Considering the flagrant violation of international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people perpetrated by the State of Israel in the Gaza Strip and the increasing violence inflicted on the Palestinian population living in the West Bank, the CES Scientific Board has decided to suspend all forms of academic cooperation with Israeli universities and institutions, in a decision approved on September 25, 2024.

During the last year, the situation in Palestine has been defined by unprecedented violence, which experts in international law consider to contain serious risks of genocidal action by the State of Israel, resulting in what the leading international organisations, such as the UN, call an “epic humanitarian catastrophe”. The bombings have not spared hospitals and health centres, refugee camps, heritage sites and cultural institutions (such as museums and libraries), mosques and cemeteries, as well as schools and universities - the term scholasticide has been used to describe Israeli efforts to destroy the Palestinian education system. In an advisory opinion of July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice confirmed the illegality of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the associated settlement regime and apartheid. Recently, on September 18, 2024, the UN General Assembly passed a new resolution demanding that Israel end its illegal occupation of Palestine.

Over time, CES has promoted reflection on the situation in Palestine. At a time when all the universities in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged, and bearing in mind the principles and mission of this research centre, we propose to contribute to the global effort for peace and justice in the region. The academic community has a particular duty to promote justice and equality.

It is in this context that we have decided to suspend all forms of scientific cooperation as a necessary and non-violent way of encouraging political and social change by exerting influence and pressure on the Israeli state. This suspension, which applies to institutions and not individuals, concerns collaborations within the framework of research projects, scientific conferences and events, funding applications, publications and exchange projects, existing and future, until the end of the invasion and military occupation of Gaza.

CES will continue to promote an informed debate on this issue, reiterating its commitment to freedom of expression and its rejection of any form of antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as any other hateful behaviour.