Belgian university rectors call for government action on Gaza

Rectors at Belgium’s 10 main universities have called on the federal government to take action regarding "the dehumanising violence" in Palestine.

The rectors said in a joint statement that they cannot remain silent about the "inhuman conditions and the deep humanitarian crisis" in Gaza.

“Universities not only have a responsibility to provide education and conduct research, but also a duty to defend and uphold the values that unite humanity,” they wrote. “Violence and dehumanisation – from whatever quarter – must be unequivocally condemned.”

The rectors said that the more than 60,000 civilian deaths, the blockade of humanitarian aid and worsening famine in Gaza violated every principle of human dignity.

They called on the government "to act with determination and humanity and advocate for the immediate and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid".

While acknowledging that Belgium is carrying out air drops, they said that this should "not distract from the immense scale of this food and health crisis, which can only be alleviated by a complete ceasefire and unconditional humanitarian aid via land routes".

The statement also called for the "inhuman violence" in Palestine to be strongly condemned and for "further action" to be prepared together with other countries. The rectors reiterated their call for an immediate suspension of the association agreement between the EU and Israel.

The rectors said that Belgian universities were not alone in their call for action and that, even in Israel, people are declaring the situation untenable, including the presidents of several Israeli universities such as Tel Aviv University.

“They all recognise the enormous harm being done to children and babies and emphasise the moral duty of the Israeli government to respond to the tragedy in Gaza,” the authors wrote, recalling a statement by the secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres: “This is a test of our shared humanity – a test we cannot afford to fail.”