(Basque) (castellano)
The Governing Board of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), meeting on 9 May 2024, wishes to express its deep regret for the very serious events that are currently taking place in the Gaza Strip.
The Spanish universities have already expressed and reaffirmed on several occasions their permanent commitment to peace, coexistence and justice and to the defence of international humanitarian law, which does not prevent them from once again being deeply moved by the worsening of the conflict and the painful consequences it is having for the Palestinian population.
We endorse the sentiments of our campuses and the demands that are being made by them for measures to be adopted at different levels to put a stop to the escalation of violence that is taking place.
Consequently, we demand
- The immediate and definitive cessation of military operations by the Israeli army, as well as any action of a terrorist nature, and the release of the people kidnapped by Hamas.
- That the State of Israel respects international law and allows the entry into Gaza of all humanitarian aid that can be provided to cover the emergency of its civilian population, and that the appropriate measures are articulated by international bodies to undertake the reconstruction and recovery of the Palestinian territory as soon as possible.
We commit ourselves to:
- Review and, if necessary, suspend collaboration agreements with Israeli universities and research centres that have not expressed a firm commitment to peace and compliance with international humanitarian law.
- Intensify cooperation with the Palestinian scientific and higher education system and expand our cooperation, volunteer and refugee programmes.
- Ensure that in the exercise of free expression there is no equally reprehensible behaviour of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, or any other hateful behaviour within university communities.
