Who we are
We are academics, employees of public universities and other educational and research institutions in the Czech Republic who care about the defence of human rights and other universal values. We consider it necessary for the academic sphere to express its views and take a principled stand on current issues of fundamental importance to society.
Why we are launching this initiative
We have decided to speak out publicly and issue this statement because of the state of public debate in the Czech Republic and because of the attitudes that prevail, at least superficially, in a significant part of society regarding the escalation of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after 7 October 2023. In the months following the Hamas attack, it has became evident that the Czech public debate in relation to the war in Gaza and the developments in Israel and Palestine suffers from essential shortcomings, including the conception of the role of universities and academic institutions. This initiative is an effort to remedy, at least in part, these serious failings.
The crimes against humanity and violence against Israeli civilians that took place on 7 October, as well as the continued holding of Israeli hostages in Gaza, have received rightful public condemnation. By contrast, the long-standing violence against Palestinian civilians, which has repeatedly escalated into the perpetration of war crimes and crimes against humanity, has been downplayed, ignored, denied, and in the worst instances, even defended. This selective and one-sided attitude is most evident in the political sphere and the media, but also extends to other areas of public life, including educational and research institutions. We are convinced that, regardless of whether it stems from ignorance or ideological prejudice, this attitude is indefensible and in effect represents a failure of the public sphere and civil society, which ought to be based on respect for human life and human dignity.
If we apply the values we consider to be universal only in selected cases and to selected groups of people, we risk denying their meaning and validity. If we fail to confront and adequately name the fact of unacceptable violence, we risk becoming blind to violence as a society and losing our ability to respond to it in the future. We therefore consider it necessary to openly condemn acts of injustice, aggression and violence. We consider it legitimate to use non-violent social pressure to demand that such acts be stopped, investigated, and punished by international judicial institutions.
We are aware that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the only pressing issue we face and that the Gaza Strip and the other occupied Palestinian territories are not the only sites of oppression, violence and suffering in the world. This is not and must not be a reason for our disregard and passivity, for two reasons in particular.
First, the violence currently taking place in the Gaza Strip is in itself serious and extraordinary in its scale. Israel’s retaliation has plunged more than two million people into undignified and inhumane conditions with no possibility of rescue or escape. War crimes and crimes against humanity, investigated by international judicial institutions and documented by international humanitarian organisations, have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and have forever scarred the lives of tens of thousands more wounded and hundreds of thousands of survivors and bereaved. The speed and scale of the destruction, suffering and humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Israeli operation in Gaza is in many ways unprecedented in many decades.
We are speaking out about this conflict and the mass suffering of the civilian population because of its unacceptable nature. The war in Gaza is considered by many experts to be one of the most devastating conflicts since the end of the Second World War. This cannot be ignored.
Second, we are motivated by the one-sided position of the Czech political scene and much of the public sphere. Not only does it fail to oppose this violence clearly and unequivocally, but it often actively supports and endorses it in national and international forums. Israel claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East and, unlike other regimes that also commit violence against civilians, benefits from extensive diplomatic, material and academic support and cooperation with a number of democratic countries, including the Czech Republic. This support is unacceptable to us. It makes the Czech Republic complicit in the violence being perpetrated.
Who we are not and what we reject
Our aim is not to take sides or to offer a one-sided interpretation of the ongoing conflict. We consider it necessary to draw attention to unacceptable acts of violence, regardless of who commits them, and to give voice to the perspective and legitimate claims of the side that is marginalised in the Czech debate and whose humanity and claim to universal human rights are called into question. We do not claim to have a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We do, however, consider it our duty to take a critical stance against steps that delay or prevent a solution and deepen the state of violence and injustice.
We strongly reject any form of hatred and discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, religion or other identity. We condemn anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in any form. We will actively oppose them as persistent and serious forms of prejudice and hatred present in our society, and we will combat their manifestations. We will also criticise the Czech public debate does not reflect in its social norms. We will also criticise the fact that the Czech public debate does not reflect the social principle that all forms of racism are reprehensible and that, unlike anti-Semitism, anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic expressions are not adequately condemned.
This initiative is neither ‘pro-Palestinian’ nor ‘anti-Israeli’. Defending the rights of Palestinians to life, security and a dignified existence, and reporting on their violations without prejudice, is not an expression of special sympathy or sentiment, but a matter of course arising from basic humanity and the principle of the universality and indivisibility of human rights. Insisting on these rights must not be confused with anti-Jewish prejudice or the fight against Israel as such. Israel has the right to exist within its internationally recognised borders and its population has the right to live in peace and security. However, these rights must not be exercised at the expense of the rights of the Palestinians to self-determination and freedom, and cannot justify Israel’s long-standing oppression, violence and systematic, decades-long violations of international law by the State of Israel, as shown, among others, by the International Court of Justice in its recent opinion (19 July 2024). We refuse to apply a double standard to the actions of states and political regimes.
War crimes and other acts of violence are the responsibility of the perpetrators. They cannot be attributed to Jews or Israeli citizens as a whole, just as it is unacceptable to attribute blame for the violence committed on 7 October 2023 to the population of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people, Muslims or Arabs as a whole. The discussion of crimes and accountability, as well as its possible enforcement, must concern proven perpetrators. Acts of revenge and retaliation are always unacceptable and reprehensible. At the same time, we recognise that the situation in Israel and Palestine is not only defined by individual acts of unacceptable violence, but also by a long-term structural context of inequality, oppression, prejudice, and state and international policies. Our position is also to name these structural factors and to draw attention to their negative impact on the human rights of the affected communities.
Our aims
As academics, we want to be active mainly within academia, but also in the wider public sphere.
First, we promote an ethical role of universities that is principled and informed by expertise. Our primary aims are therefore to:
- oppose the cooperation of universities and research institutions with institutions complicit in human rights abuses and violations of international law (let alone their participation in such activities), and be active in this regard in the bodies of academic self-government
- demand that universities act impartially towards students and staff in all respects, drawing attention to discrimination in all its forms, including discrimination on the grounds of ethnic, religious or national origin or political opinion
- defend the inalienable right of students and university staff to express their opinions and organise and participate in non-violent protests
- support expressions of solidarity in academic institutions with victims of violence and those prevented from studying or conducting research as a result of conflict
Second, we want to advance the role of universities as spaces for education and debate and to communicate and develop expert perspectives. To this end, our main aims are to:
- encourage and nurture a comprehensive debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the inclusion of those topics and perspectives that are underrepresented or excluded from the Czech debate
- draw attention to existing academic research and the relevant discussions taking place within it
- invite foreign experts to discuss their research, thus broadening and enriching the Czech debate
- contribute our own research, as well as participate in academic, popular and civic activities
We see our activities as fulfilling the third role of universities and research institutions. Our aim is to foster public debate in Czech society. We would like to represent an ethical, yet critical, expert view, drawing attention to perspectives, facts and contexts that are overlooked or neglected in this debate. We do not intend to substitute the role of the media or political representatives. However, we consider it our duty to criticise them and to point out their failures.
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Call to Participate
We invite all those who agree with the aims of the initiative to actively participate and to express their endorsement of this statement by adding their signature.
We operate in a decentralised way and on a voluntary basis. We do not have spokespersons or representatives, we each speak for ourselves and do not represent the institutions we work for.