Our manifesto

Think of Others
As you prepare your breakfast, think of others
(do not forget the pigeon's food).
As you wage your wars, think of others
(do not forget those who seek peace).
As you pay your water bill, think of others
(those who are nursed by clouds).
As you return home, to your home, think of others
(do not forget the people of the camps).
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others
(those who have nowhere to sleep).
As you express yourself in metaphor, think of others
(those who have lost the right to speak).
As you think of others far away, think of yourself
(say: If only I were a candle in the dark).

From Almond Blossoms and Beyond
Interlink Books, 2010.
translated by Mohammed Shaheen

When the Palestinians were suffering, in the words of Israeli historian Avi Shlaim, "the longest and most brutal occupation in modern history"[1]; when Israel imposed a blockade on food, water, and electricity[2] and used the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare[3]; when Israel conducted mass bombings of Gaza, the majority of whose victims were and are civilians[4]; when all the universities in Gaza were destroyed[5] - the rectors turned a blind eye.

In the absence of a response from university authorities, horrified by the cruelty and scale of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip, the Polish student and academic community decided to take grassroots action. We sent open letters to the rectors of 12 Polish universities, which gathered thousands of signatures[6].

In response, the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities felt compelled, after 8 months of genocide, to react to the situation in the Gaza Strip and issued an appeal to the nations and authorities of Palestine and Israel[7]. Notably, the rectors' appeal was translated to English and Hebrew, but not to Arabic[8].

The appeal draws a false symmetry between the occupier, possessing one of the largest arms industries in the world and nuclear weapons[9], and the nation it illegally occupies. A nation crowded into ever-shrinking enclaves in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, which Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling described as the largest concentration camp in the history of the world[10].

A nation having the right to resist occupation, as established by the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and its two additional protocols from 1977[11] and the resolutions of the UN General Assembly: A/RES/1514(XV) of December 14, 1960[12], A/RES/2787(XXVI) of December 6, 1971[13], A/RES/37/43 of December 3, 1982[14], and A/RES/38/17 of November 22, 1983[15].

We believe that the university should not only issue an appeal condemning "the direction in which the actions of the state of Israel affecting civilians are developing," but also take all necessary steps to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people. Genocide cannot be stopped, nor can the illegal occupation of Palestine be ended, by academic debate or empty words.

We consider the lack of action to be silent consent and permission for committing crimes against humanity.

In light of the above, as the Polish student and academic community, we are announcing an occupation strike. We will occupy the university space with our own bodies and demand action.

In the name of respecting the rights and dignity of every human being, in the name of peace and responsibility for the fate of the entire human community and society, we call on the university community and everyone who holds these values dear to join the protests.

We consider opposition to genocide to be our highest duty. Therefore, we demand:

1. Public, firm, and unequivocal condemnation of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip and the occupation of Palestine,
2. Immediate termination of cooperation with Israeli academic institutions, research centers, and other organizations and companies,
3. Disclosure of information regarding the entities with which Polish universities engage in such cooperation and to what extent,
4. Boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels until the end of the occupation of Palestine, recognition of the Palestinians' right to equality and self-determination, and recognition of the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

We stand above national, ethnic, and religious divisions, against chauvinism, racism, and anti-Semitism.

It is our duty as students, academics, and scholars to fight for a better world. Just as our predecessors did in 1968, so too in 2024, we will engage in peaceful struggle. We will not be indifferent, we will not be silent, we will not be passive.

"Destroying fascism with its roots is our slogan. Building a new world of peace and freedom is our goal."[16].

Long live free Palestine!

Footnotes:

[1] A. Szlaim, Lessons of the conflict in Gaza, Al Jazeera, 2014. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/8/9/lessons-of-the-conflict-in-gaza/ [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[2] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Field update on Gaza from the Humanitarian Coordinator, 2009. https:// web.archive.org/web/20090225151547/http://www.ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/ admin/output/files/ ocha_opt_gaza_humanitarian_situation_report_2009_02_09_english-20090210-104024.pdf [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[3] Human Rights Watch, Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza, 2023. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[4] Al Jazeera, Israel-Hamas war in maps and charts, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[5] International Middle East Media Center, Israel Detonates Last University in Gaza, 2024. https://imemc.org/article/israel-detonates-last-university-in-gaza/ [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[6] Linktree, Akademia dla Palestyny, 2024. https://linktr.ee/akademiadlapalestyny [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[7] Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities, Position of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities regarding the military actions in the Gaza Strip, Poznań, May 20, 2024. https:// ug.edu.pl/news/sites/ug.edu.pl.news/files/attachments/node/files/ stanowisko%20KRUP%20w%20sprawie%20dzialan%20wojennych%20w%20Strefie%20Gazy.pdf [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[8] University of Gdańsk, Position of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities regarding the military actions in the Gaza Strip, May 20, 2024. https://ug.edu.pl/news/pl/7004/stanowisko-konferencji-rektorow-uniwersytetow-polskich-w-sprawie-dzialan-wojennych-w-strefie-gazy [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[9] 9th place in the years 2019-2023, see: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2023. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/fs_2403_at_2023.pdf [accessed: 24.05.2024].

[10] B. Kimmerling, Politicide: Ariel Sharon's war against the Palestinians, London 2006. Similarly, in 2004, Giora Eiland, a major general in the Israel Defense Forces and the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, described Gaza., see. Public Library of US Diplomacy, Israeli officials rief Djerejian on improved regional security situation; Unilateral disengagement plans, Tel Aviv, 2004. https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/04TELAVIV1952_a.html [accessed: 24.05.2024]

[11] Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention), Geneva, August 12, 1949 (Journal of Laws of 1956, No. 38, item 171), Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts (Protocol I), and Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, relating to the protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts (Protocol II), Geneva, June 8, 1977 (Journal of Laws of 1992, No. 41, item 175).

[12] United Nations General Assembly, Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples - Resolution 1514 (XV), Plenary Session 947, December 14, 1960.

[13] United Nations General Assembly, Importance of the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination and of the speedy granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples for the effective guarantee and observance of human rights - Resolution 2787 (XXVI), Plenary Session 2001, December 6, 1971.

[14] United Nations General Assembly, Importance of the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination and of the speedy granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples for the effective guarantee and observance of human rights - Resolution 37/43, Plenary Session 90, December 3, 1982.

[15] United Nations General Assembly, Importance of the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination and of the speedy granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples for the effective guarantee and observance of human rights - Resolution 38/17, Plenary Session 66, November 22.

[16] Excerpt from the "Buchenwald Oath" delivered by prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp on April 19, 1945, see Speeches on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps, 2020. Available at: https://www.thueringer-erklaerung.de/pl/guenter-pappenheim [accessed: 24.05.2024].