Takis Politis, Assistant Professor, University of Thessaly, Secretary Special of the Greek Federation of University Teachers’ Associations, and Tasos Kourakis, Associate Professor, Aristotle University of Thessalonica, deputy of left party SYRIZA, calls upon the Greek University teachers to give the chance for IUG staff and students to attend official invitations in international conferences organised by Greek institutions, proposal for attendance in common research programs, “scholarships, could be only some ideas that implement support and collaboration.”
They expressed their high gratitude of the hospitality that they offered to them. The Greek teachers talked about the IUG 30 years’ history, which presents remarkable development.
The Greek teachers talked about the IUG difficult conditions as a result of Israeli siege, including: refusal of Israeli authorities to allow importations of scientific equipment consumables nor new equipment, prohibition of mobility for IUG academic staff, weakness of participation to international academic meetings, prohibition also of entry for international academic staff wishing to reach up to Gaza Strip for scientific collaboration purpose.
“Despite these hard conditions, our IUG colleagues present a particularly high level of studies, most of them graduated from much known worldwide universities.”
They referred to the 300 Palestinian students who are trapped in Gaza Strip due to Israeli siege.
The following is the Original Text of the Letter:
Open letter to Greek University Teachers
Let’s break together the siege of IUG
Dear colleagues,
On August 23, after an exceptionally doubtful travel, with other 42 defenders of human rights comming from 16 different countries, we accomplished to reach Gaza from sea, breaking a 41 years long naval siege that Israelis had impose on the 340 k2 band of Palestinian ground where 1,5 million souls “live” there under poverty, desolation and scorn.
With our note we don’t intend to mention neither the conditions that the Palestinian people meet there, neither the reception and the hospitality that they offered to us, neither the political importance that the breaking of Gaza siege has for the Palestinian issue. Occasion for our note constituted two facts: first, our visit in Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) (http://www.iugaza.edu.ps/eng/) and second, 300 Palestinian students are trapped in Gaza Strip because of the Israeli siege.
During its 30 years’ history, IUG presents remarkable development. During last academic year, 22.000 students -the majority females-, 10 Faculties, 40 Departments, second cycle and postgraduate studies, render IUG the bigger university of Palestine. Dr. Kamalain Sha’ath, IUG’s President, and other IUG’s officials wellcomed us very hotly. During a long discussion they described the situation that their university meets daily, as a result of Israeli siege: refusal of Israeli authorities to allow importations of scientific equipment consumables nor new equipment, prohibition of mobility for IUG academic staff, weakness of participation to international academic meetings, prohibition also of entry for international academic staff wishing to reach up to Gaza Strip for scientific collaboration purpose.
Despite these hard conditions, our IUG colleagues present a particularly high level of studies, most of them graduated from much known worldwide universities. We have been impressed by the technologically updated infrastructure, the wide use of teaching methods in most cases supported by Information and Communication Technologies, the irreproachable organisation of their research and instructive activities. Their serene confrontation of these unfavourable conditions, their modesty and their politeness, they did not ask us absolutely nothing (!!) to do for them, contributed definitely to the very positive picture we acquired from our visit in IUG.
However we feel like expressing to the academic community of our country the conviction that our IUG colleagues as well as their students deserve our support. Every one of us can choose the appropriate way of support. Briefing on academic issues, official invitation in international conferences organised by our institutions, proposal for attendance in common research programs, scholarships for IUG students, could be only some ideas that implement support and collaboration.
Today in Gaza Strip, 300 Palestinian students are trapped. Some of them have already started postgraduate studies in universities abroad, at some time they returned in Gaza Strip to meet their relatives and after that Israelis do not allow them to travel back at the countries where they study, thus forcing them to interrupt their studies. Some others have official letters of acceptance by universities abroad, but they cannot get out of Gaza Strip due to Israeli siege.
This unacceptable situation imposed by Israelis on our IUG colleagues and their students offends any significance of academic freedom. We want to inform, and to mobilise the academic community of our country and other western countries so that representatives from European Universities organise a travel on boat to Gaza Strip in order to take back with us all our trapped Palestinian students.
As we consider that our duty as academic teachers is extended beyond the borders of our universities, embracing students and colleagues as well affected in other countries, we ask the active attendance of every Greek university teacher in any action, not simply humanitarian, but political solidarity towards Gaza Strip, that for sure constitutes something much more than a dot on the Mediterranean countries’ map.
Tasos Kourakis, Associate Professor, Aristotle University of Thessalonica, deputy of left party SYRIZA, kourakis@parliament.gr
Takis Politis, Assistant Professor, University of Thessaly, Secretary Special of the Greek Federation of University Teachers’ Associations, ppol@uth.gr