By Isobel Carnochan, Senior Culture Editor
Recently, Association of Student Activism for Palestine (AoSAfP) circulated a flyer arguing that Royal Holloway, University of London “runs over £12.3 million in cyber-security research with BAE Systems and Thales”, who both supply military equipment to Israel.
The flyer further identified Tel Aviv University as a “Key Partnership” of Royal Holloway, which it claims is “deeply engaged in defence R&D [research and development], military innovation, [and] intelligence work with the IDF”. AoSAfP also suggested that students use slogans online, such as “#CutTiesWithBAEAndThales”.
A spokesperson for Royal Holloway, University of London told The Orbital: “Royal Holloway partners with a wide range of organisations to deliver high-quality research and education that address global challenges.
“The claims made are inaccurate. We apply strict criteria to any potential partnerships and collaborations, and only progress those that align with our ethics as a University of social purpose.
“We remain committed to academic freedom, responsible research, and respectful dialogue within our University community.”
BAE Systems is the UK’s largest defence corporation. In 2024, Action Against Armed Violence conducted a report that claims “£448 million worth of arms have been licenced by the UK government to Israel since 2015”. It also suggests that UK arms manufacturers sold £368 million worth of F-35 components to Israel since 2016, resulting in 15% of F-35 components being used in Israel.
Another report by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre claimed that Thales, despite having signed the UN’s pledge to “not to be accessory to human rights violations”, sold €2 million worth of “operational support systems” to Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems. These support systems were sold for “surveillance and attack UAVs, two models [of drones] which have allegedly been used against Palestinian civilians for almost 15 years.”
This comes after Royal Holloway released a Statement of Investment Policy in July 2023, amidst a wave of student protests calling for various universities to divest from arms manufacturing. In this, the University stated that it is “fully committed to fulfil its responsibilities with regard to the Environmental, Social and Governance aspects of its endowment portfolio”.
In the Investment Exclusions section, Royal Holloway outlined the corporate fields it pledged not to invest money in. Clause A of this covers “companies involved in the manufacturing of weapons or armaments”, and Clause B includes “companies materially involved in the supply of weapons, armaments and other strategic equipment to governments or other groups with a clear record of violating human rights”.
The flyer released by Association of Student Activism for Palestine continues that Royal Holloway “collaborates with Tel Aviv University through an EU research consortium, linking the University to one of Israel’s most militarised academic institutions”. Royal Holloway and Tel Aviv University are both members of the European Consortium of Political Research, and have produced four shared research outputs since 2024.
Tel Aviv University claims to hold a “deep commitment to the IDF reservists”, and offers the Erez Programe: “an IDF program for combat commanders”. The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), a Tel Aviv-affiliated think tank, wields “significant influence on Israeli security policy”.
The INSS has the expressed aim of: “initiating, conceiving, researching, establishing, and aiding the implementation of ideas and practical action plans that 1. help ensure the existence of Israel and its ability to flourish as a Jewish and Democratic state […] 2. assist Israeli decision-makers and the professional echelon in making decisions and planning policy”.
According to the IDF, Israel carried out approximately 10,000 airstrikes on Gaza between October 7th and December 3rd of 2023 alone. As of August this year,70 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed from airstrikes, “including 92 per cent of housing stock”.
Between October 7th 2023 and April 2024, 42,510 Palestinians have been killed by Israel – “38,621 of whom were civilians, including 10,091 women and 15,780 children”, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
As of the 8th November 2025, Gaza health officials state that roughly a further 26,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since. The UN has declared Israel’s attack on Gaza a genocide.
An anonymous student that spoke to The Orbital expressed disappointment at the idea that “my fees are being invested into harming others, instead of being used for resources to better my education/student life”.
Another anonymous student felt shocked about claims that Royal Holloway, which “prides itself on being progressive, and inclusive, plays a part in the genocide that is occurring in Gaza”, and stated “there are Palestinian students at this university, who are directly affected by the war and the occupation – but the university couldn’t care less. Royal Holloway [University of London] – do better”.
Photo by Isobel Carnochan