The University of La Laguna (ULL) has made the decision to cut off all forms of connection with universities and research centres in Israel, which encompasses doctoral programmes and Erasmus+ mobility, as well as reassessing agreements with companies and financial institutions in the country.
These are part of the measures announced by the administrative team of the University of La Laguna concerning the situation in the Gaza Strip and in which the Rectorate expresses, it asserts, “the sentiments of our campuses and the various requests articulated by different factions of our university community.”
For this reason, firstly, the ULL has decided to enhance relations with Palestinian universities in order to, based on their requirements, initiate its own development cooperation strategy that encompasses activities ranging from potential collaboration in reconstruction to potentially hosting members of the Palestinian university community, fostering connections with NGOs operating on-site.
It also advocates for the organisation of informative and awareness campaigns at the University of La Laguna within the framework of a “week focusing on Palestine”, on a date yet to be determined, where members of the Palestinian university community will be invited.
Additionally, efforts will be made to engage with the administrators of the ULL research platform to emphasise the importance of including Palestine among the nations with which academic collaboration relations could potentially be established, and members of the university community will be encouraged to propose participatory projects on the matter.
Regarding the termination of ties with Israeli universities and research centres, this will persist until there is a clear condemnation of the breach of the human rights of the Palestinian population, in accordance with international humanitarian law, by Israeli universities and academic institutions.
Meanwhile, the ULL has committed to refraining from forming agreements for the exchange of students, academic and research staff, and administrative, management, and service personnel with Israeli universities, as well as abstaining from collaborating or signing research or internationalisation agreements or contracts with Israeli universities, organisations, or institutions.
Moreover, the provision of spaces and facilities to institutional representatives of Israeli universities or research centres will be avoided.
It additionally states that a standard document aligning with the principles of peace, equality, and justice present in the ULL statutes and against it will be made available to the departments and institutes of the University of La Laguna engaging with research personnel from Israel, highlighting practices of occupation, racial segregation, war crimes, and crimes against humanity and, in light of the recent stance taken by the International Court of Justice, indications of potential genocide in Palestinian territory.
Furthermore, the ULL has vowed not to participate in European university alliances where Israeli universities are involved.
In terms of reviewing associations with companies and financial institutions, the University of La Laguna commits to scrutinising potential links to actions that endorse Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the Israeli war industry within contracts for future purchases of materials or equipment, as well as in partnerships with financial institutions and foundations.
In such instances, renewing agreements will be avoided if the connections are confirmed, provided that there are viable opportunities.
Considering the financial resources available to the University, it is essential to explore other options.
A commitment is also made to reassess and potentially cancel or refrain from renewing financial services from organizations linked to the Palestinian occupation.
The ULL Rectorate also urges the Spanish and Canary Islands governments to ensure adherence to international legal obligations. They are called upon to sever ties with entities failing to meet these obligations, suspend any military collaborations with Israel, and enforce universal justice in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Similarly, Spain is urged to actively engage in international initiatives addressing these issues. This includes supporting recent initiatives at the International Court of Justice and endorsing South Africa’s genocide accusation against Israel at the same court.
Additionally, the ULL requests the European Union to promptly and preventively prohibit Israeli entities from participating in projects funded by European grants.
