We as students completely condemn Israel’s horrific military assault currently taking place on Gaza that has led to the killing of over 1,000 Palestinians. The vast majority of those killed have been civilians and over 160 Palestinian children have lost their lives so far.
We have been horrified by the collective punishment inflicted on the people of Gaza by Israel. Huge numbers have been injured and 140,000 Palestinians have been displaced. Homes and hospitals have been bombed as well as educational institutions including the United Nations Refugee Agency School – a school designated by the UN as a shelter for people displaced by Israel’s assault.
The UN Human Rights Commissioner has said Israel should be investigated for war crimes. We send our sympathy, solidarity and support to all those affected by the assault, including the families of the victims.
We condemn Israel’s on-going siege on Gaza which has denied Palestinians their basic human rights for 7 years. The siege cuts Palestinians trapped in Gaza off from the outside world and severely limits basic supplies from entering such as food, safe water and medicine – making life intolerable for the 1.7 million people living there.
The Palestinians’ right to education has been particularly hard hit by the siege. Basic educational equipment including books, paper, computers, stationary and desks are all in limited supply and Israel routinely cuts off Gaza’s electricity supply.
We join the Trades Union Congress in calling for an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza, the lifting of the siege, an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and for the UK government to stop arming and supporting Israel.
We call upon students to support the Palestinian call for a boycott of illegal settlements, settlement goods and corporations benefiting from the illegal occupation of the West Bank.
We call on all students to join us in taking part in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s peaceful protests across Britain, demanding an immediate end to Israel’s assault and siege on Gaza.
Malaka Mohammed, Education Officer, Sheffield University Students’ Union
Piers Telemacque, NUS Vice President Society & Citizenship
Gordon Maloney, NUS Scotland President
Malia Bouattia, NUS Black Students’ Officer
Fran Cowling, NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place)
Susuanna Antubam, NUS Women’s Officer
Shreya Paudel, NUS International Students’ Officer
Jamie Green, NUS London Convenor
Robert Foster, NUS Scotland Vice President Education
Kirsty Haigh, NUS Scotland Vice President Communities
James Elliott, NUS NEC
Sai Englert, NUS NEC
Aaron Kiely, NUS NEC
Shakira Martin, NUS NEC
Zekarias Negussue, NUS NEC
Vonnie Sandlan, NUS NEC
Edmund Schluessel, NUS NEC
Kae Smith, NUS NEC
Abdi-aziz Suleiman, NUS NEC
Zarah Sultana, NUS NEC
Ibrahim Ali, FOSIS Vice President Student Affairs
Fiona Edwards, Stop the War National Officer
Clifford Fleming, NUS NEC & Co-Chair Young Greens
Faizal Malek, Vice President Islamic Societies FOSIS
Mark Soames, Student CND Convenor
Samayya Afzal, Women’s Officer, Bradford University Union & NUS Black Students’ Committee
Sofiya Ahmed, NUS London Women’s Officer
Sayed Abdul Jaleel Alkadiri, NUS London Black Students’ Officer
Lani Baird, NUS Scotland LGBT Officer
Kelechi Chioba, NUS Black Students’ Committee
Aisling Gallagher, NUS Disabled Students’ Committee
Mariam Guled, NUS Black Students Committee
Sanjay Lago, NUS Scotland Black Students’ Officer
James Moohan, NUS Scotland Executive Committee
Barbara Ntumy, NUS Women’s Committee
Shabina Raja, NUS Black Students’ Committee
Noorulann Shahid, NUS LGBT and Women’s Campaign Committees
Rayhan Uddin, NUS Black Students’ Committee
Elaha Walizadeh, NUS London Women’s Officer
Candice Armah, President, Brighton University Students’ Union
Shelly Asquith, President, University of the Arts Students’ Union
Michael Chessum, President, University of London Union
Jules Fitzgerald, Student President, New College Lanarkshire
Imran Hossain, President, University of East London Students’ Union
Fiza Ikram, President, University of Salford Students’ Union
Howard Littler, President, Goldsmiths Students’ Union
Obie Opara, President, London Met University Students’ Union
Gary Paterson, President, University Strathclyde Students’ Association & NUS Scotland Executive
Tom Aidan Richards, President, Norwich University of the Arts Students’ Union
Zobair Shirzad, President, West Thames College Students’ Union
Marco Brunone, Officer for the Faculty of Business and Law, London Met University Students’ Union
Zayyan Butt, Ethics, Environmental & Operations Officer, University College London Union
Alasdair Clark, Vice President Education & Representation, Fife College Students’ Union
Rosie Collington, Community Action Officer, University of Birmingham Guild of Students
Rosie Dammers, Well-Being Officer, Manchester University Students’ Union
Sarah El-Alfy, Education Officer, Goldsmiths Students’ Union
James Ferns, Vice President Education, University of Strathclyde Students’ Association
Chris Jarvis, Campaigns and Democracy Officer, University of East Anglia Students’ Union
Mohamud Jama, Vice President, Sheffield College Students’ Union
Tom King, LGBTQ Officer, SOAS Students’ Union
Rob Henthorn, President for Education & Employability, Aberdeen University Students’ Association
Amanda Marillier, Officer for the Faculty of Art, Architecture & Design, London Met University Students’ Union
Liam McCafferty, Postgraduate Education Officer, University East Anglia Students’ Union
Miriam Miller, Women’s Officer, Sheffield University Students’ Union
Bahar Mustafa, Welfare & Diversity Officer, Goldsmiths Students’ Union
Dominic O’Hagan, President of Environment and Ethics, Aberdeen University Students’ Association
Shay Olupona, Campaigns & Activities Officer, Goldsmiths Students’ Union
Rana Omer Farooq, Vice President Education & Welfare, University of Hertfordshire Students’ Union
Natalie Poernig, Vice President, Central School of Speech & Drama Students’ Union
Harriet Pugh, Education Officer, University of Manchester Students’ Union
Barnaby Raine, Trustee, Oxford University Students’ Union
Mostafa Rajaai, Culture & Diversity Officer, University of the Arts Students’ Union
Hannah Roberts, Education Officer, University of the Arts London Students’ Union
Georgie Robertson, Co-President Welfare & Campaigns, SOAS Students’ Union
Roza Salih, Vice President Diversity & Advocacy ,University of Strathclyde Students’ Association
Robiu Salisu, Black Minority Ethnic Officer, Swansea University Students’ Union
Adarsh Sekhar, Vice President Academic Affairs, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Joel Smith, Activities & Development Officer, University of Manchester Students’ Union
Yasmin Talsi, Black Minority Ethnic Officer, University of Nottingham Students’ Union
Kelly Marie Teeboon, Women’s Campaign Officer, Liverpool John Moores Students’ Union
Areeb Ullah, Vice President of Education (Arts and Sciences), Kings College London Students’ Union
Hannah Webb, External Affairs & Campaigns Officer, University College London Union
Deborah Hermanns, National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts National Committee
Max Odonnell-savage, National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts National Committee & Occupy Sussex
Marienna Pope-Weidemann, Counterfire
Matt Stanley, Student Broad Left Co-Convenor
Suen Babalola, Chair of the Black & Ethnic Minority Association, University of Birmingham Guild of Students
Dean Bowyer, Course Representation, Anglia Ruskin University Students’ Union
Nadia Chan, Stop the War, Birkbeck
Tom Costerton, Stop the War, SOAS
Duncan Davis, Vice President of Environment and Social Justice Committee, University of Nottingham Students’ Union
Ben Hayes, Stop the War, Goldsmiths
Carlus Hudson, Student Councilor, Exeter University Guild of Students
Dan Kiddle,Friends of Palestine Society, Brighton
Zahra Kousar, Rabe’a Abdool-Carrim, Hussein Farah, Javeria Jan and Abdul Adi, Islamic Society of the University of Birmingham Guild of Students
Mohammed Mumit, Chair of Interfaith Association Committee University of Birmingham
Stef Newton, Campaigns Officer LGBTQ Society Goldsmiths SU
Nathan Pettefar, Student Council member at London Met University Students’ Union
Charles Phillips, Friends of Palestine Society, Exeter University
Daniel Ronaghyon, Vice Chair of Black & Ethnic Minority Association, University of Birmingham Guild of Students
April Saowani Reilly, Treasurer, University of Birmingham Justice for Palestine
Azfar Shafi, Secretary, University of Birmingham Justice for Palestine
Karl Stanley, Co-convenor, Young Greens North & Nottingham Trent University Young Greens