UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA MAINTAINS PARTNERSHIP WITH AN ISRAELI UNIVERSITY THAT HOSTS THREE MILITARY COLLEGES SERVING IDF TRAINING
An international exchange course offered through the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Common Law is drawing renewed scrutiny from students, who are raising concerns about transparency, institutional partnerships and the university’s stance on global conflicts.
The course, Global Technology Law and Policy (CML 3351), taught by Professor Michael Geist, is scheduled to run early May and includes a two-week seminar split between Ottawa and Israel. As part of the program, 10 University of Ottawa students are expected to travel abroad, with a bursary of $1750 intended to offset travel costs.
At an open session held March 11, U of O President Marie-Eve Sylvestre fielded questions from students about the program, including its partnership with the University of Haifa, a university of 18,000 students located in Haifa, Israel.
During the session, a student raised concerns about the exchange, describing it as “a major human rights discrepancy.” They also questioned why students would be encouraged to study global policy through partnership connected to a government involved in committing a genocide against Palestinians and engaged with the bombing of Iran and Lebanon.
President Sylvestre replied, “Perhaps we will disagree on this one. Our policy at the University of Ottawa is to maintain our relationships with universities regardless of the policies of their governments.”
She added that the partnership with the University of Haifa is not “new” and emphasized the role of universities as spaces for debate and dialogue. According to Sylvestre, maintaining international academic relationships is part of “scientific diplomacy” and supports academic freedom.
uHaifa is home to what it calls a “Military Academic Complex,” established after the institution was selected by Israel’s Ministry of Defense to serve as the academic host for the country’s military colleges. These include three major training institutions — the National Security College, the Command and Staff College and the Tactical Command College — which are integrated into the university’s academic framework and offer degrees to participating officers. uHaifa has described these colleges as the backbone of Israel’s military training system, bringing senior officers and defence personnel onto campus for advanced study alongside their military training.
Questions over transparency
Beyond the partnership itself, the visibility of the course has also raised concerns.
While the exchange had previously appeared on U of O’s website, it is no longer publicly listed. However, details about the course remain available on Professor Geist’s personal website, prompting questions about why the course was removed from official listings.
When asked about this at the open session, Sylvestre said she was unsure of the reason but suggested it could be related to complaints or efforts to protect individuals involved in controversial or sensitive topics.
Concerns over institutional ties
A central point of contention raised during the session was the University of Haifa’s relationship with Israeli military institutions.
A member of INSAF — a nonprofit advocacy organization — pointed to publicly available information indicating that the university of Haifa hosts three military colleges — which are training structures for Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF is facing mounting international scrutiny, with UN bodies defining Israeli military actions as war crimes linked to the IDF’s genocidal actions in Gaza.
In response, Sylvestre said universities are “diverse and complex places” and argued the presence of such programs does not necessarily mean the institution itself is part of the state or military.
Still, some students at the session urged the university to reconsider its partnerships, noting that other Canadian institutions — like the University of Windsor, Wilfrid Laurier University and The Renison College affiliate of Waterloo University — have suspended exchanges with Israeli partnerships.
INSAF uOttawa and Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Ottawa, have launched a petition calling on the University of Ottawa to halt its trip to the University of Haifa. The petition outlines concerns related to the partnership and urges the administration to reconsider its ties.
Broader debate on academic partnerships
The exchange with uHaifa also raises questions about how such travel aligns with the university’s own safety policies. The U of O states that it follows Global Affairs Canada travel advisories when assessing international risk for student mobility programs.
Currently, Canada advises citizens to “avoid all travel” to Israel due to ongoing military activity and an unpredictable security situation. Under federal travel classifications, this places the region in the highest-risk category — commonly referred to as a “red zone.”
While the university has not publicly clarified how the exchange meets its travel safety framework, the discrepancy has prompted further concern among students about how the exchange is being approved.
Sylvestre emphasized that U of O’s approach prioritizes continued engagement rather than disengagement, framing academic collaboration as a means of sustaining dialogue across political divides.
At the same time, such partnerships risk legitimizing and directly supporting an institution implicated in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.
Despite the calls that have emerged from INSAF and other student groups to suspend the course and reassess institutional ties, no changes have been announced by the university at the time of publication.
With the exchange set to begin May 3, tensions between academic freedom, institutional responsibility and student activism remain — a debate that shows no signs of subsiding on campus.
