The Student Council of the University of Iceland (SHÍ) declares its full support for the Palestinian people and their fight for their right to exist against Israeli colonialism and genocide. Despite the atrocities committed in Israel on October 7, 2023, it does not justify the violation of basic human rights. Immediate humanitarian aid and a ceasefire in Gaza must be guaranteed. You can second the declaration by signing this petition. 

SHÍ agrees with the declaration of the staff of the University of Iceland and the declaration of the National Association of Icelandic Students that the appeal of Birzeit University must be responded to, as the university community has every obligation to do so and make its voice heard.

SHÍ demands that the University react to Israel’s war crimes with as much determination as it did against Russia in 2022. SHÍ also agrees with the staff of the University of Iceland that academic institutions in Israel and companies that support Israel’s war operations must be boycotted.

The root of the conflict at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea has a long history of the growing illegal occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli government, as the UN Secretary General points out. Israel’s colonialism and land occupation as well as attacks on Palestinian citizens violate international humanitarian law according to the United Nations and Amnesty International. Israel’s policy of apartheid also violates both the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law. No state is above international humanitarian law.

It is especially important that educational and scientific institutions make themselves heard when human rights violations are committed and keep the facts in the air, but fake news and propaganda have created a divide in the international community. As stated in a statement from the staff of the University of Iceland, the Western international community has maintained a dominant discourse that dehumanizes the Palestinian people and creates justification for repeated massacres of innocent citizens, including thousands of children. Since university education is an important guide to a more open and just society, the students of the University of Iceland encourage the country’s higher education institutions as well as the academic community as a whole to keep the facts in the air, recognize the historical roots of the attacks and shed light on the power imbalance between the nations.

The academic community must fulfill its academic obligations, rely on facts, stay away from state-sponsored propaganda, and hold those responsible for genocide, as well as those who support it, accountable for their actions.

SHÍ stands with Palestine in the fight for peace and justice. In the same way, SHÍ condems all violence and takes a clear stance against Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism and any kind of violence.