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The Irish Network for Middle Eastern and North African Studies (INMENAS) supports the call of the Palestinian Ministry of Education, the Council of Palestinian Universities’ Presidents, the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE) and the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) not to recognize and to refrain from relations with Ariel University and all other Israeli academic institutions built in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

 

As an act of effective solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues, we pledge to refuse any collaboration with Ariel University as an institution, or with any of its bodies. Ariel University is an illegal institution, located in the colony-settlement of Ariel, one of the largest Israeli settlements established on stolen Palestinian land declared ‘state land,’ although under the Fourth Geneva Convention, building Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory constitutes a war crime. Ariel University is directly complicit in Israel’s system of oppression that denies Palestinians their basic rights guaranteed by international law, including the right to education and academic freedom.

 

We also call on Irish academic associations and societies to support the call not to recognize and collaborate with Ariel University and all other Israeli academic institutions built in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Specifically, we ask our colleagues to exercise the academic freedom to decline participation in projects or attend conferences fully or partially sponsored by Ariel University or which include its representatives (dean, head of department or spokesperson) as participants; decline to write or referee for journals published by Ariel University or based in it; ask academics from Ariel University who wish to attend conferences or publish in academic journals to use ‘Ariel University, illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, Occupied Palestinian Territory’ as their affiliation, as suggested by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

 

Respecting international law requires denying recognition to, and severing institutional relations with Ariel University as an illegal settlement institution, and ending Israel’s ongoing violations of the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the right to self-determination.

 

A growing number of Israeli and international academic organisations are supporting the call not to recognize and collaborate with Ariel University and all other Israeli academic institutions built in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land (see examples below). 

 

"Israeli Sociological Society Refuses to Hold Any Academic Activities at Ariel University", 2018, presidential statement at: https://noarielties.org/2018/02/17/israeli-sociological-society-refuses-to-hold-any-academic-activities-at-ariel-university/

"Israeli Anthropological Association: We Won’t Cooperate With Institutions in the West Bank", 2018, link to Haaretz article republished in the campaign's website: https://noarielties.org/2018/06/26/israeli-anthropological-association-we-wont-cooperate-with-institutions-in-the-west-bank/

"European Association of Social Anthropology Approves Motion on Non-Collaboration With Israeli Institutions in Occupied Palestinian West Bank", 2014, link to the motion and results: https://noarielties.org/2018/08/14/european-association-of-social-anthropology-approves-motion-on-non-collaboration-with-israeli-institutions-in-occupied-palestinian-west-bank/

"The Open University branch of the University and College Union approved a motion at its General Meeting affirming that collaboration with Ariel University in any way would be complicity in international law violations", 2019: https://noarielties.org/2019/03/17/open-university-university-and-college-union/

"Exeter University and College Union (UCU) voted unanimously on a resolution acknowledging that recognising degrees from Ariel University, or to collaborate with Ariel University in any way, would be complicity in the breaking of international law", 2019: https://noarielties.org/2019/03/26/exeter-university-and-college-union-ucu-votes-unanimously-for-non-collaboration-with-ariel-university/

"Leeds UCU (the lecturers’ union) affirmed that any relations between Leeds University and Ariel University would be illegal, passing the following resolution, with 34 in favour, 1 against, and 7 abstentions. Similar motions have been approved by Exeter, Open University, Aberdeen, Brunel and Brighton UCU branches", 2019: https://noarielties.org/2019/05/02/leeds-university-lecturers-union-ucu-affirms-non-cooperation-with-illegal-israeli-settlement-based-ariel-university/

 

Noam Chomsky's support for the campaign: https://noarielties.org/2019/05/06/prof-noam-chomsky-supports-ariel-university-non-recognition-campaign/


"The Annual General Meeting of the Exeter University and College Union (UCU)  
voted in favour of non-collaboration with Ariel University", 2019: 

https://noarielties.org/2019/05/21/exeter-university-and-college-union-ucu-agm-formally-adopts-non-collaboration-with-ariel-university/

"South African Legal Scholar John Dugard Supports the Call to End Ties With Ariel University", 2019: https://noarielties.org/2019/06/04/south-african-legal-scholar-john-dugard-supports-the-call-to-end-ties-with-ariel-university/

 

John Dugard: 

https://noarielties.org/2019/09/24/legal-opinion-by-south-african-international-law-scholar-john-dugard-on-israeli-universities-operating-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/

 

The Italian Society for Middle Eastern Studies (SeSaMO) supports the campaign No Ties With Ariel, 2019: https://noarielties.org/2019/02/01/resolution-on-ariel-university-discussed-at-italian-middle-east-studies-society/ 

 

Italian Society of Cultural Anthropology Calls on Members to Reject Ties with Ariel University, 2021: https://noarielties.org/2021/04/02/italian-society-of-cultural-anthropology-calls-on-members-to-reject-ties-with-ariel-university/ 

 

"French technical institution IRT Saint-Exupéry has ended a collaboration agreement with Ariel University, which is located in an illegal Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following calls from academics in France", 2021: https://noarielties.org/2021/01/15/irt-saint-exupery-ends-collaboration-with-ariel-university-following-calls-from-academics/

 

“Tel Aviv University faculty condemn deal with settlement medical school”, 2021: https://www.972mag.com/ariel-tel-aviv-medical-school-settlements/ 

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