The passage about genocide in the open letter from the Executive Board and the deans of VU Amsterdam could be described as veiled. The university has stated that it takes the conclusion of the UN Commission of Inquiry, that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, very seriously. The management does not believe that the university should make a statement on whether genocide is taking place. ‘However, we have no reason to doubt the scholarly findings of international experts who conclude that genocide is occurring in Gaza’, the letter states.
In the letter, the VU management endorses the call by the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) ‘to protect civilians, restore essential infrastructure, provide immediate humanitarian assistance, and ensure the immediate release of all hostages’.
‘Great injustice’
The management writes that it considers it necessary to speak out again against ‘such grave injustice’ in Gaza, referring to ‘ongoing violence and violations of international law by the State of Israel’. The VU calls it ‘a horrific crisis for humanity and human dignity’ that cannot be justified, just like the attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
In line with previous statements, the VU encourages dialogue and regrets the polarization in society and within the university. According to the letter, an Israel-wide boycott remains out of the question. Instead, the VU will continue to assess each project individually using the assessment framework.