Student groups express concern at IDF soldier on campus and ‘crackdowns’ on freedom of speech.
Note: Since the time of writing, a 42-day ceasefire deal between the State of Israel and Palestinian group Hamas has been agreed to. Multiple news outlets have reported on Israel violating the ceasefire. Netanyahu has warned of the potential to ‘resume war’. Estimates for the death toll in Gaza surpass 46,700, with researchers predicting that the number actually surpasses 64,000. There is speculation that even this figure falls significantly short.
Multiple student groups have expressed particular concern over the new information that an IDF soldier participated in discussions regarding campus safety and antisemitism at Edinburgh University. This information was published by EU Kehillah in an open response to Lucy Evans and Colm Harmon, after the two Senior Leadership Team (SLT) members warned the pro-Palestine Jewish group of potential disciplinary action due to ‘threatening’ behaviour. Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society (EUJPS) states they "support and value our anti-Zionist Jewish allies in the face of these pathetic threats and unequivocally maintain our collective demands". They assert "it is audacious that social media posts documenting popular protest and criticising admin for failing to uphold moral and legal obligations are considered threatening, while involving an ex-IOF soldier in campus safety discussions is not". JPS continues,
"The increased crackdown on Kehillah marks a new chapter in admin’s desperate attempts to uphold investments, suppress popular dissent on campus, and please the Zionist lobby that controls them. In what reality is it acceptable for an individual who is a war criminal to participate in discussions around campus safety? With every passing second, and every act of bad faith, Balfour’s University sinks lower into genocidal complicity and moral decay. Meanwhile, the student movement grows stronger, wider, and more resolute."
After collecting over 1,700 signatures from students, staff and alumni condemning the University’s suppression of free speech on campus, Amnesty International’s Edinburgh University branch comments on SLT’s evasion of these demands, highlights recent developments in international humanitarian discourse and law:
"It is especially concerning to us that the administration has stated that Kehillah are violating the Student Code of Conduct, given their peaceful-natured actions. The university is not abiding by its own policies or by human rights laws; its actions have contradicted the fundamental right to expression of free speech on campus, which it claims to support. Involving an ex-IDF soldier in official discussions regarding campus safety is wholly inappropriate considering the global context; Amnesty International has published a detailed report clearly recognising and documenting the genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza. The International Court of Justice has [in Dec 2024] issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoval Gallant for being ‘war criminals’. Considering repeated administrative claims that students have created hostile environments through peaceful-natured protests, the IDF soldier incident is highly concerning, least of all in its hypocrisy. The university's authorisation of the presence of a reserve soldier during official student-staff dialogue regarding sensitive topics is a threat to the student body and must be handled with utmost sincerity. We support Kehillah’s efforts to oppose the suppression of free speech, the admittance of war criminals on campus, and their campaign to amend the definition of antisemitism in consideration of the problematic implications of the IHRA (Human Rights Watch)."
Written by Meher Vepari
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