CALL FOR JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS FOR PALESTINE FROM UNIVERSITY RECTORS

The rectors of Turkey's leading universities issued a declaration, calling for justice and human rights for Palestinians under Israeli attack. The declaration, signed by the rectors of 189 universities in Turkey, was announced to the public at a press conference hosted by OSTİM Technical University.

In his message he gave at the meeting in which he participated online, our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu said, “Today, there is an atrocity and cruelty that we all witness and that is experienced before the eyes of the whole world. And this cruelty is pouring down as death on innocent people without heeding children, women or elderly. The Palestinian people are being destroyed systematically. However, every individual with a conscience should stand up to this and raise their voice. Because these things being done are absolutely unacceptable. Our primary duty as human beings is to stand up to this reckless atrocity taking place before the eyes of everyone and not to remain silent in the face of all kinds of cruelty. Because only if we are together we make our voices heard; because only if we are united we will be strong and thus stand against the tyrant. Whoever the violence comes from, human dignity has always stood firm against the brutality committed. Throughout history, human mind, conscience and common sense have always done their part in the face of such great humanitarian problems and stood against the tyrant and prevented them. We firmly believe that it will be the same today. We invite everyone to raise their voices against this cruelty and all international decision makers to impose the necessary sanctions to prevent these inhuman attacks without losing a moment.”

Call for Justice and Human Rights for Palestine has been announced. The declaration is as follows:

“Israel has added yet another to its violent crimes against the civilians and vulnerable Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip through the repressive policies and attacks directed at the destruction of the inherent right to life and massacred, injured and left homeless many innocent Palestinians, including infants, children, women and the elderly.

Disregarding human rights, Israel has become a terrorist state which continues to kill children, women and the elderly indiscriminately, seizes their homes and lands, and destroys agricultural lands by the deliberate and systematic extermination of civilians before the entire world.

We appeal to the international community as university rectors in the face of perpetual bloody assaults:

Demolitions and evacuations should be stopped based on the framework of the United Nations (UN) International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law; absolute support should be given without delay to the Palestinian society towards the establishment of a sovereign state.

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision that it has jurisdiction over war crimes and atrocities committed in the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has allowed for Israel to be held accountable for crimes committed in the Palestinian territories and to identify those responsible for those heinous crimes. Accordingly, we urge The International Court of Justice and Human Rights to fulfill its duties by adopting an uncompromising stance against Israel's unlawful and inhumane atrocities. We firmly demand that those responsible be judged and the damage inflicted on the Palestinian people be compensated.

We the signatories of this declaration proclaim that we respectfully support the struggle of the Palestinian people for the most natural human right to live in dignity and the protection of property rights, and that we will always stand by them. In addition, we reverently inform the international community that we are ready to undertake all kinds of humanitarian tasks, including mediation, to stop the bloodshed caused by the attacks and end the suffering first and foremost of children, Palestinian women and the elderly.”