We, the undersigned students from Sciences Po, are writing to you to express our profound disappointment and sadness at the recent statement you issued regarding the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, in your failure to mention the Palestinian people even once or acknowledge the context of Israel’s ongoing military occupation, in violation of international law.

Whilst we share your sadness for the tragic loss of life of Omri Ram and other civilians in Israel, we are astounded that you have chosen not to equally, expressly recognise the loss of Palestinian lives in the Gaza Strip, which has exceeded 700 deaths. This number does not account for those who continue to die from lack of access to basic resources, including food and healthcare, as a result of Israel’s 17-year-long air and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip; described by UN experts as the world’s “largest open-air prison”. 

As we write, the Israeli government continues to avenge Hamas’s Saturday attacks by bombing one of the most densely populated territories in the world, including through the alleged use of “white-phosphorus bombs”. Israeli officials have cut off Gaza’s electricity supply, with Israel’s defence minister declaring that his government is “fighting against human animals”. 

To focus solely on the loss of lives in Israel without equally condemning Israel’s excessive use of force and continuing human rights abuses against Palestinians, is imbalanced and harmful. To say that you ‘condemn these terrorist attacks’ without recognising the context of Israel’s 75-year-long military occupation of Palestine, described by Amnesty International and several other prominent human rights organisations as an apartheid regime, denies the Palestinian people their right to self-determination. 

Sciences Po is an esteemed institution, specialising in human rights and hosting the largest congregation of international students across Europe. How you choose to describe the events unfolding in the Gaza Strip matters.  

Accordingly, we urge you to please issue another statement, which embodies the concerns raised in this correspondence. We hope that, moving forward, any official communication sent by Sciences Po or events hosted by the university will equally recognise the human rights of Palestinians and the reality on the ground of military occupation.

Respectfully,