URGENT CALL FOR TU BERLIN TO UPHOLD ITS ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY
HOME ● MAIN DEMAND ● SUPPORTERS ● STATEMENT VOLKER BECK
Main Demand
Investigate And Stop Cooperations With All Partnered Israeli Universities Complicit In International Law Violations
As students and employees of TU Berlin, backed by the Hertie Solidarity Collective, Jewish Solidarity Collective (Jewish students and staff across Berlin universities), Students for Palestine FU, Not In Our Name ASH, Not In Our Name UdK, Decolonize HU, Stand Up For Palestine Potsdam, BCB for Palestine (Bard College Berlin), Students from Charite, and The Student Coalition Berlin, we expect the university’s administration to uphold its commitment to respect international law and human rights, as well as fundamental rights. It is essential not only to maintain and respect these obligations but also to ensure they extend to the universities and institutions that TU Berlin partners with.
Following the example set by many universities across European universities and worldwide (Appendix part 7), we believe in the importance of scrutinising our academic collaborations to ensure they align with these principles. No university should be contributing to violations of international law. Therefore, these Universities have taken decisive steps to reassess their relationships with Israeli partners, guided by their commitment to human rights and international law. By conducting a meticulous review and halting collaborations where necessary, they have set a precedent for ethical academic conduct. We urge TU Berlin to adopt a similar approach, ensuring that our institution does not directly or indirectly support activities that violate international law and human rights. Therefore, we, as a student collective and employees at TU Berlin, are calling for a thorough investigation into our university’s partnerships with Israeli universities and institutions due to the ongoing violations of international law against the Palestinian people, during which the partnerships should be suspended.
Full Report
Download our 28-page report, including our full main demand and appendices, here:
Summary
1. Case-by-Case Investigation
We understand the decision of German universities to cut ties with Russian academic institutions[TUB1], as it tried to prioritise the respect of international law and human rights. For that reason, considering the current situation in Gaza and to ensure that TU Berlin remains consistent with its values and ethical commitments, we demand a case-by-case investigation of all Israeli universities, institutions, and collaborations involving Israeli companies or other non-academic partners, especially those for which we have provided evidence in the appendix of being directly or indirectly involved in violations of international law and the violent illegal occupation of Palestine.
This investigation should cover Israeli university actions regarding:
1. Research activities and potential ties to the current violations of international law and war crimes against Palestinians.
2. Institutional ties to the Israeli military and to the Israeli Defense Ministry and their activities in violation of international law.
3. Universities that support students who participated or are participating in Operation Swords of Iron, starting October 2023.
4. Discrimination by Israeli universities against their Palestinian students after 7 Oct 2023.
5. Active participation in the occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories and TU’s possible participation in the violation.
6. Failing to distinguish in dealing of Israel and the territory occupied since 1967, a violation to the UN Resolution 2334 (2016) [UN1]
2. Suspend Ties during Investigation
While investigations are ongoing, we demand that ties with the Israeli universities and institutions breaking the international law, be suspended. This temporary suspension is necessary to ensure that TU Berlin does not inadvertently support activities that violate international law and human rights and contribute to the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people. Following the example set by other European and international universities, which took decisive steps to reassess and suspend their relationships with Israeli partners in light of their ethical commitments, we believe that TU Berlin should also guarantee its commitment to respect international law and basic human rights for all. By suspending collaborations during the investigation, you can ensure that our institution maintains integrity and upholds its ethical standards. If the investigations confirm violations of international law, human rights law, or direct or indirect participation in the occupation of Palestinian territories, ties should be permanently severed. This decisive action will demonstrate TU Berlin's commitment to ethical conduct and its adherence to the principles of human rights and international law.
To maintain transparency and accountability:
• The results of the investigation should be made public.
• All points in the appendix (the evidence already provided) must be addressed and the answer to each point should be in included in the results.
This will ensure that the TU Berlin community and its stakeholders are fully informed of the findings and the rationale behind any decisions made regarding the university's partnerships. Transparency in this process will reinforce trust and uphold the university’s reputation for ethical and responsible academic collaboration.
3. Take the international institutions and NGOs into account for the investigation
The investigation should consider several critical sources and recent legal actions to ensure a comprehensive review. This includes the findings and provisional measures of the two advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the current investigation of genocide, UN Human Rights Council and Security Council resolutions, and testimonies from renowned NGOs in and outside of Germany.
ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on the Wall (2004)
“In sum, the Court finds that,[…] The construction of such a wall accordingly constitutes breaches by Israel of various of its obligations under the applicable international humanitarian law and human rights instruments.”[ICJ1].
It is relevant to note here that the TU Berlin has partners who cooperate with companies that have supplied this same wall. (More information will be presented in the Appendix)
ICJ Advisory Opinion on Illegality of Occupation, Annexation, and Apartheid (2024)
“Israel has an obligation to put an end to those unlawful acts. In this respect, Israel must immediately cease all new settlement activity. Israel also has an obligation to repeal all legislation and measures creating or maintaining the unlawful situation, […], as well as all measures aimed at modifying the demographic composition of any parts of the territory.”
In this case, two of TU Berlin’s partner universities are in direct breach of international law according to the ICJ’s opinion. (More information will be presented in the Appendix).[ICJ2]
“the Court is of the view that Member States are under an obligation not to recognize any changes in the physical character or demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the territory occupied by Israel on 5 June 1967, including East Jerusalem, except as agreed by the parties to the conflict through negotiations and to distinguish in their dealings with Israel between the territory of the State of Israel and the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.” [ICJ2] By allowing exchange programs with universities that are located in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 the TU Berlin is effectively breaking international law. (See appendix part 6)
By incorporating the findings and testimonies from these prominent organizations, TU Berlin can ensure a thorough and unbiased investigation. This approach not only aligns with the university's commitment to international law and human rights but also upholds the integrity and ethical standards expected by its students and the global academic community.
In the Appendix, we are providing enough evidence to warrant an investigation against certain partner universities. You can find the Appendix in our full report below.
[TUB1]: TUB Press release on cutting ties with Russian institutions
[UN1]: UN Resolution 2334
[ICJ1]: Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
[ICJ2]: Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 (icj-cij.org)
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Contact:
demands@notinourname-tu.org