Faculty & Staff Statement Calling for an Enduring Ceasefire in Gaza

As scholars committed to Waging Peace, we, the undersigned, believe that the best way to stand in solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians is to join the growing global chorus calling for a full ceasefire. Thus far, Israeli forces have killed over 14,000 Palestinians, almost half of whom are children, and Hamas has killed 1,200 Israelis. Tens of thousands of Palestinians remain missing under rubble and face lethal dehydration and starvation due to the blockade. Over 1.7 million Gazans have been displaced and half the housing stock of Gaza has been decimated. The U.S. government must end its weapons shipments to Israel, and Israel must end its mass bombardment and total siege of Gaza, its ever-expanding settlements on Palestinian land, and its long-term military occupation. Hamas must release the remaining 239 hostages, among other actions. The Israel government must release thousands of Palestinian political prisoners and stop the settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, among other actions. 

Even among divergent understandings of the root causes of this excruciating violence, we, the undersigned, agree that lasting peace, equity, and security in the region depends upon a ceasefire now to prevent further military escalation and a worsening humanitarian crisis. The School of International Service began in 1957 as a hub for scholarship to prevent nuclear proliferation. Continuing this legacy, we, the undersigned, hereby join the global call both for a ceasefire and for an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza, so that global humanitarian aid, food, water, medicines, and fuel can flow to those suffering from this massacre and total siege. Journalists must be allowed to enter Gaza to report what they see without censorship or being killed. Scholars, writers, and educators must be allowed to research and articulate the history and lived experiences of Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation without fear of retribution.

Peace is not passive and must be forged valiantly, against the dehumanization of all people and against the normalization of war. To counter the inflamed cycles of anti-Muslim racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Arab racism, we now call on our governments and campuses to bravely Wage Peace instead. Political scientists have already launched a clear call for an immediate ceasefire, as have the United Nations and scores of governments, academic groups, and civil society organizations, not to mention the majority of the US population.

Concurrently, we call on academic leaders at AU and beyond to oppose the silencing of marginalized voices, especially of Palestinians and allied groups. We note that statements by the AU administration so far have been silent on the loss and suffering of Palestinians. We say to AU leaders: Palestinian lives matter too. We also demand that AU administration provides safe spaces and resources for faculty, staff, and students of all faiths and backgrounds to speak on these atrocities and their deeper contexts. As the SIS Graduate Student Council stated in their own letter, this conflict should not be used to polarize our community, but as an opportunity for us to strengthen our commitment to honest inquiry, critical analysis, difficult dialogue, moral courage, and the ethos of service, solidarity, and equity.

*This statement does not represent SIS as a whole, only the signatories.