Science should be without borders, and education should be for everyone. We are appalled by the destruction of the lives and futures of students and colleagues who enable education, science and healthcare, and by the devastation of schools, universities and hospitals. This is part of the ongoing violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

As academic administrators, we are gravely concerned about the continued violations of international law, particularly the disproportionate violence being inflicted on the civilian population in Gaza. At the same time, the fate of the Israeli hostages remains uncertain. The escalation since the massacre of 7 October 2023 has caused unacceptable human suffering. The humanitarian situation created by the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories can now only be described as truly catastrophic.

While we are deeply affected by this situation as individuals, we believe that in our roles as university administrators we must exercise great restraint in taking political positions, in order to safeguard the academic freedom of our scholars.

Nonetheless, we believe that we must speak out at this moment. Now that scientific analyses of Israel’s actions in Gaza are converging and characterizing the situation as genocidal violence, we strongly urge political authorities to take appropriate action. We appreciate the proposal initiated by the Dutch government to the EU to investigate compliance with the association agreement with Israel, especially given the importance of this agreement in the relationship between the European and Israeli knowledge infrastructures. However, given the extreme urgency of the situation on the ground, we believe that further-reaching measures are necessary.

The academic community is rooted in the international legal order, reliant upon and a pillar of human rights, without which academic freedom and scientific integrity are defenseless.

We believe that Israel must be compelled, through political and diplomatic means, to cease its violence immediately, to allow humanitarian aid to enter generously, and to respect human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. Likewise, Hamas must be urged to respect civilian lives and to release the hostages.

We urgently call on you, the Dutch government, and through you also the European institutions and international community, to actively promote compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict and to speak out against the use of disproportionate force and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts.

We strongly urge the government to cooperate with international courts to investigate and ensure accountability for potential war crimes and human rights violations, and to protect the rights of all population groups in the region, regardless of origin, religion or nationality.

Sincerely,

Roel Beetsma, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Business
Christa Boer, Dean, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Mireille van Eechoud, Dean, Faculty of Law
Marieke de Goede, Dean, Faculty of Humanities
Jan Lintsen, Vice-President, Executive Board
Yvo Roos, Dean, Faculty of Medicine (Amsterdam UMC)
Fedde Scheele, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry (ACTA)
Peter van Tienderen, Dean, Faculty of Science
Peter-Paul Verbeek, Rector and Acting President, Executive Board