Israel’s military operation in Gaza triggered after the tragic Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in the total destruction of the 15 Gaza settlements and the paralysis of the West Bank settlements by the occupation of the access routes by Israeli settlers protected by the Israeli army.

Exact figures of civilian casualties in Gaza are under discussion, but all sides agree that this is the highest number of daily civilian casualties ever recorded in history, one of the deadliest wars. Many university officials, professors, researchers, students are among the victims.

The world is urging the Government of Israel and Hamas leaders to reach a ceasefire that will pave the way for a diplomatic end to this tragedy in Gaza and finally find the way to peace in the region by respecting international agreements.

How can we support Gaza in its efforts to maintain an open, dynamic and inclusive university system for its people in the current conditions?

The Palestinian universities in the West Bank are mobilizing to welcome students enrolled in universities that have been destroyed or inaccessible due to blocked access and the Virtual University of Gaza has managed to restart its platform in a third country.

The solidarity of academics to help these initiatives is gradually growing worldwide but it remains difficult for higher education institutions to take a stand before the end of military action in Gaza. A gradual coordination of these different initiatives is taking place and an effort to recruit scientists ready to support efforts to maintain access to scientific knowledge in the occupied Palestinian territories is launched.

It is proposed to participate in this effort by mobilizing a pool of potential stakeholders so that people who are sensitive to this action make known their interest to support it concretely and for example to:

• Participate in the co-supervision of research work in their discipline (Master or Doctorate level) remotely or face-to-face whenever possible.
• Offer Palestinian students or colleagues to be associated with research teams as invited professors.
• Participate as guests in research teams in Palestine.
• Participate in thesis committees (Master or Doctorate) remotely or in person whenever possible.
• Provide support for educational activities within the framework of virtual university platforms: several universities have equipped themselves with such a platform to ensure the continuity of teaching and assessments. The teaching materials are in English or Arabic.
• Facilitate the mobility of Palestinian students and colleagues for conferences, seminars.
• Involve Palestinian students or colleagues
• in international research projects, especially European ones.
• Facilitate access for Palestinian students and colleagues to bibliographic resources in different disciplines.

There are undoubtedly other ways to participate in maintaining and developing the capacity for access to higher education and research in Palestine, the most important is to have a pool of potential stakeholders who can be asked for concrete actions.

To participate in this pool of potential speakers, please contact Professor Alain Mille, <alain.mille@univ-lyon1.fr>, animating a collective of academics in Lyon « Palestine Lyon Solidaires Universities » and member of USF.