Protesterer mot stenging av palestinske universitet

Det er Israels militæraksjonar i fleire av dei palestinske byane og landsbyane på Vestbreidda som har fått rektor Arild Underdal til å reagera på vegner av Universitetet i Oslo.

I brevet viser han til at mange menneskeliv er gått tapt, samtidig som aksjonane også har ført til øydelegging av institusjonar, infrastruktur og eigedomar i desse områda.

Han viser spesielt til det faktum at den israelske hæren har stengt alle dei palestinske universiteta som Universitetet i Oslo samarbeider med.

Underdal peikar på at Universitetet i Oslo er oppteken av å knyta internasjonale solidaritetsband gjennom akademisk samarbeid. Dette er hovudprinsippa bak samarbeidet vårt med universitetstilsette, studentar og institusjonar i både Palestina og Israel, skriv Underdal, som understrekar kor viktige ressursar universiteta, dei universitetstilsette og den yngre generasjonen av studentar er for den økonomiske, kulturelle og politiske utviklinga.

"På denne måten vil me gjerne appellera til den israelske regjeringa og be den om å forsikra oss om at det legitime akademiske arbeidet kan bli tatt opp igjen ved dei palestinske universiteta så snart som mogleg, i eit læringsmiljø der både dei universitetstilsette og studentane kan nyta godt av fysisk tryggleik og intellektuell fridom," oppfordrar UiO-rektoren til slutt i brevet.

Prisvinnar arrestert

I eit anna brev til Israels ambassadør i Noreg, Liora Herzl, viser Arild Underdal til åtaka på ambulansar og helsepersonell frå Palestinas Raude Halvmåne og til arrestasjonen av leiaren for organisasjonen, dr. Younis Al-Khatib i førre veke. Han ser på desse handlingane som alvorlege brot på prinsippa om respekt og vern av redningsarbeidarar og helsepersonell i ein væpna konflikt.
Det var nettopp på grunn av det glimrande humanitære arbeidet som Palestinas Raude Halvmåne og Israels Raude Davidsstjerne (David Magen Adom of Israel)i fellesskap utfører i ein vanskeleg konflikt som gjorde at desse to organisasjonane i fjor delte UiOs menneskerettspris.

"Me appellerer til Israels regjering om at den gjer alt den kan for å verna om desse verdiane også i vanskelege tider", skriv Arild Underdal.

Slik lyder dei to breva frå UiOs rektor til Israels ambassadør i Noreg, Liora Herzl:

Brev 1

Your Excellency,
The University of Oslo has during the last few years followed the escalating conflict in Israel/Palestine with concern, based on our sincere involvement in the region's development as well as close partnerships with researchers and institutions in both Palestine and Israel. The escalation that we have seen in recent weeks leaves us deeply worried. We have daily been presented with terrifying images of tragic events, causing loss of and irreversible damage to far too many personal lives as well as devastation of institutions, infrastructure and property.
The University of Oslo is strongly committed to fostering international bonds of solidarity through academic cooperation. We believe in academic cooperation as a tool to enhance academic awareness and quality, but also to build lasting relationships - personal, academic and institutional - which contribute to developing and strengthening mutual understanding and respect, across political cleavages. These are basic principles behind our cooperation with staff, students and institutions in both Palestine and Israel. In this perspective we see the standstill and closure of all our Palestinian partner universities as destructive not merely to their main business - edcucation and research - but also to the long term development and institution-building process in Palestine. We firmly believe that universities, their faculty and, perhaps most of all, the young generation of students, are important resources for economic, cultural and political development.
In this spirit we appeal to the Israeli government to make sure that legitimate academic activities can be resumed at the Palestinian universities as soon as possible, in a setting in which faculty and students can enjoy physical security and intellectual freedom.

Yours sincerely

Arild Underdal
Rector

Brev 2:

Your Excellency,
Last year the University of Oslo awarded its prize in Human Rights - "Lisl and Leo Eitinger's Fund" - jointly to the David Magen Adom of Israel, MDA, and the Palestine Crescent Society, PCRS. The prize was awarded to the parties at a ceremony at the University of Oslo early October last year, represented by the President Dr. Moshe Melloul, MDA. Unfortunately the President of the Palestine Crescent Society, Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, was prevented from coming to Oslo.
The two organisations received the prize for the outstanding humanitarian work they have done and still are carrying out during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Both organisations have committed themselves to working side by side, and they have continued their work despite the escalation of the conflict and despite several attacks on their ambulances and personnel. The ideological platform, concrete action and cooperation of the two organisations represent basic and lasting humanitarian values that the University of Oslo honoured through the 2001 Human Rights Prize.
In recent weeks and months, we have had several reports about attacks on health personnel and ambulances, many of them from the Palestine Crescent Society. Several doctors and health workers have been killed through Israeli military action, and vital medical equipment and clinics have been damaged or destroyed. Some weeks ago the President of the Palestine Crescent Society, Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, was arrested on duty and held back for several hours under humiliating circumstances together with several medical co-workers. We see these actions as serious violations of the principles of respect for and protection of humanitarian relief work and medical assistance in times of conflict. These are basic values that the University of Oslo honoured by awarding its prize for Human Rights for 2001 to the David Magen Adom of Israel, MDA, and the Palestine Crescent Society, PCRS. We appeal to the Isreali government to do its utmost to protect these values even in very difficult times.

Yours sincerely

Arild Underdal
Rector