Flemish politician Kris Peeters. Photo: wiki commons.

The president of the Committee of the Coordination of Jewish Organizations in Belgium (CCOJB) denounced the Free University of Brussels (ULB) after it recognized the Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions movement against Israel (BDS) as a legitimate student forum. The recognition appeared on the agenda of a recent board meeting and sparked outrage.

“This decision calls ULB’s credibility into question, as it is the sole European institution to have admitted a BDS presence in its walls…Not even Great Britain and Ireland have taken such negative steps,” said Maurice Sosnowski, head of the CCOJB, according to  Israel National News.

“The idea of an academic boycott is the worst thing to present itself in a university that wishes to have world-wide appeal. It is even worse considering that Kris Peeters, a minister in northern Belgium, is leading the Vice-Chancellors of Flemish universities in a trip to Israel to prepare for increased bilateral relations,” he said.

“It’s not really the time for ULB to distance itself from its Israel counterparts.“