We, national student unions of Europe, condemn the attack on Birzeit university that was carried out by Israeli Military forces on January 6th. We stand in solidarity with the students and staff of Birzeit university and all other Palestinian universities, students and staff that continue to face similar oppression, violence and threats to their safety.
This attack occurred against a peaceful protest by the student union in solidarity with 150 students from Birzeit that are illegally kept in detention centers. Birzeit University reports that with the attack, the campus was turned into a site of military aggression. The occupying forces destroyed the University’s main gate, stormed the campus with a large number of soldiers and military vehicles, and fired live ammunition, stun grenades, and tear gas directly at students and members of the university community. As a result, several students sustained gunshot injuries and needed urgent medical care(1).
Birzeit university has a long history of student activism and resistance. Since 2002 the university has been targeted by more than 25 military raids(2). This attack is a part of a broader pattern in Palestine of what UN experts call scholasticide, the systematic destruction of education through attacks on students, educators, and academic infrastructure. In 2024, the UN reported that over 80% of education institutions in Gaza have been destroyed, with the situation having become significantly worse since then(3).
As students we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian educational community and the Palestinian people as a whole. The fundamental right to education cannot be fulfilled in the context of oppression, destruction, and genocide.
We call on our governments and educational institutions to:
- Condemn the violence and oppression faced by Palestinian universities and other (educational) institutions.
- Stop the repression of students and staff protesting in solidarity with Palestine and against the ties with Israeli universities.
- Cut the ties with Israeli academic institutions, as they facilitate or participate in the genocide of the Palestinian people.
- Support Palestinian universities, staff and students through equal partnerships and collaborations.
Signed in solidarity,
Landelijke Studentenvakbond, LSVb (The Netherlands)
Coordinadora de Representantes de Estudiantes de Universidades Públicas, CREUP (Spain)
Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, AMLÉ (Ireland)
Suomen Ylioppilaskuntien Liitto, SYL (Finland)
- https://www.birzeit.edu/en/news/statement-birzeit-university-israeli-military-invasion-its-campus-and-shooting-students
- https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/israels-continuous-assaults-birzeit-university-are-attack-education-itself
- https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/un-experts-deeply-concerned-over-scholasticide-gaza