Tell the University of Utah: End Ties With Israeli Settlement School
Tell the University of Utah: End Ties With Israeli Settlement School
The Issue
The University of Utah has signed a formal partnership with Ariel University, an Israeli-run school located in a settlement deep inside the occupied West Bank—territory that international law recognizes as Palestinian land.
This agreement effectively endorses Israel’s settlement project, which the U.S. government and United Nations both consider illegal. Ariel University is not located in Israel; it was built on occupied land and is central to one of the most politically charged conflicts in the world.
Partnering with a settlement institution is not a neutral act. It signals institutional support for the expansion of settlements that displace Palestinians and violate international human rights standards. Dozens of schools across the U.S. and Europe have refused or ended partnerships with Ariel University for exactly this reason.
This MOU also appears to violate Utah law. In 2023, Governor Spencer Cox ordered public universities not to take positions on international conflicts. In 2024, the Legislature passed HB261, making it illegal for Utah colleges to engage in political advocacy. By listing Ariel University’s location as “Israel,” the U. is taking a side in a global conflict—and breaking its own rules.
This partnership puts the University of Utah at odds with its own land acknowledgement, with federal policy, and with the values of equity, neutrality, and academic freedom. Palestinian and Muslim students and scholars may not have equal access to participate in the program, further deepening the harm.
We, the Salt Lake community, call on the University of Utah to immediately cancel its partnership with Ariel University and commit to keeping Utah’s public universities out of foreign policy controversies.
A public university should not align itself with illegal occupation. This partnership is not academic—it’s political, and it must end.
Sign now to demand the University of Utah end this settlement partnership and uphold the integrity of higher education in our state.
[Photo Credit: Bethany Baker via The Salt Lake Tribune]
887
The Issue
The University of Utah has signed a formal partnership with Ariel University, an Israeli-run school located in a settlement deep inside the occupied West Bank—territory that international law recognizes as Palestinian land.
This agreement effectively endorses Israel’s settlement project, which the U.S. government and United Nations both consider illegal. Ariel University is not located in Israel; it was built on occupied land and is central to one of the most politically charged conflicts in the world.
Partnering with a settlement institution is not a neutral act. It signals institutional support for the expansion of settlements that displace Palestinians and violate international human rights standards. Dozens of schools across the U.S. and Europe have refused or ended partnerships with Ariel University for exactly this reason.
This MOU also appears to violate Utah law. In 2023, Governor Spencer Cox ordered public universities not to take positions on international conflicts. In 2024, the Legislature passed HB261, making it illegal for Utah colleges to engage in political advocacy. By listing Ariel University’s location as “Israel,” the U. is taking a side in a global conflict—and breaking its own rules.
This partnership puts the University of Utah at odds with its own land acknowledgement, with federal policy, and with the values of equity, neutrality, and academic freedom. Palestinian and Muslim students and scholars may not have equal access to participate in the program, further deepening the harm.
We, the Salt Lake community, call on the University of Utah to immediately cancel its partnership with Ariel University and commit to keeping Utah’s public universities out of foreign policy controversies.
A public university should not align itself with illegal occupation. This partnership is not academic—it’s political, and it must end.
Sign now to demand the University of Utah end this settlement partnership and uphold the integrity of higher education in our state.
[Photo Credit: Bethany Baker via The Salt Lake Tribune]
887
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Petition created on June 6, 2025