Word from LGBbenelux.org :
“We are against any form of violence towards the physical being of people; we condemn the war in Palestine and the crimes against humanity committed by both parties.”
KU Leuven asks for more restraint but does not stop cooperation with Israeli universities.
KU Leuven is not stopping its existing collaborations with Israeli universities, but is pushing for more restraint in forging new ties. Rector Luc Sels wrote this in an internal email that was obtained by student magazine ‘Veto’.
While student Hanna De Boe has been silently opposing academic ties with Israel from her camping chair at the University Hall since last week, criticism is also mounting in other university cities.
Partnerships
KU Leuven has partnerships with seven Israeli universities, including the Hebrew University and Technion. The first is located in Palestinian territory and provided Israeli soldiers with logistical support in the attack on the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Technion is responsible for the Iron Dome missile shield, among other things.
After the invasion of Gaza, KU Leuven had its ethics committee examine the partnerships. At the same time, action groups such as the Leuven Action Group Palestine (LAP) regularly called on the university to immediately sever all ties, as KU Leuven did during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In an internal email, KU Leuven said it would not cancel existing partnerships with Israeli academic institutions. However, the university wants to show more restraint in taking on new projects as long as violence in Palestine continues.
In the email, KU Leuven acknowledges that many Israeli universities are directly funded by the state and have very close ties with the military. It also emphasizes that these same academic institutions have great potential to bring about positive change in the region.
Sels ends the writing by condemning the violence in Gaza and calling for the reconstruction of the affected area.
Source : hln.Be
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