Destruction of Universities: Gaza - Unmatched Conflict Where Every Educational Institution Has Been Ravaged
The first annual conference of the Palestinian and Jewish Scholars Association, titled **"University and Academic Genocide: From Complicity to Solidarity,"** is set to take place in Berlin, Germany on Sunday. The conference aims to address the intersection of academic freedom, university complicity in systemic violence, and the imperative for solidarity among scholars in response to academic repression, particularly as it relates to Palestine.
The event will be moderated by Dr. Uli Schmetzer, a professor at the Freie Universität Berlin, who has extensive experience in researching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its impact on higher education. The panel discussion will include speakers such as Dr. Sari Hanafi, a professor at Birzeit University in the West Bank, and Dr. Ahmad Qaisi, a professor at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. Both scholars will share their experiences and insights on the challenges faced by students and faculty in their respective regions due to Israeli restrictions on academic freedom and the impact of the blockade on Gaza's universities.
A keynote speech by Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian scholar and politician, will emphasize the importance of academic solidarity in the face of Israeli policies. Dr. Ashrawi is a prominent advocate for Palestinian rights and has been involved in numerous international peace negotiations.
Aurelia Kalisky and Nahed Samour, founding members of the Palestinian and Jewish Scholars Association, were interviewed about the conference. They expressed their hope that the event will not only expose repression but also model forms of solidarity and resistance.
The conference is expected to attract scholars, students, and activists from around the world to discuss and raise awareness about the situation of higher education in Palestine. Key discussion points are likely to include the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices in academia, university complicity, building intercommunal and scholarly solidarity, the impact on democratic values, and international and comparative perspectives.
The conference is a direct response to what organizers perceive as the increasing marginalization of Palestinian voices in academia and seeks to advance a vision of the university as a site of critical solidarity and resistance to academic genocide. Detailed session topics and participants are not publicly available, but the framing suggests a robust, interdisciplinary dialogue on these urgent issues. The conference will conclude with a call to action, urging international academic institutions and organizations to take a stand against academic genocide and support Palestinian universities.
- The keynote speech by Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian scholar, politician, and prominent advocate for Palestinian rights, stressed the significance of academic solidarity against Israeli policies during the first annual conference of the Palestinian and Jewish Scholars Association.
- Aurelia Kalisky and Nahed Samour, founders of the Palestinian and Jewish Scholars Association, hoped that the conference not only exposes repression but also models forms of solidarity and resistance, focusing on the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices in academia and building intercommunal and scholarly solidarity as key discussion points.
