Comunicato dell'associazione dei direttori di Università israeliane

13/10/2023

To our colleagues, heads of universities around the world, These are difficult times. We thank you for the support and concern we have already received from so many of you. As you are aware, early last Saturday morning, Hamas carried out an unusually brutal and violent attack primarily against civilians, within Israel. While the leadership of some academic institutions has issued public condemnations, we learned that in others this has been regarded as just "one more event" in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which can be understood from multiple perspectives. We would like to emphasize that this is far from the truth. This was an act of singular barbaric violence which must be thoroughly renounced. To show why this is so, we will need to share some truly disturbing details, as referred to in President Biden's speech and now coming to light in the international press. We know that these will disturb you no less than they have shaken us.

On the Sabbath and Sukkoth holiday and 50 years almost to the day after

the fateful Yom Kippur War, Hamas unleashed a surprise rocket attack on

Israel from Gaza, reaching as far north as the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

areas, while simultaneously Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants breached

the border and brutally massacred those in the communities just across the

border inside Israel – women, elderly, children, young families. Kids

attending a music festival, peace activists, elderly people in their 80's,

toddlers. Hundreds. Many were slaughtered on the spot, others huddled

in their homes for hours before being found and killed or were held

hostage in their homes or communities under constant threat of death,

while still others were taken captive and brought into Gaza. Horrific

videos posted by Hamas from Gaza show the parading of injured hostages

in the street to great cheering, show cruelty to children, taunting of the

elderly, show rape and torture.

All this as hundreds of Israelis were injured or killed by indiscriminate

rocket fire, which has hit both Jewish towns and Bedouin and Arab

villages. Just two days ago, a mosque in the village of Abu Ghosh was hit

by rocket fire.

Let's be clear. This is not "war as usual" or just another chapter in the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are not "good people on both sides".

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have proven themselves to be cruel, barbaric

organizations reminiscent of the Taliban and the Islamic State.

We have heard of initiatives undertaken by faculty and students on some

campuses in countries outside of Israel to support Hamas and Islamic

Jihad actions, and we understand that there has not always been a clear

response from academic leadership to such signs of support. We hope that

you will agree with us that there can be no support for such terror

organizations in Western democratic societies, just like there is no support

for Al Qaeda or the Islamic State. There can be no support for purposeful

massacres of civilian populations, or for the taking civilian hostages.

As the guardians of higher education and academia, actively pursuing

knowledge for the benefit of humanity, as role models for and teachers of

the leadership of tomorrow, we all share the responsibility to educate our

communities.

What values are we passing on? Freedom of speech and academic

freedom, absolutely. But a stand against barbaric violence perpetrated on

civilian populations? We know you join us in renouncing such acts of

violence.

Yours,

Prof. Arie Zaban, President, Bar-Ilan University; Chairperson - Association of

University Heads – VERA

Prof. Daniel A. Chamovitz, President, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Prof. Alon Chen, President, Weizmann Institute of Science

Prof. Asher Cohen, President, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Leo Corry, President, the Open University of Israel

Prof. Ehud Grossman, President, Ariel University

Prof. Ariel Porat, President, Tel-Aviv University

Prof. Ron Robin, President, University of Haifa

Prof. Uri Sivan, President, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology