More than a thousand Israeli academics call for end to war in Gaza over moral collapse

Hundreds of academics from universities and colleges across Israel have called for an end to the war in Gaza, warning of "moral collapse" across the country.

On Tuesday , a letter signed by 1,300 academics was sent to the heads of the academic system in Israel, calling on higher education facilities to "mobilise the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza".

"This is a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing," the letter, organised by a group naming themselves the Black Flag Action Group, reads.

"We cannot claim that we did not know. We have been silent for too long."

"Black Flag" is a reference to Israeli jurisprudence, in which a black flag is said to fly over orders whose sheer immorality makes them illegal to follow.

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

“As academics, we recognize our own role in these crimes. It is human societies, not governments alone, that commit crimes against humanity," read the letter.

"Some do so by means of direct violence. Others do so by sanctioning the crimes and justifying them, before and after the fact, and by keeping quiet and silencing voices in the halls of learning. It is this bond of silence that allows clearly evident crimes to continue unabated without penetrating the barriers of recognition.”

Increasing numbers of prominent figures in Israel have begun speaking out again the army's actions in Gaza.

Last week, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned his country's actions in Gaza, accusing the government of killing innocent Palestinians.

In a BBC interview on Tuesday, Olmert, who served as the prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, said what Israel was doing in Gaza is "very close to a war crime".

He told the network that the “obvious appearance” of the war on Gaza is that "thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed, as well as many Israeli soldiers," adding that "from every point of view, this is obnoxious and outrageous".

According to the latest update by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 54,249 Palestinians have been killed and 123,492 wounded since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Israeli army has killed at least 3,986 Palestinians and wounded 11,451 others since breaking the ceasefire agreement on 18 March. More than 180,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced by the offensive.

The ministry said that 67 bodies and 184 injured people arrived at Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours.

middleeasteye.net