Stop the War Now!
Statement from the Faculty of the Department of Middle East Studies,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
We, the faculty of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, issue this statement to unequivocally call for an immediate end to Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. We say this as researchers of Middle East studies, whose work, among other topics, includes Palestinian studies, Israeli-Arab relations, the region’s social and political conditions, its history and religious movements, but above all, as Israeli citizens living in this country.
Israel’s policies in Gaza and the nature of the warfare there have exceeded all human and legal standards. Israeli policy has rendered Gaza uninhabitable, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, starvation of the civilian population, destruction of civic infrastructure, health, welfare, schools, universities, and residential buildings, attacks on medical and rescue teams, and the prevention of entry by the foreign press. According to human rights organizations, the mortality rate in the Gaza Strip has created the largest orphan crisis in modern history. This mortality is partly a direct result of the policy of starvation and attacks on those seeking to obtain food for their families at aid distribution sites. This destruction is accompanied by the articulation of plans to conquer the Strip and establish a military regime there, while expelling the Palestinian population. This policy is entirely contrary to basic morality, as well as the laws of war. A consensus is emerging in the international research community that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
It should be noted clearly that Hamas’s murderous attack of October 7, 2023, including the killing of approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians and soldiers, the abduction of 251 people, and widespread acts of sexual assault and violence, constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, revenge against civilians, and responding to war crimes committed against the state with war crimes committed by the same state, cannot under any circumstances be justified as a legitimate response.
Over the past two years, Israel has had several opportunities to resolve the crisis through political means, including enabling the entry of the Palestinian Authority or an international force into Gaza and the demilitarization of the Strip. Although each course of action has its drawbacks, all are preferable to a policy of revenge and widespread harm to civilians, the consequences of which are prolonged grief and suffering. These criminal actions have not only failed to contribute to the return of the hostages, but also put their lives at daily risk.
File photo of Beer-Sheva, Israel by Evgeny Tkachenko on Unsplash
Over the past two years, we have struggled to maintain some semblance of academic routine for our students out of a sense of commitment to them in the face of numerous hardships. Our students have lost family members and friends, some have been absent from their studies for extended periods, and all have had to cope with the anxieties accompanying such a terrible war. In the name of our commitment to the well-being and future of our students, we cannot remain silent. As lecturers and researchers in Middle East studies, we are confident that a different reality is possible — one that is not afflicted by messianic delusions and perpetual war and does not encourage further acts of violence and dispossession, on top of those in Gaza, such as those occurring in the West Bank.
We call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and a political solution, the return of the Israeli hostages, and the sanctification of human life and the dignity of every human being.
Reprinted with permission.
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