is seeking to maintain business as usual, which involves maintaining existing ties and contracts with Israeli institutions of higher education”.
When asked to comment on Landy’s claims, a College spokesperson said “the fact is that a process has begun to consider these issues”, referring to the first meeting of the Taskforce, which occurred on November 22nd 2024.
Nonetheless, Landy claimed that “some academics and administrators are starting to use the language of reconciliation to give a high-minded gloss to the grubby business of maintaining links with institutions participating in genocide.”
He referenced the “huge delay in the taskforce and the broadening of its remit”, suggesting this could be seen as “evidence of intent to allow TCD academics to continue doing business with genocide”.
While Landy said he would “be delighted to be proved wrong in this”, he nonetheless thinks “it will only be the continued pressure of students and academics in TCD that will push TCD to cut ties”.
Speaking to The University Times concerning Landy’s comments, chair of Trinity Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Patrick Keegan said he is “cautiously optimistic” regarding the task force. “As evidenced by the struggle to get to this point in the first place, I won’t be surprised if we receive more pushback from the college, but the extent to which we will receive any still largely remains to be seen.”
He emphasised that, in his view, “this is a matter of great urgency” and “the longer the college waits, the longer they remain complicit in the ongoing genocide and apartheid regime.”
He continued: “It’s disappointing how delayed the start of the task force has been already, considering the fact that the task force was agreed to at the encampment in May, and it took until November to have the first meeting.”
He said he was also disappointed by the “rather poor communication from the college regarding any timeline for the task force aside from the submissions deadline” and “the fact that there is no formal representation for Academics for Palestine on the task force” when, in his view, college should have “included them formally as well”.
He finished by saying “although it still remains to be seen where things will go from here, rest assured, we in Trinity BDS will not stop until the college fully stands on the right side of history”.
