Read and sign the petition HERE

We, students, staff and alumni of HvA, condemn the attacks carried out by Hamas against Israelis since it was founded in 1987 and especially the one took place on October 7th, 2023.

We also condemn the Israeli aggression on Gaza since 1948, its occupation in 1967, the siege on Gaza for the last 17 years and the most recent attacks since October 7th, 2023.

Israel has killed during a month more than what Russia killed in Ukraine in a year and a half. The HvA did respond appropriately at the time and the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences froze cooperation with Russian institutions. According to Save The Children, Israel has killed more children in this one month in Gaza than in all world conflicts since 2019. Israel is cutting water, food, electricity, fuel and medicine for about 2.2 million Palestinians. Those numbers in this magnitude should move us as people, academics, students and staff to say STOP.

HvA students and staff signed below demand the board and the university to:

• With regard to the situation now in Gaza, to condemn both the Hamas and the Israeli atrocities and the violation of international humanitarian law, to join the International call for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza and the release of the hostages.
• On the campus, respect our role as an educational institution and base discussions on facts, context and recognised sources. This includes the freedom to criticize without being judged as a person, but rather discussing the matters in a respectful manner.
• On the campus, to create space for expressing emotions and support groups. Offer emotional support for those affected by the aggression; Israelis, Jewish, Palestinians or anyone who feels affiliated with any person suffering from this horrible reality. Students and employees who want to organize meetings are provided with facility support.
• We ask you to be consistent, and act like you have acted when the war on Ukraine took place. We demand to freeze all connections and collaborations with Israeli institutions.

We have those demands as we want HvA to take a progressive position, so when we look back we won’t feel like what we feel now towards the slave trade, the Dutch colonialism and other atrocities. We want HvA to stand proud of the positions it’s taking now and in the future.

Read and sign the petition HERE 🔗