Statement on the Current Situation of Universities in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
May 15, 2024
Yoshida Dormitory Self-Government Association
The current Israeli military aggression against Palestine has destroyed all the 12 institutions of higher education in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
All that has been caused by the Israeli military invasion since October 2023, in which Palestinian residents have been indiscriminately deprived of life, lost their homes and communities, mourned their friends, family and loved ones, starved and dehydrated, injured and infected, and deprived of their right to live in safety and security as a matter of course We want to show our protest against the situation.
And the Yoshida Dormitory Self-Government Association, as an entity that emphasizes an environment in which students and others associated with the university can concentrate on academic and research activities, and as an entity that aims to share the benefits of academic and cultural activities widely in society, also protests the Israeli military’s acts of attack on Palestinian universities and destruction of culture and history and demand an immediate halt to the attacks.
According to a report by Al Jazeera[1] this January, Israeli forces have been systematically attacking universities in the Gaza Strip, some of which have had their campuses bombed; as of January, up to 4,327 students had already died. In addition, the Israeli military continues to attack the city centers, and students are no longer able to study in a safe environment, not even using remote functions. It must be said that the current actions of the Israeli military are a massacre against civilians and are beyond the level of a conflict. The Yoshida Dormitory Self-Government Association hereby issues this statement in the hope that an immediate ceasefire will be achieved to ensure the safety of students and other residents in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the environment in which they can study as soon as possible.
In addition, worldwide, repression of students and faculty members who raise their voices in protest the Israeli military continues[2]. The act of freely raising one’s voice is a universal right, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19[3]. The security authorities and university authorities must not act to forcefully suppress the voices of students and faculty members. The Yoshida Dormitory Self-Government Association also expresses its protest such oppression.
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/24/how-israel-has-destroyed-gazas-schools-and-universities
[2] reference ; https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/696012
[3] “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”, https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights#:~:text=Article%2019,media%20and%20regardless%20of%20frontiers.
Japanese Version ＜日本語版＞→https://yoshidaryo.org/archives/seimei/3476/