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We, the Scottish Universities Jewish Staff Network (SUJSN), strongly support First Minister John Swinney’s statement to the Scottish Parliament last week and wholeheartedly welcome the measures declared in response to the unfolding genocide in Palestine.
We understand the cautious approach taken by the First Minister to assessing the situation in Gaza as a plausible genocide.
However, we wish to assert, and emphatically so, that as members of a people victimised by one genocide during the Second World War, we embrace those who stand against another genocide as it unfolds in the 21st century.
For us, the slogan “Never Again” applies no matter who the victim might be. Therefore, anyone who stands against genocide is our ally.
That includes a genocide committed in our name as Jews, no matter how fiercely defended by some members of our own community. We also wish to assure the First Minister, the Scottish Government and the general public that our members are anything but few and isolated.
The SUJSN is a network of academics connected with similar groups of Jewish staff in the UK, North America, Europe, and even in Israel. Our wider Jewish networks include scholars specialising in genocide and Holocaust studies, as well as Jewish studies, Middle Eastern studies, and, in particular, Palestine/Israel studies. What unites us, beyond our Jewishness, is robust critical thinking.
We recognise nearly eight decades of Palestinian forced displacement, oppression, apartheid, and a steady, systematic erasure of Palestine that evolved into a full-fledged genocide following October 2023.
We recognise the responsibility of Israel and its allies over the years in creating the conditions for this catastrophe. We also recognise the multiple dimensions of harm inflicted upon the region as a result of the inexcusable impunity enjoyed by the State of Israel for decades in violation of United Nations General Assembly resolutions, international law, diplomatic agreements, and United Nations conventions.
We are appalled by the relentless attempts to silence critics of Israel and its criminal deeds under the pretext of battling antisemitism, and we urge the Scottish government to stand firm against any attempt to portray the First Minister’s statement on the situation in Gaza as antisemitic.
Far from feeling threatened by protests against Israel’s criminal actions, we feel threatened by attempts to suppress such protests, of which we are a part.
The State of Israel defined as a Jewish state practises manifold forms of Jewish supremacy, apartheid, and anti-Arab racism, forcefully driving the genocidal war on Gaza currently spreading to the West Bank.
We are all the more appalled by the abuse of Jewish traditions, scriptures, and religious spaces to legitimise and rationalise the genocide based on our Jewish heritage.
We therefore wholeheartedly welcome the Scottish Government’s plans for divestment and sanctions of companies and institutions complicit in the Gaza genocide, including in our respective academic and higher education institutions.
We actively advocate humanitarian aid to Palestine and offer our full support to ensure that any students in Gaza who are admitted to Scottish universities safely and swiftly reach Scotland. Our members are fully committed to extending our support to Palestinian students, scholars, and academic staff in any way deemed useful, and we appreciate the Scottish Government’s actions in this respect.
We also contribute to efforts to fight against the ethnocide, ecocide and scholasticide that accompany the genocide of the Gaza people and are determined to do all we can to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and all those who struggle to defend and rebuild Palestinian higher education and cultural assets.
We therefore feel encouraged by the First Minister’s statement on the situation in Gaza and hope to see more actions taken against the Israeli genocide and in solidarity with Palestine.