Today, the Management Board of the University of Pisa has approved the termination of framework agreements with Reichmann University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, following the political guidelines issued by the Academic Senate on the 11th of July.
This is a decision that comes late, one that could have been made a year and a half ago, as demanded by the vast mobilisations involving both the City and the University of Pisa.
We are aware that this is a partial measure. Choosing to terminate the already existing agreements is a step forward: subjecting new ones to evaluation is a due and necessary act, but it is not a boycott. The political stance of the two is not the same.
This goal has not yet been achieved: Horizon and Erasmus+ agreements are still in place, there is still the openness to potential future agreements which, indeed, hides behind the so-called “case by case” evaluation.
Today, therefore, we claim the result achieved through political struggle, both inside and outside the University governing bodies.
We won’t stop fighting, because this is just a transitory point, not the outcome we aim to achieve at our University.
We will keep fighting, until the last illegal settlement is dismantled, as long as Israel continues to impose its colonialism on Palestine. As long as even a single Palestinian person dies by the IOF and settlers.
Both what was issued by the Academic Senate and what came from today’s meeting are a big accomplishment in the fight for Palestine in the University, supported by a political process participated in by every academic component and spread in the University Departments.
For months in the Departments and during the meetings of the Governing bodies, as Sinistra Per…, our local Department groups we supported resolutions focused on boycotting the agreements.
Today’s outcome is an important step forward, but still not satisfactory.
Demanding an academic boycott of any institution that can be linked to the Israeli government means radically rejecting any kind of involvement with those institutions.
It would mean to show clearly that the University of Pisa rejects any establishment that, directly or indirectly, is involved in the current genocidal policies.
Last but not least, even if we’re not even slightly surprised, we are disgusted by the opposition to these issues by some Professors sitting in the Governing Bodies, both in the Departments, such as Political Science, and the Senate and Management Board.
At this point it’s difficult to say if this happens either due to ignorance of boycott (and human rights), or rather not really subtle zionist and neocolonialist beliefs.