The letter goes on to state that the government of Israel has imposed a complete siege on Gaza, which is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth with 2.1 million residents, including 1.7 million refugees. The letter accuses Israel of targeting the civilian population of Gaza, using dehumanizing language to describe them. It also blames Israel for dropping thousands of bombs on Gaza, hitting various targets, including hospitals and ambulances, using white phosphorus munitions banned by the United Nations, and cutting off essential supplies like water, food, and electricity.
It says, “Over the past seven days, the government of Israel has undertaken, in its own words, a “complete siege” of Gaza—the second most densely populated place on the planet, home to 2.1 million residents, of which 1.7 million are refugees. While claiming its actions are a justifiable response to recent Hamas violence against Israeli civilians, it has targeted the civilian Palestinian population of Gaza, while exhibiting little regard for the loss of human life. Using racist and dehumanizing language, Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, remarked, “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
It further went on to blame Israel for dropping bombs and cutting of water, food and electricity supply. The letter asserts that these actions amount to collective punishment.
“In just ten days, Israel has dropped over 6,000 bombs on Gaza, hit the Rafah crossing on the border to Egypt several times, targeted hospitals and ambulances, members of the press, universities, United Nations’ schools and relief offices, and used white phosphorus, a highly flammable munition that the United Nations has banned for use in dense civilian areas. Israeli forces have also cut off water, food, electricity, and medical supplies, which has pushed hospitals to a breaking point. This is an act of collective punishment, in contravention of international law, which threatens the lives of over two million people, half of whom are children, with unimaginable violence and displacement. As of writing, over 2,950 Palestinians have been murdered, including a staggering 1,030 children, and over 11,250 injured.”, the letter says.
It further goes on to say “Israel’s military campaign has also displaced nearly half of Gaza’s population. It has unconscionably demanded that 1.1 million residents relocate from Northern to Southern Gaza in 24 hours, while simultaneously bombing caravans of those attempting to evacuate, and continuing to bomb the Southern part of Gaza. Calls for “evacuation” parallel the military offenses of 1948 and 1967, when Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and never allowed to return. The majority of people in Gaza are long-term refugees, and now again face genocide and ethnic cleansing. At the same time, Israeli settlers across the West Bank, recently armed by the Israeli government with 10,000 assault rifles, have targeted Palestinian civilians, with over 50 already murdered and two villages depopulated in the last week.“
The letter condemns the international community for supporting what it calls genocide, particularly the financial aid from the United States and the European Union’s support for Israel.
“We are witnessing internationally supported genocide. This latest siege comes as a continuation and escalation of the daily violence Palestinians faced for decades from Israeli colonization; an apartheid regime whose occupation is in clear violation of international law, but persists with the support of powerful governments globally. In 2023 alone, the United States has sent $3.8 billion to prop up the Israeli military and consistently legitimized Israel’s human rights violations on a global stage. The European Union too has brazenly supported Israel’s aggression, while failing to reflect on the historical irony to “never again” commit genocide.“, it says.
It also expresses concern about the “rise in anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim sentiments” and violence globally saying “Furthermore, the dehumanizing language used by heads of state, military leaders, and journalists throughout the West, has begun to increase anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim sentiment and violence. This has already led to horrible consequences, like the stabbing murder of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a six-year old Palestinian American child, a hate crime against a Sikh teen, and increased harassment of pro-Palestinian voices around the globe.“
“We join people around the world who are raising their voices in protest of this assault on human life. As educators, it is our duty to stand by the principles of critical inquiry and learning, to hold the university as a space for conversation that foregrounds historical truths, and that contextualizes this past week’s violence in the context of 75 years of settler colonial occupation and European empire. We are also deeply troubled by the lack of concern and care for Palestinian and Muslim students at many of our universities, as well as efforts to clamp down on student organizing and free speech. We cannot sit back and witness the continuation of this genocidal war. We demand that our governments push for an immediate ceasefire. This stance follows in the tradition of the civil rights movement, anti-war and anti-apartheid protests of decades past. Aligning ourselves with these freedom struggles, we call on all of our colleagues to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and against settler colonialism, imperialism, and genocide.”, the letter concludes.
Here is a list of sociologists from India/Indian-origin who have signed that letter:
1. Rajni Palriwala, Professor (retd.) University of Delhi
2. Papori Bora, Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
3. Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi
4. Ambika Tandon, University of Cambridge
5. Maitrayee Chaudhuri . Retired Professor. Jawaharlal Nehru University.
6. Satish Deshpande, Professor (Retired), University of Delhi
7. Suranjan Sinha, independent researcher, formerly University of Delhi, Sociology faculty
8. Ruchi Chaturvedi Associate Professor, University of Cape Town
9. Rushikesh, PhD student in Sociology, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
10. Abhijit Dasgupta, Professor of Sociology (Retd)
11. Almas Saeed, Research scholar, University of Delhi
12. Madhusree Dutta, MS, Filmmaker
13. Raka Sen, PhD Candidate, University of Pennsylvania
14. Mohammad Sohrab, Professor, MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia
15. Sheeba Naaz, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia
16. Paran Amitava, Alumni of School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
17. Sheena Sood, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Delaware Valley University
18. Mustajab Khatir, Assistant Professor, MANUU
19. Asia jan, Post Graduate Student at Aligarh Muslim University
20. Srushti Upadhyay, PhD Candidate, University at Buffalo
21. Ansh Sharma, MA student, Ambedkar University Delhi
22. Asif Mushtaq, PhD Candidate, IIT Bombay
23. Jai, PhD scholar at IIT-Bombay
24. Suchisree Chatterjee, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
25. Iznallah, Student, IIT Bombay
26. Susmit, Grad Student, IIT Bombay
27. Priyanka Das, IIT Bombay
28. Dr Vinod Sartape, Assistant Professor of Sociology, MIT World Peace University, Pune
29. Gopal Kumar Choudhary Assistant professor LNMU Darbhanga Bihar India
30. Paroj Banerjee, DPU, UCL
Full signatory list of the letter here.
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