What’s happening in Gaza is inhumane: Pisa University cuts ties with two Israeli universities

PISA - End of collaboration with the universities of Reichman and Hebrew, which have “close links to the Israeli army, have publicly supported Netanyahu’s regime and in one case, are located in West Bank territories deemed illegal by the UN”, reports Il Fatto Quotidiano. 

  The university recognises peace as a fundamental value, and “does not support, nor participate in any activity aimed at the production, development and perfection of weapons or weapon systems.” For this reason on Thursday, following the deliberation by the Academic Senate on July 11, the University of Pisa introduced two framework agreements with the Israeli universities. The decision, explains the Board of Directors in a statement, was “taken as an exceptional route, in light of the dramatic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and represents a political gesture aimed at the Israeli government, urging an end to hostilities and to introduce a path to just and sustainable peace.” “It is not an act against the Israeli universities as such,” added the rector Riccardo Zucchi. “In fact, we have active programmes with the Israeli universities on projects dealing with the environment and neuroscience, and the decision is not intended in any way to compromise the scientific, cultural, or personal relationships between researchers and students. It is not a prejudicial stance against academic cooperation with the Israeli universities but rather amounts to an act of ethical and civil responsibility, rendered necessary by what is objectively presenting itself as a form of ongoing ethnic cleansing and is in coherence with the university’s recently updated statutory principles.”

  “What is happening in Gaza at the hands of Netanyahu’s government is inhumane,” he adds,” and we will sever ties with two Israeli universities with whom we are opening lines of credit, because they have ties to the Israeli army… the university by nature is a space for debate and discussion and through debates on current affairs, we train people to think critically and for themselves, with a 360° view which has at its core a constant respect for people.” On the other hand, there is maximum openness to Israeli students “ because we do not hold them in any way responsible for the actions of their government; we are committed to teaching them and guaranteeing a safe and calm environment for everyone.”

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