Pretoria – The UPStaff4Palestine group submitted a resolution to the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Senate for review on Tuesday, July 30. This resolution calls for measures to support Palestine’s educational institutions and academics, as well as condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Dr Marc Wegerif, Pretoria University lecturer and a member of UPS4P, explained that although the resolution does not officially represent the University of Pretoria, it was drafted by staff who stand in solidarity with Palestine. The hope is that the Senate will adopt and implement it, demonstrating the institution’s commitment to human rights and social justice.
Since the onset of Israeli forces’ attack on Gaza, nearly every Palestinian university has been destroyed, and numerous academics have been killed. Despite the Palestinians’ profound appreciation for education and their long-standing tradition of academic excellence, this fundamental right has been tragically stripped away by Israel.
“This is clearly part of the genocide that is wiping out people, wiping out education, wiping out the skills base. A lot of people maybe don’t think about Palestine as an ordinary country. We think about the violence and so on. But Palestine has been a country whose people have valued education for a long time and have valued achievement in education.”
Considering the University of Pretoria’s history with apartheid and its esteemed reputation within South Africa’s higher education sector, Dr Wegerif believes UP must take a stand against injustice and oppression.
He emphasised that this history, coupled with the commitment to transformation and social justice, places a unique responsibility on the University of Pretoria to uphold human rights and disassociate from regimes that violate these principles.
“University of Pretoria has an internationally renowned Human Rights Law Center, considered one of the best, if not the best, in Africa. Of course, there’s a big contradiction between standing for human rights law and any kind of association with the Zionist and genocidal Israeli regime. It’s very important for the reputation of our university that we take a stand on these things.”
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Key Points of the Resolution
The submitted resolution contains several key points. It calls for the university to audit its investments to ensure there are no ties to Israeli firms involved in activities supporting the occupation of Palestine.
The resolution also emphasises the need for increased engagement and support for Palestinian institutions. It suggests organising workshops, seminars, and other events at the university to foster robust debate and education on the Palestinian issue, its history, and the right to self-determination.
This includes contacting and collaborating with dissident Israeli academics who oppose their government’s policies.
Furthermore, it urges the institution to avoid engaging in academic and cultural collaborations with Israeli academics and institutions. Instead, Dr Wegerif believes the university should collaborate more with Palestinian thinkers and scholars.
“We all need to educate ourselves more about the situation in Palestine, what’s really involved, and the history of it, and properly understand that. Even you students who are active on this need to deepen your understanding.”
“We, as academics, need to deepen our understanding and spread that understanding. I think a lot of people don’t quite realise why this is such a key issue that we need to take up around the world. This is a genocide, and that is tragic, but this is also a colonial and imperialist project.”
