UvA Support for Palestine, End Occupation

Sunday 15th October 2023 SUPPORT FOR PALESTINE, END OCCUPATION Dear Prof. ten Dam (President of the UvA Executive Board), Prof. Verbeek (UvA Rector), Drs. Lintsen (Vice President of the UvA Executive Board) and the wider UvA community. We, as PhD candidates affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, are writing this open letter to strongly condemn the University's response to the ongoing crisis involving the Israeli regime’s actions against the Palestinian population in Gaza. 2023 will no doubt be the year admired, recorded and studied for the way in which Palestinians steadfastly resisted colonialism, occupation and survived genocide. 2023 will also be remembered for the way in which the University of Amsterdam showcased bias and complicity in the extermination of Palestinians. The University’s notice published on October 9 reduced the genocidal actions of Israel as a mere “situation”. There was no mention of the 75 year occupation or the 16 years siege of Gaza. No reassurance of the freedom of speech to affirm and express unpopular and controversial views - which in this current climate seems to include the legitimization of Palestinian lives. It is discouraging that in this great institution those with expertise on the current events are at risk of being labelled as abusive, anti-semitic, or as a supporter of terrorism for simply saying Israel is committing a genocide for all of us to witness. This is an urgent and critical moment. Palestinians are fighting for their survival right now. We, as allies for Palestine, should be the one’s taking the burden of educating not only the University community but the wider Amsterdam community about Palestinians; the political right to exist, resist, return and self-determination. We are watching the terrifying direction of travel from across the EU and UK, whereby symbols such as the Palestinian flag and stating “from the river to the sea” are criminal offenses. We have seen pro-Palestinian marches banned in France, and police violence against those wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh in Germany. Now more than ever, education and debate is required to forestall further catastrophic loss of life. We condemn the genocide currently being committed by the Israeli regime against the Palestinian population in Gaza. We condemn the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. We condemn the European Union's moral and material support of an apartheid regime which, under colonial rule, is creating a horrific humanitarian tragedy of enormous proportions. We would like to remind you that the Israeli state is conducting a military campaign, certain acts of which are recognised under international law as war crimes: - stopping supplies of water, electricity, food, fuel and medication; - a massive bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip targeting residential buildings, hospitals, and schools; - the forced evacuation of 1.1 million people within 24 hours, including hospital; - the deliberate targeting of journalists, including Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, and many others; - the use of white phosphorus in Gaza, as reported by Human Rights Watch. It is a duty for UvA to tell the story of Palestine, to tell the story of the colonial brutality and to stand by the commitment for freedom of speech. Especially in light of this week’s announcement that the award ceremony planned to celebrate Palestinian author Adania Shibli at the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair has been called off. We urge you to take a stance and take the lead in condemning what is going to be known as the second Nakba of the Palestinians. Future students at the UvA, will one day ask how a catastrophe of such proportions could have happened. More importantly, it should be clear that this does not only happen in front of our eyes, but with our complicity. The complicity that we prove through our silence. We find the deafening silence of those who label themselves as decolonial theorists alarming, those who earn funding and sustain their livelihoods by doing research on [and capitalizing off] marginalized, exploited, and racialized people. We must stress that decolonisation is not an abstract theory, it is an action, it is a way of being. It is a blatant act of treachery for anyone at this institution to be doing anything supposedly related to “decolonising” scholarship if they are not holding Israel accountable for the genocidal racism of its political discourse. Therefore, we would also ask you to pause on any further funding to ‘decolonial futures’ as part of the multi-million euros investment until you can confirm that all awardees understand that decolonisation is not a metaphor. In recent years, studies on decolonial theory shot up. Countless theses on colonialism, both in its historical and current forms, were written, studies on indigenous populations and traditions of Black and decolonial resistance were hailed. And yet, at the moment when an apartheid state is rocked by violent resistance that could only have emerged within a context of an ongoing humanitarian crisis, decades of repressions, dispossession and brutal legal and political frameworks, we keep fearfully silent. It is the UVA’s ethical duty to support decolonial endeavors that aim to end colonialism, if you continue to fund decolonising scholarship - of which Palestine is the last setter colonial lab in the world. By supporting Palestine you see decoloniality is moving from theorization to practice. Furthermore, the University of Amsterdam is one of the rare institutions in Europe with a specific Masters programme on “Holocaust and Genocide Studies”, we would again question whether it is justified in hosting such a programme if it is complicit in remaining silent on the unfolding genocide of the Palestinians. However, you could be at the forefront of designing a module dedicated to studying Palestine and the Palestinian Struggle which would be an interdisciplinary module and be taught by Palestinians affiliated at the UvA for authentic voices. We want to do everything we can as members of the academic community to condemn any form of colonial violence, and stand behind the liberation of the Palestinians. Failure to do so indicates a frightening and alarming hypocrisy, a blindness indicated by the racialised valuation of human life and a selective moral compass. We also ask the University to endorse boycotts against Israel as per the guidelines of the movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. We are ready to support you in the creation of a webpage to raise awareness of the BDS, difficulties faced by scholars who support BDS and why it is important. As well as a web page with more information on how the UvA community can support Palestine through education. This is also a call to our white colleagues who practise their profession in relative security, to those who in the current political and societal climate enjoy the privilege of being taken seriously when speaking out about racism, to break the radio silence on the Palestinian cause and loudly and clearly call the brutal acts of the Israeli state for what they are: a genocide of the Palestinian people by an apartheid regime. That said, we understand that our Palestinian colleagues do not dare or cannot speak out. Like many, they are afraid of losing their jobs or funding for their valuable research. We express our support to all our Palestinian colleagues who feel unheard and misunderstood and hope for better and safer times for all their loved ones. During the last week, we have all seen how the violence in Gaza has produced tension and hatred on different levels (Jews vs Muslims and Jews vs Arabs). This institution has the opportunity to help reduce this tension and prevent it from escalating to a prolonged conflict on a societal level by helping us to set up educational talks in the coming weeks. We also hope the University works with us to find an evening to host a vigil to mark and mourn the many innocent lives that have been lost in the last week, as well as the 75 years of Palestinian struggle. We invite others in the University of Amsterdam community (students, staff and alumni) to join us in our condemnation by signing this document as co-signatories. We also ask everyone to start, share and sign petitions to show that the academic community condemns the current state of affairs. Finally, we would urge our fellow community members to email us if you would like to support us in organizing debate and education on this matter. We welcome an opportunity to discuss this with you, the UvA Executive Board, in the coming days. We are ready to help you. However, we would ask for the ability to record the meeting because of suspicion that we ourselves might be disciplined or silenced in such a meeting. Eleri Connick School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture [email protected] Safae el Khannoussi Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis [email protected] We are highly thankful for the work of Dutch Scholars for Palestine and Birzeit University on not being silent. N.B. For co-signatories, we are highly aware that there is a high threat of our co-signatory document being hijacked by those who are against our condemnation. If the link is deleted, which we may have to do, please email fellow comrade Nienke Huttner who will add you to the offline list. Co-Signatories: 3. Nienke Huttner Masters Student, MA Heritage and Memory Studies & MA Holocaust and Genocide Studies 4.Dr Noor Munawar Amsterdam School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture 5. Dawid Grabowski Doctoral Candidate, Amsterdam School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture 6. Lee van Dillen Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 7. Kai Tjong-Ayong Masters Student, MA Heritage and Memory Studies 8. Safaa Souri Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 9. Melody Watersworth Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 10. Juliana Könning Masters Student, RMA Archaeology and Heritage 11. Jesus Martin Alonso Doctoral Candidate, Amsterdam School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture 12. Katia Leal Kazakakou Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021, BA European Studies, 2020 13. Flavia Togni Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 15. Dima Mahdi Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 15. Titus Verster Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 16. Amber Bosse Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 17. Maria Rocio Mercedes Naval Masters Student, RMA Art and Performance 18. Oscar Talbot Doctoral Candidate, ASCA 19. Dionne Gillick Masters Student, Heritage and Memory Studies 20. Gabriëlle Scheijbeler Masters Student, Heritage and Memory Studies 21. Marianne Milner Bachelor Student, Sociality First Year 22. Charlotte Marie Masters Student, Heritage and Memory Studies 23. Zaruhi Kevorkova MA Heritage and Memory Studies 24. João Vicente Pereira Doctoral Candidate GPIO, Alumni MA Philosophy and Latin American Studies 25. Astrid Ourø Andersen Masters student Art & Performance Studies 26. Rahmatullah Hayat MSc Sociology, 2023 27. LilI Gherardi Kilens Sociology Alumni, 2023 28. Thomas Bartels Alumnus MA Middle Eastern Studies Former School of Political Science Employee at UvA 29. Sam Hamer Junior lecturer Sociology 30. Andrea Elera Coello Masters Student Art and Performance Research Studies 31. Ricardo Diaz Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences 32. Marta Saletti MSc Sociology 33. Melisa Ersoy Junior Lecturer Sociology 34. Tamar Linger MSc Sociology (2023) 35. Clotilde Cappelletti 36. Anna Francesca Hagelstein Masters Student General Linguistics 37. Anna Laan 38. Khadejah Al Harbi Former Junior Lecturer Political Science and Alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2020, BA European Studies, 2019 39. Hanna van den Berg, MA Film Studies 2023 40. Jill Toh, PhD candidate 41. Rodante van der Waal, philosophy alumnus 2018 42. Beatrice Secchia Media and Information, 2022 43. Rik Worring MA Sociology 2023 44. Nouhaila el Khannoussi El Bouidrin LCA Post graduate, 2023 45. Noah Pellikaan BA Literary and Cultural Analysis 46. Dr Mario Panico Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture 47. Clara Gatius Oliver MSc Physics and Astronomy, 2020, PhD student NWO-Institute (teacher at UvA) 48. Pinar Türer PhD Candidate, ASCA 49. Kirsten Steur RMA Arts and Performance 50. Faralda Boerwinkel 51. Stephanie Deng PhD Candidate and Visiting Scholar 52. Souhaila Azzam MSc Persuasive Commuication 53. Liza Steultjens Alumnus, MSc Philosophy and MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance 54. Lotte Coumans Communication Science, 2017 55. Jeran Bernabela Alumnus, BSc Interdisciplinary Social Science 2023 56. Luc Marraffa Doctoral Candidate, ASCA 57. Mick Roché MSc Forensic Science, 2021 58. Jack Dignam PhD candidate, ASCA 59. Bruno Bottega Pergher PhD candidate 60. Sid Nair Bachelor's student, AUC 70. Jarie Smeding MA Sociology 71. Sabina Bakinova BSc Sociology 72. Vittoria Richards Masters Student, Heritage and Memory Studies 73. Abel Kroon RMA Arts and Performance 74. Senna Felius Alumnus Philosophy, 2023 75. Arthur Berkhout Alumnus 2019, MA Philosophy 76. Sara Herrebout MSc Econometrics (2022) & MSc Sociology (2023) 77. Naomi Appelman PhD candidate 78. Agustin Ferrari Braun PhD Candidate 79. Shakhrbanu Bagheri PhD candidate 80. Amir Taha PhD candidate ARTES 81. Dr Nermin Elsherif Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture 82. Leila Atmowihardjo MSc (2019) & PhD candidate (2023) 83. Jarmo Berkhout alumnus philosophy 2019 84. Jamil Fiorino-Habib Lecturer - Media Studies (also rMA alum, 2021) 85. Danny Steur lecturer media studies 86. Sammy Boonstra 87. Bethany Crawford PhD candidate ASCA 88. Tamarah de Haan BA Sociology 89. Dr Jacob Engelberg Assistant Professor, Media Studies and ASCA 90. Elia Calderazzi Alumnus 2022, BA Sociology 91. Nesrine Benhija BSc Sociology student 92. Faye Mercier Lecturer Media Studies 93. Carlos van Eck Master Student Military History, Faculty Student Council of Humanities 94. Andro Rilovic Lecturer 95. Evi de Rover alumnus MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance 2021 96. Sophie Bruinzeel BSc Sociology student 97. Emma Clarkson Alumnus, 2020 98. Mayra van den Oudenrijn BSc Sociology student 99. Nour Hojeij BSc Sociology 100. Anna Theodotou BSc sociology 101. Stella van der Meulen Media Informatie Communicatie 102. Britt van Veggel Alumnus, MSc 103. Nouha Ahmadan BSc Sociology student 104. Isabella Brunotte BSc Sociology 105. Cherukéi Wobo alumnus, MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, 2021 106. Fabian Campos Student of Political Science 107. Yasmin Taghipordelavari BA 108. Eleonore Corazolla PhD candidate Medicine 109. Julia Blokzijl bachelor Sociale Geografie en Planologie (jaar 2) 110. Marlon Mendes Capinha student MSc Conflict Resolution & Governance 111. Louis Cecchini BSc Sociology (2023), Masters Student Urban Studies 112. Julia Radzięta Sociology 113. Veerle van Wijngaarden PhD Candidate 114. Efia Sawadogo sociology 115. Esther Schoorel PhD candidate ARTES 116. Kadija Omer MSc Educational Sciences, 2018 117. Omur GK Comparative Cultural Analysis MA 118. Samet Yilmaz MA Journalism and Media 119. Paula Koehler BSc Sociology, 2023 120. Halil Kaya BSc Interdisciplinary social sciences student 121. Thomas van Beersum BA English Language and Culture 122. Tara Goodsir Alumnus Conflict Resolution and Governance 2021 123. Malu de Sá Gonçales BA Sociology 124. ActivistenpartijUvA, Universitaire Politieke Partij 125. Fleur vallinga sociology bachelor 126. Nikolai von Moltke Sociology 127. Abdullah Setterahmane BSc sociology 128. Rachad Debdoubi, MSc Information Sciences, 2018 129. Abel Siegmann Sociology 130. Amsterdam Autonomous Coalition, 8 organisation student activist group 131. Sinem Pamuk BSc History 132. Lukas Ziel Master's Student in Sociology 133. Nora Hussain Graphic design 134. Hadjar Setterahmane second year student educational sciences 135. Daniela Orozco Šteta BSc Sociology 136. Mara Steevensz BSc Sociology 137. Brigitte Dekker MSc medicine student 138. Constance Travers Spatial Sustainability Studies 139. Vivian Gerretsen alumnus MSc Medicine (2019) 140. Peppi Gustafsson Bachelor’s in Sociology 141. Danial Haider Bachelor of Law 142. Tessa van der Esch Student Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology 143. bochinska Lecturer Media Studies (also rMA Media Studies alum, 2022) 144. Phaidra Oostvriesland Alumna duMA Nederlands als tweede taal en meertaligheid 2023 145. Dina Hieder master Onderwijswetenschappen 146. Belinda Okoobo Master student public International Law 147. Sanaâ Mouhou BA Sociology 148. Lucy Upton BSc Sociology 2023 149. Alya Asta Student, ResMA International Development 150. Pimdao Siripanich BSc Sociology (2023) 151. Halil Kaynak Alumnus, 2021 152. Karmijn Lange MA Student, Dual MA Heritage and Memory Studies 153. Juanita Parra Torres MS Communication Science 154. Manal Abezik BSc Educational Science 155. Sara Koulali College Child Development and Education 156. Dikra Oulad Laali Bachelor Student Psychology 157. Eleni Kosma Alumnus BSc Sociology 2023 158. Mohamed Sherif first year bachelor, Human geography and urban studies. 159. Mohamed Emohmadien BA Sociology 160. Fatima Kavuk Bachelor in Education (2e graads docent Engels) 2023/2024 161. Muhammed Sy Bachelor of Sociology 162. Sidsel Petersen junior lecturer Anthropology 163. Louise Dupont Research master in international development studies 164. Nadira Ben Salah Frontend Design and Development 165Pien Pouwels Alumnus 2021, Literary and Cultural Analysis 166 Amira Tydaly 167. Balthazar Sellier RMIDS 168. Allya Waskito Bachelor of Political Science (2026) 169. Aalâa Alrubey Student Bachelor Tax Law 170. Amir Melouany. Research Masters of Social Science 171. Camilla Lindschouw MSc International Development Studies (research) 172. Chiara Mini BSc Political Science 173. Sorcha Lyne staff of Centre for Law and Behaviour, alumnus of MSc International Development Studies 174. Manuela Hanna MA Sociology 175. Riad Abbou Alumnus 2021 176. Tamara Gan Kristensen MSc International Development Studies 177. Leija Heiskanen Sociology Master’s Student 178. Juliette Molenaars lecturer Media Studies 179. Victoria Leinonen Masters in Quantitative Finance 180. Vin Macpherson Student bachelors linguistics 181. Charis Papaevangelou PhD 182. Esma Çiftçi Human Geograpgy and Planning 2024 183. Divya Jalan BSc Sociology 2023 184. Charlie Peek minor Orthopedagogiek 185. Nils Simonsen MSc International Development Studies (research) 186. Saffa Khalil MA Heritage & Memory Studies 187. Naomi Nuruwe Bachelor Nederlandse Taal en Cultuur 188. Sifa Özmen MSc Educational Science 189. Kamyab Moteabbed Research Master's Social Sciences 2023/2025 190. Loubna Ben Abdelkader Bsc Political Science 191. Lucas Dann MSc I ternario al Development Studies 192. Josephine Heuerding BSc Sociology 2023 193. Evindar Imak BSC Business Administration 194.Sini Karjalainen Bachelor in Sociology 195. Avery Franken RMSc Social Sciences, 2023 196. Nora Hagopian Bachelors 197. Anne Schop BSc Sociology 198. Anni Zhu BSc Future Planet Studies 199. Nassim Errekioui Msc Consumer Marketing 2022/2023