Over 370 Trinity College Staff and Researchers Call on University to ‘Cut Ties with Israel’
The letter comes after reports on Trinity College Dublin’s links with companies that operate in Israeli settlements.
VT Condemns the ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS by USA/Israel
$ 280 BILLION US TAXPAYER DOLLARS INVESTED since 1948 in US/Israeli Ethnic Cleansing and Occupation Operation; $ 150B direct "aid" and $ 130B in "Offense" contractsSource: Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. and US Department of State.
OVER 370 TRINITY COLLEGE Dublin staff members and PHD researchers have signed a letter that calls on the university’s provost to conduct a full review of the college’s “links with Israeli institutions”.
The letter also takes objection to what it labels as Trinity’s “silence and professed neutrality on Israel’s assault on Gaza”.
Over 30,000 people in Gaza are reported to have died as a result of Israel’s military campaign in the region, which was initiated in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks that saw roughly 1,160 people killed, and 250 people being taken hostage, who are mainly Israelis.
Dr Fintan Sheerin and Dr David Landy of the Trinity branch of Academia for Palestine met with the Provost Linda Doyle on Thursday to deliver the letter, and to present its demands that the college “condemn the attack on Gaza”, support students from the region, and “cut links with Israeli institutions”.
They said that Doyle agreed to study the contents of the letter and to respond in due course.
Dr David Landy, who is an assistant professor of sociology at the college, said that his place of work is “complicit in genocide”.
Landy further said: “We have research links with Israeli institutions backing the war, we use Israeli suppliers linked with the IDF, and we invest in Israeli companies committing human rights abuses.
While we seek to profit from these links with Israel, the Israeli government has destroyed every single university in Gaza. This is beyond shameful.”
Trinity College Dublin was created by royal charter in 1592, at which point Dublin Corporation provided a suitable site, the former Priory of All Hallows. Its foundation came at a time when many universities were being established across western Europe in the belief that they would give prestige to the state in which they were located and that their graduates, clergy for the most part, would perform a vital service as civil administrators.
By the 1590s England had two long established universities, each with an expanding group of colleges, and Scotland four. The idea of a university college for Ireland emerged at a time when the English state was strengthening its control over the kingdom and when Dublin was beginning to function as a capital city.
The group of citizens, lay and clerical, who were main promoters of the scheme believed that the establishment of a university was an essential step in bringing Ireland into the mainstream of European learning and in strengthening the Protestant Reformation within the country.
Source: Trinity College – Dublin
Landy and Sheerin referenced a report from The Ditch on Trinity’s investments in companies that are operating within Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The letter comes after various other calls from staff members and the college’s students’ union to end its links with Israel.
Dr Fintan Sheerin said that it is “unprecedented” for hundreds of staff members to sign a letter “like this”.
“In the end, our college cannot remain neutral in the face of genocide,” he added.
The sample of the letter can be viewed here below.
To read the full letter, please go to original article written by Eimer McAuley at TheJournal.ie (Ireland).
History of Solidarity: Why Ireland stands out in EU as fierce defender of Palestinian rights
Country’s steadfast support for Palestinian cause, from grassroots to highest echelons of power, exemplifies profound sense of empathy, shared history
While one might assume the deafening chorus of unconditional support Israel enjoys stretches across all Western nations, there is one country that stands out as a bastion for Palestinian rights: Ireland.
The majority of the Irish people’s support for the Palestinian cause exemplifies a profound sense of empathy and shared history.
While many European countries have been offering Israel “unwavering” support, Ireland opted to show its solidarity with Palestine.
Irish President Michael Higgins criticized remarks by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7, saying she was “not speaking for Ireland and she wasn’t speaking for the opinions that they hold.”
Ireland’s perception of Israel underwent a significant transformation as the country grappled with its own anti-British rebellion and a painful civil war that left Northern Ireland under British control.
To many in Ireland, Israel is more akin to a colonial entity forcibly established by British influence, determined to assert itself over an indigenous population.
This view was further cemented by Israel’s actions after 1967, particularly its occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The seizure of Palestinian land and imposition of military rule evoked memories of Ireland’s own history of repression at the hands of the British.
This has forged a strong connection between the two nations, separated by geography but united by their yearning for justice and freedom, and continues to shape international discourse and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
READ MORE about Palestine and Ireland Ties here @ AA.com
Johnny Punish founded VT in 2004. After 20 years at the helm, he “retired” from the daily operations in late 2023 passing the ball over to the new owner of VT, Chief Justin Time. He now writes for VT as “Writer Emeritus”. He is also a global citizen eco-activist, visionary, musician, artist, entertainer, businessman, investor, life coach, podcast host, and syndicated columnist.
Punish is an ethnically cleansed Palestinian-American whose maternal family was evicted from their home in Haifa, Palestine in 1948. He is also the founder and owner of Global Thinkers, a freedom media for free minds.
Resources: Facebook – YouTube – Apple Music – SoundCloud – Spotify – X (Twitter)
Read Johnny’s Full Bio at JohnnyPunish.com >>>
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
No comments:
Post a Comment