ROME – University students and staff across Italy are protesting the Italian-Israel industrial, scientific and technological cooperation and research agreement, because of the Israeli bombing of Gaza, students said.

 The Italian government’s website states they are looking to fund joint Italian Israeli research projects in the areas of “technologies for healthy soils”, “water technologies” and “precision optics.” The deadline for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s calls for tenders is Wednesday 4 p.m.

 The initial Italian Israeli agreement was signed in 2000, which agreed that the two countries would jointly fund scientific and technological cross-country research projects.

 Students and university staff are expected to strike on Tuesday 3 p.m. onwards to protest the research agreement between Israel and Italy and the complicity of the academic world in Israel's attack on Gaza. The strike in Rome is to be held front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the hope that the protest including staff, professors, and researchers from at least 20 Italian universities, will put pressure on the Ministry. 

 Speaking with Ansa, a student from La Sapienza in Rome named Massimo explained that they were striking, “because students, teachers and workers will no longer stand by being accomplices to war and genocide.”

 The Usb (Base trade union) announced they will also participate on the strike on Tuesday, beginning their strike at 12 p.m., when the shift for librarians, teaching staff and technical administrative staff ends. Usb members at the University of Rome will be on strike for the whole day.

 Elsewhere in the country, a meeting of the Academic Senate at the University of Bari is arranged for Tuesday.

 These country wide protests are a continuation of the protests before Easter, which saw the University of Turin refuse to participate in the government’s call for research projects. Protests and occupations of university buildings have taken place in Bologna, Trieste, Naples, Padua, Pisa, Milan, Turin and Venice. 

 khg