Italian universities see widespread protests against collaboration with Israel

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Italian universities have recently seen widespread protests against their collaborations with Israel, according to local media.

The Student Network for Palestine occupied the rectorate building of the University of Federico II in the southern city of Naples to protest the university's decision to participate in the Italy-Israel Scientific Research Program (MAECI), public broadcaster Rainews reported.

"The agreements made between Italy and Israel at academic, economic or military fields represent for us a point of no return approximately the complicity of the academy with Israel's criminal plan to erase the Palestinian people," the network said in a statement.

In a related development, some 200 university staff in the University of Florence, including professors, researchers and administrative and technical staff asked the university administration "not to abdicate the fundamental values ​​of humanity and solidarity in the face of a repugnant massacre that is taking place, day after day, right before our eyes," in a joint statement.

The broadcaster reported that similar actions were taken by students and academics in the University of Turin, the University of Pisa, the University of Bari and the Polytechnic of Turin in recent days.

Meanwhile, 2,000 Italian academics across the various universities signed an open letter which "reminded the Italian institutions of their obligation to prevent and not be complicit in acts of genocide according to the 1948 UN Convention."

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack early last October by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 33,200 Palestinians have since been killed and almost 76,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which recently asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaz