BY LUC SELS. The devastating conflict in Gaza and the ongoing violence in the West Bank and in Israel leave no one unmoved. Unfortunately, the numbers speak for themselves. OCHA records some 18,000 Palestinian and more than 1,200 Israeli deaths, and some 46,000 Palestinians and 5,400 Israelis wounded. More than 52,000 homes have been destroyed in Gaza. The number of refugees is estimated at nearly two million. Refugees who largely have no way out.

We reiterate our call on all parties to respect the rules of international law and the law of war, to immediately proceed to and strictly observe a lasting cease-fire, and to immediately provide large-scale humanitarian aid. One does not have to take sides in this conflict to realise that the toll is immeasurable and inhumanly heavy for the civilians in Gaza. The situation for the many innocent hostages also disturbs us deeply.

Our mission statement commits us to stand up for the most vulnerable. Our thoughts at this Christmas season are with the many civilian victims, no matter which side of this war they are on. These victims cannot be justified in any way. We must dare to express our disgust at this swelling wave of dehumanising violence – at what people are currently doing to people.

Our attitude towards universities and scientists

When the Leuven university library went up in flames in 1914, many dozens of universities protested what they called an attack on science, culture and thus humanity – an act that no military necessity could justify. Today it is up to us, as a beacon of ethics and humanity, to protest vehemently against the destruction of academic capacity, as is happening now in Gaza.

The destruction is so great that we can make little difference with KU Leuven alone. Reconstruction will require an act of solidarity of the magnitude that made all the difference for our university after the ‘Great War’. This is not to say that we are not doing anything right now.

• We have previously established a fund to accommodate Ukrainian students and researchers. In recent months, we have asked donors whether their donations can be used for other crisis situations. For example, programmes have been developed for transcultural trauma care that we are now opening up to those with a connection to the Palestinian occupied territories or Israel. We are revitalising our fundraising efforts to maintain effectiveness.

• We will also use these funds to host scientists from the conflict zone seeking a safe haven. We do need to be realistic – it is far more difficult to accommodate scientists from Gaza than from Ukraine, because they generally cannot leave or visas are denied. But we will make an effort.

• KU Leuven is part of the Scholars-at-Risk network. We are presently employing scientists from Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan. If we can help within that network to accommodate threatened or fleeing scientists from the conflict zone, we will prioritise that.

One more thing: KU Leuven has hardly any ties with Palestinian universities or scientists. Changing that will be a long-running affair, but it is also a collective responsibility and thus a task for all of us. After all, most collaborations in research and education grow at our university from the initiative of assistant professors and researchers, programmes and research groups.

Some colleagues and student groups are demanding that we cease collaboration with Israeli universities. Others believe that, in a crisis situation, there are many reasons to do just the opposite and seek out a conversation among scientists. Currently, KU Leuven has no structural or preferential ties with Israeli universities. However, there are some joint projects, for example as part of Research Foundation Flanders and Horizon Europe. Many are broad consortia with partners from multiple countries.

Our starting point in all international relations is that we do not simply associate an academic institution with the country in which it operates. In some countries, maintaining academic collaboration is a lifeline between democratic forces, a form of empowering partners or a channel for influencing positions. Therefore, as to whether collaboration is opportune, we do not assess this at the country level, but rather at the level of the partner institution and the content of the project. A central question there is whether an institution is actively contributing to human rights violations. We will maintain this line in the future.

In light of this, all international agreements in the context of education, research or service provision have been subject to a human rights test since 2020. This test was also applied to (new) collaborations with Israeli partners – which, incidentally, were discussed at length in the Dual Use, Military Use and Misuse of Research Ethics Committee. This DMM EC was asked in November to review ongoing collaborations, especially with a view to making a clear policy decision regarding future collaboration. This evaluation is currently underway.

Our conversation with each other

We reiterate the great importance of the KU Leuven Charter for Inclusion. The university must be a safe place for all our students and staff members, regardless of their origins, backgrounds or beliefs. Nuance and respect for one another’s position and sensitivities are crucial in this regard. Whether Palestinian or Israeli, we will attempt to accommodate our staff members and students from both communities to the best of our ability.

No doubt, we all want our university to be a home of warm openness, respect, freedom and conversation. Maintain the dialogue with each other in mind. Do not let go of the conversation – do not leave it to fanaticism. Cherish the warm openness even now, in times of war, sharp contrasts, outrage and pain. Especially now. For those who feel pain, this issue is not the most obvious thing. But at the university, open dialogue is what holds us together.

Anyone with questions or concerns about the situation in the Palestinian occupied territories or Israel, or its implications at KU Leuven, can get in touch with a central contact point at globalresponse@kuleuven.be.

Kind regards,

Luc Sels, also on behalf of the Executive Board of KU Leuven