Campaña de recogida de firmas

Nota de prensa de “Todos somos Palestina” UCM

Hoy 29 de Octubre de 2009 arranca la campaña de recogida de firmas para pedir a la Universidad Complutense de Madrid que conmemore oficialmente la NAKBA palestina.

Desde hace años la Universidad Complutense decidió sumarse a los actos de conmemoración de la Shoah (Holocausto judío) promovidos por la Casa Sefarat-Israel. Organiza actos institucionales en el Paraninfo, conferencias, conciertos, etc. con el objetivo de sensibilizar a la comunidad universitaria de la tragedia sufrida por el pueblo judío durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Pensamos que el espíritu humanista que lleva a nuestra universidad a tan noble gesto ha de hacerse extensivo a la tragedia que vivió y aún vive el pueblo palestino.

Al-Nakba significa La catástrofe y designa la destrucción de pueblos palestinos, así como la expulsión y masacre de sus habitantes, realizada por el sionismo con el fin de establecer el estado de Israel en 1948. Constituye además la más amplia y cuidadosamente planificada operación de limpieza étnica de la Historia contemporánea que todavía sigue en marcha.

Por eso se pide a la UCM que conmemore oficialmente la fecha del 15 de mayo, día de la Nakba (el desastre) en los mismos términos que conmemora la Shoah. Con este objetivo se están recogiendo firmas de toda la comunidad universitaria (estudiantes, PAS, profesores).

Para contactar con nosotros: todossomospalestina@live.com

Academic Boycott and the Complicity of Israeli Academic Institutions in Occupation of Palestinian Territories

Through this report, we aim to inform and empower the debate on an academic boycott by giving information not on Israeli violence and violations of international law and human rights, but on the part played in the Israeli occupation by the very academic institutions in question. The report demonstrates that Israeli academic institutions have not opted to take a neutral, apolitical position toward the Israeli occupation but to fully support the Israeli security forces and policies toward the Palestinians.IntroductionThe idea of an academic boycott of Israel first emerged in 2002 as part of the growing boycott and divestment campaign against Israel, itself a part of the struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the violation of Palestinian human and national rights. Compared to other types of boycott, the academic boycott has gathered a relative amount of widespread support amongst academic unions and organizations, primarily in Great Britain. Not surprisingly, this relative success has stirred a public debate and opposition to the boycott, mostly by pro-Israeli organizations and academics. The campaign for academic boycott has wavered under these pressures and various degrees and measures of boycott have since been approved and then often canceled by academic organizations. The arguments in favor of this kind of boycott have relied largely on the facts of the Israeli occupation and the idea of pressuring Israel through its academic world; often, they have not utilised details relating to the specific academic institutions that they call to boycott.
Through this report, however, the Alternative Information Center (AIC) aims to inform and empower the debate on an academic boycott by giving information not on Israeli violence and violations of international law and human rights, but on the part played in the Israeli occupation by the very academic institutions in question. The report demonstrates that Israeli academic institutions have not opted to take a neutral, apolitical position toward the Israeli occupation but to fully support the Israeli security forces and policies toward the Palestinians, despite the serious suspicions of crimes and atrocities hovering over them. Any who argue either for or against an academic boycott against Israeli institutions, we believe, should know and consider not only facts regarding the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), but also the ways in which the Israeli academic institutions make political choices and actively take sides in the ongoing conflict.
This report deals with relevant facts about the connections between Israeli academic institutions and the occupation. It is doubtful that in the process of researching this report all facts relevant to the subject were uncovered, especially since some of the economic connections between academic institutions and private companies are actively hidden by the parties involved. The involvement of Israeli academic institutions in the occupation takes many forms and scopes, and not all Israeli academic institutions can be said to be involved on the same scale. However, all main Israeli academic institutions are involved in the occupation. Indeed, all major Israeli academic institutions, certainly the ones with the strongest international connections, were found to provide unquestionable support to Israel’s occupation. Some of the details depicted in this report are evidence of blunt and direct support to the occupation while others are more minor details, which, nonetheless, provide a clear indication of the political stance taken by academic institutions.
It should be noted that the Israeli security forces are the prime proponents of the occupation and therefore any aid given to them is considered here as support for the occupation. It is probable that universities in other countries may also occasionally support the local security forces. However the situation of the Israeli army is unlike that of other armies around the world and no support given to the Israeli security agencies can be defined as “neutral.”