To the board of the Technical University of Technology Eindhoven

On May 13, 2024, the TU/e board responded to an open letter (12 - Open Letter to the Board of Eindhoven University of Technology, 2024) dated May 9, 2024, addressing the university’s indifference and silence regarding the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. In their response (3 - “Response to the Open Letter of 9 May Concerning Israel and Gaza,” 2024), the board asserted that “it is not the university’s role to take a stand in this situation,” emphasizing they are a non-political institution and expressing concerns that ”taking positions may lead to polarization and the exclusion of parties.”

Additionally, the TU/e stated ”the violence that began on October 7” as this gravely misrepresents the history of the land, an issue highlighted in the open letter. Defending their collaborations with Israeli institutions, the board stated that “the content of all our scientific work, as well as the partners participating in it, can be accessed through publicly accessible sources,” while notably failing to address the role or positions of these partners in the ongoing genocide.

Despite expressing “respect for human dignity and human rights,” the board’s neutrality has been accompanied by six months of inaction, even as the violence and suffering in Palestine escalated. Israel’s actions have extended across neighboring regions, including Lebanon, with recent reports documenting severe human rights violations such as indiscriminate attacks on civilians, destruction of infrastructure, and a worsening humanitarian crisis. These realities underscore the urgency for TU/e to reconsider its stance in light of the ongoing violence in Gaza, as evidenced by the detailed accounts of the humanitarian crisis below. The university must align its actions with the principles it claims to uphold.

TU/e and Israeli institutions

”TU/e collaboration with Israeli parties includes EU research projects as well as direct collaboration between individual scientists or groups. In addition, TU/e is a member of Eurotech, a university alliance of which the Israeli Technion is also a member. This is TU/e’s only institutional collaboration with an Israeli partner. The content of all our scientific work, as well as the partners participating in it, can be accessed through publicly accessible sources.” (3)

This is the reply the board gave regarding the ties with Israeli institutions. The board emphasized that all scientific work can be accessed publicly. However, our worries do not lay in the contents being shared, but the collaboration with the institutions itself and their complicity to genocide. Technion, Israel Institute of Technology is a part of Eurotech since the 1st of January 2019, joining 5 other universities, including the TU/e. This choice already raised question (2 - Cursor, 2018), because Technion is an important player in the Israeli weapon industry.

In addition to the ethical concerns regarding Technion’s role as the ”research and development arm” of the Israeli military (8 - Right2Edu, 2014), it is crucial to highlight that Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company, was founded by individuals from Technion (7 - Lee, 2017). This connection underscores Technion’s deep entanglement with Israel’s military-industrial complex. Elbit Systems has been one of the main profiteers from and supporters of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, enabling and perpetuating systemic violence (Hever, 2017).

Elbit Systems’ products are often labeled as ”combat-tested” after being deployed in operations that target Palestinian civilians, including the use of drones, advanced weaponry, and surveillance technologies (6 - Keller, 2009). By publicly supporting collaborations with Elbit and entities like Technion, institutions such as TU/e bear indirect accountability for their role in facilitating these actions. This complicity raises serious questions about the university’s moral and

ethical stance, given its membership in Eurotech and its collaboration with Technion (2).

As TU/e aligns itself with institutions complicit in military aggression and systemic oppression, it becomes imperative to question whether this partnership aligns with the university’s stated commitment to respect for human dignity and human rights.

The suffering of innocent civilians

The United Nations is documenting the ongoing situation in Gaza in numerous reports. These reports, supported by findings of several international right-organizations, give us a grim overview of widespread violation of human rights and committed war crimes. Specific findings are detailed below:

Attacks on Medical Facilities and Personnel:

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 7 October 2023 and 30 July 2024, Israel carried out 498 attacks on health-care facilities in the Gaza Strip.” (10 - UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, 2024)

Targeting of Medical Staff:

“According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 500 medical staff were killed between 7 October and 23 June. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that 19 of its staff or volunteers had been killed since 7 October, and that many others had been detained and attacked.” (10)

Mass Graves and Executions:

“According to the Media Office of the de facto authorities in Gaza, more than 500 bodies were found in mass graves located on hospital grounds, including at Shifa’ and Nasr hospitals.” (10)

Impact on Children:

“Medical experts told the Commission that the destruction of medical infrastructure, lack of supplies and the targeting of health-care workers have compromised children’s access to basic health care and treatment and, as a result, have had direct and indirect effects on children’s health in Gaza.” (10)

Additionally, the Israeli military has been routinely targeting children during the past months. According to US surgeon Mark Perlmutter (13 - France 24. (2024)), children in Gaza are being deliberately targeted by snipers. He has stated that “No child gets shot twice by mistake.”

Sexual Violence and Abuse of Detainees:

“The Commission documented more than 20 cases of sexual and gender-based violence against male and female detainees in more than 10 military and Israel Prison Service facilities, in particular in Negev prison and Sde Teiman camp for male detainees and in Damon and Hasharon prisons for female detainees.” (10)

Ban on UNRWA Operations:

“The bills, approved overwhelmingly by Israeli parliamentarians (92 in favour, 10 against) on Monday, would prohibit the country’s authorities from having any contact with UNRWA and bar the agency from operating within Israel itself.” (10)

Limitations of Humanitarian Help:

“During the reporting period, severe restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry and distribution of goods and services necessary for the survival of the civilian population brought the risk of famine and starvation to Gaza.” (10)

Use of White Phosphorus:

Between 6 November 2023 and 13 February 2024, white phosphorus munitions were reportedly used in Gaza City on at least six different occasions, including at Ash Shati’ Camp; between 18 November and 20 December 2023, in North Gaza, on at least four different occasions in Jabalya, including Jabalya Refugee Camp (the largest refugee camp in Gaza); between 5 and 17 November 2023, in Beit Lahiya on two occasions; between 5 and 14 December 2023, in Khan Younis on at least three occasions – at a time when this area had substantially higher population densities due to the previous evacuation of residents from the north of Gaza; and between 20 December 2023 and 27 February 2024, in Middle Gaza, on at least nine occasions, including Deir al Balah, Al Bureij, Al Maghazi and An Nuseirat Camps. (10)

UN, ICJ, and Other Organizations’ Stances:

The July 2024 ICJ advisory opinion on Israel’s occupation found the situation in Gaza and the West Bank to constitute illegal occupation, violating the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.

The UN General Assembly, as well as organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly documented Israel’s actions as breaches of international law and have called for accountability. (5 - ICJ, “Advisory Opinion on Israel’s Occupation,” 2024), (1 - Amnesty International, “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” 2024), (4 - Human Rights Watch, “Israel’s Crimes Against Humanity in Gaza,” 2024), (9 - UN General Assembly, “Resolution on Israel’s Unlawful Presence in Occupied Palestinian Territory,” 2024)

These violations underscore the urgent need for institutions and individuals to take a clear stance against these atrocities. Remaining neutral in the face of such extensive human rights undermines the principles of justice and humanity.

Our demands

The stated facts give us a clear overview of what is going on in Palestine and underline the violence and suffering that the Palestinians are enduring. Once again, we emphasize TU/e’s stated commitment to values such as respect for human dignity and human rights. The TU/e successfully demonstrated this commitment in its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, despite “collaboration being their DNA.” We urge the board to take the following actions regarding the genocide in Gaza:

Publicly condemn and call for an end to all the violence perpetrated by Israel in Gaza, Lebanon, and neighboring regions.

Disclose a comprehensive list of current institutional and financial ties with Israeli institutions. This is in accordance with the Open Government Act (Woo), to reveal the extent to which TU/e is indirectly facilitating the current genocide and the occupation of Palestine.

Cut all ties with Israeli institutions complicit in genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestine. Endorse boycotts on Israel following the guidelines of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Immediately issue a public statement condemning the Israeli onslaught on Palestinian and Lebanese universities, schools, and other institutions of higher education, as well as the killing of academics, teachers, and students. Express unequivocal solidarity with universities and educators in Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, and neighboring regions.

Establish emergency fellowships for researchers, educators, and students from Gaza, Palestine, and neighboring regions to support their work or studies in the Netherlands.

Build partnerships with targeted universities and academics and create educational spaces within TU/e that actively promote and facilitate informed analysis of the ongoing events and the history of Palestine.

Issue a statement directed to ABP (Algemeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds) calling for transparency and divestment from companies directly and indirectly complicit in genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestine.

Enforce a boycott on academic events (such as conferences and lectures) convened or co-sponsored by Israel, complicit Israeli institutions, or their support and lobby groups in various countries.

Conclusion

Dear Board of TU/e,

The documented facts outlined above give us a clear perspective on the ongoing violence and suffering endured by the Palestinian people and civilians in neighboring regions. Despite the university's previous claim of taking a neutral stance, the scale of human rights violations and war crimes demands moral and institutional reflection.

Once again, we want to highlight TU/e’s stated commitment to respecting human dignity and human rights—values it successfully upheld when responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In light of this commitment, we urge the board of TU/e to reconsider its position on Palestine. The university has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to align its actions with its own values. This case transcends politics; it is about humanity.

We remain open to further dialogue on this urgent matter and hope that TU/e will join other institutions globally in affirming its ethical responsibility to uphold human rights.

Sincerely,

EindhovenStudents4Palestine

References

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rights concerns. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-a

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eport-israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/

• 2 - Cursor. (2018) - Technion uit Isra¨el zesde lid EuroTech. Retrieved from https://www.

cursor.tue.nl/nieuws/2018/november/week-2/technion...

otech/

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May concerning Israel and Gaza. Retrieved from tue.nl/en/news-and-events/news-overview/13-05-2024...

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Retrieved from hrw.org/news/2024/11/14/israels-crimes-against-hum...

• 5 - International Court of Justice. (2024, July) - Advisory opinion on the legal consequences

of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Retrieved from https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204176

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institutions in occupation of Palestinian territories (Socio-Economic Bulletin No. 23).

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• 7 - Lee, S. (2017) - Top Israeli university marketing country’s arms industry to the world.

+972 Blog. Retrieved from 972mag.com/top-israeli-university-marketing-county...

• 8 - Right2Edu. (2014) - The academic boycott of Israel explained. Birzeit University: Right

to Education Campaign. Retrieved from eccpalestine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Call_s...

• 9 - UN General Assembly. (2024) - Resolution on Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occu-

pied Palestinian Territory. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/ga/

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pied Palestinian Territory.

• 11 - UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2024) - Six-month update on

the human rights situation in Gaza.

• 12 - OpenLetter. (2024) - Demands to the Board of Eindhoven University of Technology

regarding the ongoing genocide and decades of occupation of Palestine. Retrieved from openletter.earth/demands-to-the-board-of-eindhoven...

• 13 - France 24. (2024) - US surgeon claims Israel targets Gaza children: ’No child gets shot

twice by mistake’. Retrieved from US surgeon claims Israel targets Gaza children: 'No child gets shot twice by mistake' - Tête à tête