TÜBA Palestinian-Israeli War Report Has Been Published
The TÜBA Palestine-Israel War Report, prepared by TÜBA in a compilation method, was shared with the public. The report, published in Turkish, was immediately followed by English and Arabic versions for the convenience of the readers. The report, prepared by the TÜBA International Relations Working Group, analyzes the historical, current and future dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian War in the light of theoretical literature and current data.
Footsteps of a New Despotism
The report, compiled by Dr. Mürsel Doğrul and Dr. Hayati Ünlü, and translated into English by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kevser Çınar and Mert Orhan, shed light on the significance of the evaluations made by scientists striving to construct a healthy future for the world amidst societal and international events, emphasizing their importance for humanity. The report states that the interpretation of "intifada" slogans in support of Palestine in the US as a call for genocide and the demand for the resignation of rectors for not imposing sanctions on students have reignited the debate on the justification for the existence of universities, and draws attention to a new type of despotism that will be caused by the images of university presidents being put on trial before members of Congress. It emphasizes that anti-Semitic behavior has been criticized so far, but that the 'despotism of anti-Semitism' could be even more horrifying than before, and that this issue should be one of the highest priorities of the academy in order to prevent it. The report reveals that following the protests in the region, countries that had denied the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip have begun to recognize the humanitarian crises in the Palestinian territories and have moved away from their traditional power-oriented pro-Israel stance.
TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker reminded that after the Russia-Ukraine War, there were complaints that the publications of academics from countries that share opinions in favor of Russia, regardless of the discipline of science, were rejected in some journals without initiating editorial and refereeing processes. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker said, "In the international academic meetings we attended as TÜBA, we expressed that it is natural for politicians to follow their countries' political interests and strategies, but that members of academia and scientists should remain loyal to scientific objective evaluations in the context of basic human rights and express themselves within the framework of freedom of opinion without violence and insult."
The attitude of academia, Europe and America is equivocal
President Şeker, while stating that they are currently witnessing non-democratic environments in which rectors, academics, diplomats, journalists, athletes, artists, commercial organizations are suppressed, questioned and even forced to resign by the authorities, who make international statements of support for the Palestinian people that are occupied, struggling for life in their homeland, seeking peace and tranquility in their own land, said "I would like to state that this equivocal attitude we see in the academia in the context of the Palestinian issue is wrong. We also underline that the unfair, biased, baseless and misinformed criticisms made against our country in the past under the name of freedom of thought and human rights in the international arena are a proof and indicator that they are political and superficial. In particular, the distorted, insincere and hypocritical approaches of European countries and the United States to the Israeli-Palestinian issue will go down in history."
Standing against the massacre is the duty and necessity of academic dignity
President Şeker said that it is important and necessary to bring the inhumane massacres in Palestine to the agenda and to carry out academic studies that include suggestions on the future traumatic effects of this, the historical process of the issue, its development, the reasons for the lack of a solution, and which approaches and methods can be followed to establish peace. Şeker said: "The report we have prepared, focusing on our support for academic freedoms, our care for the peace of the region and humanity, and our belief in the sanctity of the right to life, is important and valuable for recording the war crimes in the region and preventing such massacres from happening again. As a matter of fact, in addition to the statement we published as TÜBA in the first weeks of the attack, we have compiled this work in order to objectively record this picture in history and to prevent it from happening again by putting it in front of the administrators of the countries and the academic community who, in the face of international impotence, targeted the infrastructure of the places where Palestinians live, making the region uninhabitable and watching the attacks bordering on genocide. We cannot ignore the fact that this problem is pregnant with other conflicts and wars, and that the growing fire poses risks to regional and world peace. It is a duty of humanity to examine the issue from an academic perspective. In the 21st century, the occupation, exile and massacres that took place in front of the eyes of the world will go down in history as a picture of shame. It pains us greatly that we have to state that standing against this massacre is a requirement and duty of academic dignity."