Ca Foscari's active solidarity with the people of Israel and Palestine

More than two months after the brutal attack against Israel perpetrated by the armed organisation Hamas, and faced with the scale of the tragedy affecting Israelis and Palestinians, the University strongly condemns the atrocities committed by Hamas against the State of Israel with the killing of defenceless civilians and the kidnapping of hundreds of people turned into hostages. It expresses its utmost dismay and concern, as well as its condemnation, at the dramatic unfolding of the situation in the Gaza Strip where the Israeli army's intervention is causing thousands of casualties and unacceptable suffering to the Palestinian population, violating international humanitarian law and disregarding United Nations resolutions.

The University joins the call from many quarters for an immediate ceasefire, accompanied by the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. It condemns hate speech in the public discourse surrounding the Middle East conflict, the resurgence in Italy and around the world of anti-Semitism and the spread of Islamophobia. It calls for respect for international law, urgent humanitarian and protection measures for the Palestinian civilian population, and the release of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas. Both Israel and Palestine have the right to a legitimate and secure existence, to a life in peace and mutual respect.

The dramatic events we are witnessing, a little less than two years since the start of another dramatic war that is still ongoing, make it even more necessary for the academic world and the scientific community to take concrete actions to prevent and counter consciences becoming addicted to violence, armed resolution of conflicts and to human rights violations. Moreover, as the President of the Italian Republic recently recalled, research is an instrument of peace which knows no borders and which, by its very nature, consolidates the world and coexistence.

All this being stated, the Academic Senate of Ca' Foscari University of Venice is committed to:

• Strengthening existing initiatives such as the international network Scholars at Risk - SAR, and the UNICORE project - University Corridors for Refugees - promoted by UNHCR Italy, by activating study and research scholarships open to students and scholars at risk coming from the territories involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Activating, as soon as conditions allow, bilateral agreements with universities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for the creation of scholarships for students and members of the Palestinian academic community, to offer them the opportunity to continue their studies and research.
• Promoting and actively supporting local, national, and international initiatives to create spaces and opportunities for acceptance, dialogue, and joint research projects for Israelis and Palestinians.

Finally, the Academic Senate of Ca' Foscari University of Venice strongly condemns the recent graffiti insulting the Rector, and expresses sympathy and solidarity for the Rector on behalf of all the University.