Como vedes, moitos universitarios israelís están en contra da creación dunha universidade nese asentamento porque responde ao obxectivo político de reforzar a ocupación e inviabilizar calquera acordo de paz e porque, ao facelo, degrada o propio sistema universitario israelí. Será unha universidade ilexítima, deturpada e ideoloxizada até o extremo polos fundamentalistas ortodoxos e ultraortodoxos. Será unha universidade militarizada, pensada para a agresión e humillación dos palestinos.
Como vemos, ao tempo que teñen aos palestinianos enredados e entretidos nun cínico e indefinido "proceso de paz" que nin avanza un milimetro nin remata, entretando, digo, eles van dando todos os pasos para facer irreversíbel a ocupación de Cisxordania e, en todo caso, facer inviábel un eventual goberno palestino neses territorios convertidos nun "gruyère", no que os asentamentos dos israelís están esparexidos por toda Cisxordania ocupando, ademáis, os mellores espazos e deixando apenas deserto e penedos para os palestinianos. O grave é que todo iso van facéndoo coa cobertura non só dos Estados Unidos senón tamén da nosa Unión Europea. Compre que, polo menos, os cidadáns libres reclamemos a paralización desta continua fervenza de agresións ao pobo palestiniano. Por iso asinei esta carta dirixida ao goberno israelí.
If you want to sign please send an e-mail with your details (name, dept., university) to: nirgovmaya@gmail.com
The conversion of the college in the
settlement Ariel (occupied west-bank) to a research university endangers the
entire Israeli academic establishment.
1.
Academia in the service of a
political ideology
The
establishment of the college in the settlement Ariel, and its planned upgrade
to a university, is part of the settlements effort which is at the center of
the political debate in Israel over the past 45 years. The establishment of a
college in Ariel was motivated by political considerations, without any regard
to the needs of the academic development in Israel. The establishment of an academic
institution for a controversial political purpose is highly problematic. Once
established, decisions regarding this institute will be guided by political
considerations, and not academic ones. The academic staff in such an institute
will not be selected purely according to their academic level, but will also
have a clear political character.
Historical
examples where the academia was recruited for, or agreed to follow, political
aims of the ruling power ended up in destruction of the academic activity, and
a mortal damage to its reputation and integrity.
On
14/1/2011 Prof. Karmi (head of the Council of Heads of the Universities in
Israel) said: “A top principle in the world of science, research and teaching
is that the academic activity should be detached from ideological or political
directives”. There is no doubt that a university in Ariel will not allow academic
activity that abides by this principle.
2.
Identification of the entire
Israeli academic establishment as supportive of the settlements and occupation
policies
If
the Council for Higher Education and the Planning and Budgeting Committee,
which are the bodies that manage higher education in Israel, will agree to
accept Ariel University into their fold, there will be an inevitable identification
between the entire Israeli academic community and the policy of settlements and
occupation. The ties between the Israeli academia and our counterparts around
the world, at institutional and personal levels, are numerous and deep, and
without them we would not be today at the forefront of the scientific world. A majority among our
colleagues from around the world, who love Israel and seek to be involved in
academic activity here, object to the occupation and the settlements policies.
A
selective academic boycott already exists today: Researchers in Ariel are
barred from applying to research grants in many international granting agencies
(such as the US-Israel bi-national science foundation and ERC), and are compensated
for this by a special fund set up for them by the Ministry of Science, to which
only they can apply (it is not open to other Israeli researchers).
Identifying
the entire Israeli academia with the policy of settlements will place it in
grave danger.
3.
Non-democratic academia
The
college in Ariel was established as part of a vision whereby Israel continues
indefinitely its occupation of these territories. This policy rules out the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and inevitably leads to the
violent repression of the Palestinian population. The Palestinians living in
the region of Ariel are barred from entry into the settlement and the college.
An academic institution that is not serving the population around it, and in
fact ignores and alienates the local population, can not be part of a free
academia in a democratic state.
The
Israeli academia has flourished so far due to it being a part of a free,
democratic society, with close ties to the academic communities of democracies
around the world. Mixing the Israeli academia with the ideology of occupation
and settlements undermines these ties, and compromises its functioning.
The
continuing occupation and settlements policies destroy the democratic
foundation of the state of Israel. Democracy is the essence of the academic
establishment, and we therefore see it as our duty to stop the attempt to
recruit the Israeli academia in the service of the occupation effort.
We
therefore:
1.
Call on Minister of Education
Gideon Saar to stop the move to recognize Ariel college as a university.
2.
If such a move is brought
before the Council of Higher Education, we call the members of the council to
vote against this proposal and to reject it. Giving official sponsorship to Ariel
University by the council will put in danger its reputation abroad and its ties
with international academic institutions.
3.
If such a decision to upgrade
Ariel college should pass, we call for all conscientious members of the Council
of Higher Education to resign in protest. Members who will remain on these
committees following such a decision will bear full responsibility for the
destruction of the Israeli academia.
4.
We call on the heads of the
existing Israeli universities to refuse to accept the representative of Ariel University
into the Council of University Heads.
5.
We call the students and
academic staff of Ariel college to move to colleges and universities within the
state of Israel, and we call the Israeli colleges and universities to do their
utmost to help in this process.
É incrible que ata a ciencia se use se excusa para a colonialización e imposición. ¿Qué é o que lles falta, non rematarían antes poñendo unha bomba e así xa eliminarían o "problema palestino"?
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