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egm-motions-friday-27th-october-2023

This EGM has been convened to allow members to discuss the situation in Israel and Palestine. The motions and amendments below have been submitted for debate.

Motions 

Motion 1: THIS MOTION HAS BEEN CENSORED BY UCL

Motion 2: Proposal for UCU-UCL Branch Statement on the Gaza War

Motion 3: Supporting UCL-UCU branch members impacted by the Israel/Gaza conflict

Motion 4: Untitled Motion

Motion 5: Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis and Crimes Against Humanity – Ceasefire Now!

Motion 6: Emergency UCU motion on Palestine

Amendments

 

MOTION 1: 

THIS MOTION HAS BEEN CENSORED BY UCL

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MOTION 2: PROPOSAL FOR UCU-UCL BRANCH STATEMENT ON THE GAZA WAR

We, the undersigned academics, researchers and university staff in the UCL branch of the University and College Union, strongly condemn all forms of violence that have been taking place in the current war between Israel and Hamas, and over the previous 75 years in Israel and the Occupied Territories. We join countless others now in speaking out to demand an end to the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip.

In response to recent actions in this ongoing war, namely the massacres of 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens by Hamas fighters and the taking of Israeli citizens hostage, experts in international law and genocide have noted that we are now seeing the State of Israeli respond by carrying out a conscious policy of genocide on the people of Gaza – both in terms of their language, which describes Palestinians as ‘human animals,’ and the actions being taken to achieve ‘zero population in Gaza’ and the ‘annihilation of Gaza’.  

The deliberate killing of civilians is always an atrocity and a violation of international law. Neither Israel, the occupying power, or armed groups of the people under occupation, the Palestinians, can ever be justified in targeting defenceless people. We express our grief and heartbreak for the victims of the recent tragedies, and for their families and friends, both Palestinians and Israelis.

Therefore, the planned genocide in the Gaza Strip by the State of Israel must be denounced and stopped at once. We call on all political leaders nationally and internationally, including the UK government and the United Nations, to use all diplomatic measures at their disposal, including an arms embargo and sanctions on those responsible for the attacks, to achieve: 

·   an immediate ceasefire by all parties involved.

·   the immediate protection of the 2.3 million civilian population of Gaza, by resuming water, food and power supplies to Gaza, and allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. 

·   the immediate freeing of the hostages taken by Hamas and held in Gaza. 

·   the presentation of a petition to the prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court to investigate the war crimes committed by Hamas and the State of Israel against civilians in Israel and the Occupied Territories. 

·   an end to the complicity of western leaders and media with the Israeli state, and a recognition – in discourse and action – that the lives of Palestinians do matter and that there must be no annihilation or genocide in Gaza, or attacks on civilians in the West Bank.  

·   renewed diplomatic efforts to end Israel’s occupation and apartheid of Palestinian territories as this is the root cause of the violence we are sadly seeing today.  

We call for an immediate end to the violence and to the occupation of Palestine, and for the power of diplomacy to move beyond self-interest in order to establish a just and equitable resolution where Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, can live together in peace.  

In solidarity,

[insert signatures]

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MOTION 3: SUPPORTING UCL-UCU BRANCH MEMBERS IMPACTED BY THE ISRAEL/GAZA CONFLICT

Notes:

That UCU issued a statement about the current Israel/Gaza crisis on 10 October: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13229/UCU-statement-on-IsraelGaza

That the UCL-UCU branch includes a considerable number of members and their students who are directly impacted by these events because they have family, friends, and colleagues in Israel and/or Palestine 

That members across UCL have seen their pastoral care demands increase dramatically as a result of this conflict––at a time when staff workloads are already unsustainable 

That members across UCL with expertise in the region are grappling emotionally with the recent violence while also navigating a quickly shifting professional landscape 

That members and their students across UCL are concerned about the recent rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and attacks directed at Israelis and Palestinians in London because of their nationality.

Believes:

That UCL-UCU’s primary responsibility is to represent, support, and advocate for its members 

That is the duty of UCL-UCU to support all of its members, regardless of their religious, ethnic, or national identities and personal views with respect to the conflict

That UCL-UCU should be a safe space for members across UCL amidst concerns about rising racist activity including antisemitism, Islamophobia, and attacks directed at Israelis and Palestinians because of their nationality 

That at a time of significant work-related issues in the UK higher education sector, there is a need to focus on building broad coalitions of members who are fighting for the improvement of working conditions in our profession.

Resolves:

To show solidarity with all UCL-UCU branch members affected by the conflict

To support members dealing with any work-related issues linked to the conflict, such as seeking reasonable adjustments (e.g., deadline extensions) for delays caused by emotional or other repercussions of the conflict

To defend academic freedom and freedom of speech 

To condemn any racist activity that affects staff and students and makes them feel unsafe

To support initiatives across UCL promoting constructive dialogue between the parties in the conflict.  

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MOTION 4: UNTITLED MOTION

UCL UCU notes:

1. UCL have sent out correspondence to students and staff about the Israel-Palestine situation, but have failed to acknowledge the word 'Palestine' or 'Palestinian' in their communications. These refer to antisemitism and islamophobia, but fail to explicitly acknowledge anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism, given that not all Palestinians or Arabs are Muslims. This has led to students and staff reporting feelings of distress, rage and fear about UCL's stance.

2. UCL’s connection with companies that support and materially assist both the occupation, and anti-Palestinian violence through the supply of weapons technology, such as BAE systems and Elbit.

UCL UCU believes:

This is institutional silencing, and is creating an atmosphere of threat and censorship around communicating about, supporting, and/or advocating for Palestine. Some of the emails have evoked threat of disciplinary procedures, and the general erasure of the word 'Palestine' implies that merely acknowledging Palestinian people may be seen as misconduct. It is also affecting the wellbeing of staff and students. Such a one-sided perspective from a leading research institution is unacceptable, and compromises academic integrity as well as obstructs material support for Palestine and Palestinian students.

UCL UCU therefore resolves:

1. to communicate with UCL management about this issue, demanding that they acknowledge the word Palestinian, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism,  and that an apology email is sent out, to all the staff and students who have been affected by these communications. 

2. to instruct the Executive Committee to issue a statement of support for ending the Israeli 17-year siege of Gaza, and demand that UCL end their ties with BAE Systems and Elbit Systems, in support of this.
 

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MOTION 5: ONGOING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY – CEASEFIRE NOW!

This Branch notes

  1. The urgency of the ongoing and present humanitarian situation in Gaza where the siege on water and food means the population is about to starve or begin to die of dehydration, and the blockade on fuel and electricity means that the hospitals are now failing and without fuel to power generators, 120 babies in incubators will die, along with all those in need of electricity to be kept alive (e.g., for life support or dialysis).
  2. That, as of the 23 October 2023, 5000+ Palestinians in the Gaza strip have been massacred by indiscriminate bombing by the Israeli army, of which 2080 were children (picture 7.5 average sized schools of children – every 15mins a Palestinian Child is killed), and over 800 children are thought to be buried beneath the rubble of bombed buildings with 1 in 20 buildings in Gaza having been bombed. 1119 of those killed by Israel are women and 187 are elderly. In addition, 15,900+ have been injured – often with life changing injuries
  3. That Israel has bombed hospitals, schools, obliterated all the universities in Gaza, obliterated every bakery in Gaza, killed journalists (13 so far), UNWRA workers (35), nurses, doctors, first responders, rescue teams, dropping over 4000 tons of explosives on Gaza in one week alone, increasing in the 2nd week (cf. the 3,900 total dropped on Dresden in WWII).
  4. That over 200 Israeli civilian hostages are being held in Gaza by Hamas, during an attack on Israel on the 7thOctober where they killed many civilians in indiscriminate acts in contravention of international law.
  5. That 170 Palestinian children and several thousand Palestinian adults are presently held without trial, in arbitrary detention by the Israeli state (Israel has upped its administrative detention, without trial to 10,000).
  6. The defamation in the media and by public figures of marches in support of Palestinian human rights and against ethnic cleansing, Genocide, and a humanitarian catastrophe perpetrated by Israel, as “supporting terrorism”, “antisemitic”, “standing for anti-Jewish hatred”, 
  7. That the marches of between 100,000 and 300,000 people have not been about Jews at all, but indeed supported by large contingents of publicly self-identifying Jewish people of conscience saying “not in my name!”
  8. The public statements, events and demonstrations of anti-occupation Jewish organisations like Namod, IfNotNow, Jews for Peace, Independent Jewish Voices, and many others, some of whom formed a Jewish Bloc on the 21 October demonstration in London to say “not in my name!”
  9. That this Branch has policy to oppose occupations (motions on Palestine and on Ukraine) and to support the Palestinian people against oppression and subjugation by a settler colonial apartheid state and policy on supporting boycott and divestment campaigns against state institutions of two occupier states (Russia and Israel).
  10. That international law, morality, and basic humanity forbid a) the indiscriminate attack on civilians, b) the taking of civilian hostages, c) Genocide.
  11. That the UK (along with the US) government has been instrumental in blocking calls for a ceasefire at the UN.

This Branch Believes

  1. World leaders repeating the mantra that “Israel has the right to defend itself”, whilst blocking a call for a ceasefire, in the context of a massacre by that power that in no way represents a defence of its citizens, are complicitly in some of the gravest crimes against humanity.
  2. That continuously asking Palestinians to talk about Hamas, in the middle of a Genocide, because they are Palestinians or care about Palestinian civilians, is as racist as asking Jews to talk about Israel, because they are Jews.
  3. That what is taking place in Gaza and the attacks on Palestinians by settlers and the army in the West Bank are a crime against humanity.
  4. The occupation, murder, and humiliation of Palestinians did not start on the 7th October, but has been ongoing (9000+ so far killed in 6 Gaza “wars”, continual subjugation, arrest without trial, torture, killings).

This Branch resolves

  1. To call for an immediate ceasefire, and for UCU leadership to be steadfast in campaigning on this
  2. To support and advertise the London national demonstrations calling for a ceasefire and end to these crimes against humanity.
  3. To call for immediate entry of necessary and adequate humanitarian aid to Gaza, and an end to the 17-year siege of Gaza.
  4. To condemn all attacks on unarmed civilians and the taking of civilian hostages.
  5. To call for diplomatic means to immediately release Israeli civilian hostages and Palestinian civilians in Israeli administrative detention, the release of Israeli political prisoners detained for dissenting and speaking out for Palestine.
  6. To support colleagues affected by these events, from those affected by the attacks on Israeli civilians on the 7th October, to those affected by the assaults on Gaza and the West Bank.
  7. To support staff facing clampdowns on their free speech and/or academic freedom (within the law) on this issue and reject all dehumanising language directed at any group.

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MOTION 6: EMERGENCY UCU MOTION ON PALESTINE

UCL UCU notes:

  1. The current war in Israel and Gaza, triggered by the breakout of Gaza and subsequent killing and hostage-taking of Israelis, is taking place following decades of injustices meted out against the Palestinians which saw more than 7,000 Palestinians killed since 2008.
  2. That this war is beginning to turn into a wider military conflict involving the US, Lebanon and Iran, and attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
  3. That UCU Congress has repeatedly affirmed support for peaceful civil-society campaigns of twinning with Palestinian universities and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, including supporting members who choose to boycott Israeli academic institutions.
  4. That the government is attempting to silence dissent by attacking free speech on Palestine, including making veiled threats to Vice Chancellors and UCU to police campus speech.
  5. That over 300,000 people demonstrated for an end to the war and freedom in Palestine on 21 October in London.

UCL UCU resolves:  

  1. To support protests for Palestine called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and/or Stop the War Coalition.
  2. To call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and of all political prisoners held by Israel.
  3. To call for an immediate end to UK military support for Israel, and for an arms embargo. 
  4. To support campaigns against attempts by the government to restrict the right to free expression and protest in solidarity with Palestine.